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[CocoaOne]

Does she seem satisfied from the right side after a feed? Or does she always take both sides at each feed?

It could be a pumping issue too. I can hand express really easily from my right (bigger) side, but it's really difficult for me to express from my left side. But LO seems just as satisfied at both (she only ever takes one side at each feed), so I assume she is just better at getting the milk out than I am!

 

[pinkclaire]

Just to add to what Cocoa has said, I always was more successful pumping from one than the other! If your LO seems satisifed shes getting enough, dont worry, pumpings no indication of how much they're getting. Maybe do it in time slots when pumping? say 15 mins one, 15 mins the other or what ever works for you? that way youve stimulated the same amount for each boob?

 

[SBB]

I need more help

My left breast is really really tender today... To the point of tears. I've also got a bit of a temperature, 36.4 yesterday, 37.6 earlier and now 38.1... I am also really chilly, can't get warm, then really hot.

Could this be mastitis? MW coming tomorrow but does anyone have any advice? I am feeling very weepy...
I am pumping mainly today cos my boob hurts so much

X x x

 

[TigerLady]

Definitely sounds like it could be mastitis. Definitely talk to your midwife about it. Try warm compresses and massage for now. Also, try to pump from that side, the more the milk builds up, the worse it can get.

 

[SBB]

Thank you, am pumping every 2 hours and will get OH to do the feeds tonight while I pump. Stupid bloody mastitis

X x x

 

[Mini1980]

Hi my lo is 1 week today. i was just wanting some advice please. I have a few questions.

Josie only feeds a few times through the day (max 20 min), but feeds for up to 2 and a half hours on an evening. is this normal. She wont settle either (unless I cosleep and feed) on an evening but sleeps thorough the day champion. I understand its early days but the cosleeping is not something I wanted to do. But I just need sleep. A few friends have said that I could smother baby if she sleeps with me.

Also I have Lansinoh but my nipples hurt real bad!!!! I know she is latching on right now, but they are still sore from the first few days when she was not.

Any help would be great. I am really at a crossroads, Im so tempted to stop but the closeness I feel when Im feeding her and waking up seeing her trying to latch on makes my day and is really the only thing I am clutching onto at the moment.

 

[BilliG]

Hi,

A bit of background.. my baby girl was born on the 30th Dec and was slightly on the small side (2.62kgs) After a day of breastfeeding, although baby looked contented a midwife advised me to top her up with formula milk as she is small. She felt very strongly that I am starving baby if I dont and naturally that would be the last thing I would want so went with the advice..in hindsight I'm not sure this was the best decision.

Each time I offered the breast first so that the milk supply would come in.

Having been to her 10day appointment after birth she has gained some weight and is now 2.73kgs and they have said that I can work on going back to breastfeeding exclusively. Having tried this for a day baby was not happy so have continued to top up with formula but in a cup so that we can avoid nipple confusion.

In order to gauge what was going on I have purchased a medela swing electric pump and have started pumping only to find that the supply was exteremly low (I think) not even 1/4 ounce from both breasts. I have started pumping every couple of hours from today.

I think she is latching on ok but getting frustrated with the lack of milk coming through.

Ultimately I feel like I'm flapping a little and unsure of how to move forward and if I am doing the right thing.

Advice would be much appreciated.

Many Thanks,
BilliG

 

[snailien]

Hi BilliG,

Sounds as though you're having a tough first couple of weeks but rest assured you're not alone!

It's great that you've been using a cup to avoid nipple confusion.

Have the midwives checked your latch?

When did you pump? How long for? The medela swing is a great pump, but I too struggled to get anything much during the early days... now it's a different story! But just because you didn't get much off doesn't necessarily mean you have a low supply.

Try speaking to the midwife about this but there's a great website called Kellymom.com which has some information on this:
https://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html

Hope this helps in the meantime. Sounds like your doing a great job

 

[TigerLady]

Hi my lo is 1 week today. i was just wanting some advice please. I have a few questions.

Josie only feeds a few times through the day (max 20 min), but feeds for up to 2 and a half hours on an evening. is this normal. She wont settle either (unless I cosleep and feed) on an evening but sleeps thorough the day champion. I understand its early days but the cosleeping is not something I wanted to do. But I just need sleep. A few friends have said that I could smother baby if she sleeps with me.

Also I have Lansinoh but my nipples hurt real bad!!!! I know she is latching on right now, but they are still sore from the first few days when she was not.

Any help would be great. I am really at a crossroads, Im so tempted to stop but the closeness I feel when Im feeding her and waking up seeing her trying to latch on makes my day and is really the only thing I am clutching onto at the moment.

Big !! You are doing really well so far, hon.

It sounds like what you are experiencing is generally normal. She should be feeding anywhere from 8-12 (or more) times per day. 20 minutes at a time sounds good, too. The evening thing is called cluster feeding and is completely normal. Most babies do it. My DS cluster fed in the evenings (which is the most common time). My DD likes to cluster feed in the early hours of the morning (from about 3am to 630 am! )

The pain is also normal. It takes about 2-3 weeks for it to go. It's really bad for that time, but does get better and then you won't remember it at all.

As far as co-sleeping, I know exactly how you feel. I didn't want to co-sleep because I had heard so often that it was very dangerous. I was terrified of it. However, my son had different ideas. He absolutely insisted on co-sleeping. I struggled with the situation for about 11 weeks (spending my nights dozing in the livingroom recliner with him in my arms, which is VERY dangerous) trying to figure out how to get him to sleep in his cradle. It didn't work.

Finally, I decided to follow his lead and embrace co-sleeping. I got an Arm's Reach (www.armsreach.com) and also researched how to bed-share safely. https://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/t071000.asp

I have to admit I am so happy I did that now! I co-slept with my DS until he was 10 months old and sleeping through the night. He then transitioned to his own crib in his own room without a problem. I have co-slept with my DD since the day she was born. It works really well for us and I wouldn't change it. It is the only way I get decent rest. And it is reassuring to me to know they are there, safe, and happy. There is also evidence that co-sleeping (at the very least having the baby in the same room with you for 6 months) reduces the risk of SIDS. Co-sleeping seems to be safest for moms that breastfeed and it seems BFing moms often end up co-sleeping because their babies demand it.

Research it, hon, and don't be afraid of it. Just make sure you do it safely. There are ways to be safe with it and ways to not be safe. Keep all blankets and pillows as far from baby as possible. Don't do it if you smoke, use drugs that make you sleepy (prescription or otherwise) or are too over-tired. In those cases the Arm's Reach would still be fine, but bed sharing is dangerous. If your OH does any of those things, don't let baby sleep next to him.

For me, DH takes a scripted med that makes him sleepy. So, I have an Arm's Reach on my side of the bed that baby uses part time. I also bed-share at least half the night, and baby sleeps between me and the Arm's Reach. That way there is no chance that DH can roll onto baby. Unless he rolls over me first, which I am sure would wake me up!

If you have any more questions, ask!!

 

[TigerLady]

Hi,

A bit of background.. my baby girl was born on the 30th Dec and was slightly on the small side (2.62kgs) After a day of breastfeeding, although baby looked contented a midwife advised me to top her up with formula milk as she is small. She felt very strongly that I am starving baby if I dont and naturally that would be the last thing I would want so went with the advice..in hindsight I'm not sure this was the best decision.

Each time I offered the breast first so that the milk supply would come in.

Having been to her 10day appointment after birth she has gained some weight and is now 2.73kgs and they have said that I can work on going back to breastfeeding exclusively. Having tried this for a day baby was not happy so have continued to top up with formula but in a cup so that we can avoid nipple confusion.

In order to gauge what was going on I have purchased a medela swing electric pump and have started pumping only to find that the supply was exteremly low (I think) not even 1/4 ounce from both breasts. I have started pumping every couple of hours from today.

I think she is latching on ok but getting frustrated with the lack of milk coming through.

Ultimately I feel like I'm flapping a little and unsure of how to move forward and if I am doing the right thing.

Advice would be much appreciated.

Many Thanks,
BilliG

This is a tough one. Of course you wanted to do what was right for your baby and when the professionals tell you that your baby needs formula, you tend to listen! But, your are right... that probably wasn't the best advice to follow for long term Breastfeeding success. But hindsight is 20-20 and all you can do is go foward from here.

It's good that you are using a cup to help decrease nipple confusion. However, that is probably still part of the problem. Nipple confusion isn't really so much that they get "confused" as to how to get milk from different nipples. It is more that they get frustrated with the breast because it is so much HARDER to get milk from it. They still know how, they just don't understand why they can't get it to come as fast as with the other method and they get frustrated.

Maybe try a syringe. That way you can gradually slow down how fast she gets her formula feeds. By slowing the formula feed and making her work harder at it, it will feel more "normal" to her work harder for the breast feed.

Don't take what you pumped as gospel as to how much baby can get. Some women don't respond to the pump well and can't pump much, even though they have plenty for baby to drink directly.

However, keep pumping as often as possible. The extra stimulation will increase your supply if you do, in fact, have a supply issue. Also, there are herbs (fenugreek is a good one) that can help. Google them. And if you really need help with supply there are meds (Reglan) that you can get on prescription that will increase your supply.

The best thing to do from here is to buckle down and be mentally and emotionally prepared for a tough few weeks. Get her on the breast as often and for as long as you can. Put off any formula feeding until you are completely certain she can't go without it. If that means putting her to the breast every 30 minutes for shorter feeds, do it. Only give the formula when you can't get her to settle any other way-- and not just can't get her to stop fussing, but can't get her to stop melting down.

It will be time consuming and frustrating for you both. But if you really put your full effort into it, chances are high that your body will respond properly and she will learn to breastfeed exclusively withing a week or two.

Good luck!!!

 

[BilliG]

Thank you for your responses. They are very helpful!!

In order to overcome the getting the milk quick issue I have ordered breast flow bottles which apparently make babies work for the milk similar to on the breast.. I'm hoping these will help.

Have been pumping every 2-3 hrs for 10-15mins each breast. I'm not sure how long it I will need to do this before I see some results.

Have not yet had a midwife check her latch.. I am hoping to go to a workshop on Thursday where I can get this checked.

I have also been drinking fennel tea a couple of times a day as it is supposed to help as well.

Thanks again!

 

[TigerLady]

Thank you for your responses. They are very helpful!!

In order to overcome the getting the milk quick issue I have ordered breast flow bottles which apparently make babies work for the milk similar to on the breast.. I'm hoping these will help.

Have been pumping every 2-3 hrs for 10-15mins each breast. I'm not sure how long it I will need to do this before I see some results.

Have not yet had a midwife check her latch.. I am hoping to go to a workshop on Thursday where I can get this checked.

I have also been drinking fennel tea a couple of times a day as it is supposed to help as well.

Thanks again!

I've always used BreastFlow bottles with both my kids and we've never had nipple confusion problems.

Fennel should help, too. Try to drink even more if you can. It will take a few days, at least, to see a difference with any herbal supplement, or with pumping frequently. If you don't see a difference from the pumping, don't despair too much -- it may be that you don't respond to the pump well.

 

[JudeMc]

Hoping that this time I can actually BF successfully...

We are talking 13 and 15 years ago now but both times I ended up resorting to formula this time I have no intention of doing that!

I don't know if it was beacuse my boobs got too big and had flat nipples or the meds they gave me to shrink my uterus after (didn't contract) or the second time as my daughter is tongue tied... Who knows but this time I soo want it to work..

Am 41 weeks so just waiting.. I am getting some drops but nothing more than that, have an electric pump on the way to me as i type.. wish I'd ordered it sooner.. ordered the tommee tippee and was planning to get some of the closer to nature bottles as I have to go back to work (several hours a week)more or less straight away... I am self emlpoyed so it's not like im going back to FT work.

Don't know what else to say just now but hope I can get it to work this time. I'm hoping this thread will help me stay focussed as here (where I live in Spain) I am working in my second language so if I get down i might find it a little harder to express myself than on here in English...

Anyhooo thanks in advance and looking forward to getting to grips with it all :0)

 

[Mini1980]

Hi my lo is 1 week today. i was just wanting some advice please. I have a few questions.

Josie only feeds a few times through the day (max 20 min), but feeds for up to 2 and a half hours on an evening. is this normal. She wont settle either (unless I cosleep and feed) on an evening but sleeps thorough the day champion. I understand its early days but the cosleeping is not something I wanted to do. But I just need sleep. A few friends have said that I could smother baby if she sleeps with me.

Also I have Lansinoh but my nipples hurt real bad!!!! I know she is latching on right now, but they are still sore from the first few days when she was not.

Any help would be great. I am really at a crossroads, Im so tempted to stop but the closeness I feel when Im feeding her and waking up seeing her trying to latch on makes my day and is really the only thing I am clutching onto at the moment.

Big !! You are doing really well so far, hon.

It sounds like what you are experiencing is generally normal. She should be feeding anywhere from 8-12 (or more) times per day. 20 minutes at a time sounds good, too. The evening thing is called cluster feeding and is completely normal. Most babies do it. My DS cluster fed in the evenings (which is the most common time). My DD likes to cluster feed in the early hours of the morning (from about 3am to 630 am! )

The pain is also normal. It takes about 2-3 weeks for it to go. It's really bad for that time, but does get better and then you won't remember it at all.

As far as co-sleeping, I know exactly how you feel. I didn't want to co-sleep because I had heard so often that it was very dangerous. I was terrified of it. However, my son had different ideas. He absolutely insisted on co-sleeping. I struggled with the situation for about 11 weeks (spending my nights dozing in the livingroom recliner with him in my arms, which is VERY dangerous) trying to figure out how to get him to sleep in his cradle. It didn't work.

Finally, I decided to follow his lead and embrace co-sleeping. I got an Arm's Reach (www.armsreach.com) and also researched how to bed-share safely. https://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/t071000.asp

I have to admit I am so happy I did that now! I co-slept with my DS until he was 10 months old and sleeping through the night. He then transitioned to his own crib in his own room without a problem. I have co-slept with my DD since the day she was born. It works really well for us and I wouldn't change it. It is the only way I get decent rest. And it is reassuring to me to know they are there, safe, and happy. There is also evidence that co-sleeping (at the very least having the baby in the same room with you for 6 months) reduces the risk of SIDS. Co-sleeping seems to be safest for moms that breastfeed and it seems BFing moms often end up co-sleeping because their babies demand it.

Research it, hon, and don't be afraid of it. Just make sure you do it safely. There are ways to be safe with it and ways to not be safe. Keep all blankets and pillows as far from baby as possible. Don't do it if you smoke, use drugs that make you sleepy (prescription or otherwise) or are too over-tired. In those cases the Arm's Reach would still be fine, but bed sharing is dangerous. If your OH does any of those things, don't let baby sleep next to him.

For me, DH takes a scripted med that makes him sleepy. So, I have an Arm's Reach on my side of the bed that baby uses part time. I also bed-share at least half the night, and baby sleeps between me and the Arm's Reach. That way there is no chance that DH can roll onto baby. Unless he rolls over me first, which I am sure would wake me up!

If you have any more questions, ask!!

Thanks ever so much TigerLady. When I was in the birthing unit the midwifes all told me different info. Some that has worked aome that hasnt. Josie seams to be taking to boob ok now. Still irratic feeding tho. I have been demand feeding but sometimes she is going 6 hours without a feed (my boobies are rock hard when she gets round to feeding. One midwife told me to leave her and let her sleep. One said I must wake her and feed her every 3 hours. She was weighed yesterday nd has put on 10g since birth. MW said that was good as lots of babies lose weight after birth.

Because of her infrequent feeding do you think it might be worth expressing milk for my own comfort? Saving it for later and letting her feed when she wants or waking her every few hours to feed?

 

[TigerLady]

Because of her infrequent feeding do you think it might be worth expressing milk for my own comfort? Saving it for later and letting her feed when she wants or waking her every few hours to feed?

I would probably have her feed after 4-5 hours and not let her go 6. But that is just my feeling. You know your baby best and can best judge if she needs to sleep longer or to eat. If she's putting on weight, she is getting enough.

If she's sleeping, you are engorged and you don't want to wake her, it wouldn't be bad to express a little. Especially as that would help you build up a freezer stash. Just keep in mind that if you express, that will signal your boobs to keep that much milk. So, your supply may end up being more than she needs. That isn't a problem if you continue to express the extra or at some point deal with the engorgement for a few days and it will regulate down to only what she needs.

I am a propronent of building up a bit of freezer stash. I actually have about 100 oz in the freezer now and try to keep it around that much. There was a point when I BFed DS when I got VERY ill and had to take meds for a day or two that I couldn't BF with. Thankfully, I had the freezer stash!! That was the only thing that allowed me to reach my goal of no formula for him. Otherwise he would have HAD to have formula those days.

 

[HCB]

I gave birth to my twins last week when they were only 27+4 weeks. It wasn't a traumatic birth, in fact I didn't even know I was in labour for most of it, but established labour was very quick (I went from 4cm dilated to fully dilated with one baby on it's way in about an hour). Neither baby was in any distress and I was able to give birth naturally to both with only a bit of gas and air at the end, no pain relief.

They are obviously very small and in NICU so I cannot breastfeed as I was hoping to do had they been born at term. However, I have been trying to express and I just don't seem to be getting anywhere. Because they are preemies I feel it is even more important that they get breast milk especially as it looks like they aren't really tolerating formula. I only get a matter of a few ml every time I express despite trying what has been suggested to me.

The boys are now 10 days old and I still feel like my milk hasn't come in - my breasts haven't got bigger nor do they feel heavier. From what I had been told during pregnancy I was given the impression that it only takes a matter of days to come in and you end up with huge breasts that don't take much to leak. I was looking forward to having something there for a change!

It all made me very upset last weekend, which I know doesn't help the cause but I was just feeling so helpless and useless that not only couldn't I keep them inside me long enough I also couldn't give them the one thing they really need and that I should be able to.

How long should it take for the milk to start building up? From the advice I have been given expressing regularly or more often should make my body think it needs to produce more milk but it just doesn't seem to be happening.

 

[TigerLady]

Hang in there, this must be very hard for you!

First, congrats on the birth of your boys! It's great they are both here despite being born a bit too soon. I hope they are doing okay!

In general, your milk should have come in by now. However, all is not lost! I don't know what you are doing, but I would say you need to be pumping each breast (both at once if you can) for at least 20-30 minutes, every 2 hours, around the clock. Yes, even through the night. Every 2 hours means counting from the start of a session, not the end. So, you should only have 1.5 hours between pumping sessions, iykwim. If you don't have a good, double electric pump get one. Use the hospital's if you can (they probably have them available where your boys are).

Also, have you talked to a doc about Reglan? It is a script med that will up milk supply. I usually don't recommend it until loads of other things have been tried, but you are in special circumstances. For your boys' sake, the sooner you can get them breastmilk, the better. See if you can get on the Reglan asap. Also try herbal supplements -- fenugreek is a good one. Drink loads of water.... LOADS. Eat a diet high in protien. All those things should help some.

If your boys are having trouble tolerating formula, have you looked into a milk bank? Ask the NICU about it. There are women that donate extra breastmilk to milk banks to help preemies. They and the milk are screened, so it is safe! It might be a good option for your boys until you can get your supply coming on better.

Don't give up! The frequent pumping is the main goal. It will help more than anything else will.

 

[HCB]

Hang in there, this must be very hard for you!

First, congrats on the birth of your boys! It's great they are both here despite being born a bit too soon. I hope they are doing okay!

In general, your milk should have come in by now. However, all is not lost! I don't know what you are doing, but I would say you need to be pumping each breast (both at once if you can) for at least 20-30 minutes, every 2 hours, around the clock. Yes, even through the night. Every 2 hours means counting from the start of a session, not the end. So, you should only have 1.5 hours between pumping sessions, iykwim. If you don't have a good, double electric pump get one. Use the hospital's if you can (they probably have them available where your boys are).

Also, have you talked to a doc about Reglan? It is a script med that will up milk supply. I usually don't recommend it until loads of other things have been tried, but you are in special circumstances. For your boys' sake, the sooner you can get them breastmilk, the better. See if you can get on the Reglan asap. Also try herbal supplements -- fenugreek is a good one. Drink loads of water.... LOADS. Eat a diet high in protien. All those things should help some.

If your boys are having trouble tolerating formula, have you looked into a milk bank? Ask the NICU about it. There are women that donate extra breastmilk to milk banks to help preemies. They and the milk are screened, so it is safe! It might be a good option for your boys until you can get your supply coming on better.

Don't give up! The frequent pumping is the main goal. It will help more than anything else will.

Thank you! The boys are doing as well as can be expected and have made some good progress already, especially with their breathing. It's the feeding thing that now needs sorting out so they can take another step forward. Both boys have now been put on a different formula, which is supposed to be kinder to them, so we'll see how they respond to that but I am still keen to give them some breast milk to help fight the bugs as it's much harder for them.

I have been told a few different things to try so it's starting to get confusing! Generally, people are telling me to express every 3 hours for about 10-15 minutes on each breast and to do it a couple of times in the night too. I have tried to do this but it hasn't made any difference. It was also suggested that I massaged my breasts before expressing and starting them off (expressing wise) before putting the pump on, which I have been doing since then and it seemed to be helping but last night and this morning I seem to have gone backwards with the amount I'm producing rather than forwards.

I have been using the hospital pumps when I am there and an electric one at home whilst I wait for one like at the hospital to be delivered (I have arranged to hire one but they couldn't get me a proper one until this weekend so gave me a different electric one in the meantime). I've tried double pumping but I can't get on with it at all. I feel like I need to be an octopus to hold on to and do everything! I know that it would help make expressing sessions quicker though.

How much do you consider 'loads' to drink? I have always drunk quite a bit and am probably drinking about 1.8-2 litres a day. I don't drink tea or coffee anyway so mainly drink water with a glass or two of juice a day.

I've never heard of Reglan? Is that a US thing or is it also available in the UK? When I have mentioned the milk situation to nurses and midwives they are all still saying to keep going and that it will happen but it's been 1 1/2 weeks now since giving birth. It is hard to get an appointment with my doctor so by the time I would get one it would probably be too late. I will have a look into Fenugreek and up my protein intake too.

Thanks for your help.

 

[bky]

Ask for domperidone. They prescribe Reglan in the US because the FDA is funny about domperidone. Domperidone generally works better with less side effects. I gather you can buy domperidone (motilium) over the counter in the UK, though you only get a little bit at a time.
If you need info for your Dr you can give them this https://www.breastfeedingonline.com/Dom19abcombinedpdf.pdf

 

[SharonF]

Hi

I hope this is the correct way to get in touch with a BF champion? I need some help!

My little girl is four weeks old and has always fed frequently and for long sessions. The last few days have been tough, she is needing to feed constantly, crying within ten minutes or less after feeding, and only ceding will stop her crying. She seems to be taking milk in, my health visitor said her latch was excellent, and she does plenty of wet nappies and poops after each feed. Today her poop has been dark green, which suggests that she's not getting sufficient hind milk I think.

When not feeding, she is very alert and seems healthy. I have developed thrush in my breast, which jam trying to put cream on between feeds, but there's not much chance as I have to wash it off to feed her again. I saw two Drs about the thrush and they said my LO seems fine, no thrush symptoms and gaining weight slowly by acceptably. My healthvisitor is concerned about her weight gain and has been encouraging me to express and give her extra. I've only tried expressing in the evening due to no gaps in feeding earlier, and managed to get just under an ounce, which she wolfed down. I'll try again in the morning when there should be more milk.

I'm concerned that she is not sleeping enough as she us nearly always feeding. She's only had a couple if short naps today. I'm determined to keep feeding her, but my mum and MIL are both suggesting it's time to FF. I don't want to be stubborn and harm my LO by underfeeding her, but I just need help to get through this stage.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to give as many details as possible.
Thanks in anticipation!