July Mamas! 101 Due in 2015! ! 37 babies born 23 boys 14 girls <3

[hollyw79]

LIB what sort of bf struggles are you having?


And ladies, feel free to pm me and I'll add you to my Facebook and then can add you to the group

 

[Khatif]

I struggle with BF. I cannot produce enough milk whatever I do. It make me sad tbh. I feed Kathryn and I pump, drink thee and take more milk plus capsules but it is not enough for her.
I am afraid at the control today they will advise me to start adding formula

 

[hollyw79]

Khatif.. Why do you think you don't make enough?? Nursing is the best way to increase supply. Let baby use you as a paci and offer to bf as often as baby will take it.

You can also do power pumping.. It's not how long you pump but how often your body is asked for milk. So after nursing.. Pump 5 min, stop. Pump 5 min, stop. And do this for 30min to an hour. Also, prolactin is highest in the early hours of the morning... So pumping at like 3-4am (if u can manage to stay awake!) is also good to do.

Just keep offering to nurse as much as possible and avoid any bottles or paci to start and that should help.

 

[countryblonde]

I'm curious as to why a few of you say you don't have enough milk? How do you know? Is your baby not gaining or another reason?? Maybe some of us can help you out with some advice

 

[k4th]

I'm curious as to why a few of you say you don't have enough milk? How do you know? Is your baby not gaining or another reason?? Maybe some of us can help you out with some advice

I was told that as long as there's plenty of wet nappies (5-6 per day) and dirty (2/3 per day, only 2-3cm in size needed) nappies then baby is getting plenty of milk. And then the weigh-ins should only confirm that. Does that sound about right??

My bf struggle is with slightly sore nipples. They aren't cracked or bleeding, but just a bit "there" when I'm not feeding. Over sensitive and I don't really like them rubbing on clothes - is that normal? I'd maybe describe them as a little bit "stingy". Idk if that even makes sense

 

[countryblonde]

Sore nipple are no fun for sure...is your LO latching properly? Does hurt while you are nursing or just after... pretty normal for them to be sensitive totally new thing for them. Try putting a little bit on breastmilk on them and let them dry before covering up. The milk will help heal and protect them

 

[JoyofMyLife]

K4th, I had extremely sore nipples the whole first month of breastfeeding. They almost felt raw and I used to cringe everytime he would latch on because it hurt so bad. What helped for me is to put lanolin on my nipples after every feeding. I still use lanolin everyday now and I hardly have any soreness at all anymore.

 

[MKHewson]

My breast ache after feeding now. I find it's the milk coming in. I was about to pump off 3oz this morning no problem. First time ever so productions is up.
I pumped in between feedings almost every hour then i gave Anderson supplement feeds in between. It helps for sure

 

[babyvaughan]

I couldnt bare the sore nipples anymore so I started using a double electric pump and occasionally giving him my boob and first I was making little milk so I started pumping every 15 mins and it boosted my supply up so now I can not only feed him but get ahead. I also notice if I'm not well hydrated my milk goes down drastically. Pumping saved me from quiting bfing and those of you if still can't make enough you can mix formula with your milk so you baby at least can get some of your milk!

 

[Khatif]

Sorry, it will be a bit long.

After coming home Kathryn lost 240 grams, that is on the margins of normal here because it was 7% of her birth weight.
As far as I could judge she was eating enough. However she did not started to gain weight and at the one week control she still was the same weight.
So my midwife gave me the advice to pump after every feeding and give her some extra from the bottle. She is on my both breaths for 10-10 minutes and drinks 30-60 ml afterwards.
She finally started to gain weight.

In the last couple of days she became restless. She wants to eat more and more. The time between feeding are shorter and I hardly can pump enough to give her the extra bottle. She wants to eat every 1,5-2 hours.

 

[hollyw79]

Khatif.. It's normal for bf babies to lose 7-10% during their first week. That's actually to be expected and babies are just expected to be back to their birth weight by two weeks. Also, the frequent eating is VERY normal and not a sign anything is wrong at all. Baby nurses for comfort too. Right now, I'll be lucky if I go two hours between feeds during the day. At first, it seems like you nurse all day.. But that does calm down and settle w time. Your milk is regulating and building up so the constant nursing is a good thing. Even if baby lost more weight.. Really, pumping shouldn't be the answer but more frequent nursing sessions. Nursing will actually build your supply quicker and more efficiently than a pump anyway. Don't question yourself sounds like your baby is very typical!

 

[hollyw79]

And to me.. This is THE best breastfeeding resource online..
https://kellymom.com/category/ages/newborn/newborn-concerns/

 

[Tasha]

That frequent is completely normal for a breast fed baby. If she was going less frequent than that before then that's likely why she wasn't gaining weight (though 10% to 14% is classed as a normal loss for BF babies). I would say it's time to drop the bottle and just feed that often

 

[Aelyana]

Sorry I have been off the grid ladies. So nice to read all the updates about babies.

I had Elias last Friday in the evening!! (So still a July baby &#128522. Labour was super fast, only 2,5 hours start to finish and it was such a good experience this time around. That said I did loose a lot of blood again and ended up w a second degree tear.

, Elias is doing well and we have been enjoying newborn snuggles &#128156;

 

[Khatif]

Thanks ladies!
I started to feel as a failure because my midwife and nurse were giving me the feeling I am doing something wrong.
I will feed her as often as she wants then. I am happy to stop pumping

I don't know why but 7% is the limit here a babies should lose. With more weightloss the midwife has to be called.

 

[countryblonde]

Khatif sounds perfectly normal. I don't knwo grams but my son dropped from 8 lbs 3oz to 7lbs 7 oz the first week..and most breastfed babies eat every 2 hours, it doesn't last as long in their tummies as formula would. Also you can offer the breast anytime.. it will help build your supply up. Let Kathryn use you as a so other. . Comfort feeding is just as important at this point... you sound like your doing everything right

 

[k4th]

Thanks everyone I spoke to a lactation consultant yesterday & she gave me some latching tips that I had missed. Firstly to make sure his tongue is down when he latches. Second to latch on bottom chin first and then kind of "push" my nipple behind his top gums. It's giving more assurance than a natural latch but when we get it right it feels SO much better!!

It looks a bit like the flipple technique that you can you tube

Eta: & khatif it does sound like you're doing a fab job.

 

[Rach87]

Delilah is 3.5 weeks and BF is just starting to go well. Shes starting to latch well almost every feeding. Im still pumping, so BF half the time and bottled breastmilk the other half. Slowly transitioning to straight BF with occasional pumping to have a little stash. I had to do it this way to keep my sanity and let my nippers heal some. Also my hubby helps throughout the night with feeding so I can get rest. With my lupus I need to rest so I dont get a flare, so far so good! My hubby takes excellent care of me. I use lanolin after every feed and pump session as well and that seems to have helped with dryness. I forget who said it, khatif? But I have that sunburned feeling after some feedings also. Not terrible but I assume its bc they arent used to a small creature hanging from them. Lol yesterday and today are the first days where Delilah has actually been content while awake. Its wonderful! Cant believe my little peanut brittle will be a month old on saturday already!

 

[k4th]

Sorry I have been off the grid ladies. So nice to read all the updates about babies.

I had Elias last Friday in the evening!! (So still a July baby &#128522. Labour was super fast, only 2,5 hours start to finish and it was such a good experience this time around. That said I did loose a lot of blood again and ended up w a second degree tear.

, Elias is doing well and we have been enjoying newborn snuggles &#128156;

Congratulations

I had a second degree tear but a good labour experience too. Hope you make a speedy recovery & enjoy all those newborn cuddles

 

[RaquelDee]

Well she's finally here! Beautiful M arrived safely 9 days overdue, entering the world about half an hour before we were scheduled to start the induction process. After active labour for eight hours with everything going well, M's heartbeat started halving with each contraction, so emergency c-section it was. And as traumatic as that sounds, it was the best thing for both of us, and I'm actually really happy with how it turned out although it couldn't have been further from my birth plan.

Kat, don't worry about the prospect of a caesar. It was one of my fears but when it came down to it, it was absolutely fine. I'm sure a planned one, without the stress and pain of my situation, would be even better. I'm recovering really well and M is feeding like a champion.

It's good to hear everyone's updates. I hope people continue to post here as I'm not on Facebook and I've always found everyone's advice in this group absolutely invaluable. Much love to all the June/July/August mamas and their bubs.