Breastfeeding Support Thread

[skatty]

Thanks xsuzx

I am feeling really fluey and I can't seem to make the sweling in the breast go down so I think i'll go to the doc in the morning. I am not feverish though, I am really cold and achey. I am trying to get Leorah to sleep so I can get in the shower! I just want to go to sleep. my DH wont be in until about 11.30 though so unless madam gets to sleep I have no chance!

Those tips are really handy thanks

 

[xSuzx]

awww hun so sorry your feeling so crap

Definatly get to your docs in the morning, feeling fluy is a big sign of mastitis.

If leorah won't go down for a sleep, I'd go to bed and take her with you, lay down and see if she'll comfort feed from you at least then it'll help keep the milk moving threw your ducts and clear them out.

big hugs I know how horrible it is.
try and get some rest and hopefully you'll feel better soon.

xSuzx

 

[Anna Marie]

Hey Everyone, thanks for all your support.. would have been on earlier in week but been rather busy and occupied with Lara...

I have now stopped breastfeeding altogether and to be honest I feel dreadful.. I know its for the best in the long run but the pain and engorgement etc is bl**dy awful... Skatty I am so sorry to hear you are not feeling well - defo go to the docs - I am worried I too am getting mastitis.. I tried so hard to reduce the feeds gradually rather than stop abrubtly to avoid getting mastitis but i am scared I have got it anyway...
I have to wait til Fri to see the doc and I am expressing an ounce a day just to relieve the pressure but I am really hoping that I am wrong and that it is just engorgement cos I have stopped.

Does anyone know how long it will take for my milk supply to stop altogether and should I be expressing or not while in this pain???

this is all so urgent cos it seems Lara may be Cow's milk protein intolerant so we have to try a prescription only formula and I have been advised by the consultant who saw lara on Monday that even though breast milk is digested food it may not help to continue feeding her as i drink alot of milk and eat cows milk products.

As if poor little Lara hasn't enough on her plate.. xxxxxx

 

[Nicky_Jones]

I don't know if this is still available or given to women but my aunt was given a drug to dry up her milk as her baby wasn't expected to survive (she was very premature over 30 years ago). Thankfully my cousin did survive but it meant that my aunt was unable to BF her. Assuming it has not been banned since, I would ask the doctor for it.

 

[xSuzx]

Aww Anna marie

Sorry you feel so bad too, I think expressing just enough to relieve discomfort is fine, your milk supply will still go down so you proberly wouldn't need to do it for long.

As Nicky says there is something the docs can give you to help your milk dry up, I don't know hoe long it takes to dry up on it's own but I know it can sometimes be a while although you won't be in pain for that long.

I know you've had alot of trouble and been in pain so I hope it's all relieved soon.

xSuzx

 

[skatty]

Hi everyone!

Anna marie i am sorry to hear about your problems, I do hope you haven't got mastitis and definitely try and get something to help your milk dry up. Poor Lara I hope she gets on better with the prescribed milk.

Thanks for your advice xsuzx. I went to the docs today and have mastitis and have got penicillin. I spent yesterday going from shivering to sweating and feeling like I was lying on concrete. To make matters worst Leorah would not sleep and was being really whingey. I dread tomorrow night as my DH is working away, I hope I feel better by then. Wow its hard being ill with a baby

I've been told to continuously empty the breast so I dread how much milk its gong to make when the mastitis is gone but have to admit it feels so much better emptied.

 

[skatty]

Yay, I know this thread is for breastfeeding not sleeping but you gals are my mates who know about Leorah's sleeping troubles! Well it is 8.30pm here and she is asleep in her cot! I am so happy

I hope all you ladies have a good night

 

[xSuzx]

yay leorah

Hope you get some well deserved rest.

I'm hoping for a better nights sleep tonight too.

 

[Jadie]

GET TO BED SKATTY!!!!!

Take the chance now!!!


Oliver is eating solids for 4 days now... Today he had his tea at 600. Then milk after that. Milk at 7ish and 745 and then porriage. I hope he does sleep alnight tonight after all that! I think I will dream feed him to before I go to bed too.

jade

 

[skatty]

Leorah woke an hour later screaming and took ages to settle again

I hope you ladies managed to get a good night sleep x

 

[Jadie]

Oh no. Was she upset all night?

Oliver only woke once at 430am and is still asleep now at 730am.

jade

 

[skatty]

I'm glad Oliver had a good night

No she did settle around 10pm and fell asleep with DH on the sofa. He then gave her a DF at 12pm which never works well as she doesn't really drink asleep! She then woke at 4am and I fed her but she didn't take much and had bad wind. She then woke at 6am starving and had a really good feed. I am now thinking her nighttime habits might be changing. Maybe she didn't need the 4am feed after all and was just uncomfortable, I'm going to try and read the signs tonight. DH is away so I hope she'll take the bottle from me late evening as we put laktalose in it for her poo problem.

I went on the Baby Whisperer website and Leorah is a typical spirited baby (with a bit of angel thank god!) and it looks like her problems are due to being overtired so today I have been putting her in her pram with a blanket over it for naps. She took an hour to fall asleep earlier but then slept for 1.5 hours and I put her in an hour and 20 mins ago and she still isn't sleeping but at least she is not being overstimulated and is resting. I want to see if the theory works and we have a better evening tonight. She is nearly due another feed, then I'll have the TV on low and try and put her dwn for another nap before the evening.

I hope everyone is ok x

 

[Jadie]

I think Oliver still wakes now as when he was younger and would wake I would just feed him stright away. So now he expects it and keeps waking still. And wont settle without it!

Jade

 

[Tina & Gabs]

Hi Ladies

Just catching up with all the post.

Hope you are all doing well.

Skatty I am sorry to hear you have mastitis hun; I hope the medication helps; sounds painful. I hope the techniques work for Leorah as well. I was reading the Baby Whisperer book but I was getting too obsessed by things and not using my own instinct; which I believe is far better; it is a good book and she has some great ways though. I may check out the website..... but from a distance and not get too obsessed.


Anna Marie I hope you are ok hun and not suffering too much.

Skatty; I generally put Gabriella to bed about 8pm; she has been a bit unsettled the past few nights but generally gets to sleep by 9pm; she then wakes anywhere between 12am and 1am and then again between 3.30am and 4.30am and then again between 6.30am and 7.30am..... is this pretty normal????

I had really painful boobies the other night and they were quite engorged; it has gone down now but I get horrible shooting pains in my boobs as well.. again this has died down but it comes and goes. It is generally in the night so I am not sure if it is because Gabriella goes longer between feeds????

Hope you all have a good nights sleep.

Take care

 

[skatty]

Tina, please get your brast pain checked out as this is how my thrush started and could have caused the mastitis too!

Gabriella's sleeping sounds fine to me, especially as she is consistant. How long does she go between feeds in the day? Perhaps if she had more calories throughout the day she would go for longer between. I am also having this quandry, Leorah seems happy to go up to 4 hours between feeds in the day now but I don't want her waking more in the night which does seem to be happening

3 cheers for leorah please! She went to bed at 7.30pm last night
The naps must have worked a treat! We had one glitch at the 10pm feed, the bottle leaked I thought only on me but by the time I did the limp arm test to put leorah down i realised it was all over her gro bag! Had to change her and start the wind down again! She then woke at 1.30am for a feed (probably didn't go as long because her milk had spilt. She then woke at 4.30am and like the night before didn't really seem that interested in latching on , had a small feed and fell asleep on the breast. I am wondering if she is just feeling uncomfortable and wants to change position? She finds it harder to move around in her gro bag. She then woke at 5.30am for a proper feed. I know its recommended you give a dummy if you think they are waking but not needing to be fed but I would rather not do that as she doesn't have a dummy at night, just in the day to work of some of that furious energy and sucking reflex she has when overtired! Any advice would be appreciated!

I am in such a good mood today! Haha, bl**dy hormones

 

[Jadie]

Skatty... Maybe she is only feeding every 4 hours due to the dummy? As she is sucking the dummy she thinks she been fed? Does that make sense? (I learnt this at the class.) Every 4 hours is a long time for a breast fed baby to go.

jade

 

[skatty]

Hi Jadie, I don't think its dummy confusion as she definitely knows the difference. I have tried giving her the dummy for a few secs when she's hungry if I want to grab a drink or go to the loo before I start and she spits it out and screams like a banshee!! It has only been the last few days and I am wondering if it because i am working on her naps. Typically she is exhausted but taking up to 1½ hours to wind down and fall asleep, by then it is only about ½ an hour until her next feed based on 3 hour feeding and I don't know whether I should wake her or leave her I have been leaving her on the thought that if she is hungry she will let me know. This morning she napped for less than ½ an hour and then woke hungry so woke for her 3 hour feed as normal.

Tina I also read the Baby Whisperer when pregnant but decided against following her routine as soon as leorah was born I picked up loads of tips though but am also going with my instinct. I don't like the fact that she recommends putting LO down in her cot to nap in a dark room. I'd never be able to go anywhere if I did this! Napping in her pram is more consistant with the culture her, all babies and children nap in their pram outside and it means I can go wherever I want. I take her for a walk to wind her down but bring her back home before she is sleeping so she doesn't expect to be in motion to nap. This really works for us because she has a padded snowsuit and a cosy toes so startles less which helps her sleep.

She is such a joy, smiles all the time now She also tries to giggle when really excited and it comes out as this lispy little chuckle. I am so excited about my fammily coming over and seeing her! My Mum hasn't seen her since the birth!

BTW my mastitis is so much better so a big thanks to those who made me see the doc

 

[Tina & Gabs]

Evening everyone

Skatty glad you are having a good day and I am glad your mastitis is better. I haven't had the shooting pains for a couple of days so I will see how it goes and see the Doc if it comes back.

Jadie that is great that Oliver slept so well; is he doing well with his solids?

Skatty I normally feed Gabriella every 2 to 3 hours in the daytime.
Leorah sounds very similar to Gabriella; she is a nightmare with her naps and definitely naps better when I take her out in the pram; although I must say she is getting better; she does like to fight it but has started to give in a bit now.
I put her to bed at 8.20pm tonight and she woke up crying 20 mins later and I went up put my hand on her chest and just said "ssshhhh" and she went off for a little while and the woke up again and Skatty thanks to that post about the baby language on Oprah, I realised that she wanted more food. So I put her on the boob and she just fed for 5 to 10 mins and is now soundly asleep........bliss

Gabriella is also such a joy and I am loving being a Mum so much; I love her to bits and I must say things do feel so much easier now that I know her and she knows me; I am enjoying breastfeeding and just feel so much more confident about it now. I look back at those first few weeks and remember how hard it was and how just getting dressed for the day was a major obstacle. (It still feels like a huge accomplishment to get dressed and ready )

Gee, I am waffling....

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I shall speak to you all soon

 

[Jadie]

Oliver is doing really well with his solids now. He is having 3 meals a day and 3 snacks! This time last week he would not eat any solids! I am so pleased with him. I mixed my milk in with his veg and he ate it! I have now stopped this again but he is still eating!

I am about to dream feed him for the first time with a bottle(I have boob dream fed before.) I am worreid about it. It feels more like force feeding. But if he was awake he would drink it! LOL

jade

 

[Jadie]

It was horrid... he wouldnt take it so had to pick him up any way. That woke him up, gave him the bottle but he sounded like he was getting air too. So i just gave him boob and he fell back too sleep. If i need to pick him up too take the bottle I might as well use my boob! (less hassel!)

jade