Breastfeeding/Pumping Check-in 4/11

[bluefairy5]

Welcome to the breastfeeding and pumping check-in. Please tag bluefairy5 to join the check-in, change your info, and for general updates. If you don't update for 4 weeks in a row I'll assume you're done with the check-in and remove you, but you're always welcome to join in again.

IF YOU'RE NEW PLEASE TELL US:
- Are you EBF, EPing, combo feeding?
- Birthday of your child(ren)?
- If this is your second, etc. go around, let us know!

And for everyone...
- Successes?
- Challenges?
- New goals? Tips? Questions?

QOTW: Any funny nursing/pumping stories that have happened to you lately?  (Sorry, I have nothing more creative!) 


lilyharper
Little Man born early October
BF once/day

bostongirl617
Baby BostonBoy born 10/17
BF
Goal: Night wean soon...please!

aves0708
DD born 10-20-15
BF
Goal: Make it to two.

bluefairy5
Wee Fairy born 10/26/15
NOD at home

rainbowbridge14
M born 12/2/15
NOD
Goal: KOKO

kaf7
Ds2 born December 2015.
BF once/day
Goal: KOKO until trip in May

nikiswimr
Little E was born 1/26/16.
NOD
Goal: KOKO as long as she wants

megrae12
Superman was born at 35 weeks on Feb 24th
BF
Goal: Wean down to about 2/day

daydreamsam
Baby born Mar 21
BF
Goal: drop from 5 to 4 sessions during the day this week and cut out 1 night feed

westiemom
Baby O born 4/20/16
BF, occasional pumped bottle
Goal: A year definitely, maybe longer

wanderlust
LO born 5/31/16
NOD at home, pumping at work
Goal: Breast feed up to a year

katelm
LO born 7/18
BF, pumping at work
Goal: a year, depending on FET

disneykate
Emma was born 7/19
NOD at home, pumping at work
Goal: a year

tikoberry99
M born July 2016
BF
Goal: wean by 18 months for FET

bocaburger
Twins were born 8/10
Combo feeding

remylove1011
DD born 8/25
BF, pumping at work
Goal: a year

karabear4409
DS2 born 9/12
NOD, bottle before bed
Goal: a year

mg0202
DS born 10/6
BF, pumping at work, a little formula
Goal: 1 year
Congrats on 6 months!!

peaseblossom55
E born 10/25
Combo feeding, pumping
Goal: Get to the end of May pumping then go from there.

emilie
DD born December 2016
Combo feeding
Goals: Make it to 6 months, and continue to increase the amount from the breast if possible!

dancerspose
Baby girl Z was born 1/20
EP
Goal: Short-term, KOKO 'til back to work in April

turquoisequeen
DD born on 2/15
EBF and pumping once a day right now to try to also build a small stash
Goal: a year

.
LO born 3/23
Pumping & supplementing

[kaf7]

Thanks for the check in bluefairy5. We continue to carry on but I am working 5 nights this week so if I don't make it home for a bedtime I am going to use that as a reason to stop. I continue to struggle but I know I have this trip coming up and the next 3 weekends I am either working or DH is away so I don't really want to be looking to my ILs for support....ugh this is tough.

Qotw: with weaning my boobs have deflated again but I am not investing in new bras until I figure out my size after I am done. I still wear nursing pads so that I have a bit of padding but do to the looseness of the bra they keep migrating out and fall out at inopportune times. That's been fun. But the toddler knows what they are so if he finds one on the floor he brings it to me and tries to put it down my shirt. Lol.

[kaf7]

Also, how does this thread have 667 views and I am the first to respond. Who is so invested in our breastfeeding journeys?! Lol again.

[peaseblossom55]

Success- Still pumping and back to work and haven't lost my mind here at work yet.

Challenges- I'm still only getting 2oz max usually 1 1/2 ounces. I was hoping for an increase...

Goals- Get to a year, but more reasonably the end of May.

QOTW: No not really.

[remylove1011]

Success- we're KOKO. DD is doing well and has started being silly on the boob. When she's almost done she does lots of unlatching and smiling at me and then latching again.

Challenges- she's starting to teeth. So we're getting some biting. Not too terrible. I'm seeing my supply regulate down some. I think I need to reduce the amount in her bottle at daycare. I've been sending 5oz in each and I'm pumping more like 4-4.5oz per bottle.

Goal- make it to a year.

[katelm]

Still KOKO here at 8.75 months. Her first tooth is starting to come through! She's still meh about table food and bottles and definitely prefers nursing. Daycare is more motivated to get her on regular solids than me. Overall she's turning more toddler-like 😭

I made an apt at the RE to discuss the planning/timing of FET #2. C will turn a year mid July. We are thinking FET around maybe Sept or Oct if she's weaned by then which she very well may not be. I'll see what the RE has to say.

[rainbowbridge14]

This is a week where I am really glad I am still nursing. M has been really sick and not wanting to eat much but has still been nursing so at least I know she's getting fluids and calories. It is also such a huge comfort thing for her so I know it helps when she feels terrible.

On the other hand my nipples are not used to this much nursing anymore. Definitely a bit of soreness because she's been nursing a bunch at night when she wakes up coughing.

QOTW: nothing super embarrassing or funny but I have nursed in front of a number of Faculty members in my department. I was at one of them and I was nursing fairly discreetly and a professor said down next me not realizing I was nursing then seem to get kind of embarrassed when he realized. It didn't really phase me though.

[disneykate]

bluefairy5, Thanks for the check-in!
kaf7, Haha, that is so cute that DS tries to stuff them down your shirt
bostongirl617 and rainbowbridge14, I hope your LOs feel better soon!
peaseblossom55, Sorry your pumping output hasn't increased
remylove1011 and katelm, Good luck with teething.

We have made it almost 9 months breastfeeding. She has been going to bed a little earlier, around 8:30-9:00 pm usually, so my boobs have been a little fuller in the morning.

Emma has started to squeeze/pinch my nipples on occasion. She sometimes bites down too, but she doesn't have any teeth yet.

Goal is still to make it to a year, then I want to start weaning day feedings so I don't have to pump at work.

QOTW: I have a funny story my mother told me from when she was breastfeeding my older sister. They were staying at my grandparents' house and my mom was bent over the kitchen counter and hand expressing a little extra breastmilk into some baby cereal. My grandpa (her FIL) came up behind her and asked her if she would like some help because he thought she was having trouble with the clasp on her bracelet. My mom was mortified!

[westiemom]

Thanks bluefairy5!!

-Successes: 1 more week until I have a 1 year old. So many feels.

-Challenges: just my emotions. I am really torn up over my baby turning 1. So much crying. I'm worried about her wanting to wean and my wondering if I need to wean to TFAS. Overall, I'm trying to just relax because I am way to worked up lately.

-Goals: I am a week shy of a year. My new goal is just taking it one day at a time.

[westiemom]

QOTW: DD just started laughing at me out of nowhere while nursing. I still don't know what's funny. Lol

[bluefairy5]

Still going over here. kaf7 I am in the deflated boob club with you and quite asymmetrical right now, so bras are a complete PITA. We're taking our first flight tomorrow where she'll have her own seat. I hope takeoff and landing go all right, since it'll be the first time she isn't nursing during those. Peppa Pig videos, here we come.

QOTW: I'm pretty sure this is a repeat from somewhere or other (possibly this check-in), but she's taken to offering to share boob with MH, and occasionally with me.

[kaf7]

These qotw answers are cracking me up. westiemom, I felt that way approaching a year too, but then I just had a sense of peace after the day came and went. I hope it is the same for you.

peaseblossom55, way to go on making it this far. If you make it to May and your babe is 6m I think you have done a tremendous job.

[dancerspose]

I'm mobile so just handing out love it's since I'm late, again.

S- yesterday I did only 4 pumps instead of 5 and still got the same output. I'm hoping it wasn't just a fluke and I'll be able to drop down to 4 for good. It would be sooo much easier to only have to pump in the morning, once at work, on my way home, and before bed.

C- I'm a little nervous that Z's intake is finally starting to increase and I we may have a supply/demand issue. We'll see though.

Goals - I go back to work in a week so after that the goal will be to make it 6 months.

QOTW- I was at my aunt and uncles for Passover and I discreetly asked my cousin if I could go upstairs somewhere to pump. Cue her yelling at the top of her lungs "mom, can dancerspose pump in that room?!?"

[kaf7]

., I used a shield to about 9 weeks with my first and was able to gradually transition to just boob. Can be a challenge but definitely doable. Glad you've got a plan you're comfortable with.


Guys I need hugs. I didn't nurse tonight. We are officially done. Both of us were crying. I am now wishing I had fed him tonight, but the anticipation of stopping pre trip was building and making each night stressful for me. I am a mess.

[westiemom]

Apr 15, 2017 19:57:19 GMT -5 kaf7 said:

., I used a shield to about 9 weeks with my first and was able to gradually transition to just boob. Can be a challenge but definitely doable. Glad you've got a plan you're comfortable with.


Guys I need hugs. I didn't nurse tonight. We are officially done. Both of us were crying. I am now wishing I had fed him tonight, but the anticipation of stopping pre trip was building and making each night stressful for me. I am a mess.

Huge hugs. You made it, mama. You have done an amazing job.

[rainbowbridge14]

kaf7 So many hugs!!!! The emotions involved are so hard!!!

[kaf7]

He slept well and I am not that full. I also recently put back on 5lbs. Seems like I was more of a soother than a milk producer lately. Thanks ladies.

[bluefairy5]

I haven't had a chance to be on since Thursday, so just seeing your news, kaf7. You have done a seriously amazing job. I hope the next evenings went well and got easier on both of you. You are seriously amazing for the legwork you did throughout this BF experience, with his bottle/cup refusal especially! Did you decide to do jewelry?

[kaf7]

Thanks bluefairy5, no I didn't end up doing jewellery. Last night he screamed through bedtime routine and then woke a bunch over night. He tantrumed all day and was only consoled by DH and didn't nap well. He was exhausted by bedtime and still tantrumed but it wasn't as violent. Hopefully tomorrow is a better day.

[kaf7]

I am trying to keep in mind it takes him about 2 weeks to adjust....or at least that's how long it took before he stopped crying about me not feeding him in the mornings a month ago.

[bluefairy5]

Apr 17, 2017 20:38:28 GMT -5 kaf7 said:

I am trying to keep in mind it takes him about 2 weeks to adjust....or at least that's how long it took before he stopped crying about me not feeding him in the mornings a month ago.

That sounds like a long two weeks  But it must be helpful to know what his general timeframe is.  I'm sorry it was still tough.  I do hope it continues to get gradually easier and he surprises you with the pace of his adjustment. 

[disneykate]

kaf7, Congratulations on completing your breastfeeding journey. I hope he adjusts to his new bedtime routine quicker than you anticipate. Hugs for dealing with the rough transition and all the emotions of no longer breastfeeding .

[karabear4409]

kaf7 congratulations! I hope the transition goes smoother than expected. You've done an amazing job!

. that's so impressive that you were able to get your supply up that high with pumping! We used the nipple shield for the first two months. I would try offering the breast without the shield about once a day. If he seemed to get frustrated, I would put it on and move on. Right when he hit two months old, it just clicked for him. It can just take a lot of practice sometimes!

AFM, sorry i haven't been around much lately. I have been dealing with mass amounts of family drama, which as left little time or energy for anything else.

S: DS2 is seven months old now, and we are KOKO. We are slowly working on introducing more foods. He loves purees, but he's not very in to BLW (total opposite of DS1).

C: he's sick with sinusitis and something in his chest that is causing major wheezing. So, he gets frustrated while nursing bc he can't breathe.

MPI ladies - when did you reintroduce dairy? I have some milk that was frozen prior to cutting dairy to use. The doctor suggested to try once a month starting at six months, but I haven't been brave enough to try yet.

[kaf7]

karabear4409 in my experience people are more successful reintroducing at 9-12m

[bluefairy5]

karabear4409, Answering this late, but we successfully re-intro'd milk at 7.5 months. Before I had a milk product, we tried her on yogurt, at the pedi's suggestion. Soy, however, still gave her symptoms until after a year. Sorry about the family drama

[karabear4409]

Thanks kaf7 and @bluefairy! I have some 2 oz dairy bottles frozen. I think I may try one once he's done with antibiotics in a week (he will be about 7.5 months). I am so ready for a huge pile or nachos. Or cheese fries. Probably both. At the same time.