Post by greenpony33 on Jun 30, 2015 8:57:31 GMT -5
I did come up with a question for you ladies- does your LO eat with every wake up at night? DS has been inconsistent with his wake ups this last week- for a couple days I thought we were onto something with him waking at 11p, 430ish and then again between 7 and 8 (those were big improvements with wake-ups). But then last night and the night before he was back to the every 2 to 3 hour wake up. I always feed him at the wake up, he usually goes back to sleep within 15 minutes. When I get him out of his crib he starts chewing/sucking on my shoulder so that's why I feed him. But after seeing others post I'm wondering if he's not really hungry at every wake up? It's not like he takes a bottle though so I can't tell how much he's actually taking in- but I feel like I hear him swallowing. Last week we did have DHs cousin babysit and at the 11 p.m. wake up she said he did not even drink one ounce she just held on to him while he cried/whined and fell back to sleep. How did you know when to try to not feed in the middle of the nnight?
hollydfromtn I think a visit with a LC would really benefit you- pretty sure I had the nipple vasospasms for the first few weeks and man o man do they hurt! I feel for ya!
Post by greenpony33 on Jun 30, 2015 9:00:07 GMT -5
duckker how long has your LO been taking a cup? What at what age does everyone think that you'll be starting that? I think I heard somewhere around six months ish so probably soon? Then what do you put in the cup and what type of cup do you plan on using? ....wow I'm apparebtly overwhelmed about cups over here....
duckker how long has your LO been taking a cup? What at what age does everyone think that you'll be starting that? I think I heard somewhere around six months ish so probably soon? Then what do you put in the cup and what type of cup do you plan on using? ....wow I'm apparebtly overwhelmed about cups over here....
Oh, she's definitely not "taking" it in any meaningful way. Basically she kept grabbing my glass or water bottle, and then of course everything winds up in her mouth. She got a sip of cold water last week and was shocked/delighted. So I gave her a little plastic cup to play with and every once in a while I put a little bit of water in it while she's on my lap. It's mostly ending up on her clothes and face at this point, but she's getting the idea and thinks it's big fun. She's in Montessori, so no sippy cups at daycare--I figure she'll probably be coordinated enough at around 7 or 8 months to do it for real.
Isn't it amazing the things we get fixated on? I read a bajillion articles about toothbrushing this weekend. Toothbrushing!
Isn't it amazing the things we get fixated on? I read a bajillion articles about toothbrushing this weekend. Toothbrushing![/quote]
Oh my goodness tooth brusing?! DS has 1 tooth and a 2nd that I just saw today coming in and I hadn't even thought about brushing his teeth yet- why hadn't I thought of that yet?! Off to go read up on it now! ;-)
Post by lilyelayne on Jun 30, 2015 10:02:52 GMT -5
Tl;dr - general nursing strike info, including kellymom link
@alyllyra www.kellymom.com/bf/ages/adopt-relactate/back-to-breast#strike there's a lot of info on this page for babies learning to nurse but there's also info about strikes, and several links about strikes at the bottom of the page. Basically a strike is any extended period of time where a baby under 1 year of age refuses to nurse. (Over one year of age may be a strike or may be self-weaning.) usually 2-10 days, but could be shorter or longer. Try different nursing positions. Switch rooms. Try outside or in the bath. Try with white noise. Try walking around or rocking. Try feeding just when baby is waking up or just before they wake up so they're sleepier but not exhausted. Spend time skin to skin when baby isn't ravenous or you're not offering to nurse so baby has unstressed time with your breasts. Feed baby before they're really hungry. Be more stubborn than your baby!!! If baby refuses to eat so long that you worry for their nutrition or about dehydration, you should pump and give baby expressed milk. Don't starve them into nursing. Some BF resources will say give the milk any way other than a bottle, so that baby's suckle need isn't met and they may return to the breast quicker. So that's a cup, spoon, syringe, etc. (avoiding a bottle is important if baby is striking because they prefer fast flow bottle to breast, but personally don't think it's as important if you don't think bottle preference is the reason for the strike.) Also okay to pump as needed for comfort or to keep your supply up if it's an extended strike.
Post by lilyelayne on Jun 30, 2015 10:11:31 GMT -5
greenpony33 you can try offering a paci instead to see if LO just wants to suck and not to eat MOTN. Or sending in dad who doesn't smell like milk to try alternate soothing methods like paci, rocking, etc. if LO really is hungry, he'll let you know & he won't go back to sleep. Up to you how many wake ups you want to try not nursing. If DS calms quickly with just being held & rocked I don't even offer to nurse. If I am exhausted and don't want to soothe him to sleep or risk thinking he's asleep only to have him wake when I put him down, I offer to nurse right away. If I am angry and don't want anything to do with LO, but don't want to send DH in for whatever reason, I nurse because it helps me feel less hateful towards my kid sometimes it's for me; sometimes it's for him. But DS doesn't do a ton of MOTN wake ups so my anecdotes may be useless to you.
Post by greenpony33 on Jun 30, 2015 10:30:54 GMT -5
Thanks for the tips lilyelayne. DS use to take a pacifier but he has no interest in one anymore- double edge sword I think (good we don't have to wean him from one but bad because we loose whatever soothing it offered). I guess I don't know how many night time feeds I am trying to avoid, just not liking the every 2-3 hr ones. I don't understand how one day he can be fine and not eat for a 5 hr stretch and then another day only go 2 or 3 hrs. BUT I guess that is the thing with babies, they make no sense. I think that maybe I need to start not jumping to nursing so fast and just try soothing other ways first. But like you said, I know nursing will put him back to sleep quickly so that's what I do so I can get back to sleep. Guess I need to bite the bullet and try other methods first before this becomes a habit (? If that's possible at this age?). And send DH in more since he doesn't even wake up and I do all the MOTN stuff cause he doesn't think it's right for 'both of us to be up if he is going to need to eat because he can't help with feeding'. Which I totally understand that if he has to work the next day and I don't but on nights we both have to work the next day or where we both have the next day off I think I will start having him try a wakeup and see how it goes.
Post by lilyelayne on Jun 30, 2015 11:33:59 GMT -5
greenpony33 @holachica DS isn't a huge fan of a paci either, but sometimes if he's exhausted and wants to suckle to fall asleep but won't nurse or I don't want to, I can hold him cradle, put the paci in, and roll him toward me so my chest is holding the paci in. This has limited success, but is the best way I've found. Fwiw he takes a paci from DH much more readily, but that may be because H offers it more? Or doesn't smell like milk
greenpony33 you can try offering a paci instead to see if LO just wants to suck and not to eat MOTN. Or sending in dad who doesn't smell like milk to try alternate soothing methods like paci, rocking, etc. if LO really is hungry, he'll let you know & he won't go back to sleep. Up to you how many wake ups you want to try not nursing. If DS calms quickly with just being held & rocked I don't even offer to nurse. If I am exhausted and don't want to soothe him to sleep or risk thinking he's asleep only to have him wake when I put him down, I offer to nurse right away. If I am angry and don't want anything to do with LO, but don't want to send DH in for whatever reason, I nurse because it helps me feel less hateful towards my kid sometimes it's for me; sometimes it's for him. But DS doesn't do a ton of MOTN wake ups so my anecdotes may be useless to you.
greenpony33 I was just wondering the same thing last night! I think I'll try these things too.
Post by lilyelayne on Jun 30, 2015 12:03:35 GMT -5
Sometimes I find it strange that I spend lots of time on TCF talking about BF and passing along info & advice (that newborn check in on the BF board keeps me on my toes!) but have never made it to a local LLL meeting. I feel like those are probably my people and I should go.
Sometimes I find it strange that I spend lots of time on TCF talking about BF and passing along info & advice (that newborn check in on the BF board keeps me on my toes!) but have never made it to a local LLL meeting. I feel like those are probably my people and I should go.
I keep wanting to go, but they meet during the work day.
Actually I think there's one on a Saturday coming up. I need to check that out.
Sometimes I find it strange that I spend lots of time on TCF talking about BF and passing along info & advice (that newborn check in on the BF board keeps me on my toes!) but have never made it to a local LLL meeting. I feel like those are probably my people and I should go.
I keep wanting to go, but they meet during the work day.
Actually I think there's one on a Saturday coming up. I need to check that out.
My local group has two meetings a month, one in the morning & one in the evening. I'm probably more likely to go to a morning one since it won't cut into family time. But that's just one chance a month, so highly likely I'll miss it.
lilyelayne Thank you! I'm gonna read up a bit on nursing strike. Not sure that's what it is, but any tips to get her to calmly accept the breast is always welcome! I also think we are gearing up for 4 mo sleep regression so it might be a mix of things going on.
Post by seamonster on Jun 30, 2015 18:16:42 GMT -5
greenpony33, no idea. I feed DS at every wakeup and he nurses for a while. It's probably a comfort thing for some of the wakeups. Hard to say which. If he's trying to eat my shoulder I'd feed him. I should personally try a pacifier for the first wakeup if it's within 3 or 4 hours of falling asleep.
lotsofdotts, you're only 3 years older than me. I really wanted to see NKOTB and Boys II Men when they were touring a couple years ago.
Post by chickenhawke on Jun 30, 2015 21:35:36 GMT -5
How old is your LO? Five months tomorrow.
Are you nursing, pumping, supplementing? Nursing.
Solids? Not yet. One more month - can't wait!
Questions/AW? Has anyone had luck getting their LO to take a bottle this late in the game?
GTKY: first concert you went to I think it was George Strait or Reba at the Rodeo. My Mom took me to Amy Grant. The first concert I chose: NKOTB - ON A SCHOOL NIGHT!
badw0lf - yeah, as soon as I put it on, I was concerned about it squashing the breast. Considering I'm already prone to blocked ducts, that's definitely not going to work for me. Ugh, the reviews of it were decent too. Annoying. But I'm also glad to know that it wasn't just me not being able to figure it out.
seamonster, here's the info on the hair tie trick: kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/hands-free-pumping/ I still had to stabilize the flanges against my body so it wasn't really hands free for me, but I could do that with one arm across my body and have the other hand free. Also, I didn't like having the hair tie looped onto the clasp of my bra, it didn't feel sturdy enough to me, but looping them around the strap (second example) worked well.
Are you nursing, pumping, supplementing? Nursing and pumping, may be supplementing if my supply doesn't come up.
Solids? Not yet.
Questions/AW? Pumping sucks.
GTKY: first concert you went to. My first concert was Chris LeDoux. My sister and I went, the tickets were my parents, but they got into a fight or something and didn't want to go together, so last minute they gave us the tickets. I was like nine? Another couple that were going to the show drove us there. It wad awesome. RIP Chris.
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