Breastfeeding Support Thread

[Tina & Gabs]

Happy New Year Ladies

Well done Beanie & Jadie for BF for so long. I am planning to stop at 6 months but will just see how it goes. I go back to work in June and would orefer not to be BFing then.

Daggers glad you are feeling better and I think that is a great idea to meet up in Regents Park or even the Zoo; I am looking forward to it.

Skatty how was Leorah last night? I hope you had a better night.
I definitely think she is having a growth spurt; aparently it is common around 12 weeks.

Gabriella skin seems to be much better; it flared up on New Years Eve; we went to my friends Mum's and it was very warm; so I think that may have been the cause as it calmed down as soon as she got cool!!!

Had a bit of a nightmare last night with Gabriella; bathed her at 7.45pm and then fed her and put her down about 8.30pm and she just kept waking her screaming; so after making sure she didn't have wind; a dirty nappy or her skin was annoying her; I fed her again and this went on until 10pm; at the time it just feels like it's going on forever. She eventually went to sleep just before 10pm and woke up at 4.50am; so nearly 7 hours!!!! Yippppeeee. I am not sure if she is having a growth spurt or if she just doesn't want to go to bed. I am going to start giving her EBM in the evening so I know how much she is getting.

Take care all and big to you and your little ones. Here's to a great 2007

 

[skatty]

The zoo sounds perfect and baby friendly, great idea

Hope all the babies are doing well today, Tina that does sound like Gabriella's having a growth spurt. Leorah was just the same didn't want to stop eating Last night all was back to normal we put her to bed at 11pm and she slept until 8am and then was awake for an hour and then napped for 4 hours

Last night was great, we celebrated our new year with some champagne and I enjoyed Eastenders, I'll save the rest of the week for my Sunday afternoon relax on the sofa time!

I have to say I am a milk machine at the mo' and am expressing 12oz a day. I am stockpiling for the freezer in case I slip up and consume any soy or dairy again. I find I now have 2 let downs when I am feeding/pumping and also I have one spray that comes out my right nipple that will just gush for over a minute like a hose pipe!! I am plaesed to say that my boobs are suddenly settling down now though and don't fill in the middle of the night so I can sleep on my belly again

I'm glad Gabriella's skin is improving, did you drop the dairy in the end?

Shall we arrange a day for our outing soon? I know its a long way off but as I am only over for a week I have to plan ahead so I get to show Leorah off to everyone! Bye for now

 

[Daggers]

Tina and Skatty you're both lucky ladies with your little angels sleeping through the night! I only had that luxury for a couple days awhile back and as you (probably) know since then Oats has been waking twice nightly! I'm now also considering doing the baby led weaning, which I think I can't really start till he's nearer 6 months so I may yet have awhile to go before he starts sleeping through the night.
Tina it is funny how our LO's are so affected by the things around them, I found that Otis seemed more quite over Christmas with all the guests we had staying at our house, today he seems all happy and talkaive again - hmmmm. Hope Gabriella's skin is all better now! This hot and cold mallarky certainly ain't any good for the babas!
Skatty re meeting up I'm fairly flexable when except for Tuesdays and Wednesday (Oats will be doing his Signing and Swimming lessons respectively on those days). Any other day is fine so I'll leave it up to you and Tina, also wasn't someone else joining us? By the way we may need a plan B if it rains!

 

[xSuzx]

hello ladies

how is everyone? haven't been on this thread in ages naughty me

well lily's doing well with her solids she eats everything, the only thing we're dealing with is her sleeping she started to sleep through at 5 weeks but then started teething and now has a cold so keeps waking up as she's got a blocked noses also I think she likes the comfort, awell at least I don't have to get out of bed to make bottles

xSuzx

 

[Tina & Gabs]

Hi Everyone

Hope you are all well.

Suz; that is great that Lily is eating everything; not so great that she is teething and not sleeping through; bless her... and you

Gabriella has been really unsettled again; she went down at 9pm last night and woke up at 1.15am; she was so uncomfortable bless her. I gave her a feed and this seemed to comfort her but I could tell she wasn't actually hungry; took an hour to get her back down and she woke again at 6.30am; I fed her again and then she woke at 8.30am and was so happy giggling in her cot. I feel so bad for her with her skin at the mo.

We saw a doctor yesterday who was a dermatologist and he doesn't believe it is anything she is allergic too. My DH had eczema when he was a baby so they are putting it down to this. I have still cut dairy from my diet and we are continuing with the cream (which has definitely helped some of skin), I just hate to see her so uncomfortable.

Skatty; glad you had a nice night and enjoyed some champagne!!!
How on earth do you manage to express 12oz each day??? I am really struggling to find anythime to express. You are fab for managing that

Daggers how is Otis doing? I hope he is letting mummy get some sleep.

Jadie, hope you & Oliver are well.

Talk soon everyone

 

[Daggers]

oh dear Tina sorry to hear Gabriella is still not 100%, just in case you are interested I use Weleda's baby calendula cream on Otis. He doesn't have any skin condition but does occasionally get a bit of dry skin - think it's weather related and of course the scratches he inflicts on himself, the cream really helps clear his skin very quickly and it's all natural - if you're into that sort of thing!!! Also I think calendula is good for eczema?? http://www.weleda.co.uk/products/name/c ... acial-care

Suz hope Lilly gets better soon, it horrible when your OL's under the weather , fortunately she can't come to you for comfort and some closeness.

Yes I think we've got a new Mrs moo on the thread, Skatty you have that previalige now, I would say 'go girl, milk for England' but as you're in Denmark - Milk for Denmark, you show those Danish lasses!

I think Otis has settled into this new routine of waking twice nightly - great why me!!! Any where between 120 - 010 and then again around 020- 040 and finally around 060 - 070! No rest for the wicked, the only god send is that he generally is in bed and asleep again within almost 30mins!
I have now also taken Skatty's advice and instead of only expressing at night i do 2oz in the morning and 2oz once I've put him down in the evening, takes the pressure of off doing it all in the evening and it means I can get to bed before midnight!!! Hit the hay last night at 9:30pm!!

 

[skatty]

Hi everyone Good to see you back suz! I'm glad Lily is enjoying her solids, i can't wait for that! Poor baby hope she gets over her cold soon

Poor Gabriella too, it must be so uncomfortable for her I hope it clears up soon. If it is dairy it can take over a month for it to leave both your systems completely. I am happy to say that with a month of cutting all dairy and soy Leorah is so well, I can now eat loads more including wheat and shellfish. I will reintroduce eggs next, these are the next most likely allergen. I look back to how her behaviour used to be and can't believe that something I eat could effect her that way, she just hardly ever cries anymore!

Daggers poor you having to get up in the night. I was actually prepared to have to get up until L was 6 months as my HV said don't expect an exclusively BF baby to sleep through until they start solids and then if they do its a bonus. Perhaps Otis has a superfast metabolism and need to eat frequently.

With regards to the expressing i think it is the pressure of knowing Leorah will only drink breastmilk. She can't have dairy or soy formula and the one she was given that is for babies with allergies is unbelievably awful and she got hysterically upset. I want to get a weeks worth of milk in the freezer in case I ever need to take medication or if I eat some hidden dairy. I don't have any option but to breastfeed until she's a year and I am scared there will be an emergency and I will need to give her a bottle. When we get up in the morning I feed her and then empty the rest of the boob and the other one which is usually 8oz (she lies and watches cartoons, bad mummy!). My breasts must have got used to this an fill up in the morning ready to be emptied, I then get the other 4oz by emptying whichever breast she has fed from throughout the day. I hate expressing but I think the more I do it the easier it becomes. The evening we tried to give her the formula she got so upset I had to try and express from empty boobs and I felt so pressured. I took myself tio another room as her screaming was stressing me (DH was there of course!) and made on demand 3oz.

Well I am supposed to be working. I am absolutely furious as an ebayer who didn't pay for a dress she bought is p*ssed off that she got an unpaid strike and has left feedback calling me a thief, she then wrote me an abusive email saying she has ruined my 100% feedback! I have complained to ebay but I don't know what they do in this situation. I'm fuming

 

[Lyndsey]

Hello everyone!

Thought I would come in and introduce my self for those of you who don;t know me. I am Lyndsey and I Gave birth to Logan on Boxing Day!

it was a bit stressful but we are both doing well now.

I have managed to breast feed him from the start and I am really proud of myself. Although at the minute I feel a bot like a Cow as he is cluster feeding alot!!!! Yesterday it was from 1800 - 2300 and the day before it was from 1100-1600.....But I am getting long sleeps at night ( only waking once at about 3 ish!)

I am looking forward to learning from you guys especially about expressing as hubby is desperate to have a go!!! I am mega keen to continue with the breast feeding and hopedully with your help I will be able to do it!

Lyndsey

 

[Tasha20]

Hiya hunny

Glad your still going at the breastfeeding welldone!!

Olivia was cluster feeding at that stage too, Hes just upping your milk supply thats all hun, I know its tiring but it will all settle down soon

Just make sure you have you Lansinoh nipple cream, I put it on twise a day and it works wonders havnt had cracked nipples or anything and gets rid of nipple soreness too its fantastic stuff!!

All the best

 

[skatty]

Hi Lyndsey and Tasha, great to have more peeps on this thread. Well done with the breastfeeding, sounds like you both are enjoying it

Lyndsey, my Leorah still cluster feeds all evening until 10/11pm but she sleeps until 7/8am. I know if she didn't feed this much in the evening she'd probably wake in the night. Sounds like your LO is similar and wow you are so lucky you only get woken once in the night already, that's great

Its so strange, for about a week Leorah would get through about 8oz of EBM from DH, her bedtime also got later and we realised it must be a growth spurt. She's now gone back to 4oz an evening, falls asleep at 10pm and then this morning she fitted her dungarees that swamped ger 2 weeks ago! She is growing so fast!!! I feel abit sad that she's not my tiny baby anymore but she's also getting cuter by the day (and cheekier!) and now has a huge wardrobe of clothes that are 0-3 months that she hasn't been able to wear!

Catch you all later

 

[Nicky_Jones]

Can you guys tell me how much your LO drink of expressed milk? At the 10:30 feed she would only take 80ml. Then for the 13:30 feed (after a solid meal at 12:30) she polished of 90ml and I ended up having to put her on the breast as I didn't have any more expressed milk ready and she felt like she drank a lot. I know Skatty is giving her LO 4oz for the night feed reguarly. Is this typical of other people? Skatty does your LO take more or less on daytime feeds if you give her EBM?

When I express of I really struggled to get 90ml (3oz) of 1 breast at lunchtime but managed to get 150ml (5oz) of in the morning.

Would it be a problem (with respect to fore and hind milk etc) if I expressed off as much as I can easily from both breasts each time I feed her? When she is feeding from my breasts normally she generally only has one, unless she is going through a growth spurt.

Thanks very much.

 

[skatty]

Hi Nicky, I have never given Leorah a bottle in the day but I think she prbably eats a similar amount each feeding. With regards to her 4oz she usually has it in bits over an hour apart from last week she had a growth spurt and would down it in one go and have another 4oz.

With regards to the foremilk/hindmilk I just express what I can, if you can start building it up you can collect it in a larger container and shake it lightly and then pour into smaller bottles. I have expressed off a very full boob before and only got 4oz of very watery foremilk. I always try and express off the boob Leorah has fed on, I don't ususlly get much but what I do get is creamier. Also from my experience the more of a routine of expressing you get into the easier it becomes.

What time does Ellie go to bed? Once you know she is asleep for the night you could start using your pump every evening. Your boobs will eventually start filling at this time for you to express. My boobs don't fill until the early morning now and I have enough to BF and pump about 8oz. I got into this routine in the last few weeks.

I hope taht helps, I am sure others will have some advice too

 

[Nicky_Jones]

I have in excess of 30oz stored in various sizes in the freezer. Almost all of this was epxressed after she had her breakfast (normally she drank from one breast and I used both breasts). I have just spent ages pumping both breasts and manged 4oz using both breasts. However I needed half of that to go with the sweet potato I have just cooked to freeze down in portions for her lunch. I am suspicous that at the moment she is only taken enough to sate her hunger / thirst from the bottle as opposed to taking her fill? She has her last feed at 7:30 and then to bed immediately but I have restarted her dreamfeed at 10:30 with everything that has been going on.

 

[skatty]

Nicky you may get more help here

http://forums.llli.org/forumdisplay.php?f=39

 

[Nicky_Jones]

Thanks Skaty - I am trawling through the posts as I am sure other people must want to know the same thing (or is it just me that is this disorganised?)

 

[Nicky_Jones]

From that site I also found a link to here:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html

It says not to feedyour LO lying down, but how can they get the milk out when they are upright? Or am I being especially dense?

 

[Lyndsey]

Hello!

For those of you who express and freeze what do you store your milk in?

I have loads of cups that came with my breast pump but they seem to be very big. I have heard of bags that can be used but have not ben able to find them.

Thank you

 

[beanie]

Lyndsey I used boots bags. I think I may still have some lying around (still sealed), I will have a look.

 

[Tina & Gabs]

http://www.expressyourselfmums.co.uk/br ... temnum/135

See attached link

 

[Lyndsey]

Thank you! Guess I hadn't looked hard enough!!