Breastfeeding/EP check in 9/14-9/20

[runningmommy519]

Age of LO:

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both:

Supplementing with some formula?

How is it going?

What has been the biggest struggle? If you overcame it, what did you do?

Advice for others?

Questions?

[layloo08]

Age of LO: 13 days

EBF

we had a pretty good latch but have regressed...especially at night. No paci in 3 nights but no change. It's shallow again and he leaves s crease in it.

Also, my boobs aren't getting rock hard anymore. Does this mean my supply is decreasing or that my body is regulating? I read it can take 6 weeks to regulate so I guess it's way too early, right?



ETA: more than enough wet and dirty diapers daily

[runningmommy519]

Age of LO:
2 months tomorrow

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both: breastfeeding with occasional bottle

Supplementing with some formula?
When he gets a bottle with fortify it. This gives my milk extra calories.

How is it going?
Better. He still struggles with getting a good latch sometimes. We're getting there.

What has been the biggest struggle? If you overcame it, what did you do?
Weaning from the shield. I think this caused some nipple confusion. We followed advice on kelly mom. She has a whole page about nipple shields and a section on weaning. It also took patience.

Advice for others?
Hang in there! It'll get easier. Take it one day at a time.

Questions?
Sometimes I think Ethan gets upset that my milk isn't coming out fast enough. He often unlatches when this happens and then won't relatch. Instead he plays with my nipple in his mouth. I switch sides and he'll latch. I'm worried about a fore/hind milk imbalance because he has had a handful of green diapers.

[runningmommy519]

layloo08 my boobs were rarely rock hard. Maybe we got lucky and regulated quicker.

[layloo08]

Sept 14, 2015 4:17:14 GMT -5 runningmommy519 said:

layloo08 my boobs were rarely rock hard. Maybe we got lucky and regulated quicker.

Let's hope!
I'm glad yall were able to wean from the shield!

My LC said that some green poops are okay and to worry about imbalance if they were consistent so maybe you are okay on that front.

[queenb]

Age of LO: 5w 3d

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both: EP

Supplementing with some formula? Yes, the amount varies by day, but lately it's been more.

How is it going? Not good. I've had mastitis twice now. First time caused me to switch to bottles (had very damaged/painful nipples on top of the infection). This resulted in him basically rejecting the breast when I tried to switch back. I'm back on antibiotics for another round. This time I think it's affecting my supply, I went from almost total blockage in my left breast Friday, to waking up Saturday practically gushing milk... Yesterday production was almost half of what it usually is... So frustrating. Depending on what my breasts do, I'm seriously considering just switching over to formula.

What has been the biggest struggle? If you overcame it, what did you do? See above. Haha. The whole thing has been a huge struggle, I had NO idea how difficult BF is.

Advice for others? If your breast is very sore (not just the nipple), engorgement that isn't relived by nursing or massage, and you have red "hot spots", go to the doctor ASAP. The first time I waited and ended up getting flu-like symptoms - fever, chills, achey, no energy - luckily it was a weekend and H was home because it would have been very hard to care for LO.

Questions? For those who EP - how many oz so you get a day? Before this I was averaging about 18-20. But that took like 4 hours of pumping a day.

[stahlop]

Sept 14, 2015 4:06:00 GMT -5 runningmommy519 said:

Age of LO:

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both:

Supplementing with some formula?

How is it going?

What has been the biggest struggle? If you overcame it, what did you do?

Advice for others?

Questions?

10 days
EBF
Going well now.
My biggest struggle is that LO tends to cluster feed and then sleep through the night. Doesn't sound like a struggle, I know. But that ends up with engorged boobs and waking up to a puddle of milk in your bed. I've been trying to air out the boobs at night due to some damage that she did at the beginning so that doesn't help. Although, on the bright side, my nips are almost healed.

Advice: Always try to make it through the first 6 weeks of breast feeding. It tends to get easier after that.

[stahlop]

Sept 14, 2015 4:31:19 GMT -5 queenb said:

Age of LO: 5w 3d

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both: EP

Supplementing with some formula? Yes, the amount varies by day, but lately it's been more.

How is it going? Not good. I've had mastitis twice now. First time caused me to switch to bottles (had very damaged/painful nipples on top of the infection). This resulted in him basically rejecting the breast when I tried to switch back. I'm back on antibiotics for another round. This time I think it's affecting my supply, I went from almost total blockage in my left breast Friday, to waking up Saturday practically gushing milk... Yesterday production was almost half of what it usually is... So frustrating. Depending on what my breasts do, I'm seriously considering just switching over to formula.

What has been the biggest struggle? If you overcame it, what did you do? See above. Haha. The whole thing has been a huge struggle, I had NO idea how difficult BF is.

Advice for others? If your breast is very sore (not just the nipple), engorgement that isn't relived by nursing or massage, and you have red "hot spots", go to the doctor ASAP. The first time I waited and ended up getting flu-like symptoms - fever, chills, achey, no energy - luckily it was a weekend and H was home because it would have been very hard to care for LO.

Questions? For those who EP - how many oz so you get a day? Before this I was averaging about 18-20. But that took like 4 hours of pumping a day.

So sorry about the mastitis. I got this with my first when he was a week old. It sucks.

[esgrunner]

Runningmmmy, do you use compression or massage while nursing? My flow sucks but that helps keep my Ethan focused.

[Laverne]

Age of LO: almost 4 weeks

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both:
Bf
Supplementing with some formula?

How is it going?at least i know he is getting enough, shield has not hurt supply,
Keep trying to go without shield and have random success.

What has been the biggest struggle? If you overcame it, what did you. I feel isolated and depressed, i need to get out of the house for something other than grocery shopping.

Advice for others?keep reading, use what works in the moment.

Questions? Has anyone tried this?http://www.drmomma.org/2010/08/breastfeeding-latch-trick.html

[DSHM13]

Age of LO: 9 days

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both: EBF

Supplementing with some formula? No

How is it going? Always think it's getting better and then we regress. Still learning this dance.

What has been the biggest struggle? If you overcame it, what did you do? Damaged nipples from the hospital stay when I knew nothing and was chafing them against the gown and getting a shallow latch. They are slowly on the mend - every day a little better - thanks to saline rinses after every feed and lanolin, coupled with reclining nursing

Advice for others? Ha

Questions? Do any of your babies wheeze while feeding? Aurelia doesn't usually wheeze at any other time so I'm not sure if she is still learning how to breathe and nurse at the same time or what...

[yogisews]

Thank you for including EP in the check in, I did not feel like I applied last time.

Age of LO: 5weeks2days

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both: EP

Supplementing with some formula?
Yes, she gets about 25% formula.

How is it going?
Okay, I hate pumping and it takes forever to empty. But I am getting a steady 18 ounces a day (sometimes slightly more) so I am very happy with that. I have about 35-40 ounces in the fridge as well.

What has been the biggest struggle? If you overcame it, what did you do?
Still dealing with guilt over not putting her to the breast. I am afraid to try again because she hasn't been on in almost a month.

Advice for others?

Questions?
Does anyone know if fenugreek works more than once? In my reading it says you should notice a difference within a couple days and once you do you can stop taking it. So I haven't taken it in 3 or so weeks. If I took it again, could I possibly see another increase?

Edited for typo

[Deleted]

Sept 14, 2015 4:06:00 GMT -5 runningmommy519 said:

Age of LO:

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both:

Supplementing with some formula?

How is it going?

What has been the biggest struggle? If you overcame it, what did you do?

Advice for others?

Questions?

[tbr]dd is 6.5 weeks old
Up to this point we have been exclusively breastfeeding, buy I need to start pumping soon and introducing a bottle to prepare for going back to work.
We have not supplemented yet
Things have been going ok. Our latch could be better, but it has been getting better, so maybe that will continue. She has also been feeding for much less time per session.
My biggest struggle has been mental, how much is she getting? Is she growing? Is the boob empty enough to switch? Etc. Since going to the lc this past week and finding out that be has gained 2 lbs, 4 Oz in 28 days, I feel much more confident.
I also feel like we have turned the corner from feeling like my day revolves around feeding the baby to taking a break from my day to feed the baby, if that makes sense.

[runningmommy519]

esgrunner. Sometimes I do. I should try it more consistently.

yogisews no problem. I thought of a few questions to add because of last week

[amberlie]

Age: 4 wks + 5 days

EBF

Not supplementing

It's going well for the most part. She's still eating every 2 hours though most of the time and I am so tired.

Biggest struggle has been foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. It seems better now after block feeding for 4 hour intervals instead of 2 but my boobs hurt now from getting overly full.

I'm not great with advice. But as others have said, take it a day at a time. And while BFing is really important to a lot of us, remember that baby being fed is the most important thing. None of them will care in the future how that was done.

Does anyone have advice for getting her to go a bit longer between feedings? It's pretty much every 2 hours like clockwork & I'd like to sleep more than an hour at a time.

[astheria]

4weeks 1day old.
We have had to supplement on occasion. Rarely now although last night DH iverdud it since u was in the shiwer and bby was screaming.

We initially had some shallow latch issues but the shield seemed to have fixed it for the most part. I'm scared to attempt to wean off.

My advice is set an alarm fit a nighttime feeding. Lo didn't wake up last night so I went almost 8 hrs (only five were sleeping) and woke yo with a drenched shirt. And engorged for sure. Wrong night to not wear my bra and nursing pads. Sigh.

[skinandbones]

3 weeks and a few days.
EBF
No supplementing
Things have been smooth. DS2 doesn't nurse as long (20ish mintues where DS1 was 40 minutes at the same age) and sometimes only nurses one sude. I'm concerned he isn't getting enough but he seems satisfied so I'm trying to not story about it. I need to start pumping so I can work on my freezer stash.
Advice: don't quit on your worse day.

[motownthrowdown]

queenb I ep and my schedule is every 2-3 hours for about 20 minutes. I usually get around 600 mls per day, which is like 20 ounces.

[htuzzi324]

Age of LO: 7 weeks this Tuesday.

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both: ebf

How is it going? So much better. Night is still up in the air because he suddenly forgets how to open his mouth, but I'm sure well get there.

What has been the biggest struggle? If you overcame it, what did you do? Cracked nipples. Everything seems to suck 1000x more. They're almost healed but not quite and by the end of the day I can definitely tell.

Advice for others?
In case it wasn't mentioned last night, playtex will refund for bottles baby doesn't take.

Questions?
How are the munchkin latch bottles? Any success. Momma bottles?

[yogisews]

queenb I get around 18 ounces a day and get in about 6 pumping sessions a day. I try for every 2-3 hours during the day time but with a toddler it usually is every 3-4 and pump once overnight.

[noname]

htuzzi324, we love the momma bottles. They were the only ones DD1 would take after refusing about five others. We actually just use the momma nipple on nuk bottles. The momma bottles are a weird shape and we already had nuk bottles.

[melohdy]

1 month today

Breastfeeding and attempting casual pumping

It's going well. She's gaining like a champ. Pumping isn't going very well. I get up after our MOTN feedings to pump the other side, fully engorged, and hardly get a drop. Not sure how that's possible.

Biggest struggle: just getting over the mind fuck of not knowing whether or not they're getting enough.

Advice: I don't think it can be said enough: feed your baby without stress or guilt. If they/you need to give them formula, it's perfectly fine! Just don't give them Pepsi.

[lindy]

Age of LO: 7 weeks

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both: BF

Supplementing with some formula? No

How is it going? Pretty good. He has a lazy latch sometimes and what I believe is a tongue tie. I'm hoping in 2 weeks the pedi can recommend someone to look at his tongue.

What has been the biggest struggle? If you overcame it, what did you do? Overactive letdown. I still have it but am hoping as he gets older he is better with it, he's already much better.

[bibliothecary]

Age of LO: 6 weeks

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both: BFing, pumping one bottle a day.

Supplementing with some formula? No.

How is it going? Thrush is clearing up, so that's awesome. Other than that, is going pretty amazing.

What has been the biggest struggle? THRUSH. OW.

If you overcame it, what did you do? Nystatin, for him and me. Cutting sugar down and taking a probiotic. Also, the soft shields between feedings allowed air flow.

Advice for others? It gets better. It gets so much better. You will be fine. Seek help if you need it.

Questions? I'm good.

[zonagirl]

My LO will be 6 weeks tomorrow

EBF. I pumped for the first time this weekend. I did 15 mins on one side and only got an ounce and a half. MH fed it to her that night just to practice with bottle feeding. She chugged it....oops. We then watched some videos on paced bottle feedings so hopefully it will be better next time.

Breastfeeding is going OK. I might feel more complainy (not a word, I know) if I didn't read here. But reading some of the really serious issues some of you have had to deal with has really humbled me and made me feel grateful for the relatively easy time I'm having.

The biggest struggle I'm having would have to be nursing in public. The times I have been at restaurants and had to nurse I have gone to the car. When people besides my mom have been over at home I step out of the room to get her latched and then come back with a cover. It is very stressful for me and I'm not looking forward to having my mil here for a week and I will have to worry about being covered all the time in my own home.

My advice for those who haven't tried a pacifier yet is to try one. At three weeks I was about to have a breakdown because she was on my boobs like 6 hours a day. My pedi recommended a soothie pacifier and it has been great. Her suck reflex is really strong and it helps with fussiness. It hasn't interfered with breastfeeding because when she is hungry she absolutely will not take the pacifier.

Question for pumpers- I got an ounce and a half from one side in 15 mins which make me thing I would need to pump for thirty mins to get a full meal. Normal? I'm not trying to build a stash just make the occasional bottle.

[Laverne]

Poll for pumpers, how long doyou stay at pump?
Building stash?
Immediate use?
Any tips for finging the time?

I want to build stash, but also want dh to give him one a day. Inusually stop after about five minutes a breast because it looks like the flow has stopped.

[Laverne]

Shell users.
Do your shells fill up with milk? This drives me crazy, dumping onces a day down tge drain , or on the floor , on Nelson etc .

[bcmomsaysso]

Age of LO: 7 weeks

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both: mostly breastfeeding with occasional pumping

Supplementing with some formula? No formula, but have supplemented with pumped milk. Finally able to just feed at the breast now.

How is it going? Going well, the hardest thing at this point is figuring out when she is truly hungry or just tired/fussy. Sometimes I think she is hungry, but she just whines and fusses at the breast. When she is truly hungry, she eats like a champ. Her latch is still sort of shallow, but transfer has been good and she is gaining weight well so I don't mess with her too much. My nipples are fine so it's not that bad.

What has been the biggest struggle? If you overcame it, what did you do? Shallow latch/no transfer and supply issues at the start. Went to LC to help with latch. I was feeding pumped milk to supplement until her latch/transfer issues were resolved.
For supply- Took mothers love fenugreek tincture supplement. Also, pumped after every.single.feed until completely empty (or a few minutes after empty) for 1 week per my LC, and every other feed for 2 weeks once transfer started picking up. And lots of lactation cookies.
Now I pump maybe once/day or every other day just to keep my freezer stash going. And I drink mothers milk tea in place of the tincture which was much stronger. No more cookies, although I might make more just because they are yummy

Advice for others? Don't give up! It's hard, it sucks at times, but when it works it is sooo worth it. Also, find a good consultant! Mine was a lifesaver

Questions? Does anyone else have issues with LO gulping air when nursing? I didn't think breastfeed babies were supposed to burp as much but holy cow can this girl let them rip!!! And she burps a lot, mid-boob on boob one, in between boobs, and after boob 2. Last night she burped on my boob! Didn't even lose her latch lol

[hopefulreturn]

Age of LO: 6 weeks, 2 days

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both:
EBF with the occasional pumped bottle

How is it going?
It is so much harder than I ever thought it would be! I think we are finally getting a handle of it but I'm trying to deal with my oversupply And overactive letdown still

What has been the biggest struggle?
Latching! After issues with weight gain and jaundice I was just eager to get her to eat and had no idea the damage I was doing. Our latest struggle is that she won't stay latched well or sucking when my flow isn't fast.

If you overcame it, what did you do?
Lots of LC help. I'm still dealing with the shallow latch at times, but I'm much better about pulling her off in attempting to fix it.

Advice for others?
Admit you need help! I would sometimes get so stuck on thinking I could fix it myself. I've benefited from calling LC and nurses at pedi, crying to my husband, and talking to some friends.
My other advice is to not only take it day by day, but take it feeding by feeding. I would dread feedings in the beginning because of the pain and discomfort. Now I try very hard to think that we might've had a bad, long feeding but that the next could be better!

Questions?
I'm looking for others dealing with oversupply and Crazy letdown- how are you all doing? I just feel pretty tied to the house because her feeding time spread anywhere from one hour to three hours. I'm also not supposed to do anymore pumping According to a nurse and LC, so feelings are all on me.
Anyone been through this and know when things finally got smooth? I do feel like we are much better off than we were a couple weeks ago and try to focus on that, but I'm so ready for nursing to be less of a struggle.

[zonagirl]

Sept 14, 2015 10:21:42 GMT -5 hopefulreturn said:

Age of LO: 6 weeks, 2 days

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both:
EBF with the occasional pumped bottle

How is it going?
It is so much harder than I ever thought it would be! I think we are finally getting a handle of it but I'm trying to deal with my oversupply And overactive letdown still

What has been the biggest struggle?
Latching! After issues with weight gain and jaundice I was just eager to get her to eat and had no idea the damage I was doing. Our latest struggle is that she won't stay latched well or sucking when my flow isn't fast.

If you overcame it, what did you do?
Lots of LC help. I'm still dealing with the shallow latch at times, but I'm much better about pulling her off in attempting to fix it.

Advice for others?
Admit you need help! I would sometimes get so stuck on thinking I could fix it myself. I've benefited from calling LC and nurses at pedi, crying to my husband, and talking to some friends.
My other advice is to not only take it day by day, but take it feeding by feeding. I would dread feedings in the beginning because of the pain and discomfort. Now I try very hard to think that we might've had a bad, long feeding but that the next could be better!

Questions?
I'm looking for others dealing with oversupply and Crazy letdown- how are you all doing? I just feel pretty tied to the house because her feeding time spread anywhere from one hour to three hours. I'm also not supposed to do anymore pumping According to a nurse and LC, so feelings are all on me.
Anyone been through this and know when things finally got smooth? I do feel like we are much better off than we were a couple weeks ago and try to focus on that, but I'm so ready for nursing to be less of a struggle.

Re: burping. Mine does the same. She even does this hiccup burp thing where she has the hiccups but it comes out like burps!