January Jellybeans 2013!...

[jrowenj]

I plan to breastfeed but still want a bottle or two for pumping if I need to do it.

thats what I am gonna try and do. This way hubby can feed baby and my parents can feed him sometimes too

 

[gingermango]

I plan to breastfeed but still want a bottle or two for pumping if I need to do it.

I plan to try breastfeeding but have bought bottles too. I say try as we attempted with ds and even had the midwife coming in twice a day to help me but he simply refused to latch on and I found that really stressful so I am going to try again but Im not going to feel like a failure if he doesnt like it.

 

[sassy_mom]

I plan on breast feeding but want to get bottles and a pump because of the problems I had with DD. My left side was flat (pancake nipple) and she struggled to latch on to that side. When I would try and pump, I could sit for 20 minutes and barely get 2-3 oz. I am not sure why I wasn't making enough but we struggled along for about 2 weeks but she started getting really hungry. I cried like a baby when I gave her the first formula bottle. I felt like I failed and I just sat there, tears streaming down my face in the middle of the night. It was heart breaking. I plan on trying again and I posted the other day if anyone knew of any good books. I have found 2 to put onto my nook. I want to read all I can and hopefully try some new things and maybe I can do better this time. I think what made it so awful last time is the fact that I have always been really big chested. I was the girl in 5th grade that looked like I had been rubbing miracle grow on my chest. Then when I had my daughter I was up to a DDD cup. I felt frustrated because with them being that big they should be able to work better!!!! After I lost all the weight I've come down to a DD so I still think they better work! I'd like to do some reading and see what all can be done and what I can learn that maybe I didn't know from last time. I would rather not ever have to buy formula and I won't buy any before hand because I do not want to use it. I just plan on doing my best. Any of you who are still bf an older child ... if you ladies have any great advice, please share.

 

[Soniamillie01]

Hi Ladies

Wow - I had a lot to catch up on! This thread sure does move fast, I've only been away for a day!

DittyByrd - my UTI was pee'ing all the time, no pain but just sheer pressure in my bladder. Also really cloudy urine.

Mammspath / Little J - I too have had breast surgery so wonder about breast feeding which I am really keen to do. I have a reduction, but just skin taken, no tissue so hoping that all will be ok, midwife seemed confident that it would be but you just never know.

All is ok for me, the rash is still driving me mental! The doctor has given me some cream which seems to relieve it for a while but not for long! It is especially bad at night times! No more flutters really although have felt the odd poke so wonder if a kick.

I had an appointment with maternal health this morning i.e. dietican because of my weight. Was quite good actually, have another booked for September. Compared to when I had by booking appointment I have lost 3.8kg, which is about 9lb so have a little cushion to support me over the next few weeks. She has recommended I gain no more than 1st - 1.5st from booking in.

Hope everyone is ok?

 

[DeedeeBeester]

Good morning ladies!
I'm an onion!

I have a Drs appt this friday! No scan scheduled, but I will make any type of puppy face to see if they let me do the scan to see what baby is! If not, I'll have to wait a whole month...

 

[Betheney]

Breast pumps really aren't indicative of how much you produce, they just don't extract the same as a baby so you always feel like you aren't producing much when pumps are involved. I had a pump and I could barely get anything out with it when I previously used to get out large numbers, I told myself it's screwing with my head and stopped using it. Pumps also can't sustain a supply like breast feeding can so over time if you're exclusively pumping more often than not your supply will diminish.

My other major point of advice is when our babies are crazy hungry and we just don't seem to be producing enough milk. There was MANY MANY times Eva would cry for near on an entire day and all she wanted to do was breasted and it was obvious she wasn't getting enough. This is when most mothers say "oh I couldn't produce enough" and changed to formula. My supply always took 48 h hours to adjust ALWAYS! so YES we would have hourly feeds and zero sleep for 24-48hours while my supply adjusted and then we were fine and happy as Larry again. The best thing you can do for your supply is let your baby suck on some empty boobies nothing else promotes production more than that. Medically the number of women who physically cannot produce adequate amounts of breast milk is very small, but it's one of the biggest reasons for women who stop breastfeeding because they just aren't educated enough with breastfeeding to know what's going on. Just remember that growth spurts happen and can sometimes last a week.

The other major point of advice is the old formula top up, once you introduce formula your chances of lasting longer with breast feeding definitely decreases. It's so hard because after giving a full breast feed and then see them happily drink a bottle of formula you start to doubt your capabilities at producing milk. But your only hurting your supply and a baby will over feed from a bottle and not a booby.

More advice. You REALLY have to give it a good few weeks of pain and awkwardness to get yourself sorted. Without any damage to your nipples I think I had 2 weeks of nipple pain, I remember telling myself mentally every day "it's day 4 only 10 days to go you can do it". My friend said she hired a lactation consultant who told her it takes 6weeks for proper breastfeeding to be established. At the time it might feel like you just can't go on but when you are 6 months down the track its hard to even remember those difficult weeks and you will be so proud and grateful within yourself that you stuck it out because breast feeding is so easy now and your so happy you stuck with it. You'll notice how much you love your booby cuddled and how your little one is so often less sick than other babies their age. Those first few weeks of horrible adjustment is so worth it in the long run.

I'm not saying you have to feel bad if you don't breasted. But saying "if I can I will, if I can't I won't" is just setting yourself up for failure. Breast feeding takes determination and persistence. Give yourself a time frame of how long you're willing to take to get it right.

Exhaust every avenue before giving up so you know you've done your best. Pay a lactation consultant if you are struggling. If you've done everything you can and nothing worked then you can proudly say "I did my bes

I usually hate giving breast feeding advice and you won't find many posts from me dishing out breast feeding advice. But if one mother here manages to breasted because of advice I've given then it was all worth it.

 

[Leinzlove]

Thanks Betheney! I'm definitley breastfeeding! I'm learning all I can and I'm not giving up! I will let baby nurse all day and night to build my supply.

 

[AJThomas]

Thanks sooooo much for the advice Betheney, I'm sure it will help me and a lot of other Jellybeaners when the time comes. Don't hesitate to dish it out, first timers like me are very happy to get it.

 

[Nikkilewis14]

Am i the only one not breast feeding? Lol..its not recommended with my type of diabetes bc my sugars drop quickly while breastfeeding and also thru my pregnancy....

 

[BlossomJ]

Very good advice Betheney! I was lucky to have a really good breastfeeding support group within a few mins walk of where I lived & I learnt so much. I remember DS would go through stages of 'cluster feeding' where it felt like he was constantly attached to me, but I never worried about it too much as I knew from the sessions there that it was normal.

I do have a couple of friends that suffered from this in the extreme, but baby was also being sick more than normal & struggling to latch. Both of the babies were tongue tied & midwives had failed to pick it up. Both were diagnosed by a lactation specialist & fed fine once the tongues were cut. One of these friends in particular said she was made to feel like a failure by the midwives & health vistitor who forced her to give the baby formula as a top up.

My advice would be to try & see a trained breastfeeding support worker if you have difficulties as midwives/doctors/health visitors often don't have enough time or specialist knowledge.

 

[BlossomJ]

Am i the only one not breast feeding? Lol..its not recommended with my type of diabetes bc my sugars drop quickly while breastfeeding and also thru my pregnancy....

Sounds like you're being sensible then & think I'd do the same in your position. No point doing something that could actually be dangerous x

 

[duckytwins]

I tried desparately to breastfeed the boys when they were born, but my milk never came in. I had an emergency c section and wasn't able to see or have them until the next day. The hospital didn't give much support and I didn't know about other places to go. This time, I want to try even harder.

 

[JCh]

I am very pleased to see this post. People don't seem to give it enough time sometimes.
And there are complications that can come up. My niece was in the hospital for 12 days, while me SIL was super sick and couldn't go feed her - she refused the boob completely at that point.
My gf had her baby in April and she was kept in the hospital for a week and a half having heart surgery but visited daily to feed. She now does both bfing and bottle to top up. She gave up on a lot of the advice to getting her supply up and changed her thinking to having to top up with bottle.

I was very happy to read ur post as it gives hope beyond having to pay for the formula.

Hopefully no mastitis!

 

[Cailidgh]

Anyone else getting real sharp pains under bump whenever they stand up or bend forward?

 

[duckytwins]

Anyone else getting real sharp pains under bump whenever they stand up or bend forward?

Sounds like round ligament pain. it's the ligaments stretching and strengthening to prepare for the uterus to grow. I get them when I turn over in bed and sometimes when I bend over or stretch. Just another sign things are going well!

 

[duckytwins]

I found this group a while back and thought I'd share. I hope they don't mind us all storming the group in January! Breastfeeding support thread

 

[Cailidgh]

Anyone else getting real sharp pains under bump whenever they stand up or bend forward?

Sounds like round ligament pain. it's the ligaments stretching and strengthening to prepare for the uterus to grow. I get them when I turn over in bed and sometimes when I bend over or stretch. Just another sign things are going well!

Thankyou, i shall stop worrying! I didnt get this with my last pregnancy and just assumed all the ligaments would be more pliable with this being second time round n all. Phew

 

[mellywelly]

Sorry but I'm staying in the if I can I will bf brigade. If this baby doesn't latch this time, then I will not be made to feel a failure again. It was horrible, I was crying constantly about it, and if I did start to think about formula there was a nearby midwife ready to make me feel incompetent again.

Sorry if this sounds bitter, but even now, all the bf is best talk brings it all back and I still feel very upset by it all.

 

[Soniamillie01]

Melly - you've got to do what's right for you and if that's seeing how it goes then that seems like the best approach to me. At least you're going to give it a go and see.

Each to their own I say. I will try and will persevere where I can to bf x

 

[BlossomJ]

Sorry but I'm staying in the if I can I will bf brigade. If this baby doesn't latch this time, then I will not be made to feel a failure again. It was horrible, I was crying constantly about it, and if I did start to think about formula there was a nearby midwife ready to make me feel incompetent again.

Sorry if this sounds bitter, but even now, all the bf is best talk brings it all back and I still feel very upset by it all.

No one is going to tell you what you should or shouldn't do in here & I'm so sorry you were treated that way by the midwives. While I think it's important to know that it can take time & be difficult to establish, I also think that once you're armed with this info, you are the best judge of what you need/want to do. A happy & relaxed mum is very important!