Breastfeeding check in

[ashbash]

1. Yes, still breastfeeding
2. Not supplementing with formula, he gets 1-2 oz of purees 3x a day and finger foods here and there
3. No plans to wean anytime soon but I would like to drop one day feed and one night feed in the next few months. Ill see how things are at a year and decide if/ when to wean
4. No pumping, stink wont take a bottle

[ashbash]

stcyct your pumping situation sounds stressful, Im sorry. Its awesome that you have made it this far since going back at 5 weeks! It might be best for you guys to just nurse when you are together, motn, weekends and morning. Hopefully your supply could maintain that and he could still get bf benefits but without the pumping stress for you

[mirage86]

1. Yes, still breastfeeding.
2. Not really supplementing with much... He eats a few tablespoons of oatmeal 2-3 times a day and some finger foods, but he hates most solids.
3. So far, I'm hoping he'll be able to wean at about a year old.
4. E doesn't like bottles, especially since I'm always with him. I wish he would just to give my boobs a break because he bites really hard sometimes.

[billyhorrible]

stcyct - my pumping schedule is like that when I'm in trial and it really does suck. I also get less during those times so I feel for you!



1. Are you still breastfeeding? If not when did you stop and why?
Still breastfeeding

2. Are you supplementing with formula? Solids? How is that going?
Not supplementing but he eats a ton of solids in addition to nursing. He does breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day. Today was an egg cup for breakfast, chicken and pasta for lunch, and baked eggrolls and quinoa for dinner. Kid loves food.
3. Are you planning on weaning any time soon? Or are you just going to let it happen naturally?
I'm not weaning before a year, but after that I haven't quite got a plan.
4. Are you still pumping? Or just breastfeeding when you are with your baby? If you are still pumping how often do you pump a day and how's it going?
I hate pumping, but I still do it. I pump 3 times at work (every 3 hours) and once before bed. That gives me enough for the next day's bottles. I also pump on the weekends before bed, which I use for my freezer stash and to supplement during the week on low output days and days I miss a pumping session

[thecatsmeow]

1. Are you still breastfeeding? If not when did you stop and why?
Yes

2. Are you supplementing with formula? Solids? How is that going?
We are doing some solids, but he isn't showing a lot of interest yet.

3. Are you planning on weaning any time soon? Or are you just going to let it happen naturally?
No set in stone plan. Hopefully we'll continue until he is a year, after that just go with the flow. I have mixed feeling about it... on one hand I totally identify with wanting my body back, but I don't want to stop before he is ready to be done either.

4. Are you still pumping? Or just breastfeeding when you are with your baby? If you are still pumping how often do you pump a day and how's it going?
Not pumping. I did for a few days when I was possibly going to have jury duty back in October. I have so much respect for you ladies that have devoted so much time to it.

[wegrowsheep]

Still bf'ing all.the.time. Like, avg every 2 hrs round the clock.
He gets a couple meals during the day, usually whatever I'm eating. For example, today was curry chicken, rice, and peas at lunch. And potato soup with kale and sausage at dinner. I grind it in the food mill and spoon feed it to him. He gets little puff snacks and fruit/veggie "drops" throughout the day, as well as Mum mums and Rice Krispies.
Will probably wean around 13 months.
No pumping, never have time. Or extra.

[erbear]

1. Still BFing here.

2. not supplementing; we do purees twice a day. She loves to eat, but poor girl, food doesn't like her. She's been constipated and has also vomited food up. :/

3. the pediatrician told me to night wean, but I don't want to. I'd like to go until she's 1 and reassess. I could see continuing to nurse at home.

4. I pump at work twice. It sucks. LO drinks 2-4 bottles when I'm gone and I only produce 3 oz per pump max. I've had to do a lot of pumping before work or bed just to get an extra ounce here and there. :/

[mrsmonogrammed]

1. Are you still breastfeeding? If not when did you stop and why?
Still going, although it feels like I have a new "challenge" every week. Plugged ducts, low supply, time to pump, etc.

2. Are you supplementing with formula? Solids? How is that going?
We haven't needed to supplement and I have a pretty large freezer stash ATM. But I plan to stop waking up early to pump to cover what she's eating at daycare soon, so we will probably plow through it pretty quickly. Solids are going great! She loves them and is getting them 2x's/day (breakfast and lunch)

3. Are you planning on weaning any time soon? Or are you just going to let it happen naturally?
I'm going to go with the flow....I'm hoping to make it to 1 year, but TBH, making it to 6m was a huge milestone for me!

4. Are you still pumping? Or just breastfeeding when you are with your baby? If you are still pumping how often do you pump a day and how's it going?
Pumping at work and 1 extra time at home to cover what she eats at daycare. I pump 3x's /day at work but she eats 5 (3.5oz) bottles while we're apart. I usually get 11-12oz while at work and 7-8oz in the mornings at home. I feel like my supply can vary so widely but I've given up stressing about it because then I feel like I get even less! Having my freezer stash is a big comfort to me so I'm just trying to not let any of it stress me out:) We nurse on demand when we're together and usually on work days it's once at wake up in the morning and once at bedtime before going to sleep.

[silv3rlining]

1. Are you still breastfeeding? If not when did you stop and why?
Yes 

2. Are you supplementing with formula? Solids? How is that going? 
No supplementing but we are doing solids (semi inconsistent)

3. Are you planning on weaning any time soon? Or are you just going to let it happen naturally?
No plans as of right now. My goal with DS was to make it at least a year and we made it to 14 months (we were down to 2 nursing sessions and WCM) when it just felt like the right time (and I got pregnant with LO)

4. Are you still pumping? Or just breastfeeding when you are with your baby? If you are still pumping how often do you pump a day and how's it going?
I pump to have a freezer stash for the (rare) date night and because we want to go away for our anniversary. I lost 4 days worth I'm our deep freezer and started pumping 1x/day to recoup. After inventorying my freezer stash the other night I told DH I can probably stop pumping. So the plan now is just to do it if I need to. Like I will this morning because I feel a clogged duct coming on. I usually get 2-4 oz pumping 1 side.

[dmoney]

1. Are you still breastfeeding? If not when did you stop and why? Yes 6.5 months and still going.

2. Are you supplementing with formula? Solids? How is that going? We have been supplementing since 1 month because i dont produce enough but im happy with what I can supply DD with. We are also currently doing 1 meal a day of solids... right now it is dinner time, last night was bannanas!

3. Are you planning on weaning any time soon? Or are you just going to let it happen naturally? Probably by a year. DH thinks i can just stop cold turkey so I think at a year we are going to start weaning.

4. Are you still pumping? Or just breastfeeding when you are with your baby? If you are still pumping how often do you pump a day and how's it going? Still pumping 3 times a day while at work and when at home I am nursing. Pumping sucks, i hate it so much but i keep doing it!

[gilder40]

1. Are you still breastfeeding? If not when did you stop and why? Yes, I'm still nursing. She only nurses on the weekends or holidays when she's with me, and takes bottles at the sitter's house.

2. Are you supplementing with formula? Solids? How is that going? No, I haven't had to yet. I'm worried I may have to do that soon. She seems thin compared to other babies. She doesn't have a lot of fat rolls, and I can feel her ribs. I'll talk to the doctor at her 9 month appointment in February.

3. Are you planning on weaning any time soon? Or are you just going to let it happen naturally? I haven't even thought about weaning yet. I'll probably definitely drop the pumping after this school year and transition to milk. However, I'm off for the summer, so nursing would be really easy to do morning, midday, and at night.

4. Are you still pumping? Or just breastfeeding when you are with your baby? If you are still pumping how often do you pump a day and how's it going? I pump twice a day while I'm at work. Once around 10:00, and then again after school lets out at 3:00. I was pumping earlier, like 1:30, but the room I was using is attached to where they have admin meetings, and I felt like I was interrupting every time I passed through. I get about 10oz over the two sessions, and I used to get about 12oz. I could probably pump before bed to get some extra, but I'm just so tired once she goes down that I just want to go to bed myself!!

[beersandweirs]

1. Are you still breastfeeding? If not when did you stop and why?
Yes, still breastfeeding.

2. Are you supplementing with formula? Solids? How is that going?
We haven't had to supplement with formula, but she does get purees at the nanny's a couple of times a day, for a total of almost 4oz, and finger foods at dinner time.

3. Are you planning on weaning any time soon? Or are you just going to let it happen naturally?
I have no plans to wean, and I would love it if we made it to a year, after that I will re-assess.

4. Are you still pumping? Or just breastfeeding when you are with your baby? If you are still pumping how often do you pump a day and how's it going?
On Monday I came back to work full time. I was doing part time from home, so I would pump while she was away at the nanny's and I would always get enough to cover the 6.5hours she was there. Since coming back full time and having to pump in a strange environment, I am having to get used to that. I got 10oz the first day and 12oz yesterday (but spilled 1.5oz ) and I am just sending what I can pump during the work day, not adding any other pumping sessions in the day. I aim to pump every 2-3 hours, and I have a lot of flexibility in my job, so that is pretty doable.

Question for those with a freezer stash, what do you consider an adequate amount? I have ~60oz in the freezer, but I haven't had to touch it at all, when we have something coming up that we will need her to take a bottle for, I just try to pump extra before and build it up that way.

[silv3rlining]

beersandweirs it depends on what you want your freezer stash for....my goal was to have enough to be able to go away for 3-4 days and not have to use formula during that time. Since I don't know how much LO is consuming I want enough for at least 24oz/day. When DS was nursing and we left him with my mom for a few days he was actually taking 32oz/day in addition to solids (around 9 months) but I was pumping 40oz/day while we were away. I currently have 231oz in our freezer but LO rarely gets a bottle. Another thing I did with DS was give him cups of BM from my freezer stash after he was weaned (in addition to WCM). So even though he weaned at 14 months he still got some BM until 16-17 months.

[beersandweirs]

Can I add another question to the mix?

What, if anything, are you taking to help with supply (fenugreek, mother milk tea, lactation cookies, etc)?

I am taking fenugreek 3 times a day, I drink the tea occasionally and I eat a couple of lactation cookies a day as well. I honestly don't know how effective any of it is, but I don't want to stop just in case it is doing something.

[beersandweirs]

Jan 6, 2016 11:58:00 GMT -5 silv3rlining said:

beersandweirs it depends on what you want your freezer stash for....my goal was to have enough to be able to go away for 3-4 days and not have to use formula during that time. Since I don't know how much LO is consuming I want enough for at least 24oz/day. When DS was nursing and we left him with my mom for a few days he was actually taking 32oz/day in addition to solids (around 9 months) but I was pumping 40oz/day while we were away. I currently have 231oz in our freezer but LO rarely gets a bottle. Another thing I did with DS was give him cups of BM from my freezer stash after he was weaned (in addition to WCM). So even though he weaned at 14 months he still got some BM until 16-17 months.

Wow!

[beersandweirs]

Oh man, I don't know that I would ever have the energy to pump that much extra!

For a long time I didn't pump at all because baby wouldn't take a bottle, so I didn't see a point. I probably could have built up a better stock in the early months, because I definitely had an oversupply.

[billyhorrible]

beersandweirs, Right now I have 66oz in my freezer, which is a little more than 16 bottles. At his current rate, that's 4 days worth of bottles. My goal is to use it when I stop pumping so I can still send BM in to daycare with him for a bit. But right now I dip into it whenever I fall short in pumping, or need DH to give a bottle while I'm running.

In terms of galactagogues, I take fenugreek twice a day and drink a cup of mother's milk tea. I was also eating 2 lactation cookies a day, but I ran out and need to make some more.

[gigi3126]

1. Still going strong!
2. We haven't had to supplement with formula yet. We're doing BLW at home, so he gets dinner with us, but I don't know that much actually gets into his belly. He also eats teething crackers and yogurt melts randomly. I just gave daycare the okay to give him purees, so they're going to start offering some 2x a day. He won't eat them at home.
3. My goal is 1 year, but I'm definitely willing to go longer or stop earlier if he wants to.
4. I pump 2-3 times at work, but frequently have to pump tight after I get home to have enough for daycare. Luckily, he usually falls asleep during the drive, so I just try not to wake him until I'm done pumping.
I hate pumping, but I love breastfeeding so I'll keep trucking along as long as I can.

[mrsmonogrammed]

beersandweirs I think that it really depends on what you want to use your freezer stash for....do you want it solely for emergencies? Then a few bottles worth will probably be enough. Do you want enough for a weekend away? Then aim for a bit more.

I personally was an obsessive freak about building a stash on maternity leave because I had no idea if I could keep up with pumping while at work. I currently have ~1000oz in there. I plan to use it after I drop my "extra" pump at home that I've been doing to keep up with DD's daycare intake. I'm hoping to stop that pump by the time she's 8m and just ride out my freezer stash from there!

[mrsmonogrammed]

Question: at what age do babies typically start dropping a few ounces from their feeds d/t solids? I know until 1 most nutrition should be from BM/Formula, but I do know she can possibly have room for 3 full meals AND ~25oz BM at 1 year old!

[silv3rlining]

Jan 6, 2016 14:20:20 GMT -5 mrsmonogrammed said:

Question: at what age do babies typically start dropping a few ounces from their feeds d/t solids? I know until 1 most nutrition should be from BM/Formula, but I do know she can possibly have room for 3 full meals AND ~25oz BM at 1 year old!

This is from Kelly mom " One study found average breastmilk intake to be 30 oz per day (875 ml/day; 93% of total intake) at 7 months and 19 oz (550 ml/day; 50% of total energy intake) at 11-16 months."

[beersandweirs]

mrsmonogrammed Wow. That's all I can say...wow!

[billyhorrible]

Jan 6, 2016 14:20:20 GMT -5 mrsmonogrammed said:

but I do know she can possibly have room for 3 full meals AND ~25oz BM at 1 year old!

Mine does.

At LBB's daycare at 12 months they moved the kids into the "wobblers" room, which was a transition between the infant room and the toddler room.  It's where they started doing things on schedule instead of on demand.  That's when he started dropping nursing sessions, because they only got milk at specified times.  We also stopped nursing before meals at that time, so he only got milk if he asked for it.  Up until then, he was still nursing before every meal/whenever he awoke.

[beersandweirs]

Does anyone use the Lansinoh freezer bags? Do you find the volume markings to be quite generous? Like I will have 3oz in the medela bottle and pour it into the bag and it reads at 4oz. I tried the make sure the bag is fully opened, but it always seems like this.

[billyhorrible]

Jan 6, 2016 18:03:38 GMT -5 beersandweirs said:

Does anyone use the Lansinoh freezer bags? Do you find the volume markings to be quite generous? Like I will have 3oz in the medela bottle and pour it into the bag and it reads at 4oz. I tried the make sure the bag is fully opened, but it always seems like this.

I use them, but I freeze in 1 ounce sticks, and to make my life even easier, I put 4 sticks in each bag, so each bag = 1 bottle.

[billyhorrible]

@wwprestige , I use the trays by Sensible Lines:

[erbear]

The lanisoh bags are so ridiculous with their measurements. I've never pumped 5 ounces and it makes me seem like I do.

I had built up a nice stash pre-4 month regression, when I could get up and pump, but it's taken a hit since then since I couldn't keep up with her bottle usage while at work. I don't know what I actually have left, maybe 60 oz?

[kemdupuis]

1. Still BF!

2. B started eating solids in November. We're just doing about 2oz of purée in the afternoon, but I am going to talk to our ped today about increasing his solid food "meals" because he really seems to enjoy it. Other than that, he is EBF

3. No plans to wean. I've always said I'd like to make it to one year, but basically, I'm willing to let it happen naturally whenever he is ready. He is still very interested in BFing, so I don't see that happening anytime soon.

4. Yes, I'm pumping 3x a day while I am at work and B is at his sitter's. Right now, I'm keeping up with demand exactly. If he starts eating more during the day, I will probably have to supplement because I don't have any other possible times to pump during school. From what I understand, his BM intake really shouldn't be increasing at this point, so we might be all set. I will keep pumping until he is ready to wean.

[beersandweirs]

Is anyone still nursing in public? Baby is such a distracted eater now that if I tried it would just be me sitting there with my boob out while baby looked around at everything. I usually have to take her alone into a room at home now to feed her because she gets distracted by EVERYTHING!

[mirage86]

Jan 7, 2016 12:27:57 GMT -5 beersandweirs said:

Is anyone still nursing in public? Baby is such a distracted eater now that if I tried it would just be me sitting there with my boob out while baby looked around at everything. I usually have to take her alone into a room at home now to feed her because she gets distracted by EVERYTHING!

Does being at other relative's homes count? I did it a few times over Christmas, but he was usually hungry and tired enough that he just wanted to nurse and fall asleep. I also kept a light blanket to tuck in around him and over my shoulder, so it partially covered his face and helped keep him from being distracted by other noises.