Late April Early May 2013 babies. :)

[CupcakeBaby]

Wow. Loads of us with OALD.

12 weeks. Man. I thought it was 8.

Urgh I can't wait for this to be better.

Nursing in public seems very intimidating anyway. Let alone if you add her screaming and my milk leaking ecerywhe!

 

[VmrsbabcockV]

I really wish I could have stuck it out but going back to work in 2 weeks I couldn't imagine battling bf issues too...I'd be so tired :/ still missing it tho...MIL got me some new tank tops and some bottles with rly cute patterns to make me feel a little better. We got these nuk bottles with blue/orange camo print and some parents choice bottles with colorful little lions and tigers on them. At least ill be ff in style. But still every time I see/feel my boobs being emptier more and more I can't help but be sad..

 

[New_Wife]

I have OALD and a windy baby too. As soon as he starts crying, I start pouring milk out my breasts. And I accidentally squirted him in the face trying to sandwich my nipple for him last night lol He just looked at me like "What the heck mom?"

He has finally started sleeping again after a week long growth spurt (he's up 3 lbs from his birthweight!) and has been doing great sleeping in his crib. He still fights sleep initially but after a few minutes of back patting and listening to techno music (ha! I think he likes the beat?), he passes out for 3 hrs. I still let him cosleep for naps now and then but since he likes sleeping on his stomach, I prefer he sleep in the crib with the angelcare monitor when I'm going to be sleeping too.

A funny/slightly scary story. I was breastfeeding and eating Skittles. He decided to take a break and had propped his head on top of my breast with his mouth slightly open just as I dropped a skittle. It landed right at the opening of his mouth.. lucky it wasn't open enough to fall in! I snatched it up so fast, but he did give it a quick lick as I took it away, hehe. Gave me a heart attack though.. then a good laugh once everything turned out ok

 

[MightyMom]

LOL NW, I just did that to DS. He just looks at me like "You missed." Doesn't fuss, doesn't scream. Just tries as best as he can to drink from a firehose. LOL!

Scary about the skittle! I'm always paranoid about drinking warm beverages when holding him. In fact drinking everything while holding him!

MrsB: Your boobs will regulate soon. As long as your choice means everyone is happier, you shouldn't feel guilty about it!

 

[Lady H]

MrsB I'm going cold turkey and not pumping now. Are you expressing any or just letting it dry up? I've women up a pool of milk!

 

[VmrsbabcockV]

You're going to ff lady h?
I went cold tutkey..the first 24hours will HURT. Do not let anything warm touch your boobs and don't touch them at all. Get s sports bra or a compression bra...tightest bra you have and put some nursing pads in and start taking ibuprofen now and every 4 hours. I expressed once bc I couldn't take it anymore but only a tiny bit..like 10 "squeezes" on eeach side. Ice packs in the bra felt amazing too.

 

[CupcakeBaby]

Eeeek. Wow I've never considered what'd happen to your boobs when you stop BFing. Sounds painful.

Hope it doesn't last long ladies. X

 

[Lady H]

Thanks Mrsb, yes I'm switching, and boy do my boobs HURT! Thanks for the advice.

 

[VmrsbabcockV]

I'm sorry bfing didn't work out but I'm glad I'm not alonee..how r u feeling emotionally?

Also i heard benadryl can help dry ip your milk faster...I've been taking that too I thought it helped a bit.
Good luck xx

 

[Lady H]

Thanks mrsB. I'm an emotional wreck today as my body is doing what it should but we just can't get BF down. I feel bad drying up perfectly good milk but pumping every feed has meant I've not slept or done anything except be stuck in a feeding cycle for a month. Can't do it.

You've given me hope as your little one is doing so well. How are you feeling now?

 

[VmrsbabcockV]

I know how you feel I felt like I was so tired and frustrated from bfing that I couldn't enjoy him fully even though when we had good bfing days I loved it. But now I can enjoy him more bc he sleeps so much better so he has longer periods of being awake and I can sit him on me and watch him study my face and smile and talk to him etc. I've been cuddling him after bottles in s nursing position snd give him his pacifier and it helps bc hell curl his little body on me and look up at me as if he was nursing.
The feeds are quick and easy we have so much more time for other things like going for walks.
So there are perks to ff that make the grief a little easier to deal with.

 

[Lady H]

Thanks that helps, I've just thought about feeding and expressing and not how is she developing etc. it's actually bad for the bonding right now so I'm looking forwards to that time back to get to know her better. Xx

 

[kezziek]

LadyH you sound like me with my first baby- I ended up ff him after weeks of failed latching,pain, an unhappy boy. I tried exclusively expressing for a few weeks but it used to take me so long and so all I did all day and all night was feed him and express milk. I got quite depressed and just couldn't do it so I completely understand some of what you are feeling. I felt awful that I couldn't bf but I then really started to bond with him and enjoy him- plus actually get out of the house LOL. He's a bright, healthy and happy boy. No guilt needed in making the right decision for you and baby. You have tried so hard and she has had plenty of good nutrition from your colostrum and first milk so you have given her the best start. X

 

[Foxycleopatra]

I was in the same boat for both my girls. I attempted to breastfeed them but due to my pcos and severely inverted nipples they couldn't latch and ended up losing weight.

With Ziva I have FF since she was 4 days old. She is the most content, chillaxed baby I know. She has sttn consistently since 5 weeks (last feed at 1130pm then sleeps to between 6-8am!). I can't believe she is 7 weeks old tomorrow!!

I feel like a real failure of a women. I needed clomid to conceive Ziva, had to take progesterone to sustain the pregnancy, then I couldn't birth her naturally and had to have an emergency c-section (due to her getting stuck in my birth canal) then on top of all that I couldn't breastfeed! But I have a healthy happy baby which is all that really matters right?

I forgot how much it hurts waiting for the milk to dry up. Thankfully mine is now long gone.

 

[MightyMom]

I was FF in disposable diapers and left to CIO in my own room in a crib since I was born. I have no allergies or health problems and am a well adjusted member of society with two masters degrees and I love and get along well with my family. So if you're feeling guilty about FFing, DON'T. What matters is that you love your baby and treat them well. "Breast is best" is like saying "Oreos are better than generic." Well, yeah, sure. But I'll still eat a box of generic cookies and be just as happy (and full).

 

[VmrsbabcockV]

Thanks for the kind words about ff everyone
MightyMom I love the cookie reference that's a rly good way to look at it..and I love cookies

 

[Hann12]

I honestly wouldn't give the FF thing another thought, you've made the decision now and it's the right one for you/your child so that's it

I just had an awful night! DD up a few times, then Henry up loads and I really struggle getting him back to sleep even though he's knackered! I never had this issue with DD, I would just feed her and she'd fall asleep and she'd go back into her cot. With him he feeds and looks sleepy but as soon as he goes into his cot he is wide awake again! It's exhausting as he can take up to 3 hours to settle him back to sleep! I've tried feeding then waiting for him to fall asleep and putting him in but he still wakes up, I've tried white noise, a dummy, refeeding, rocking him, walking him around. Nothing works! I an officially on my own this week and I really wanted to start the week feeling at least a bit refreshed but I don't, I feel awful! I really just want to go back to bed but I won't be able to. DD still has one nap a day so if I can get him down for a sleep then I'll get a nap too but just depends if I can do that. Arghhhh!!!

 

[MightyMom]

Hann: Have you tried letting him have a bit of a cry in his cot? I know you have other wee ones at home, but maybe try it? Colton insists on crying as he puts himself to sleep. There is no getting around it. He'll scream for a minute, maybe two, then pass out in the middle of it. It's just how he settles himself I guess. I've tried everything else to get him to fall asleep peacefully, but he's just not into it. DD wasn't like that, she'd fall asleep on the boob then be limp as a ragdoll. We could relocate her. But Colton wakes up when I move him then has a cry as he goes back to sleep. The more I've let him do it that way, the more times (during the day usually) that he will put himself to sleep without crying. Although I am up right now because he's been fussy and kept me up and insisted on crying every feeding tonight. Sheesh I really need sleep...

 

[Hann12]

No I've not, I'm so worried he'll wake DD because she seems to wake a lot too at the moment which is highly frustrating too as she has STTN for over a year until he was born! I'll see how I go tonight and whether he settles thiugh, I could probably leave him a minute but I'm not good on leaving them properly crying. I think he gets full of wind, I'm also not sure if he has reflux issues too.

 

[Lady H]

Thanks Ladies for your kind words and support on FF. I know it's the right thing for us. I'm pretty sure your body releases loads of hormones as you stop to try to encourage you to keep breastfeeding and that's why I'm feeling so cr4p and crying every 10 minutes.

Hann I'm having the same problem with DD. she will eventually sleep when held but is wide awake within seconds of being put in bed. She then starts to smack her lips a lot which I assume may be some reflux. Last night I popped a big pillow under the head end of the Moses basket legs so she is lying a little more upright. It seems to have helped the last few times I put her down so you could try that?