Breastfeeding/EP check in 9/21-9/27

[joi922]

Sept 22, 2015 6:41:32 GMT -5 twinkbrite said:

Oh yeah, I have a question! I have been told LO has tongue tie by multiple LCs and her pedis, but none of them have recommended getting it snipped.

She has no latch issues; only time she doesn't latch well is when she is clamping down to try and stop my OALD.

I had one LC that I just spoke to over the phone say she didn't know her teen had tongue tie as a baby but if she had known, she wishes she would've gotten it fixed then because her daughter has had to have speech therapy and major orthodontia including a tongue tie snip as a teen, which is harder to recover from.

So even though LO's tongue tie doesn't seem to be interfering with feeding, should I get it snipped anyway?

Maybe it depends on how severe it is? I have a tongue tie that my parents never had cut. It really hasn't affected my speech or anything. The only things I can't do are roll my Rs, lick an ice cream cone, or stick out my tongue very far. Dentist gets annoyed that I can't lift my tongue, but otherwise it hasn't been a problem.

[zonagirl]

7 weeks old

Breastfeeding, with an occasional pumped bottle.

No formula

It is going well. I don't have much to compare to, but I think we are doing fine. My nipples finally don't hurt when the shower water hits me. Yay! (That's a sentence I never thought I would type).

A struggle that I am having is perhaps having to admit that all of the nursing bras I bought at Motherhood a few weeks ago are too small. This kills me because I spent quite a bit and got a bunch. I had heard that you shouldn't until 6 weeks when breastfeeding is more established but I really needed them.

Advice for others? I wish I had wisdom.

Question: my bras are tight enough that they are kind of flattening my nipple. How bad is this? If I can live with the tightness, am I going to mess with BFing if I don't get new bras?

[girlonabike]

Thanks guys! I took Liam to see the pediatrician today because I was a wreck. She reassured me everything was going to be fine, helped me with some nursing skills and pointed out that everything else about him is perfect, he's just low on weight. He's not suffering, he's just being a stubborn eater. She also gave me tips on supplementing with formula, and said once his weight catches up, we can wean him off of it if I want to. She's a big BF advocate, so I trust her advice.

I feel a little bit better, but I will be much better once I see that this is paying off and his weight is going up on Monday. I'm just exhausted. I have no help with the little guy right now, its just me & him. (Dad is working 12 hour shifts, which mean 14 hour days right now). Once we both get some quality sleep, we'll be ok.

[bcmomsaysso]

girlonabike, I'm happy you were able to be seen today- your ped sounds awesome! It will all pay off soon, and in the meantime it sounds like you are in good hands hang in there!

[wildermom]

So it's not UO Thursday or FFFC but I need to just vent and be really honest. Hi, my name is Sarah and I want to be a quitter.

You guys. I'm so effin over the pain in my boobs. It's all. the. time. Constant pain. Throbbing. Skin sensitivity. Terrible shocking letdown. Zero schedule as to when they fill up and need to be pumped again. Sometimes it's an hour, sometimes it's five. Even though I pump regularly. With a three year old and now an newborn with special needs, I have zero time for this crap if I ever want to get anything accomplished. I feel like I can't go anywhere or do anything. And THE PAIN. How is it all the time??

BF never really worked out for DS because of his latch so I EP for four months until he had to be put on a special formula due to reflux. And while I hated pumping then, it was just the time and inconvenience of it all. Never awful pain. Nursing is freaking hard with Eliza. She's been drinking from bottles since day one in the NICU and doesn't seem to have the patience for boobs. I'm trying to nurse atleast at night and first thing in the AM to save myself from hauling out of bed to both feed her AND pump. But I don't think her latch is stellar and my nips! Save them!
I also freaking hate not knowing how much she's getting. And oh my word, THE PAIN. I have about ten sample cans of formula in my pantry and it's taking everything I have not to say to hell with it.

I've honestly never been super into the whole breastfeeding bonding thing. I do it to a. save money and b. not be judged by my pediatrician.

But it's only 6 weeks and I'm so ready to be done. These short term goals are crap with this 24/7 pain.

Talk me off the ledge. Or over it. I'm good with either.

[Laverne]

Sept 23, 2015 18:17:30 GMT -5 wildermom said:

So it's not UO Thursday or FFFC but I need to just vent and be really honest. Hi, my name is Sarah and I want to be a quitter.

You guys. I'm so effin over the pain in my boobs. It's all. the. time. Constant pain. Throbbing. Skin sensitivity. Terrible shocking letdown. Zero schedule as to when they fill up and need to be pumped again. Sometimes it's an hour, sometimes it's five. Even though I pump regularly. With a three year old and now an newborn with special needs, I have zero time for this crap if I ever want to get anything accomplished. I feel like I can't go anywhere or do anything. And THE PAIN. How is it all the time??

BF never really worked out for DS because of his latch so I EP for four months until he had to be put on a special formula due to reflux. And while I hated pumping then, it was just the time and inconvenience of it all. Never awful pain. Nursing is freaking hard with Eliza. She's been drinking from bottles since day one in the NICU and doesn't seem to have the patience for boobs. I'm trying to nurse atleast at night and first thing in the AM to save myself from hauling out of bed to both feed her AND pump. But I don't think her latch is stellar and my nips! Save them!
I also freaking hate not knowing how much she's getting. And oh my word, THE PAIN. I have about ten sample cans of formula in my pantry and it's taking everything I have not to say to hell with it.

I've honestly never been super into the whole breastfeeding bonding thing. I do it to a. save money and b. not be judged by my pediatrician.

But it's only 6 weeks and I'm so ready to be done. These short term goals are crap with this 24/7 pain.

Talk me off the ledge. Or over it. I'm good with either.

#1 take care of Sarah, are you taking any ibuprofen?
#2 feed your baby
#3 fuck what ped or anyone else thinks

[oopsiedaisies]

Sept 23, 2015 18:17:30 GMT -5 wildermom said:

So it's not UO Thursday or FFFC but I need to just vent and be really honest. Hi, my name is Sarah and I want to be a quitter.

You guys. I'm so effin over the pain in my boobs. It's all. the. time. Constant pain. Throbbing. Skin sensitivity. Terrible shocking letdown. Zero schedule as to when they fill up and need to be pumped again. Sometimes it's an hour, sometimes it's five. Even though I pump regularly. With a three year old and now an newborn with special needs, I have zero time for this crap if I ever want to get anything accomplished. I feel like I can't go anywhere or do anything. And THE PAIN. How is it all the time??

BF never really worked out for DS because of his latch so I EP for four months until he had to be put on a special formula due to reflux. And while I hated pumping then, it was just the time and inconvenience of it all. Never awful pain. Nursing is freaking hard with Eliza. She's been drinking from bottles since day one in the NICU and doesn't seem to have the patience for boobs. I'm trying to nurse atleast at night and first thing in the AM to save myself from hauling out of bed to both feed her AND pump. But I don't think her latch is stellar and my nips! Save them!
I also freaking hate not knowing how much she's getting. And oh my word, THE PAIN. I have about ten sample cans of formula in my pantry and it's taking everything I have not to say to hell with it.

I've honestly never been super into the whole breastfeeding bonding thing. I do it to a. save money and b. not be judged by my pediatrician.

But it's only 6 weeks and I'm so ready to be done. These short term goals are crap with this 24/7 pain.

Talk me off the ledge. Or over it. I'm good with either.

Ultimately you have to do what's best for you and your family. Have you talked to a LC at all to see what's going on? Are your flanges the correct size?
But again...you have to do what's best for you and your family.

[girlonabike]

Sept 23, 2015 18:17:30 GMT -5 wildermom said:

So it's not UO Thursday or FFFC but I need to just vent and be really honest. Hi, my name is Sarah and I want to be a quitter.

You guys. I'm so effin over the pain in my boobs. It's all. the. time. Constant pain. Throbbing. Skin sensitivity. Terrible shocking letdown. Zero schedule as to when they fill up and need to be pumped again. Sometimes it's an hour, sometimes it's five. Even though I pump regularly. With a three year old and now an newborn with special needs, I have zero time for this crap if I ever want to get anything accomplished. I feel like I can't go anywhere or do anything. And THE PAIN. How is it all the time??

BF never really worked out for DS because of his latch so I EP for four months until he had to be put on a special formula due to reflux. And while I hated pumping then, it was just the time and inconvenience of it all. Never awful pain. Nursing is freaking hard with Eliza. She's been drinking from bottles since day one in the NICU and doesn't seem to have the patience for boobs. I'm trying to nurse atleast at night and first thing in the AM to save myself from hauling out of bed to both feed her AND pump. But I don't think her latch is stellar and my nips! Save them!
I also freaking hate not knowing how much she's getting. And oh my word, THE PAIN. I have about ten sample cans of formula in my pantry and it's taking everything I have not to say to hell with it.

I've honestly never been super into the whole breastfeeding bonding thing. I do it to a. save money and b. not be judged by my pediatrician.

But it's only 6 weeks and I'm so ready to be done. These short term goals are crap with this 24/7 pain.

Talk me off the ledge. Or over it. I'm good with either.

I'm just about there with you. i keep asking myself what's worse? Feeding formula (not a bad thing at all) or being miserable all the damn time? I do enjoy breastfeeding Liam SOMETIMES, but honestly overall? It's been terrible. It's tedious, exhausting and I'm starting to resent having to do it. Between feeding and pumping I have zero time for ME. I feel like I'm anchored to Liam and not in a good way, but in a drowning way. Formula feeding seems so much easier. I want to breastfeed because its free, for the health benefits for Liam, and supposedly its "easier" (just pop a boob out, right?).  But I'm so over it. Especially since it doesn't seem to be working. But my ped and midwife keep encouraging me to do it. I just don't know anymore.

[wildermom]

Sept 23, 2015 20:13:14 GMT -5 Laverne said:

Sept 23, 2015 18:17:30 GMT -5 wildermom said:

Snip.

#1 take care of Sarah, are you taking any ibuprofen?
#2 feed your baby
#3 fuck what ped or anyone else thinks

Thanks for this girlonabike, Laverne, and oopsiedaisies. Seriously.
And no, I'm not regularly taking anything. I have taken some for the CSection pain I still get from time to time. I do feel better then, duh. No idea why it hasn't occurred to me to take it on the regular for a bit. Haven't really talked to an LC lately. I'm weird. I just feel awkward about it all. 

I basically laid all this out for H tonight. Who proceeded to be amazing as always and told me to do whatever I wanted and he'd support me completely. But to not quit on my worst day. Then I took a mommy time out to the craft store and Target. Grabbed a nipple shield. New goal of 2 months, maybe.

[girlonabike]

"Don't quit on your worst day"

I need to get that engraved somewhere. Maybe my forehead.

[runningmommy519]

wildermom I admire EPers. I don't think I could do it. Ultimately you need to do what's best for you and your family. The nipple shield was a huge help with Ethan and now we have 100% weaned.

girlonabike same advice. You need to do what's best for you and your family. I will say that breastfeeding does get easier. The first few months.... Suck. If I had a nickel for every time I wanted to give up with my first in those first few months, I'd be rich. With both my boys I had to do the feed then pump. It sucked. And if you decide breastfeeding isn't for you, that is ok. Your health is just as important as Liam's.

[oopsiedaisies]

Sept 23, 2015 20:57:53 GMT -5 runningmommy519 said:

wildermom I admire EPers. I don't think I could do it. Ultimately you need to do what's best for you and your family. The nipple shield was a huge help with Ethan and now we have 100% weaned.

girlonabike same advice. You need to do what's best for you and your family. I will say that breastfeeding does get easier. The first few months.... Suck. If I had a nickel for every time I wanted to give up with my first in those first few months, I'd be rich. With both my boys I had to do the feed then pump. It sucked. And if you decide breastfeeding isn't for you, that is ok. Your health is just as important as Liam's.

wildermom +1 to admiring EP'ers. That takes serious dedication. I loathed pumping when I worked fulltime after my dd was born. You are amazing, but if you need to move on from it, it's ok, too.

girlonabike +1 that breastfeeding *does* eventually get easier. I am a huge breastfeeding advocate (I'm studying to become an IBCLC alongside my nursing degree) but I also know that it isn't always the right fit for everyone. Do what you need to do to be happy.

[melohdy]

wildermom I think stopping would be good for everyone involved. You need to be at your best for yourself and your family. You'll likely feel even more bonded when you're not so stressed about milk production.

[trudytrudy]

I just wanted to say that when I had my first baby I was miserable with bf for at least 6 or 8 weeks. I suffered terrible engorgement and subsequently horrid nipple pain. It was such an ordeal and affected me completely. I remember that it made me irritable but it got better and then it got great. And I remember being so glad I rode it out. I hope that it gets better for everyone soon but no judgement if those on the edge decide to throw in the towel. Just as long as those sweet babies get full bellies!

[carabassa]

Age of LO: 6 weeks

Breastfeeding

No formula

How is it going?

Much better recently. My right nipple finally healed for the first time ever and no longer hurts. Left side is almost there. The healing didn't start until after we got the frenulectomy for her posterior tongue tie (several weeks ago) and it's been a gradual process.

no new struggles this week. Just enjoying things finally getting better. I had been pumping 4 times a day for 15 minutes to give her 1/2 oz by bottle before each nursing session per LC suggestion (since early on it seemed one side wasn't transferring enough to her). But after a few weeks that lead to oversupply and I hated pumping. I felt so free when I stopped.

Advice for others? When there's a problem, try to address it asap. We should have done the frenulectomy earlier than we did, but I was hesitant thinking maybe things would get better on their own. Nope!

Questions? I've been using the nipple shells because my cracked nipples couldn't handle touching fabric. Now that they're almost healed, I tried the bamboobies breast pads instead. How do you not have lumpy-looking boobs while wearing breast pads?

[Laverne]

Struggle : oversupply leading to sticky sour milk mess everywhere. Let the laundry pile up they say, who the fuck are these people and where do they live, i want to send my pile over there.
Struggle: i only have so many breast pads and burp cloths. I need to find a laundress.

Wish i had paid extra $10 for shipping, i cant wait to get hands on wool nursing pads, i hope they do not disappoint.

[queenb]

Sept 23, 2015 20:35:43 GMT -5 wildermom said:

Sept 23, 2015 20:13:14 GMT -5 Laverne said:

#1 take care of Sarah, are you taking any ibuprofen?
#2 feed your baby
#3 fuck what ped or anyone else thinks

Thanks for this girlonabike, Laverne, and oopsiedaisies. Seriously.
And no, I'm not regularly taking anything. I have taken some for the CSection pain I still get from time to time. I do feel better then, duh. No idea why it hasn't occurred to me to take it on the regular for a bit. Haven't really talked to an LC lately. I'm weird. I just feel awkward about it all. 

I basically laid all this out for H tonight. Who proceeded to be amazing as always and told me to do whatever I wanted and he'd support me completely. But to not quit on my worst day. Then I took a mommy time out to the craft store and Target. Grabbed a nipple shield. New goal of 2 months, maybe.

I've decided to be a quitter. BF/pumping just isn't working. I can't find enough time to pump enough to establish a good supply, my entire world revolves around this pump, it's hard on my H too, I've had mastitis twice and reoccurring blocked ducts in one breast. I want my body back. LO takes formula fine. I do feel a bit selfish, but my mental health is important too. I've decided to drop one session at a time with a goal of being totally done in 2 weeks. That'll take me to 2 months, so at least he'll have had the benefit of breast milk for that long.

[esgrunner]

queenb, you are doing what is best for your family! You are making the right choice. 

[esgrunner]

There's a 6 week growth spurt right? He ate a lot Monday and Tuesday during the day and also last night. He has had massive poops. His sleep was all messed up last night, I think because he wanted to eat. Luckily, DH stayed home today (Papal Visit Vacation Day since he works in DC, but apparently traffic was awesome this morning!) and I'm glad because he took LO for awhile last night when he had a hard time settling after all that eating.

Since I feel like we're still working on "establishing" breastfeeding now that my supply has increased, I've asked DH to bring LO to me instead of offering a bottle. I think he understands that now and why. At first, I think he thought I just wanted to control the situation (I could possibly be a bit Type A), but I think he's read enough now to get it.

LO totally has a double chin now and is looking really good. He is still pretty lean through his hips, but he is also getting long. I can't wait for our appt on Monday to see how much he weighs, I hope it is a good gain. If not, we'll probably go back to supplementing, but we've mostly dropped that for now.
I'm taking fenugreek/mothers milk tea and still pumping. The pumping strategy I'm using is to set up the pump for 4 hours (once in am and once in pm) and trying to get a few 5-10 min sessions. That is what the LC recommended and I think it helps. I'm able to see improvements in my output since I started doing it.

[wildermom]

queenb Proud of you for making a tough choice.
I might grow a pair soon and join you. I think I've got about two weeks worth in the freezer. Might try to transition and make it to three months

[DSHM13]

Feeling really good today. Had a meeting with an LC and I think it really helped set my mind at ease. My positioning and Auri's latch is good, but the excessive nipple damage and pain is hindering my let down. Aurelia has an arched palate (I guess?) that was causing clamping on my nipple. The LC also suspects tongue tie so we have to get an eval from an ENT. I really hope that isn't the case but we'll see. She is also 2oz away from birth weight of 8lb 10oz which is fantastic! The formula has been really helping. Apparently she only gets about an oz from me each feed so we have to keep supplementing and the LC made me a pumping plan and gave me a nipple shield - hallelujah it is amazing. I was so excited to come home and feed Aurelia again and of course, I can NOT wake her up. So looking forward to painless nursing!!!

[carabassa]

DSHM13 Congrats on painless nursing on the horizon! My LO also has an arched palette (and had a posterior tongue tie), so I can fully commiserate on the clamping (chomping!) down on the nipples.

[esgrunner]

If I started pumping to increase my supply, should I continue that indefinitely to maintain it? I am scared to stop the fenugreek now and I don't want to cut back on the pumping either in case that would decrease my supply. Is EBFing enough to maintain? I guess I could slowly cut back and see if that has an effect.

At this point what I'm doing is setting up the pump for about 4 hours in the am and 4 hours in the pm and just pumping 5-10 minutes or so whenever I get a chance (maybe on average 4 times per day, like twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon). 

[oopsiedaisies]

DSHM13 ... totally didn't even think about the pain hindering your letdown. It did for me, which ticked C off...it's resolved now that my nips are healed

[htuzzi324]

Age of LO: 8 weeks

Breastfeeding, EP or a combination of both: ebf

Supplementing with formula?
Nope.
How is it going?
Not bad.

What has been the biggest struggle this last week? If you overcame it, what did you do?
Cracked nipples AGAIN. I need to find a new cream I think.

[abvintage]

bibliothecary I finally got a pic. I tend to lean back just slightly and have him upright with his head turned

[abvintage]

girlonabike sorry if I missed this but have they talked to you about SNS? Although the bottle will be easier but SNS means you'll get stimulated for longer.

[girlonabike]

abvintage, no, they haven't. I just looked it up, and to be honest I don't think it would work for me: it looks like it would take a lot of time & effort to set up every time, and I can see myself getting frustrated having to tape tubes to my nipples every time Liam fed. I'd rather just give up breastfeeding altogether.

Liam went back to ineffective nursing today. No matter what position I put him in, he just refuses to swallow. He just wants to suck, even though he's clearly hungry. So frustrating.

[runningmommy519]

I agree with others queenb. You are doing what's right for you.

esgrunner I'm no expert but I think when you are EBF your LO helps maintain your supply. They tell your body how much is needed. They dictate it. If you are pumping and nursing your body thinks you need more milk than you really do. I believe when you pump to establish supply is when LO isn't efficient (yet)may getting milk out

[ady45]

I think I need smaller flanges for my pump. I'm pretty sure my nipple is like being stretched way out.