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@Pepper: @grizz: My LO had a descent latch (on the good side) but the shield ruined it. He will latch briefly but then he will pop off and clamp down on the nipple. I'm guessing the shield made him lazy and he just prefers it now. I don't even need it on my right side but he won't nurse without it.
BTW...I had 2 shields (to save on time spent washing) and my dog ate one yesterday. Jerk.
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@rahlyrah: Yep, that's exactly what mine does! Gah. How often are you washing yours? I've been doing every feeding with hot soapy water, but I wonder if that's overkill? Seems like it when he's eating so much!
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@Pepper: I only rinse mine at night. I'm just too tired! I wash it every other time.
@rahlyrah: Crazy dog! i am just waiting for that to happen to me. Has an LC or anyone given you a plan for weaning off of it? My LC wants us off by next Friday but I can't see that happening. I don't know what to do. -
@Pepper: I've been washing with soap every other time and just rinsing in between. So annoying!
@grizz: My LC's haven't mentioned weaning him off yet. I would like to get him off soon, though. They make nursing in public discretely impossible. Especially since he loves to bat them off in his frantic, "I need the boob in my mouth NOW," episodes.
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How is everyone doing? Things are going much better for us. We quit supplementing cold turkey and have now been EBF (with a few small pumped bottles every few days) for 9 days. We are still using a nipple shield most of te time, but when we are relaxed and have time practicing latching and feeding without the shield. I am shocked and delighted that BFIng (with and without shield) no longer hurts and is rawly even uncomfortable. J is 5 weeks today and we had been supplementing since day 4.
I hope to wean off shield over time, but for now I am just so thrilled with our progress to this point. I wasn't sure we'd get here!
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@maybebaby: Congrats! That is great news!
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@maybebaby: I'm glad it is working out so well for you!
I'm starting to get a little (ok, more than a little) discouraged with breastfeeding. We still supplement with pumped milk, and I feel like he is much happier drinking out of the bottle. Then, he gets frustrated when on the boob because I think he expects the instant gratification he gets from the bottle.
When he drinks from a bottle, he is taking in like 3-4 oz. However, when I weigh him after being on the boob for 40 mins to an hour, he only takes in about 2-2 1/2 ounces. Then I worry that I am not giving him enough. The fact that he will sleep for like a 4 hour stretch after a bottle but only lasts about 1 1/2-2 hours when I breastfeed reinforces this fear.
I'm not sure what to do. I love the bonding from BFing but it causes me so much stress. I spend all my free time reading about BFing, stressing about BFing, or actually BFing.
Sigh.
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@rahlyrah: I don't know if this has been said to death but it always helps me when I'm struggling with something and I read it on here. Happy mom = happy baby. I was an absolute mess at about 1.5 weeks PP, stressing about nipple confusion and therefore not using paci's or bottles at all. Once we decided my mental health was more important than the LC's loose rules about those things we added them to our arsenal. I feel so good knowing that DH or anyone else can feed or soothe LO. Plus, sometimes LO would go on the boob just to suck, so the pacifiers have been amazing in that way too.
Ok, I rambled. I hope you find a solution that helps YOU, and whatever it is, I'm sure it will be good for baby too.
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@rahlyrah: I have the same issue right now! Everytime I've taken her to get weighed before and after a feed its only around 2 oz. then the other day I fed her but she still seemed hungry (after 30 minutes!) so I gave her a bottle and she gulped down 2.5 more oz. I don't get it!
As an update - LO is 6 weeks and just over 9 lbs. she's feeding well but gets frustrated in the evenings with either slow flow or low supply.
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And I'm only on HB now when I'm feeding but this one handed typing has made commenting difficult. I'll try to participate more!
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@rahlyrah: This happened to us last night. I nursed him for like 40 minutes, then he took 3 oz of pumped milk, and he still wanted fed again an hour later! I'm guessing he's going through a growth spurt, but that's a total guess. Breastfeeding is so much work right now. I'm hoping it'll get better as he gets older and as I get more used to it. Hopefully that'll be true for you too!
LO has been spitting up a lot more recently. I'm thinking that since he often fusses and cries before latching on... then gulping down milk, that he is taking in a lot of air. It doesn't seem to bug him, but it came out of his nose twice today! Poor little guy
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Hope its not too late for me to join, breastfeeding is always best with support if you ask me
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@rahlyrah: for what it's worth, I felt the same way when I first started breastfeeding. I was always worried about something! I would have to tell myself "get through this next feeding, just this next one, and then you can decide to quit." We're still EBF at 9 months
As for your son taking more from a bottle, an LC once told me that newborns eat like its Thanksgiving - there is *always* room for more. Have you used Kellymom's calculators? I remember using them to see how many feeding sessions to have in 24 hours once I knew how much my son transferred.
You're doing great!
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@rahlyrah: for what it's worth, I really believe that breastfeeding works best when baby takes the lead and Mum spends less time over-thinking it. The only real good indicator that baby is getting enough milk is plenty of wet and dirty diapers and weight gain over time!
@Pepper: do you bottled feed using the "paced" method and take breaks as you go? From what I've read it takes a wee while for baby's tummy to communicate to the brain that it's full so sometimes a baby can take in more milk than strictly necessary due to the different sucking mechanism required by the bottle.
@Mrs. Lovejoy: it's really normal to have a fussy baby in the evening and for your supply to be lower although the calorie content of the milk is higher to compensate. Have you tried having a really good, nutritious snack in the afternoon to see if that will help supply?
@mewtill: it totally does get better! I too had to do the "take it one feed at a time" approach and here we are at almost nine months pp still going strong
Hang in there ladies, you're all doing awesome!
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@Mrs. Chocolate: Definitely not too late to join in! How is it going for you?
@Kemma: My husband usually feeds him the bottles, and I have him take breaks every half oz or so to burp him and let the food hit his stomach. Is that the paced method?
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@Pepper: this is the link for paced feeding on Kellymom but I think taking breaks is part of the method!
http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/
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@Kemma: Great, thanks!
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@knittylady: Thank you for the encouragement!
@Mrs. Lovejoy: It is so frustrating, right?! I even bought a baby scale so I can track his transfer at home. It probably wasn't a good idea because it only feeds into my obsession. Hopefully, we will figure this out!
@Pepper: I hope you're right. Everyone says it gets easier. I just didn't expect it to be this difficult. I am impatient, I suppose. This is going to sound horrible, but since we are so close in delivery dates, it comforts me to know you are going through similar issues. Don't get me wrong, I wish it was easy for you and hope it gets easier soon, but it keeps me from feeling crazy knowing that we are experiencing similar ups and downs.
@mewtill: I like the "one day at a time mentality." I am going to have to try that! Do you have a link for the calculator?
@Mrs. Chocolate: Of course it's not too late! Welcome!
@Kemma: LO is a pooping and peeing machine, so that makes me feel better!
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As an aside, I am currently in the middle of day #2 of doing a pumping power hour and my left boob is not producing AT ALL. This is worrying me a bit! LO definitely favors the right but I always feed him off both and alternate which one I start on. This is the first time I have ever pumped and got NOTHING out of the left side.
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@rahlyrah: here's the link. It's for pumping, so it's a little backward. You can enter the #of feedings a day and it'll tell you oz or mL per feeding. So, if it says the number of feedings gets you close to the amount he's transferring, you may get some peace of mind. Also, I didn't start pumping until closer to 3 months, but I know being stressed about output really did make me produce less. It's hard in the early days, but like Kemma said, it works best when no one is really thinking too hard about it.
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Gah! Here's the link
http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/
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@mewtill: Thank you!
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@rahlyrah: I know exactly what you mean! It's good to know you're not alone; I feel the same way. We both can't be doing it all wrong, right??
Re: production: sometimes one of my boobs will barely put out anything when I pump, but after a few hours, it's back to being ready to feed again. Has it been like that all day?
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@Pepper: This is the first time I've been able to pump today. DH was gone most of the day and B is going through a growth spurt so he has been on the boob almost nonstop.
DH just hot compressed me while I was pumping and I was able to get a little out. I'm hoping when he wakes me for my night session things will be back to normal.
I think I am just an emotional mess today. Thank you for helping me through this!
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@rahlyrah: so frustrating. It sounds like you're doing everything right though. It has to get easier soon!!
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@rahlyrah: Hugs! I have my emotional days too, trust me! Hope you can get a good nights sleep, I always feel so much better after some decent sleep.
Does everyone here use a nursing pillow? I am pretty reliant on my Boppy. I'm not sure that I could nurse without a pillow... which isn't good if I'm ever planning on leaving home without it!
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Hey guys! LO is three days old right now, we are still in the hospital, but I thought I'd send y'all some of my observations/questions so far. My milk has not come in yet, though she's getting tons of colostrum. My nipples are pretty flat, so I'm using shields...here's my concern after reading through this thread... Is there anything y'all suggest I do now to improve my chances of weaning her off the shield! Breast shells don't seem to be pulling them out much, and she can't seem to get any traction without the shield.
She also doesn't give many I'm hungry cues..she'd sleep for hoursif we let her, and I just have no idea when she's hungry. Frustrated mama over here....
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I'm going to go back and reply to everyone later but I'm typing one handed right now because I've been nursing since 7 pm non-stop. I have a confession... I really really hate BF'ing right now. I saw every hour on the clock with LO last night, he has only napped 6 minutes (yes, MINUTES) since 3 pm, and he is a ridiculously inefficient feeder. I think that's where he's getting most of his sleep in - I think he half nurses, half sleeps. My husband keeps suggesting things but its just making me more frustrated because he doesn't get how hard it is. I can't quit but today made me think about it a lot
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@Bookworm: Does your hospital have a lactation division that would come visit you? They were able to get LO to latch without the shield, but my problem is pain. It hurts SO much when he latches without the shield because he clamps down on my nipple. I need to go back to the lactation consultants there and work on it because I hate the shield! Also, C didnt have very many hungry cues at first because he was so sleepy. Now, he lets me know!! He gets mad when he's hungry! I feel like once my milk came in he was a lot more eager to eat.
@grizz: Hugs. Only 6 minutes of sleep? Poor mama! :(. I can somewhat relate; i was up almost every hour with LO last night. I'd feed him, (after he calmed down enough to eat) he'd eventually fall asleep, then less than an hour later he would be up screaming for more food. Combine that with frequent diaper changes (which he hates) and our nights are just very unpleasant. The pacifier helps us to avoid tons of comfort nursing, but his problem is he'll scream his face off if it falls out of his mouth. BF'ing and I are not friends at the moment either. I hope he gets some sleep soon! And you as well.
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@Bookworm: I have the same issue. It makes me wonder if I even wean from the shield since its an anatomical problem.... I'm not putting too much pressure on myself to wean because of this....
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@Bookworm: just lurking and jumping in, but you can try pumping a few minutes before you latch LO on--the pump should pull out your nipple and make it easier for LO to latch. Or some people use ice cubes to get the nipple to stiffen/stand out.
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Hi everyone!! I'd like to join this thread, if that's cool.
I'm BFing my 5-week-old twins and have experienced SO much of what others have mentioned here. Just for Sime encouragement, I started using shields on both nipples and have now gotten both babies off them, so it can be done! There were a few rough nursing sessions where we wrestled with getting them on without the shields but patience got us through it. Much easier to nurse without them, LOs always knocked 'em off with their hands!
My current challenges are along the lines of everyone else, that LOs will eat for 30 mins then be starving again in another half hour and take 2oz in a bottle (of formula...still not producing enough milk to get more than 3-4 oz a day, which we save for the evening). It is so frustrating and disheartening to go through a nursing session, only to have LOs still be hungry and have to give them formula
My other issue is pain while nursing. I had a pretty gnarly cracked nipple which is finally starting to heal but still hurts when they latch, plus in general my nips just hurt! I'm wondering if maybe their latch isn't so good? I want to have an LC come but it's $200 so not ready to spend that yet...
Anyways, have been following this thread since the beginning and meaning to join, but it's hard to find a chance to have even one free hand with twins!
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@Bookworm: I didn't use shields, so I'm sorry I don't have advice there. But for the first couple of weeks, my son had NO hunger cues. He'd sleep forever and we had a really hard time waking him up to eat. So that sounds pretty normal to me. And my pediatrician said, once he had gain a certain amount of weight (in the 2 or 3rd week I think) that I could stop waking him every 2 hours to eat.
@grizz: hating breastfeeding is so normal! I wanted to quit all the time in the beginning. When I'd tell my husband I didn't like it/wanted to stop/complained in general he didn't get it. He'd try to be supportive with suggestions that weren't helpful. Once he said "if I had boobs, I'd feed him." I flipped out
And, also, I underestimated how crazy my hormones would be postpartum, so don't forget that you're not entirely yourself these days.
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@Pepper: no lactation consultants, but the nurses have been very helpful, other than not knowing how to get me off the shield. They gave me some names of consultants to call once I get home
@hilsy85: I think I will try that!
@mewtill: ok glad it seems normal. For now every 2-3 hrs I'm waking her up, and she seems to be hungry every time.It looks like my milk is coming in, because holy cow where did these monster boobs come from?!
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@Trailmix: I think for most people, the pain subsides around 6 weeks--so you could give it another week, but then if you are still having pain, I would definitely have an LC come...I have an AMAZING rec for an LC in NYC--she's based in Brooklyn but I'm sure would travel to you--the NYT called her the breast whisperer. Let me know if you'd like her name!
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For getting off the shields, I started with them on and then would take them of after they'd eaten for a few mins, so my nipples stuck out a lot and they were calm since they'd had some milk.
I also forced myself to nurse without a shield nearby so I couldn't grab it when it got hard to hear LOs cry, it forced me to have to keep trying to get them on without the shields.
It took me probably about a week of consistently trying at almost every feed. It was hard!
Have also heard that you can cut the tops off but that was a huge disaster when we tried, so I can't personally recommend that technique!@Hilsy85 Would def love the name!
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@grizz: I hear ya, lady. I hear you. I have to say, I'm so jealous of all your LO's weight gain.
I get so worried about E's weight gain that I'm not confident at all in my supply. He nurses forever and I'm so afraid to de-latch him even if he is comfort nursing. But this morning he had been chewing on my nip for 45 minutes and then barfed everything back up!! I couldn't take it. After a sleepless night, I handed the baby and supplemental formula to DH and put my head under a pillow.
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Just got back from the pediatrician's office... LO has been coughing and choking at the boob, and when he's not eating, I can hear him spit up, but he swallows it. He's been making a lot of chewing motions with his mouth, and he's been really fussy the past few days. He screams whenever he's not sleeping or eating and he can't stand being on his back. He grunts and groans a lot too. The pediatrician thinks he has reflux, and I now have baby Zantac for him. Poor LO.
I'm hoping the Zantac and propping up his mattress will help him feel better, he has been so miserable. Thank goodness for the Rock n Play, it's the only way either one of us gets any sleep!She wants me to mix the Zantac in a pumped bottle since apparently babies hate the minty taste. I'm hoping to find some nursing positions that help with reflux. Poor baby. I feel so bad
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We just got home from the hospital a few hours ago, and I haven't had a chance to try many of the tricks, but omg, hearing her cry and freak out for 20mins before she latches onto the damn shield is killing me. I had to get her fed because today I think over stimulated her, and she slept for 4 hrs..the ped said I didn't have to wake her to eat at this time...but gah, even after that long she had so much trouble. :'(
Anyways, I'm gonna try a couple things, I just needed to vent a bit. We're currently cuddling in bed and watching mulan..once again, she's completely out.
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@Pepper: I am so sorry! Poor little guy
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