BF check in 2/2

[backseatdriver]

Here is a check in for those that are BF or even those who are EPing to get support and share successes.

How old is your LO?

Ongoing struggles?

Struggles that you have worked through?

Why did you choose to BF or EP?

[backseatdriver]

How old is your LO? 3weeks and change

Ongoing struggles? We are doing pretty good at this point. I don't have any soreness and she has been latching well. Looking forward to see how much she has gained at her 1 month checkup next week. Biggest problem I've been having is milk getting everywhere and I have a painful letdown which isn't pleasant.

Struggles that you have worked through? She has been managing the flow of milk much better than my son did and I have avoided major oversupply issues at this point. That was a big problem when I nursed my son.

Why did you choose to BF or EP? I mostly chose to BF because I believe there are some health benefits to the baby that make it worthwhile. Particularly with passing antibodies. I think sometimes the benefits get overstated, but I would like to provide the best I can. It is also nice for weight loss and very convenient once you get past some of the initial struggles. I know there are other benefits, but those didn't factor in as much for me.

[maebb]

How old is your LO?
2w5d

Ongoing struggles?
His latch and not pumping enough. He has posterior tongue tie. My LC told me to pump after every feeding because it's hard for him to get a good latch, and it's not deep enough to tell my boobs to make more milk, but I'm too lazy to do it in the MOTN, and a lot of times I'll get distracted or he'll fall asleep on me while eating in the daytime, so it's hard to pump immediately after. My supply is not good as well.

Struggles that you have worked through?
No more mastitis - yay! The antibiotics and frequent feeding / massage helped.

Why did you choose to BF or EP?
I prefer it because it's cheaper, and I like the snuggling aspect and not washing bottles, but I also pump and supplement because I don't make enough milk. I go back to work on Feb 25th, so EBF wouldn't be feasible for us anyway. I'm just going to keep trying and be happy with our combo of BF, pumping, and FF.

[hazelnut]

How old is your LO? 4 weeks, 5 days

Ongoing struggles? Nipple pain! Just when I think it's getting better, it gets bad again. It only hurts initially then gets better throughout the feed, but I dread when she latches. Also, the sleep deprivation. I'm pumping, too, so I miss out on more sleep once I put Hazel down.

Struggles that you have worked through? The bleeding/scabby nipples.

Why did you choose to BF or EP? I chose to bf because it just makes sense to me to try. I don't really have a great reason for it.

[milagros315]

How old is your LO? 2 weeks, 5 days

Ongoing struggles? E doesn't always go the recommended 10-15 minutes on one side and then move to the other side. He's more like 10 minutes on one side and then back to sleep. I'm still worried that he's not getting enough, even though he's gaining weight and having a normal amount of wet and dirty diapers.

Struggles that you have worked through? We had a very hard time with damaged nipples and a bad latch, but both are improving. We BF all day now (still pumping and bottle feeding at night).

Why did you choose to BF or EP? I had a few reasons. First, I liked that it's free and convenient (no bottles to clean and prepare, no need to pump since I'm a SAHM). Second, while I agree that the benefits are probably overstated, I do hope that I'm passing on antibodies. And finally, I just really wanted tge experience of being able to feed my baby and share that time with him (though I'm finding that bottle feeding is also rewarding even though he can do that with other people).

[backseatdriver]

Feb 2, 2015 15:07:03 GMT -5 milagros315 said:

Ongoing struggles? E doesn't always go the recommended 10-15 minutes on one side and then move to the other side. He's more like 10 minutes on one side and then back to sleep. I'm still worried that he's not getting enough, even though he's gaining weight and having a normal amount of wet and dirty diapers.

My son never nursed more than 6 minutes and only ever nursed on one side. I went to a LC and we did a weighted feeding. He was getting 4 oz in 6 minutes. I think the 10-15 minutes is more of a general guideline. Some babies will nurse longer, some shorter. It depends on how efficient your LO is and how fast your let down is. I think weight gain and # of wet diapers are the best way to know if your LO is really getting enough.

But really I think 10 minutes on one side is within the general guideline. I think it is pretty common for babies to only nurse from one side and not need the other side. With my daughter I usually nurse one side and then burp her and change her diaper. That wakes her up. Then I offer the other side, but she hardly ever takes it. I don't even pay attention to how long she nurses ever since she met her birth weight. I'm might be too breezy about it, but I figure I will just follow her lead unless there is a problem.

[milagros315]

Thanks for the reassurance backseatdriver! I was thinking that maybe I just have fast flow nips. He just had a feeding and was gulping so quickly and loudly that I thought he was going to choke. Sure enough, he paused and spit up a butt load of milk. I think we have to work on pacing. I will also try the diaper change trick when I feel like he's passing out before he's done.

[tomorrowisanotherday]

How old is your LO? 2 weeks, 4 days

Ongoing struggles? It's honestly much easier than I thought it would be. (Don't hate me!) DS has already gained over a pound and seems to be pretty efficient at nursing.

Struggles already worked through? The oversupply/fast letdown I was having on the left side has worked itself out, so no more coughing/spitting up. We changed holds and do a lot of side lying nursing at night.

Why did you choose BF or EP? We EBF because of the health benefits, ease of feeding (no cleanup/transport), and because I am a SAHM, so it is a way I can save us money. Plus the snuggles are pretty awesome

[bubbles923]

Here is a check in for those that are BF or even those who are EPing to get support and share successes.

How old is your LO? 4 weeks 4 days

Ongoing struggles? Doctors wonder if part of my babies bloody stool problem is a milk allergy. So now I'm going on a fair free diet, freezing all my milk for the time being, then will reintroduce dairy free milk to him after two weeks.

Struggles that you have worked through? A good massage and a warm wash cloth helps with when I don't pump every three-four hours

Why did you choose to BF or EP? My baby has a heart defect so providing him my milk will provide him the best source. However, due to the heart defect I will need to fortify my milk since his heart is working extra hard right now and needs extra calories.

[backseatdriver]

bubbles923 dairy free was so hard for me. Avoiding the hidden dairy was the real trouble. I don't want to wish a dairy allergy, but I hope you can get it figured out.

[alfiesMOM]

How old is your LO? 4 weeks!

Ongoing struggles? Nothing too major occasionally a latch issue.

Struggles that you have worked through? Latching/pain! He also is now a champ at taking a bottle and then going back to BF!!

Why did you choose to BF or EP? I had to EP with my first and it was so hard and emotional I stopped after 10 weeks and I always wished I could of gone longer. I knew this time for that to happen I would have to BF because just pumping was too hard for me. This makes me nervous for when I go back to work since I will be primarily pumping!

[laceysbryan]

How old is your LO? 2 weeks, 3 days

Ongoing struggles? Nothing much. Working through a growth spurt today, so lots of feeding today! I'm going to start pumping some so DH can do some bottle feeding. I think pumping will bring new struggles.

Struggles that you have worked through? Nothing new really. LO has only been eating twice during the night, usually around 1 and 4, so it has been easier for me to stay awake.

Why did you choose to BF or EP? My mom and sister are both big BF supporters, so that's kind of the example I am going off of. I think since I'm able to BF, that's what I'm going to do. And the snuggles.

[mmheartspb]

How old is your LO? 24 Days

Ongoing struggles? Right now I'm having chapped raw nipples. It's not an infection or a bad latch as I've had them checked. Lanolin and ice packs are my best friend.

Why did you choose to BF or EP? BF for the bonding and the pump intimidated me at first. I use it 1-2 times a night now. I would like to pump more but I run out of time.

[CoffeeOnIce]

How old is your LO? 1 week 2 days

Ongoing struggles? Tender and slightly cracked nips since we started bf'ing. They're def healing though. I've been using triple nipple cream recommended by the hospital LC.

Also, eating 2400 calories a day seems impossible. I don't have the time and energy to force feed myself so much and chug all the water I need while taking care of a newborn. This stresses me out!

Struggles that you have worked through? Getting good latches a majority of the time now. Only time she usually lapses is in the middle of the night. But still pretty proud of her!

Why did you choose to BF or EP? For the bonding and nutritional benefits. Also, the freeness!!

[wahooMOM13]

How old is your LO? 3 wks

Ongoing struggles? Not sure if something I'm eating is causing gassiness/fussiness or just regular nb stuff

Struggles that you have worked through? Fixed a shallow latch pretty early on

Why did you choose to BF or EP? This is my 3rd one to BF. I love the bonding and convenience and it's free. Also it's great being able to pass along antibodies, especially this time of year.

[ladyprof]

How old is your LO? 15 days

Ongoing struggles? Not enough milk/not gaining weight. I've decided to keep nursing and taking Reglan/herbs and more supplementing with formula but no more pumping. It's the worst.

Struggles that you have worked through? Coming to terms with just not being able to exclusively BF or pump. Being thankful for formula.

Why did you choose to BF or EP? Want to give her everything I can.

[BabyStandish]

How old is your LO? 3 weeks, 4 days

Ongoing struggles? We are doing pretty good. No latch issues anymore and I've introduced a pacifier this past week since I was getting tired of being used as one. Plus, it was making my nipples sensitive. He's been spitting up a little bit the last couple days. I think it's from my fast let down. My boobs leak a hell of a lot. When I nurse him on one side, the other side has a let down at the same time. I'm very sensitive when I hear other children's cries or when LO makes noises in his sleep. It makes me not want to go anywhere. I've been sticking to dark colored shirts when I do go out.

Struggles that you have worked through? Latch issues in the beginning.

Why did you choose to BF or EP? I never considered FF because that's not what my Mom did or any of my friends do. It makes sense to do it. It's cheap, good for the baby, and creates closeness between me and LO. I'll be a SAHM so it'll be easy to keep things up.

[Deleted]

LO is just over 3 weeks old.

I'm still EPing....again, its not too bad unless LO needs me in the middle of (or delays)a pump. I've also started soaking shirts, so I've broken out the pads.

My supply is great! Like over 40 oz pumped a day and I am freezing about half.
EPping because of latch issues, plus I'm going back to work, plus DH gets to feed LO.

2 questions:

1. I have been consistently going 4-5 hours between pumping at night. I pump about 8 times a day. I was really worried for some time that my supply would take a hit, but as I said above I am pumping at least 40 oz a day. Would you wake up to pump or just enjoy the sleep? I don't think my boobs can handle having more milk in them as I get about 15-20 oz total out of the first two AM pumps alone.

2. Those who are EPping, how much are you feeding your LO? Owen is getting 2 oz on demand. He was sleeping 3-4 hrs at night but is back to 2 hrs. Does that mean it's time to increase the volume I feed? I heard the max is like 3 oz for breastfed babies, I just worry at under a month old we are getting close to that limit already.

[Deleted]

How old is your LO? Almost 3 weeks

Ongoing struggles? LO still can't latch without the nipple shield. I missed pumping yesterday and was super engorged all day, tried to pump at night after a feeding and got nothing out. Supply regulation is hard. I also have a hard time feeling like what we're doing is breastfeeding since I need help...

Struggles that you have worked through? We're breastfeeding. So there's that.

Why did you choose to BF or EP? Because I don't have a good reason not to. Having a winter baby, I think the antibodies are really important. Otherwise, it's just what women in my family do and it's my personal preference to feed my child.

[nemomof2]

LO is 2 weeks old

No real struggles. Went into he's pedi appt yesterday and he has gained almost a pound. The only thing is that the doctor thinks he may have a milk protein allergy so just adjusting my diet to cut it out. It's harder then I thought. Everything that I eat has dairy in it!

We have really gotten good about keeping latched in the MOTN.

I chose to BF because of the health benefits and also because I did with our DD. The only thing that I worry about is if I have to switch to formula because his allergy is not just to milk proteins and it is all proteins. DH had an allergy where his body could break down any proteins at all and had to be on a special formula until he was a year old. I just have my heart set on EBF so hopefully we can get by with no dairy or even no soy

[Deleted]

Feb 3, 2015 10:54:00 GMT -5 @nursesouder said:

LO is just over 3 weeks old.

I'm still EPing....again, its not too bad unless LO needs me in the middle of (or delays)a pump. I've also started soaking shirts, so I've broken out the pads.

My supply is great! Like over 40 oz pumped a day and I am freezing about half.
EPping because of latch issues, plus I'm going back to work, plus DH gets to feed LO.

2 questions:

1. I have been consistently going 4-5 hours between pumping at night. I pump about 8 times a day. I was really worried for some time that my supply would take a hit, but as I said above I am pumping at least 40 oz a day. Would you wake up to pump or just enjoy the sleep? I don't think my boobs can handle having more milk in them as I get about 15-20 oz total out of the first two AM pumps alone.

2. Those who are EPping, how much are you feeding your LO? Owen is getting 2 oz on demand. He was sleeping 3-4 hrs at night but is back to 2 hrs. Does that mean it's time to increase the volume I feed? I heard the max is like 3 oz for breastfed babies, I just worry at under a month old we are getting close to that limit already.

Answers to your questions:

1. I would keep doing the middle of the night pump for now, just because your supply isn't fully regulated yet. You'd hate to see it drop off a bit and now have the extra pump in there just in case. Do you pump when baby eats? That's the recommended way to do it, just so your body stays on his schedule. However, I have strongly considered bottle feeding all night and not breastfeeding or pumping, so I get where you're coming from. Do whatever is best for you and Owen.

2. When we give B a pumped feeding, we offer him 3 or 4 oz and let him drink as much or little as he wants. But, we try to do paced feedings so he doesn't just gulp down milk because it's there to gulp. Sometimes he drinks 4 oz, sometimes he drinks 1. Depends on his mood.

[dashook]

How old is your LO? 3 weeks, 5 days

Ongoing struggles? Like hazelnut I kind of dread when he latches on because I have a sharp pain for 5-10 seconds when he does. But other than that he is doing great. We are still using the nipple shield (due to tongue tie), and although sometimes I am curious to try latching him on without it, eventually my desire to just get him fed, plus fear of more pain, keeps me from attempting it. I'm also sometimes still having trouble with forceful letdown on the right side. He pulls away and cries angrily for a moment and then goes back on, so I'm not all that worried about it.

One thing I need some help/advice on is pumping/bottle feeding. I was pumping frequently the first week or two to protect my supply (because of complications following delivery). My husband has burned through pretty much everything that I had stored in the fridge and freezer from that, and I'm okay with that because I'm happy to EBF DS on demand, but eventually I am going back to work so I will need to pump. So, my first question is: when should I be pumping now if I want to build up a little stash for when I go back to work? I am concerned about removing milk that DS would otherwise be getting while I'm still able to EBF.

My second question is just regarding feeding expressed breastmilk in general...I have no idea how much to give him. What I do know is that when DH was feeding him from my initial stash, he would suck down the bottle so quickly (even though I swear we were using a slower flow nipple) and never ever seem satisfied afterwards. Is my only option to do a weighted feeding with an LC and then try to match the amount in a bottle with the amount he normally gets in a feeding? And isn't this something that will change over time as he gets bigger? How will I know? ([singing] How will I knoooow [*Whitney Houston*]??) I am so friggin confused by all of this.

Why did you choose to BF or EP? I think it is good for my baby, particularly because of the antibodies it provides. I also think it's awesome and fascinating how the milk changes according to his needs, and how the flavor will be different depending on what I eat. I also love that it is free and always available. I'm really happy with my choice to do it, even though it's not always easy (since it means I am 100% responsible for his care overnight, every night).

[Jellypepper]

How old is your LO? 3 days(almost 4)

Ongoing struggles? I'm having the 10 second sharp pain when LO latches but it goes away very quickly. The other hard thing right now is just the frequency. I feel like I'm nursing all the time. My MIL and FIL were here for 3 hours and I ended up nursing twice. They seemed irritated but they are very unfamiliar wil BF as all of the kids on that side of the family are formula fed. I'm sure they will adjust.

Struggles that you have worked through? We've worked through the uncoordination and I can get LO to latch right away each time. I'm also getting much better at feeding with just one arm/hand.

Why did you choose to BF or EP? The health benefits for me and the baby, the cost(free!), convenience(no bottles for a while), and the bonding/snuggles.

[funinthenorth]

How old is you LO? 2 weeks today

Ongoing struggles? I'm joining the painful latch group. The first few seconds I get a sharp pain but then it smooth sailing.

Struggles that you have worked through? Well I guess I have an issue I didn't even realize I had until reading all your posts. DS feeds for anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes per feed. Seems most of you are around the 20 minute mark. When he feeds for the extended time he's not really feeding all that time but there are still a few sucks here and there and the lc told me to continue feeding until he spit out my nipple so I've been doing that. Perhaps I was only suppose to be doing this initially because now I kind of feel I am encouraging him to be a laxy dazy feeder. Although, sometimes he's done in no time flat and I've been wondering if he's really gotten enough.

Why did you choose to BFor EP? I choose bf because I'm a sahm so it just makes sense for us. It's convenient, healthy for him and I and it also helps save money.

[mamakofoshi]

How old is your LO? 1 month 2 weeks

Ongoing struggles? Milk supply during POJ'S cluster feeding. It took 6 days for my milk to come in. Also, his latches hurt up till now no matter how I tried. If he latch good at a feeding, he will start getting aggressive and let go but continue sucking and swallowing. He is gaining 2 Oz per day almost doubling his birth weight now because he was tiny at 5lbs. He weighs more than 8 lbs now. I'm also doing supplemental formula feeding as well

Struggles that you have worked through? Still ongoing 

Why did you choose to BF or EP? Cultural reason and also very cheap and bonding time is great 

[4littlebears]

How old is your LO? 3 weeks

Ongoing struggles? he's struggling to gain weight

Struggles that you have worked through? bad latch, he's doing great now!

Why did you choose to BF or EP? I've BF all my kids

[mmooki]

Lo is 6.5 weeks

Ongoing struggle is using a shield. I used one with dd for 22 m and I imagine I'll continue with this one.

Struggle that we worked through... Latching at all! Fixed that with a shield.

I chose to bf because it's cheaper for us and it's better for both lo and myself. If I need to use formula, I will. But at this point lo is ebf.