https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 16 Apr 2026 06:07:33 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-223111 Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:02:10 +0000 AprilK 223111@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son was born almost 6 weeks early and was in the NICU for ten days - the NICU nurses actually discouraged me from nursing him. They said he would burn too many calories trying to get too little milk and they wouldn't know how much he was getting. This sounds like complete crap to me now - esp given we were at one of the major hospitals in Chicago. I think they were very intervention happy. After 10 days of that he was wise to the game that he could get milk faster and easier from a bottle and didn't want anything to do with BF'ing. At any rate, I pumped and gave him breastmilk in bottles for 7 months before moving to formula. I can't believe I lasted that long exclusively pumping when I look back at it - I had mastitis terribly twice and struggled with all kinds of issues. I hope that when we go for #2 it works out better though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-223095 Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:50:47 +0000 Boogs 223095@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aunt pol: Hopefully that works for you. I know I'm still hoping mine eventually even out a little more, it's embarrassingly noticeable when I wear lower cut tops or dresses. :/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-222103 Mon, 16 Jul 2012 05:50:01 +0000 chopsuey 222103@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No real issues.. Took a while for my milk to come in completely, but nursed for 15 months. My milk's dried up but I still comfort nurse my Lo when she wants it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-222094 Mon, 16 Jul 2012 04:50:14 +0000 aunt pol 222094@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Boogs: I'm worried about lopsided boobs now as I've far lower supply in right boob. Hoping focusing on pumping that side (once clogs are worked out on left side) would balance them out a bit? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-222074 Mon, 16 Jul 2012 01:00:24 +0000 Boogs 222074@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I struggled for the first two months or so. LO really hated my right boob, as a result he mostly ate from the left side and my right never produced as well. I had to pump for for at least one night feeding for my sanity, so I was able to use milk from the right one mostly in the beginning. I also had pain, cracking, and bleeding issues like everyone else described. The beginning really is tough, but for me it luckily got easier or I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did. I've finally pretty much weaned, and my left boob is now noticeably bigger than my right, lol. I definitely don't regret breastfeeding, and hopefully things work out for you. If not, remember that's okay, too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-222068 Sun, 15 Jul 2012 23:32:23 +0000 aunt pol 222068@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Bf is certainly an issue here right now anyway. My left boob feels like one giant clogged duct (how DO you get rid of those things? Spent an hour in thr bath tonight trying to massage them down) and S did something weird latching on in the first week on my right boob and it's still sore to nurse that side. The girls are 9 weeks today and are 90% formula fed- I just found it so hard- but in spite of me and my bad habits (not drinking enough water, eating well or nursing enough ) I still have plenty of milk coming through so I'm buying a pump this week. My plan is to give them one bm bottle each per day and build up a stash for them. They are terrible feeders from me, probably because they're so used to bottles and ive never felt boobs were properly drained at all.<br /> Basically bfing is hard! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-217157 Wed, 11 Jul 2012 08:40:32 +0000 pastemoo 217157@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow, everyone has such difficult stories and it makes me feel like such a whiner! My LO is gaining PLENTY and is in 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes at 7 weeks old. And nursing from the right side is a dream, pleasant like everyone told me it would be.<br /> But nursing from the left side is horribly painful. I would switch to pumping on that side, or a nipple shield. I change nursing positions and still it is just horrendous and very painful. I can't figure it out. I went to the lactation consultant and she showed me what to do and it didn't hurt very much, but somehow I can't replicate it at home.<br /> And I have an oversupply at certain times of day (again only on that side) so he screams or chokes. It is so sad!<br /> @HeatherlovesKenny: Hand expressing takes me just as long as pumping with my machine and it hurts WAY less. I think back in the day people maybe hand expressed? It is a lot messier.... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-217048 Wed, 11 Jul 2012 04:26:36 +0000 HLK208 217048@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sandy: I think it just depends on mom and baby...there's a 3 year age gap between DS and DD which doesn't seem like that long of time but I did forget some of the positions that worked. Also, every baby is different so it might just come natural for some but difficult for others. I'm so lucky to have my pump though! I couldn't imagine living in a time when those weren't around haha. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-217032 Wed, 11 Jul 2012 02:29:22 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 217032@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had a ton of issues: LO was super small and had difficulty latching, then nipple confusion, siringe feeding, blocked ducts, mastitis etc. All in all the first two months of BF were a nightmare, but I was stubborn about it, and at 3 months it suddenly got a lot easier. LO just turned one and we are still BF. In retrospect it was definitely worth it but those first weeks there was lots of crying involved. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-217022 Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:51:37 +0000 sandy 217022@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@HeatherlovesKenny: oh no! I thought once you get through breastfeeding that it's easier with subsequent babies...but I guess not </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-217019 Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:32:41 +0000 leelee 217019@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO is a little over 2 weeks and BF is something we ate struggling with. 4 days after birth our pediatrician told us her bilirubin levels were dangerously high (20+) and that we had to make sure she was getting enough milk, unfortunately at that point my milk had just come in and she had latching issues. As a result we started feeding her pumped milk so she could get rid of the excess bilirubin ASAP. She is 100% better now and we are working on Breastfeeding again however it's a struggle. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-217012 Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:05:40 +0000 HLK208 217012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's been really difficult for me, even though I breastfed LO #1 for 13 months without any problems (other than being engorged the first week). With LO #2, her latch was bad from the beginning. I had blistered, cracked, bleeding nipples, then used a nipple shield to heal them, but got mastitis probably from the combination of using the nipple shield and that my nipple was already cracked. I pump every day and nurse about once or twice a day at most. Her latch is getting better at 4 weeks but it's still kind of hard. She doesn't get full from nursing and it takes about an hour to feed her whereas a bottle takes 10 minutes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216998 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 23:29:44 +0000 woodentulip 216998@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh man yes. I have had 2 kids and issues with both. With both I have ended up taking Motherlove More Milk Plus as well as a full dosage of Domperidone for a full year and drank nursing tea 3 times a day for the first 2 months. I was able to nurse my older daughter for 15 months before we stopped, and it was a great and very gradual weaning. We supplement with formula. I am 4 months in to nursing baby 2 now, also supplementing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216996 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 23:20:21 +0000 Mrsbells 216996@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The 1st few weeks I was mostly pumping and supplementing with formula because I couldnt get the hang of breastfeeding and it was super painful. I also got a clogged duct + fever that made me almost want to quit but in the end I made it past it. This friday she will be 12 weeks old. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216995 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 23:05:39 +0000 sandy 216995@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Breastfeeding was probably the most emotionally and physically difficult experience of my life. My milk didnt come in for over a week and LO lost too much weight...it was heartbreaking to me bc I didn't know. I felt like I was going to have a mental breakdown and it physically hurt sooo much and you are also so sleep deprived bc it takes them forever to feed in the beginning and we had to wake her every 2 hours to eat and then pump afterwards to get my supply up. But once things got settled in after a month or so it got so much better and then things finally got easier after a few months. </p> <p>And now at 8 months I feel so incredibly blessed and fortunate that I am able to keep breastfeeding bc I know not everyone is able to...it was so hard for me. I knew it was hard but I really had no idea. When I reached out to my mom friends they all let me know how incredibly difficult it was for them too and I was like "why didn't you tell me?!?!"...I think people don't want to scare first time moms but it made me feel so much more normal knowing I wasn't alone in having such a hard time with breastfeeding. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216948 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 21:20:13 +0000 Rubies 216948@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had lots of issues: colostrum didn't come in until day 2 and only a teaspoon of it a day. Milk didn't come until day 4. LO was tongue-tied and couldn't latch. Then I got mastitis. The first month was the WORST! I almost gave up. But after mastitis was gone, everything slowly got better and at 11PP, I'm still breastfeeding (but will soon be weaning completely). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216610 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:33:12 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 216610@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had the hardest 6 weeks ever with BF. I had blisters and bleeding and cracking... but I had been told previously that I could only BF for 6 weeks, and when the doc said that I could continue, I didn't care if my nipples were going to fall off... I was bound and determined to keep going. I cried every single time she latched for 2 months, but I always smiled at her through it!</p> <p>I'm glad because it was my one and only chance to BF! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216604 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:23:09 +0000 Cchoi4 216604@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Lo would fall asleep at the breast and wouldn't get full feedings. I had low milk supply the entire time despite taking all the herbal supplements, drinking gobs of water, pumping every 3 hours, etc. We eventually stopped at 9 months because my supply took another nosedive. I also dealt with recurring painful clogged ducts. We switched exclusively to formula at 9 months and then to whole milk at 12 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216600 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:17:37 +0000 purrpletulips 216600@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I struggled with sore nipples and supply issues but ended up BF (with formula supplementation) for 14m. Was going to throw in the towel at 5w but got some comforting advice from good friends that 1) I wasn't alone in my struggles as both of them had experienced similar things and 2) having to supplement with formula did not make me a bad mother. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216597 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:09:05 +0000 mediagirl 216597@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've been struggling from the start. First, my milk didn't come in for a while. I didn't know that it hadn't come in until whoa, it did. Haha. Breastfeeding hurt REALLY badly when she started. It felt like someone was stabbing my nipple with a needle from the inside and out. I had to use a shield for a while but that was SUCH a PITA, that I stopped using them. </p> <p>Then, she wasn't gaining weight. My ped told me I had low calorie breast milk. :-/ We went on to supplement each feeding with formula. I finally went to see a lactation consultant who was a huge help. She showed me a new position to use which doesn't hurt as badly. I'm renting a scale from her so I can monitor what M is taking in. At this point, she is getting 2oz from me after each feeding and 2oz from a bottle afterwards. I am supplementing with breast milk now because I have plenty frozen.</p> <p>By the way, at 4 weeks, breastfeeding STILL hurts even with the new position. I'm going to continue as long as possible. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216587 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:02:35 +0000 regberadaisy 216587@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes and no. Even though they tell you colostrum is enough the first few days that was NOT the case for M. She cried and cried and finally under the advisement of a hardcore "breast is best" LC we supplemented. A few days she cried horribly again, come to find out it's because she's hungry. My bm was not enough and we were not supplementing enough. Then about a month ago she started fussing at the boob. It's gotten better now, the fussing, but she still does occasionally. Probably because it's not coming out fast enough for her. </p> <p>@marriedandlovingit: you know, I think M never gets full from a BF session either. The milks there but she'll nurse then want to nurse sometimes less than an hour later. I'm considering transitioning her to all bottles of bm during the day. But I'm afraid of my supply dropping even more. And I do love the closeness with BFing her.<br /> Anyway, I don't know if that's really the case or it's all mental because my mom keeps telling me M doesn't get full from BF. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216583 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:59:45 +0000 Pipers Mommy 216583@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I lasted 5 weeks, LO had high bilirubin levels so she was under the lights for 2 days which gave me 30 minutes every 2 hours to try to master BFing- it was extremely stressful and I didn't get a whole lot of support from the nurses. So I pumped basically from the start. Then at 5 weeks postpartum, I was hospitalized for 5 days because of gallstones/gallbladder removal. So it I didn't really have a choice but to stop. I am going to try again this time around, hopefully with better results. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216582 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:59:43 +0000 loveisstrange 216582@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes. I only BF for about 3 days and then stopped and then tried to relactate when C was 6 weeks and was able to give her a bottle a day for about 3 weeks before I made the decision to quit.</p> <p>I had complications from delivery that caused my milk to never fully come in. She had a great latch and we probably would have been successful if it hadn't been for medical issues. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216579 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:57:33 +0000 calsmom 216579@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son never gets full from a bf session. I was giving a couple ounces of pumped milk or formula after I bf him. Lately, I've been feeding him half formula, half pumped milk. It's been working fine for now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216570 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:50:05 +0000 rachiecakes 216570@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@autumnlove: big hugs to you - I totally understand that emotional mess. I had bfing issues myself that had DH asking if I was going to be okay if he left the house. and what an amazing rebound you've had! </p> <p>We had a great latch right off the bat, but by DS's one month appointment he was still well below his birth weight and I was asked to supplement. I was devastated. I continued to breastfeed and went back to work at 7 weeks ppd. My supply has never been great but (after trying everything, including domperidone) I have finally come to accept that it is what it is and DS gets mostly bm and formula as needed. Now that he's almost 7 months old he's also starting solids and doing really well. I hope to continue to provide bm for at least the first year. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216447 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:06:30 +0000 autumnlove 216447@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a C-section and my milk didn't come in until Day 9 which made me question my ability to be a Mom. I was an emotional mess that whole first month....had issues with latching, pain, blisters, etc. I was almost an exclusive pumper...I nursed 2 or 3 times a day and fed her pumped milk for other feedings. At month 3, breastfeeding became a lot easier and now I only pump at work and in the early morning. I am now on month 6 and I hope I can make it to a year! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216443 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:03:31 +0000 T.H.O.U. 216443@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a blister from a bad latch. I had to pump to let things calm down again. I am going on 11 months of BFing though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216403 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:44:17 +0000 Maysprout 216403@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had mastitis at 2 weeks and ran a good fever with it but luckily antibiotics kicked the fever within the day, I was still weak but we just kind of laid around for a couple days. Thankfully I never had it again and I'm still nursing at 13 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216395 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:42:17 +0000 skibobrown 216395@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My milk never really came in, so I had extremely low supply. After working w/ a lactation consultant and getting no improvement, I decided to continue breastfeeding to the extent that I could (but not stress about it) and supplement with formula. We continued BF plus formula supplementation for 3 months until I went back to work, and now DD is almost exclusively formula fed (although I'm still pumping a small amount of milk each evening). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-anyone-have-issues-bf#post-216393 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:40:22 +0000 MsMamaBear 216393@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For a month. My supply was low and eventually went away. Glad I stopped because I was constantly trying to pump SOMETHING and missing time with her worrying about it. </p>