https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 12 Apr 2026 07:58:40 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2774310 Wed, 20 Sep 2017 07:24:44 +0000 DesertDreams88 2774310@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ssmom: there's a ton else out there but here's a start:</p> <p><a href="http://noobmommy.com/easy-routine-from-baby-whisperer/" rel="nofollow">http://noobmommy.com/easy-routine-from-baby-whisperer/</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2774291 Wed, 20 Sep 2017 05:19:01 +0000 avivoca 2774291@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ssmom: At the beginning, yes, I was bedsharing or baby was in her PNP in our room. At 10 weeks, she moved to her crib in her sister's room. But we have a small house and their room is cattycorner to ours, so she is still close and it takes me less tha 30 seconds to get her, get back to my bed, and doze while she eats. She only eats one side at a time at night and most of the time, she goes back to her crib(but if I'm super tired, we cosleep because I've fallen asleep).</p> <p>ETA: my philosophy from the get-go was to do whatever I could to get more sleep for us, that meant that my newborn slept on my chest on her stomach. She slept on her back in the PNP and crib until she could roll over. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2774276 Tue, 19 Sep 2017 22:09:54 +0000 ssmom 2774276@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: thank you so much for sharing your experience. I'm definitely open to supplementing a little and it sounds like that really was a good balance for you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2774275 Tue, 19 Sep 2017 22:07:55 +0000 ssmom 2774275@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyPenny: thank you, will look into Dream feeding as well! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2774274 Tue, 19 Sep 2017 22:07:18 +0000 ssmom 2774274@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@avivoca: for the MOTN feedings, were you already bed sharing or have the baby in a co-sleeper? Just wondering how that works logistically. Thanks in advance :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2774272 Tue, 19 Sep 2017 22:05:29 +0000 ssmom 2774272@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cole: thank you for your suggestions and for sharing your experience. This is super helpful!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2774270 Tue, 19 Sep 2017 22:04:32 +0000 ssmom 2774270@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@purplelilac: good to know!! I started taking those towards the end of bfing and never knew if it was effective or because I was starting to wean anyway. I will def start off with them this time around! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2774269 Tue, 19 Sep 2017 22:03:33 +0000 ssmom 2774269@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: this is so awesome! Thanks for sharing your experience. I am definitely open to supplementing a little bit, especially if it'll save me from going insane. Thank you for your encouragement! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2774268 Tue, 19 Sep 2017 22:01:40 +0000 ssmom 2774268@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DesertDreams88: hi sorry if this is a silly question but what is the "EASY" routine? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2774267 Tue, 19 Sep 2017 22:00:28 +0000 ssmom 2774267@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SweetiePie: thank you for the suggestion, i am definitely going to look into it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2773818 Mon, 18 Sep 2017 10:50:31 +0000 gingerbebe 2773818@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ditto to sunflower lecithin. I took mine like 3x a day at every meal. </p> <p>I am a proponent of scheduled feedings and I also supplemented with formula at least once a day. DH gave a bottle of formula each night as the last feeding of the day and I thought of it as "daddy's milk." That feeding I would pump and freeze for stash. By 6 weeks, my kids were both feeding every 3 hours (aside from growth spurts) plus a dreamfeed. DS1 was a colicky reflux baby, so he's not a great example, but with DS2 that would get me at least a 4-5 hour stretch. I would pump at 10pm, freeze the milk, and go to bed. DH would dreamfeed with formula at 1030pm and on a bad night I would get up at 1am to feed again, on a good night I would get up at 3am. And then we'd cross fingers that we'd get to 7-730am to start the day. </p> <p>Being on an eat, play, sleep schedule really simplified our life because I could know when I could put the baby down for nap and dart out to run an errand or triage why the baby might be crying. I also didn't have to worry about bottles or having someone else feeding my kids because they knew how to use a bottle and knew the taste of formula. </p> <p>My kids both got majority breastmilk their first year, they were both sleeping 12 hours by 5 months for DS1 and 4 months for DS2, and are both healthy as horses. </p> <p>I had really bad PPA/PPD with DS1 for a lot of reasons and struggled with my supply. I was literally wasting away from being on a total elimination diet and sleeping 20 minutes at a time around the clock. I was 20 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight by the time DS1 was 10 weeks old and a raving lunatic. Supplementing with 1 bottle of formula a day literally saved my sanity and got me to BF/pump as long as I did.</p> <p>SO I went into DS2's birth with a lot more flexibility in mind and I had great supply with him and a much easier time overall. I did have a touch of PPA/PPD with DS2 as well, but it was way less severe and easily managed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2773811 Mon, 18 Sep 2017 09:51:52 +0000 JennyPenny 2773811@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ssmom: I only have advice for #2 - but something that has worked really well for both our kids is doing a dreamfeed. Around 3 weeks old, we would put the baby to bed around 7-8pm. Then I would pump around 9pm and head to bed. DH would do a dream feed (there's a lot of articles about it if you want to know more) around 10-11pm. Usually when we started this our kids would be waking going to bed at 7, waking up at 11/12 then 1/2, etc. But within a few days of starting this routine with each kiddo we would do the 1 dream feed and get to sleep in until 4/5. And since I was going to bed shortly after 9 - this is 7-8 hours of sleep in a stretch so I started feeling much better myself. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2773797 Mon, 18 Sep 2017 08:44:15 +0000 avivoca 2773797@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1: Pumping before you leave is your best bet, as others have said. That usually bought me 3-4 hours. If I had to be gone longer, I would bring my manual pump to take the edge off.</p> <p>2: I started pumping early on to build up a freezer stash for when I returned to work. However, I have always done all of the MOTN feeds and what helps me is a) going to bed pretty early and b) feeding while laying down. But I'm also okay with cosleeping occasionally and now that my baby is bigger, she is extremely efficient when it comes to MOTN feeds.</p> <p>3: You're going to have to nurse/pump around the clock at first to establish your supply. For at least the first 6-8 weeks. Your supply will regulate around then and it will be easier to back off once that happens. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2773745 Sun, 17 Sep 2017 20:04:24 +0000 Cole 2773745@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1- I agree that pumping right before you leave is your best bet. You could buy a haakaa pump for under $20, it's silicon and has zero parts, no plug and would take the edge off if you found you needed to. It would be easy to duck into a restroom to use for a few minutes and you could dump the milk or have a small leak proof container to pour it into. </p> <p>2. What I would suggest is pumping right before you go to bed and maybe augment what you pump by an ounce or two from your stash if you don't get enough (I'd aim for 3-4 ounces) you can leave the milk out at room temperature for at least 4 hours (I've read as much as 8 but Google it or ask your lc) I would go to bed immediately after pumping and have your husband feed baby that first time which should theoretically get you at least a 4 hour chunk, with my 7 week old right now that would get me to bed at 10:30 and sleep until 5:30 which sounds pretty awesome. I would feed baby and then pump which is why I'm guessing you'd want to supplement a bit with milk from a stash. I have found I can easily pump 2 ounces in the morning without needing to do it daily or without upsetting my baby because I took too much. </p> <p>I would try to mentally prepare to breastfeed on demand for the first 6-8 weeks. Until 6 weeks your supply is largely driven by birth hormones but around then it shifts to supply and demand. When you're in that window where it's shifting you want to ideally just tell your body to make exactly the right amount to help avoid over supply. </p> <p>I struggled with breastfeeding my first but this time it's been so easy, I have a little bit of oversupply but as long as I remember to block feed I'm golden. </p> <p>With both babies we struggled with nipple confusion the day after they would get a bottle (first baby this happened until like 4 months, this baby I have only tried once but she's fine with a pacifier.) It made it not really worth it for me to bottle feed for quite awhile because the next day would be so much harder. You might absolutely have a different experience but I thought I'd put it out there. </p> <p>Can you try a different lactation consultant? Every though this were going pretty smoothly this time, it helped me so much mentally to get that reassurance and to just be able to chat about how nursing was going. I wish it had been financially an option to hire a post partum doula. I forgot that the first two weeks aren't there hardest part of having a newborn for us, it's more like 3-7 and having the extra help from someone who was prepared to be helpful sound the house and listen to my worries and help me figure out a plan would have been amazing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2773743 Sun, 17 Sep 2017 19:47:37 +0000 purplelilac 2773743@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a ton of clogged ducts with my second, so this time around a lactation consultant suggested taking sunflower lethicin supplements 2x/day and so far it's working! I'm 2.5 months in and (fingers crossed) I haven't had a plugged duct yet and I'm even sleeping on my stomach again. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2773741 Sun, 17 Sep 2017 19:41:50 +0000 LCTBQE 2773741@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>agree with @SweetiePie: on this--one way to approach is if you get on board with supplementing and get your baby used to the bottle early on, it will take an enormous amount of pressure off. I just weaned a couple weeks ago, right after my baby's first birthday, and I think about 80% of his milk calories in his first year were breast milk, and 20% were Similac. I'm proud of providing for him and I don't at ALL feel like I "cheated". I can't tell you what a relief it was to feel like if I had low supply for a couple days here or there or if he had a growth spurt that my baby wouldn't starve. </p> <p>for your specific questions:<br /> #1) exactly what @DesertDreams88: said :)<br /> #2) I nursed on demand for the first 3 months and was absolutely delirious from lack of sleep, but, waking up to nurse 3x a night will establish your supply pretty well. this goes hand in hand with sweetiepie's reco, but if you don't feel bad about supplementing, if the baby wakes at midnight, 3am, and 5am, you could have your husband do, say, the 5am feed with formula while you get a good 5-hour block of sleep. it's not a great stretch but a heck of a lot better than nothing. I definitely wouldn't bother pumping while your husband is doing a feeding--why not just nurse/bond and let him get his rest?<br /> #3) if you find you have an oversupply, it'll even out. I did in the beginning, too. if you find you have an undersupply and you're okay with supplementing formula, then just do your best with bfing and/or pumping and don't sweat it. maybe I'm oversimplifying but I don't think you can decide what your breastfeeding routine is and what you will or won't do before you know your new baby, his temperament, appetite, sensitivities, if he's a good nurser or not, etc. deciding that you're going to do it a very specific way and then seeing it not work out for any number of unpredictable reasons sounds to me like a recipe for more anxiety. hang in there, you will do just fine :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2773732 Sun, 17 Sep 2017 18:36:54 +0000 DesertDreams88 2773732@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>#1) I always just nurser pumped right before leaving, and that would buy me 3 to 4 hours of free time (5+ hours later on, my boobs did well adjusting)</p> <p>#2) for me personally we never had my husband handle nighttime feedings with pumped milk, because I felt like nursing was just simpler at that time. However around month 5 we did significantly wean him from most milk at night, and my husband did handle the night weaning process, while I caught up on some much-needed sleep. After that, for the odd wake-ups, I would either nurse or my husband would give formula, no real system for it. </p> <p>One thing we did that I loved was on the weekends, I would pump right before going to bed, and leave a bottle in the fridge. Then I would get to sleep in on wknd mornings, while my husband handled the first morning feed with a bottle. This bought me about 2 extra hours of sleep each wknd morning, for about 15 min of pumping. I never woke engorged because I had nursed 2-3x at night anyway. </p> <p>#3) I followed the "EASY" routine, not so much a schedule, but the routine really helped space out feedings over time. His feedings went from about 2 hours apart, to 3, then 4. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2773723 Sun, 17 Sep 2017 17:54:16 +0000 SweetiePie 2773723@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi! This sounds a lot like me and the anxiety I have around trying to bf again with my 2nd.<br /> I'm not sure if you're opposed to combo feeding (formula and BM) but I found this thread helpful. There were some good tips on how to set a schedule so that you don't have to always be EBF. </p> <p><a href="http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/combination-feeding-from-the-beginning#post-2769369" rel="nofollow">http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/combination-feeding-from-the-beginning#post-2769369</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anxious-amp-need-help-developing-breastfeeding-plan#post-2773718 Sun, 17 Sep 2017 17:28:47 +0000 ssmom 2773718@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi all, I am due with my 2nd in early October and already have a lot of anxiety about breastfeeding :sad: I really want to do things a bit differently this time around (first time I managed to BF for a year but experienced too many plugged ducts to count, oversupply and then got shingles--probably from lack of sleep and stress!). I did work closely with a lactation consultant who was great, however, she is not supportive of how flexible I want to be this time around so i am seeking some advice! Please note, I will be home with baby for at least 4-5 months. </p> <p>Concern #1: I'd like to be able to step out of the house every once in awhile without worrying about rushing home to nurse or getting engorged. Does anyone have a particular strategy or routine that worked for you, that allowed you to BF with flexibility to have some alone time out of the house?</p> <p>Concern #2: Lack of sleep/middle of the night feedings: How and when should I start pumping so that DH can help with middle of the night feedings? When he gets up to feed the baby, do I need to pump during that time too?</p> <p>Concern #3: I think because I nursed around the clock, my body adjusted to that and by the time I wanted to change my routine I was in oversupply. How do I go about establishing a routine of breastfeeding that works for me? Do I only nurse at specific times of day (how do I ensure I have enough for a bottle and to accommodate growth spurts, etc.?)</p> <p>If you have any other tips or suggestions that worked for you, I would love to hear them! My struggle with bfing was a huge contributor to my PPD so I am trying to prevent that as much as I can. Appreciate all your input! </p>