https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 16 Apr 2026 01:19:26 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-from-only-one-side-at-all-not-per-session#post-2922903 Sat, 13 Mar 2021 18:32:52 +0000 JennyPenny 2922903@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My DD is 11 months and I’m starting to wean off pumping but planning to do a morning and evening nurse as long as she wants. My right breast produces way more than my left and DD often gets frustrated or flat out refuses the left. For now I’m getting milk out of it during the day when I pump but I’m curious what will happen when I drop those pumps. Has anyone breastfed exclusively from one side? Or does anyone have tips for getting DD to take from the sad side? I’m probably overthinking this, but I’m not sure what to expect... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-cio-sttn#post-2922752 Tue, 02 Mar 2021 07:55:15 +0000 SweetCaroline 2922752@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS is 9 months old and gets up 2-3 times a night. I can do once but I'm losing my mind with more. We're doing CIO (again), but I'm so uncertain and worried that hr is hungry...we EBF (daycare + pump during day). I know prolactin levels decrease and my supply is lowest at the end of the day, but does his appetite follow suit? Should I be giving him a bottle of formula (he's never had it, open to it tho!) to ensure his belly is full? Currently it's hit or miss whether I meet his daycare milk needs, depending on how many pumps I fit in, so we use freezer stash for the next day yo fill the gaps.</p> <p>Appreciate you helping my brain </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/side-effects-after-taking-sunflower-lecithin#post-2918200 Wed, 12 Aug 2020 15:31:52 +0000 sweet_p 2918200@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Has anyone experienced side effects after taking sunflower lecithin? I started taking the one from Legendairy Milk about 3 weeks ago after getting some clogged ducts. It definitely helped get rid of them, but a week ago I noticed my stomach wasn’t feeling great but nothing to be worried about. Starting yesterday I’ve been having stomach pain and frequent loose stools/diarrhea. I’m wondering if it’s from taking the lecithin daily as a preventative. I’d really like to avoid going to the doctor right now so hoping it’s from that and not something else :sad: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-were-your-mastitis-symptoms-potential-covid#post-2917591 Thu, 23 Jul 2020 10:15:03 +0000 Becky 2917591@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have a mild case of mastitis that was at its worst 3 days ago. That day my breast hurt so much and I couldn’t help crying out in pain every time I nursed on that breast. I did a lot of warm compresses and massage, plus Motrin. My doctor never called back and I’m still waiting to hear back, but my SIL gave me the leftovers of her antibiotics from when she had it (don’t know why she didn’t finish them) so I have started antibiotics. </p> <p>I have a low grade fever that went away yesterday and returned today. I have a headache, body aches, and some dizziness. My back and neck are achy but that’s probably from poor posture while nursing and carrying the baby. My breast is still red in one spot and milk is stuck there, but it isn’t really painful to feed the baby anymore. </p> <p>So now I am scared I could also have COVID. I feel like if my breast has improved everything else should too. Did anyone experience an improvement of milk flow and reduced pain while still having the other symptoms? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/very-fast-nursing#post-2915804 Sun, 24 May 2020 06:12:46 +0000 JennyPenny 2915804@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Has anyone else had an infant who was a particularly fast eater when breastfeeding? My 6 week old has been nursing for only 6-8 minutes the past few weeks. It seemed too short so I’ve tried encouraging more but she either won’t do it at all or if she does she spits it all back up. I’ve started to accept that she might be taking a full feeding in such a short time. It does feel like she’s emptying my breast, and her diapers and weight gain seem fine. She is super gassy though but I’m not sure if that has to do with the speed she’s eating. I also worry it’s a sign of oversupply though nothing seems to be wrong yet. Both my older 2 ate for 20-30 minutes at least at this time so it feels like new territory. Anyone else have experience with this? Do I need to be worried or on the lookout for anything (like oversupply/ fore/hind milk imbalance)? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/favorite-affordable-nursing-clothes#post-2914918 Mon, 04 May 2020 07:37:47 +0000 maybebaby 2914918@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Baby #3 due in a week, pls hit me up with your favorite resources for nursing clothes - casual spring/summer stuff (tops and casual dresses) comfy for wearing around the house but cute enough for a socially distanced walk around the neighborhood :) Ideally wouldn't spend more than $20/top and $30/dress and it wouldn't be so cheap that it would fall apart after a few washes! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906154 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 15:40:51 +0000 karenbme 2906154@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Some of you probably remember my story from other threads—high risk pregnancy which lead to a 35 week preemie who is now 7 1/2 weeks old (2 1/2 weeks adjusted). She has been getting bottles since her first day of life in the NICU and generally gets about 2/3 of her calories from pumped milk and 1/3 directly from me. We’re on our third lactation consultant, who I really like and finally got her latching without a nipple shield about a week ago, and we had one good day where she got everything from me, but other than that she’s never gotten a full feed without a bottle more than once in a day. We keep hearing that we should keep trying and she’ll get there in a couple weeks for sure (heard this as 3, 5, and now 6 weeks) but she screams in hunger 15-30 minutes after coming off the breast nearly every time.</p> <p>Meanwhile we did a couple days of EPing when I needed a break for mental health reasons, and it worked really well for us. I was able to pump 37 and 42 ounces in the two 24 hour periods. I still had plenty of bonding tome with her, possibly more than when I try to breastfeed because I had a happy baby who wasn’t screaming in hunger. I don’t mind the pump, and have Freemies cups for my spectra, so I’m still able to hold her while I’m pumping and have pumped with them while friends were at the house. The washing is annoying, but is only ~15 minutes twice a day, so not too bad.</p> <p>I’m trying to make a decision now about whether or not it’s worth it to keep trying to breastfeed vs. just exclusively pumping. I don’t want to totally miss out on something so elemental, but I also don’t know that I can spend the last few weeks of my mat leave listening to her scream in hunger rather than enjoying my otherwise happy baby. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/4-month-old-wont-nurse-after-morning-wake-up#post-2905028 Mon, 09 Dec 2019 08:34:17 +0000 cake2017 2905028@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hello, my four month may eat last around 430am or sometimes 5am with a wake up around 6-7am.</p> <p>I try to offer around 730 because she goes down for her first nap between 815-830am. She’s been skipping this feed the last three weeks. She seems so distracted by her brother(a 2.5yo) or anything going on. I’ve tried to leave the area but it doesn’t work all the time and I can’t leave him that long cause he will come looking.</p> <p>She turns her face, stiffs up and sometimes whines. </p> <p>Is she just not hungry?<br /> Is his the age where the feedings can be spread apart?</p> <p>Pew and poop output is great. </p> <p>Any experiences with this? I just get worried she’s not getting enough and nursing seems to be harder. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tips-for-breastfeeding-a-sleepy-baby#post-2903178 Thu, 21 Nov 2019 16:31:04 +0000 karenbme 2903178@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter was born 5 weeks premature and spent 5 days in the NICU, where several days of consecutive weight gains were a prerequisite for going home, so she’s been on bottles since day 1 to help minimize weight loss/get her gaining. Now she’s 4 weeks old and we’re still really struggling to breastfeed. The problem I run into is that as soon as I put her to the breast if the flow isn’t gushing she just falls asleep, until I put her down and then she screams because she’s hungry. We just went through this cycle over and over for an hour before I gave in and gave her a bottle, which she took no problem with her eyes wide open. No amount of tickling or diaper changes or breast compression seems to help and both lactation specialists I’ve seen have told me I’m doing everything right and keep trying it’ll just take time. One told me to stop pumping/cut back bottles, but her doctors are still so focused on weight gain that I worry if I do that it will spur more interventions, potentially land her back to the hospital if she stops gaining, and jeopardize my supply (which has been great so far), so I’m definitely not going to do that. </p> <p>Looking for any tips on feeding drowsy babies. If we continue like this much longer I may switch to EPing, since trying to get her to take the breast has been an immense source of stress, but I have plenty of supply and she loves her bottles. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-your-first-v-consecutive-kids#post-2896591 Wed, 11 Sep 2019 11:14:56 +0000 Clementine12 2896591@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What were your experiences with breastfeeding your first child vs later kids? Did you do anything different to prepare? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-has-no-interest-in-nursing#post-2896574 Wed, 11 Sep 2019 09:09:58 +0000 mediagirl 2896574@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter is 9 months old and is eating solids (3 meals a day). She has very, very little interest in breastfeeding at this point. I get home from work and try to feed her (it's been about 2.5 hours since last bottle) and she refuses. She does eat solids, though. At nighttime, she will maybe nurse on one side and then push me away with a stiff arm and looks away, to somewhere else in the room. She does the same in the middle of the night and in the morning. She gets enough to satisfy herself and then quits. I'm leaking like crazy and I'm honestly emotionally not handling it well.</p> <p>Anyone else have experience with a baby doing this? Make me feel better? </p> <p>In case you're still reading, I'll give an example of this morning:<br /> Nurse on left side. Get dressed and play for a while. Then we went downstairs about 45 minutes later and I tried again, no interest. Sat her in her high chair and she ate a bowl of oatmeal. I tried after breakfast and she pushed me away again. Then I had to go to work...with a leaking boob. :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-refusing-to-nurse#post-2895614 Tue, 27 Aug 2019 18:26:35 +0000 PurplePumps 2895614@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It seems my son has got HFM and it looks like he has a sore right on the tip of his tongue. He was nursing all find an normal until Saturday night when he just refused to even go near the breast. (Typically, as part of our bedtime routine, my husband gets him his his sleep sack and hands him over and he pops right on and calms down) I thought it was a weird fluke, so when he woke in the middle of the night, I went to do my usual and nurse him for a few minutes back to sleep and he refused again! And he's been refusing since. So I've been pumping and giving what little I can pump to him in a sippy cup. (Only pumping 2-3oz combined every 3-4 hrs) He's 11 months. Does it seem like the end of the road for us with nursing? Is it normal to have a nursing strike and then go back to it with being sick? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-youre-producing-enough-milk#post-2893512 Sun, 04 Aug 2019 20:03:21 +0000 PurplePumps 2893512@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My milk was slow to come in when I first had my son. It finally seemed to come in enough to feed him after 2-3 weeks, but never a ton it seemed; when I missed a feeding and pumped instead, it was only 3-4oz combined. I never thought much about it cause I always heard that the body will produce as much as is demanded by feeding... but once LO got older and more distracted, he didn't seem to eat for very long, 3-4 minutes. Everyone then told me that they get more efficient at eating and that it's fine. Now he's 10m, been eating a good amount of solids and he only eats like 2m a lot of times before he pulls off and wants to go play. My mom was convinced that he couldn't possibly be getting enough, so wanted to give him a bottle of formula with means and I went a long with it to see if he would drink it. And he guzzles it! Right after nursing both sides, he will down another 3-4oz and eat his meal. If he's taking more formula, does that prove that he's not getting enough milk from me? I'm really worried that I've been starving him of milk now. :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/arm-pillow-or-other-non-boppy-for-bfing#post-2895320 Fri, 23 Aug 2019 08:58:08 +0000 Ms. RV 2895320@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Part of the reason BFing with my first failed is because I hated having a nursing pillow touch my belly. I EPed for my second (feeding tube) and now deciding between EPing and BFing with #3. </p> <p>Anyone ever use an arm pillow for nursing from the newborn stage? Or something else that doesn't wrap around the belly?</p> <p>Here is what I am talking about:<br /> Itzy Ritzy Infant Nursing Pillow - Milk Boss Breastfeeding and Bottle Feeding Pillow and Positioner - Rotates Around Arm to Offer a Custom Fit and Relieve Arm Strain, Platinum Helix <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0771WJYW1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_l7-xDbQ1SYFEX" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0771WJYW1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_l7-xDbQ1SYFEX</a></p> <p>Or</p> <p>Lansinoh Nursie Breastfeeding Pillow, 1 Count, Washable and Portable Arm Pillow, Travel Nursing Pillow for Infants, Relief for C Sections, Nursing Essentials <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079VV7521/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_1b.xDbJTVRNMR" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079VV7521/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_1b.xDbJTVRNMR</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breast-feeding-and-the-circadian-rhythm#post-2893752 Tue, 06 Aug 2019 19:34:24 +0000 Blythe 2893752@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Came across this article (link is below) on The Conversation and thought it was worthy of sharing. The gist is that scientists are starting to study whether breast milk produced at certain times of day, contains "chrononutrition" like cortisol, melatonin etc. which help babies regulate their sleep patterns. </p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/human-breast-milk-may-help-babies-tell-time-via-circadian-signals-from-mom-118492" rel="nofollow">https://theconversation.com/human-breast-milk-may-help-babies-tell-time-via-circadian-signals-from-mom-118492</a></p> <p>It's the first time I'd come across this concept, but it makes a lot of sense to me. Would be interested to know if anyone has come across similar articles or research, or even if anyone has anecdotal experience that backs this up? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-your-12mo-nurse#post-2893497 Sun, 04 Aug 2019 17:55:52 +0000 bhbee 2893497@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not my first baby but I’ve forgotten! Just curious the range of experiences (and also, how close they were to weaning if you’re already there). </p> <p>This baby still nurses 4x a day and seems pretty into it. Sometimes one session is short (except wakeup, that one is always long). But it’s not the same one consistently so I haven’t tried to drop one more (also last baby so will be emotional as weaning gets closer!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-did-you-nurse-your-last-baby#post-2891740 Fri, 19 Jul 2019 16:29:11 +0000 agold 2891740@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am still nursing my second baby who is 14 months old. She takes a bottle just fine, but she also likes to nurse. I think she is my last baby. :crying: I'm just curious how long any of you nursed your babies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-not-night-wean#post-2890774 Fri, 12 Jul 2019 08:13:27 +0000 PurplePumps 2890774@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wasn't sure where to put this... sleep training or weaning... but... my 9.5 month old was kinda sleep trained at 6 months. He learned to be put down and fall asleep on his own. But he still woke 3-4x a night and I'd nurse back to sleep. He worked his way down to mostly 2x a night now, occasionally 3. The first I dont mind cause I get that in before I get to sleep. I've tried to not nurse and give him a few minutes to settle, which he doesnt do... or if he does, he'll settle for a few minutes, wakeup and cry, settle a few minutes, repeat for like an hour and then sleep another 45 minutes before he's up again.. so it's been easier to just nurse him for 5 minutes and he down for 3.5-5 hours.<br /> Is there anyone that didn't sleep train/night wean and have it eventually just stop? Or do I really need to force it? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/plugged-ducts#post-2889965 Wed, 03 Jul 2019 16:33:26 +0000 Umbreon 2889965@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a plugged duct about 6 weeks ago. I felt horrible, had a fever but doctor sent me home saying it was just clogged and not mastitis. I felt better for about a day and it came back. A.day after that I felt fine. </p> <p>Now it happened again on the other side last week. This time it lasted a little longer (2 days) but I didnt go to the doctor because I had the same symptoms as last time. Now a week later, it's happening again in the same breast. Could this just be left over from last week? Am I doing something wrong?</p> <p>My baby is almost 13 weeks, has been going longer between feeds. Could this be contributing? I get a low-grade fever with these clogs, and it makes me feel awful. Luckily, I caught this one early, and I'm hoping I can work it out before the fever hits.</p> <p>Any tips? I stopped wearing a bra to bed. How do I tell if he's finished off the breast? Sometimes he pulls his head back to unlatch. Sometimes he falls asleep. The breast will feel soft, but does that mean it's empty? I'm just so sick of this!</p> <p>I don't think it's his latch, I had multiple lactation Consultants take a look at his latch in the early days and they said it look good. Also at his 2-month vaccination, I fed him in the room and the doctor commented that his latch look good. But can they really tell? He's gaining a lot of weight so there's no issue there.</p> <p>Maybe it's just bad luck? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-help-so-painful#post-2889505 Sun, 30 Jun 2019 06:09:48 +0000 foodiebee 2889505@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m a breastfeeding newbie and really struggling. My LO is almost 3 weeks old, and our BF journey started rocky right away. He had a tongue tie and upper lip tie that were fixed by day 3, but in the meantime he was cluster feeding and my nipples became black and blue, split, and bleeding. </p> <p>Day 3 night at home was a nightmare, and the lactation consultant recommended I pump exclusively on day 4, supplement with formula when needed, and do saline baths on my nipples for 24 hours to help things heal (LO had no dirty diapers in 13 hours, so she was worried my nipples were so damaged they weren’t giving LO anything). It worked and we were back to nursing by day 5, but I’ve been struggling with what I thought was low supply ever since. LO will nurse for 1-2 hours and STILL gulp down an entire 2 oz bottle of either pumped milk or formula immediately after. </p> <p>Last night, my left breast became so swollen and painful and rock hard on the top that I can barely take it. It’s excruciating. LO is trying to nurse but is really frustrated on that side, and when I hand express, milk only comes out of a single pore on the bottom, nothing else. Is this a clogged duct or engorgement? It’s the entire top of the breast, not a lump, and only my left breast. Right is normal and comfortable to nurse. Pumping is yielding next to nothing, but I used to get 1.5-2 oz from the left. I’ve tried hand expressing, massage, nursing, pumping, cold compress, warm compress...I’m in so much pain! Help! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/crazy-symptoms-while-weaning#post-2887845 Fri, 14 Jun 2019 10:00:13 +0000 MommySLP 2887845@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO is 21 months and we are in the process of weaning. Over the last week we’ve gotten down to 2-3 sessions a day (from probably 6, including over night!!) I’m having crazy symptoms though—slight nausea, cramping, breast tenderness, and this morning I was super dizzy when I first got up. I’m not pregnant! I’m thinking it’s just all the hormones figuring things out, but anyone else experience this? I never had these symptoms with my first 2 kids but also didn’t nurse this long. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-your-supply-tank-before-12-months#post-2882457 Mon, 29 Apr 2019 11:06:31 +0000 LCTBQE 2882457@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My baby just turned 8 months, she was EBF the first 4 months--I had oversupply and then perfect supply. Then I returned to work and started supplementing a little, then more and more. I typically pump twice at work and get 10-ish oz, and pump again before going to bed. In the past couple weeks my supply has just started tanking, made worse by the fact that we were on vacation last week and I just nursed and didn't do my typical supplemental pumping. Another factor could be that I haven't been eating or drinking well (anxiety/travel/etc). I'm back at work today and I typically nurse her in the morning and then do an 11am pumping and get about 6oz--today I got just under 3. She has started eating solids with gusto in the past couple weeks, so maybe she's not nursing quite as much and I haven't noticed?? </p> <p>So I'm wondering: if your supply started tanking, what did you do? Did you fight it and pump/nurse more and take fenugreek and focus on maintaining a good diet, etc, or did you just go with the flow and supplement and ride it out? I'm kind of disappointed but not totally sure what to do. My loose plan had been to wean at 12 months like I did with my son, and I love nursing and my daughter is very soothed by it, but I'm not at all averse to formula. Experiences/advice?? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stopping-nursingpumping-amp-feeling-guilty#post-2881501 Sat, 20 Apr 2019 03:37:23 +0000 LabradorLover 2881501@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter is almost 11 weeks old and I have been breastfeeding her from day one. That has gone very well from the beginning and I am so thankful for that. My goal was to BF her until 6 months or once she started on food and then I’d be done.</p> <p>My issue right now is that I only have one week left before I have to go back to reality aka work. Besides being totally sad to leave my child, I just don’t wanna pump. I’ll basically be away from her for roughly 10 hours between the work day and travel time. Pediatrician said I will need to pump every 3-4 hours to keep my supply up. The thought of having to lug everything back and forth every single day and take time to go pump is starting to give me anxiety and at the end of the day, I just don’t want to do it. I have been doing my best to stock up on frozen milk these past few weeks but even that has been a hassle because if I’m not BF the baby, I’m pumping and if I’m not pumping, I’m BF the baby.</p> <p>With that being said, I have terrible guilty feelings about “just giving up” or choosing not to BF when I’m totally capable of doing it. I’m going to try and pump on my lunch hour at work and see how it goes and plan to nurse the baby whenever I’m home with her but I know if I only pump once in that 10 hour work day, my supply will likely dwindle sooner rather than later. I just feel bad/guilty because I know there are women who can’t BF or have a hard time with it and I don’t have a hard time but am just choosing to give up instead. If I could stay home with her everyday I would totally continue to BF and it would be no problem but I just see it as being a lot of extra work (even though I feel terrible just typing that out).</p> <p>Anyway, sorry for the long, dragged out post, just looking for ladies who have possibly felt this way before and advice you may have. I’m not afraid to give her formula/supplement because we already do that as her bottle before bed (so I could save whatever I pump). Even though I know it is probably just my own mental issue, I don’t want to be a bad mommy for stopping early. :bummed: </p> <p>PS - I have discussed this with DH and he said he supports me with whatever I want to do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breast-feeding-is-hard#post-2880221 Wed, 10 Apr 2019 12:50:41 +0000 Umbreon 2880221@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have a tiny baby, he was born 5 lbs. They had us supplement with formula in the hospital and that was almost easier in that we knew exactly how much he was eating. </p> <p>Now we are home, my milk is in and I'm just not sure hes getting enough. He only feeds on one side for 10 minutes and he seems happy. He usually falls asleep. I try to wake him up by changing him and sometimes he is fully alert but will not take the second breast. Sometimes he will and feeds for 5 minutes before falling asleep again. </p> <p>But 10 minutes only doesnt seem like enough? I have been pumping and we feed him extra from a bottle sometimes. Sometimes he doesn't want it, usually we can eventually get him to drink it </p> <p>The nurses said we could try weaning him off the bottle (and me pumping) but I just dont know if 10 min could possibly be enough!</p> <p>They told us if he meets the number of poops and peed a day he should be good. He definitely meets the pee. Poo I think so? He has a lot of little poos more so than big ones. </p> <p>Anyone else struggle like this?? He is only 6 days old. </p> <p>Our next appointment is in a week.</p> <p>Only twice now he has woken up a bit fussy showing signs of wanting to eat (and still only eats for 10 min) otherwise we were told to wake him every 3 hours. He just never cries. He will be awake and just look around so he seems happy... am I just over worrying?? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/not-nursing-the-2nd-time-around#post-2880260 Wed, 10 Apr 2019 14:20:33 +0000 DillonLion 2880260@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Did anyone voluntarily choose not to breastfeed the second time around? </p> <p>With LO #1, I had supply issues from the very beginning. We did make it to one year of breastfeeding, but we always had to supplement. She stopped nursing at 8 months, so I pumped full-time to supply her with half of her calorie needs. I also worked full-time, so all of the labor involved in hauling milk and pump parts all over the place was also going on.</p> <p>My memories of breastfeeding fill me with dread to this very day (and my LO #1 is six and a half). The entire process was really unpleasant, contributed to my PPD, and actually served to get in the way of our bonding, instead of bringing us close together. I remember being a slave to the pump and having to leave her alone in a bouncy swing or with someone else to make sure I was pumping enough. Anytime we nursed, it was never like a sweet moment. We had to be in some kind of awkward football hold with breast compressions and anytime we weren't nursing, I had to pump to build up my supply. I got zero time to just enjoy her. There were clogged ducts and mastitis thrown in there as well. </p> <p>So, all of that to say, I know all babies are different, but I really want to just not even bother with it at all this time with baby #2, from the very beginning. I feel like I completely missed the tiny baby stage because breasfeeding/pumping took over my whole life. I couldn't enjoy any part of it. It doesn't seem worth it, even though I know all of the reasons its important to breastfeed. </p> <p>This time around, I'll actually be staying home full-time, so I know there is an opportunity to really get a better head start with nursing and keep it going with no interruptions, but I am also terrified to think of being a SAHM and having to deal with all the nursing problems alone, all day sounds like the recipe for more PPD.</p> <p>Did anyone voluntarily choose to just not try breasfeeding at all? I feel like if I try for a few weeks and quit, that will be even worse than just not doing it at all from the very beginning. I don't want to miss that time with the baby b/c I'm pumping or stressed about pumping or having supply issues. I just want to bond with my baby and just take breastfeeding off the table. </p> <p>Has anyone else done this? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/feeding-question-for-12-week-old-a-power-nurser#post-2879960 Tue, 09 Apr 2019 10:27:13 +0000 pachamama 2879960@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Since my son was born, he doesn't seem to be a huge eater. (My first son was preemie and nursed constantly so I might be comparing). I EBF, son is 12 weeks. He was in the 65th percentile for height and weight at 8w so he is growing but I'm just confused how he could grow when he eats so quickly! He NEVER nurses more than 10 minutes on one side. He has a very strong latch, I've had no issues boob wise. He will nurse every 2 hours. I'm trying to lengthen feedings out to 2.5/ 3 hours but that doesn't even seem to have an effect. At night he is even less interested- he nurses for 15 minutes on one side total at like 3am. When I pump (1x day but going to stop that), I get nice fatty milk.<br /> Baby is very happy and never fussy. He has rolls. 😊 I know about foremilk and hindmilk and that's my concern. Is 8-10 minutes every 2 hours enough? Seems odd. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/blood-in-ebf-baby-poo#post-2864333 Tue, 01 Jan 2019 19:48:10 +0000 Mrs. Champagne 2864333@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son is 5.5 months old and EBF. </p> <p>He had some mucusy poop with a couple dots of blood on and off for a week and seemed to be pooping more than normal. We finally got a doctors appointment and she said it was very “strange” since he was EBF. She looked at a picture of the diaper and ordered a CBC and cows milk allergy blood work. This was on December 19th. </p> <p>They couldn’t get enough blood work for the cows milk allergy test and the CBC was fine. My husband and I assumed he had/has a fissure, as google seems to say that’s quite common even in EBF babies. The doctor stuck a finger in his bum to feel around, but did not actually use her eyes to inspect anything. She said it “felt fine”. </p> <p>After we left her office he had more blood then normal so we assumed she irritated the fissure, I asked her if that was possible and she said “no. He doesn’t have one. I looked”. She definitely did not look. </p> <p>About 10 days have passed and he has had no blood in his poop until tonight. </p> <p>My diet has been pretty much the same his whole life. Any thoughts since my doctor was very clueless (and tends to be💆🏼‍♀️). </p> <p>She referred us to a Pediatrician but I don’t have an appointment with one yet. </p> <p>If it was a dairy allergy it would have likely started sooner than 5 months right? He’s a pretty happy baby and has been. Good sleeper for the most part. No regular. Spits up minimally. Any insight or tips are welcome. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/super-stinky-bf-baby#post-2862524 Mon, 17 Dec 2018 16:25:49 +0000 bhbee 2862524@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sorry for this tmi post!</p> <p>My EBF baby just turned 4m and starting about 3.5m her pooping schedule slowed way down, which I know is normal. So every 2-4 days. In between she now has sooooo much stinky gas. Like it rivals my DH, no mild baby smell, it clears the room. And when she actually goes it is pretty awful. Large amount from waiting and oh the smell! </p> <p>I’m not worried about it (and did mention to her pedi) - she’s a giant so she’s clearly getting enough. I’m just curious if anyone else had this and whether cutting any foods helped? Neither of my others smelled like this! </p> <p>Thanks :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-used-donated-breastmilk#post-2858767 Wed, 28 Nov 2018 09:25:09 +0000 DesertDreams88 2858767@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO is 9 months and my supply had tanked. I joined the HM4HB group for my local area and a local (seemingly young, new) mom offered 100 frozen ounces. I am supposed to pick up on Saturday. I have a history of health anxiety for my littles, but I am now medicated for it and doing much better. I have some hesistancies about donated breastmilk but I think I'm being irrational. </p> <p>Have you used donated breastmilk? What was your experience like? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastmilk-experts-high-lipase-vs-bottle-rejection#post-2856858 Thu, 15 Nov 2018 09:45:07 +0000 LCTBQE 2856858@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Can anyone who's been there talk me through this? </p> <p>I think I figured out why my mostly EBF 12-week-old daughter has been really fussy and reluctant to take bottles--finally did a taste/smell test, which made me feel like a cannibal btw, and while I thought they both smelled gross, the frozen/thawed milk had a nasty, plastic-y/soapy aftertaste and the freshly-pumped didn't. When I've been away for appointments baby girl will take the first bottle I leave with the sitter (always the fresh one) and then reject the later bottles, usually from the fridge that were pumped in the past day or two. I'm trying to determine whether it's really high lipase that's the problem or if she just is developing a bottle rejection issue (which would be a serious problem because she's starting daycare right after the holidays).</p> <p>So, does it sound most likely that my huge frozen stash is all tainted with high lipase and I have to scald immediately and start over? I read that you can still donate high lipase frozen, but is that gross and rude, or actually helpful? Also wondering if high lipase is consistent with the mother through multiple babies, or if it's possible to have it with one baby and not with another--my son, who's now 2, never had a problem at all with the next-day stuff or the frozen, he was a total milk monster. New baby is a terrific nurser and gaining very well, but is rejecting this milk. </p>