March Mummies 2011

[blessedmomma]

thats good info sarah. im hoping to not use the pump/bottles/formula at all. its good to know if i have to a little it wont ruin everything. i will def try everything else first. im stubborn and persistant so i guess those traits arent always a bad thing

 

[pinkycat]

Blessed you have some fab advice from these lovely ladies.Will just add my bit about nipple shields
I used them till niamh was around 14weeks cos i have totally inverted nipples tmi she really couldnt feed without them, everyone tried and i mean everyone. They def have their place but over time my supply dwindled dramatically (due to the shields) and she was loosing weight despite pumping etc till we had to introduce formula but 14weeks bf with shields isn't too bad.

I hope it works out for you hun xx

 

[readynwilling]

Yes I never needed sheilds ( i have one flat nipple but J has "pulled it out" with consistant feeding. If you need them always try to latch first without them, then use them if its needed. Also get a tube of lanosil (lanolin ointment) and don't wait till your nipples are needing it to use it... use it after every feeding from the get go - and if you can give them some "air" time it will help too. And buy breast pads!! i leaked so freaking much in the first 2 months i could have filled a bottle daily! Look into these i wish i had known about them!! https://www.mymilkies.com/milksaver

 

[Nixilix]

Love all the info. Storing it for when I have number 2. Wish it worked first time but determined to make it work second x

 

[blessedmomma]

pinky- i woudnt even know if i have inverted nipples. i dont think i do, but hey i really have no idea. im wanting it to work out, mostly so i dont spend money on formula. but if it doesnt work out im not going to feel bad. my DH is very supportive either way so that is a huge help i think. i dont see formula as the worst thing that can happen for a baby. i thank God for providing it and that is what makes it nourishing and healthy for them.

sarah- i had no idea the other breast leaked while you were nursing on one side! i guess i have so much to learn. it can all be a bit overwhelming. i still have a whole box of nursing pads. i had to use them a while after my babies while waiting for the milk to dry up. i dont think i will have much of a problem getting milk flowing lol. usually for about a week after having a baby i leak everwhere every time they cry, or any other baby for that matter. the only part of not having enough milk that makes me nervous is that my mom tried to bf us (there were 4 of us) and kept drying up and needed to ff. i dont know if that is genetic or what.

 

[pinkycat]

I didnt know they were inverted till i tried to BF lol i totally agree with you about formula too. i expressed with DD1&2 and BF Niamh mostly cos formula is so expensive, we spend around £40 a month on it now £50 just before weaning when they are guzzling constantly. It's great that your DH is so supportive xx

 

[readynwilling]

that's just it about your mom Melissa - and i don't mean this in the wrong way, so don't take it as such... but having faith. i bet if your mom stuck to it, made sure the babies were at the breast more and more and more, even after supply is established, she could have continued... but formula feeding when supply seems to be dropping is what cause women to dry up. women can increase supply with older babies, they can even re-lactate! there are stories of grandmothers, taking herbs and having babies suckle at the breast and reestablishing breast milk to feed an infant. So please don't be afraid - the cortisol caused by anxiety over labour and feeding can do nasty things to your body. kind of a "if you build it they will come" have a positive attitude and have trust in your body. Its awesome your hubby is supportive, because with Jaxon and Nathon being so young still you will need his help in the first month big time spending time with them so you can establish supply. and then once this new LO figures it out.. they get so efficient. J might feed longer feeds (20 mins) first thing in the am and last feed before bed, but the rest are 10 minutes every 3 hours. easy peasy!!

 

[roonsma]

I have supply issues and have had on and off all the way through. I have been on medication since Harry was a few weeks. Stress definitely makes it worse but staying stress free when your supply is rubbish and you're desperate to feed your baby is not as easy as it sounds.

 

[readynwilling]

I agree Rachael, but i think until you know there is an issue, you just have to keep positive that everything is working the way it should, as opposed to looking for solutions to problems that might not exsist.

 

[blessedmomma]

my mom has lupus and was on medication a lot like steroids and who knows what else, so that could have played a role.

i know what you mean rachael- it would be stressful. and im not willing to let baby starve too much.

sarah- i usually carry mine in a sling almost non-stop for at least a few weeks after they come. so im already used to having a newborn attached to me while taking care of other ones at the same time lol. that will probably make the transition easier for me anyways. i have to run an errand real quick but will be on later to re-read these posts. i think i am gonna order the milk savers!

 

[readynwilling]

thats great you like your sling Melissa! J hated hers LOL, loves her carrier now though! Good luck with everything and let me know if you need any thing

 

[braijackava]

Wow I missed a lot! My first son I had a really hard time nursingl I think it was because I was only 16 though. So he was a FF baby. My second son had to be in the NICU for two weeks, but I was set on BFing. It was hard because I didn't even get to see him until he was 24 hours old, and didn't get to nurse him until he came home. He has bottles of breast milk in the hospital. I tried really hard though and got him to nurse. He nursed half the time and had formula bottles the other half until he went to just formula at 8 months. My daughter I nursed from the beginning until she was 1. She never had a bottle. Just sippy cups with juice. Max is still mostly nursing, but has formula about once a day. It is somewhat weird to have someone help you, but I think if you get to the point where you are having problems it is worth a try. Good luck with everything and you can message me with questions too.

 

[membas#1]

hi ladies...haven't checked in in a few days. thought i would say hi and also offer a bit of advice to melissa if you aren't overwhelmed yet with all the advice which has been so great.

1st bit of advice is to relax or try to
2nd unlatching a baby--I was never told how to do this. O latched and fed within 30 minutes of birth so they never sent any lactation folks in and we checked out of the hospital 8 hours after her birth so really they just walked in and asked me if she was latching and i said yes and they never really questioned after that. So when i needed to unlatch her (in the beginning i think i thought i needed to switch breasts every 10 minutes or so--which you do not have to do) so i was unlatching her and moving her (also helped to keep her awake at the boob)...well I didn't know how to unlatch her so i was just kind of pulling her off...OH MY SORE BOOBIES. my best friend came by several days later and told me how to hook my pinkie inside the corner of her mouth and pull gently to break the suction of the latch before pulling her off. That SAVED me!

I had another bit but mommy brain has set in. I will remember it later....

I have often times wondered about my supply and I know it goes down when I'm on my period. I have recently started drinking Fenugreek tea and that seems to help greatly. Also, I learned the hard way that it might be a good idea to watch how spicy etc...your food is that you eat as you start breastfeeding. Start off with basic foods and try things like onions, garlic, spicy etc....and see if anything triggers upset in baby. Olivia was miserable for a few days due to my lack of attention to what I was eating. Not all women/babies have this problem, but I did so I'm sharing

Good luck and you'll be fine and remember...you are a great mama, i'm really proud of you for trying BFing but ultimately you are a great mama no matter how you feed your baby!

 

[blessedmomma]

thank you so much ladies! im not overwhelmed with the advice. im learning a lot of stuff they dont tell you on the internet. i havent ventured over to the bf section yet, but i very much trust what you ladies have done/are doing with your babies. im so thankful to have each of you in my life

 

[braijackava]

Max is sick. It is so scary. He has had a fever, cough and runny nose. Its been a while since I have had an infant. When do I worry enough to call the doctor? Poor little boy. In good news, his top two teeth cut through! Maybe we can have a small break from teething. Except he has started grinding his teeth now.

 

[Nixilix]

Hope he is better soon. Call the doc of you can't get the fever under control.
Phoebe grinds her teeth and its horrible!

 

[natty1985]

Max is sick. It is so scary. He has had a fever, cough and runny nose. Its been a while since I have had an infant. When do I worry enough to call the doctor? Poor little boy. In good news, his top two teeth cut through! Maybe we can have a small break from teething. Except he has started grinding his teeth now.

Poor Max, Ethan has been really scarily poorly this week aswell, Monday night he started to come down with a cold which got worse and worse and worse to the point he was just lifeless come Thursday he screamed the whole week through day and night and wouldnt eat, took him the drs on Thursday and he said he has an infection in both ears but wasnt prescribing antibiotics as he was so young carry on doing what i was and it will clear up, come Saturday he was bleeding from his nose with the mucas so we rushed him to the emergency dr who gave us antibiotics straight away , put him to bed sat night and his sheets were covered in blood in an hour it was horrendous , hes not at the point where he is better but i can tell a mild difference although i think another week before he is back to our happy smiling self

Do what your instinct tells you Brai if you think he should be seen then take him x

 

[readynwilling]

Hope all the babes feel better soon!!

J cut her top 2 teeth this weekend. 4 down 16 to go

 

[Chimpette]

Oh my lord all these teeth, Brody still hasnt' got any.. hahahaha

Hope your little one feels better soon Brai, nothing worse than when the babies are not well

 

[Nixilix]

Poor babies hope they are better soon. How's pregnancy going girls?

Phoebe is very nearly crawling, backwards is fine but the forwards isn't quite perfected yet! Thought she might miss crawling out cause she get where she wants with rolling and shuffling back

Been waiting on tooth 7 for 6 weeks now.... But the other 6 are massive! Will put up to date pics on soon

Hope everyone is well. Weather miserable here. And back to work in 3 weeks. Just part time but still shit! Must get working on baby 2 so I can have may leave again. Worked out we could save maybe 400 a month when I'm back at work so least that's a positive. Then we can have fun as a family x