Raw painful nipple (expressing)

[SoupDragon]

Salty breast milk isn't right, is it? Just out of one boob, the other is fine...that boob is kind of hard and a bit tender too. Still pumping as thinking leaving the milk in there can only make it worse...is it ok to give this to her or should I dump it? cry It looks and smells normal. I don't have a temperature or feel ill at all.

 

[RaspberryK]

https://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/articles/breast-infections-and-plugged-ducts

 

[SoupDragon]

Thanks Raspberry, it does indeed sound like I have a plugged duct. Ok, pump pump pump it is then! Glad my instinct was right on that, as it's felt a bit better after each pump today. Will have some ibuprofen too.

Also glad I can still use the milk, hope DD doesn't mind the saltiness, but as it's the boob that produces less and I mix milk from both boobs to make a complete feed, hopefully she won't really notice if 2 oz of salty is mixed with 4 oz of normal!

My fenugreek came today, fingers crossed that works. Have also been wolfing down the porridge still.

The LC is coming on Wednesday afternoon. I'm excited but trying not to build my hopes up too much.

 

[RaspberryK]

I'm sure it'll be fine, I had similar at a point where ds was nursing less but it turned out fine, just keep an eye on it.
I was cooking when I posted that so didn't have time to say anything.
You can try massaging any blocked area while nursing/expressing and also leaning forward while expressing.
Xx

 

[SoupDragon]

well, something is working...this morning's 25-minute session yielded 7.5 oz This is day 3 of taking fenugreek...I don't smell of maple syrup yet but maybe it's that starting to kick in? Whatever it is, I'm happy

Sore boob is a lot less sore now and the milk isn't salty any more, will just keep an eye on it as that article said it can recur in the same place.

The nipples seem to be coping well with the increased pumping too.

 

[RaspberryK]

Absolutely amazing! I'm inspired, I have been worried about breastfeeding/needing to express in case of early delivery (consultant has be labelled at risk of premature birth) and mind is eased.
I presume nothing more from the lc

Xx

 

[SoupDragon]

No advice forthcoming from her until we see her on Wednesday...I suppose that's fair enough but it feels like a long time to wait!

I'm sorry you're at risk of having a preemie...I hope your LO cooks as long as possble and that you can breastfeed wthout a hitch so you don't have to think about pumping beyond the odd bottle! I have a friend who had her little girl at 32 weeks and she stayed in the NICU for a while but was and is absolutely fine, and is now a gorgeous 6-year-old. She expressed for her daughter and found it hard but do-able.

 

[RaspberryK]

At least Wednesday isn't so far away, I think it'll be very positive that you'll have a much better supply to work with as lo might not want to work hard for the milk but if it's there and ready she might take to latching a lot easier. At least I hope that's how it goes for you.
Thank you I think we will be fine but nothing like a consultant to put the fear of God into you make you question all those well laid plans. I'm a lot more relaxed now that I'm 32 weeks, I'm thinking I terms of 2 weekly goals right now and really looking forward to 34 weeks.
Xx

 

[SoupDragon]

oh yes, I understand about consultants...mine was really good, but he did underestimate DD's size by a whole 2lb, which led to my nightmare labour! I have had a couple of consultants for other things who were all about the worst case scenario, though!

Do you have to be on bed rest or anything?

 

[RaspberryK]

Yep ds weight was underestimated by 2lb too lol but we delivered fine.
No bed rest thankfully although I'm supposed to be taking things easy, he said it was a possibility if my cervix got shorter or more dilated but so far it's all good.
I don't have much faith in him to be honest and I'm discharging myself from his care as of Wednesday.

xx

 

[Kiwiberry]

Wow that fenugreek sounds amazing. I am going to pick some up after dinner. How much did it increase your milk supply for those that took it?

My baby girl was born at 27+6 weeks. She is in the NICU still and it has been 69 days. Pumping constantly is a chore am not going to lie. I probably produce way less milk too than if I had my baby here. She has latched well and knows exactly what to do. I only have one piece of advice for you RK if you do have a preemie. This is something many preemie mom's have told me. Treat breastfeeding your preemie while in the NICU as practice. I have heard so many stories of babies that do a whole lot better at home since they are all yours and not being shared with the hospital. This whole experience has been the hardest tHong I have ever had to go through.

 

[SoupDragon]

You are doing so well, kiwiberry, I am in awe of what you're doing for your daughter! She sounds like a strong little fighter, and I really hope you have her home with you as soon as possible.

We saw the LC today, well worth it! DD does indeed have a posterior tongue tie which was missed by the midwives. This is *possibly* the reason she can't get/maintain a latch. She says we can have it released if we want, but it likely won't make any difference to her ability to latch, since she's so used to taking a bottle.

Obviously I need to talk to DH about it, and I have a feeling his instinct will be to leave it alone. I think I would agree with that - I can't put her through pain and discomfort for something that is unlikely to make a difference, as I'd feel like we were doing it for my benefit more than hers. I think I need to think about this and do some more reading before coming to a decision.

The LC is going to look up whether I can increase my dose of fenugreek (1800mg 3x/day, so 5400mg), and has suggested domperidone also, along with power-pumping, to help maintain/increase supply.

I'll keep trying her at the boob as well, in the hope that as she gets bigger the tie will impede her less.

So much to think about...

 

[Kiwiberry]

You certainly do have a lot to think about mama. Sorry about the posterior tongue tie, I really can't offer much help as this is my first time even hearing about it. I am glad the LC was able to help out to at least point you to the cause. I hope you can figure out what to do for both you and your LO.

 

[RaspberryK]

Perhaps you can ask on here if anyone has any experience with that in particular but she is only 2 months old so I personally wouldn't have said it was too late.
Xx

 

[SoupDragon]

I will start a thread on it, I had thought of doing that...my husband is completely against having the release done as it's not medically necessary, so the option is off the table, but I'd still like to know about other people's experiences with it, especially with effects as LO grows.

 

[RaspberryK]

I guess medically it's whether you agree with/ value the benefits of exclusively breastfeeding vs possibly having to supplement with formula if you can't keep up with the expressing which is hard work for you.
Xx

 

[SoupDragon]

Yes...both of us would prefer exclusive breastfeeding, but with the likelihood of being able to do that so low, we feel it would be putting her through pain and discomfort for no reason. It just doesn't sit right with us personally, I'm not at all saying it's never the right decision, of course. If this had been picked up a few weeks ago we might see it differently, and be willing to go ahead, but for us now, it doesn't seem the right thing to do. She's getting at least some of my milk, and is gaining weight and meeting her milestones...if there was a problem with any of that that could be attributed to formula, then yes, we'd pursue the tongue tie release.

I'm going to keep going with the expressing and trying to increase my supply, and just do the best I can with it while continuing to try her at the breast.

 

[SoupDragon]

I hope I haven't killed the thread now...I know some people (not saying anyone who's contributed here) wouldn't agree with our decision but it's the right one for us.

DD has been so fussy and restless the last few days...her poos have been still normal yellow with bits in, but there's also been mucus in them too. She's been spitting up lots more than normal, too, like she's refluxy. I'm wondering if the fenugreek is upsetting her :/ I have 65 oz of milk stored that has been produced while taking it, and if it is upsetting her I'll have to throw it away I don't know how long it takes to work out of your system, so will have to find out or I won't know when to expect an improvement by if it is the fenugreek, if I stop taking it for a while.

 

[Kiwiberry]

My baby is also having that problem. Her poos look normal in whole, but when I was changing and she pooed a bit on the clean diaper it looked really wet. Almost like a liquid. She has had a stuffed nose, and has been really really fussy. She does have reflux as well. I am not sure what to do sometimes. I change her diaper, feed her, hold her, love her, and yet she was fussy all night. I just recently got her to go to sleep from putting her in her swing.

Could you maybe talk to your Pedi about it? That is what I am going to do since she has a doctors appointment tomorrow morning. I will let you know what they say. I will even ask about fenugreek for you as well.

 

[RaspberryK]

I think everyone in this section will agree that any amount of breastmilk is a good thing.

I'm not sure about the different dirty nappies although it's probably just that she's getting a lot more breastmilk than formula now and bf poo is very different to ff poo.

Xx