Some breastfeeding questions

[FeelLikeTweedleDee]

I've been breastfeeding for 2.5 months so far but I'm not short of questions

OK here goes...

1. Does breastfeeding really help you to lose weight?

1. Is it true that the baby can get most of the BFing benefits from just 50ml of breast milk per day?

1. Why did my health visitor say that there are no nutritional benefits to BFing past 6 months yet WHO say otherwise?

1. How can I increase my supply?

1. When co-sleeping, how does baby latch on by herself and stay latched with no input from mum?

1. What is your opinion on this article? women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6718276.ece

I think that article is 15 months old and we've done it before.

Kellymom is what you're looking for.

HTH.

Hi

1. It does for some, not for others. Obviously it takes calories to make breastmilk but if you replace those spent (like I do! ) then you're not going to lose weight.

1. Any amount of breastmilk brings with it fantastic health and emotional benefits. I'm not sure it's as quantifiable as to say 50ml gives most or whatever but any breastmilk is great.

1. Quick answer is that your HV is wrong! Also that she should really update her bfing training because that is nonsense.

1. Do you have any particular reasons for thinking you need to increase your supply?

1. Babies get better at this as they age. My DD2 is almost 7 months now and has been able to help herself at night for a little while now.

1. Can't see the article!

HTH a little

Ooops didn't realise you'd already discussed it. Do you have a link?

1. should do because it uses up 500 cals per day but depends if you eat to compensate for that or not.

1. A factor is that WHO guidelines are for everyone in the world so take in a massive range when considering alternative sources of nutrition and have to go to the lowest common denominator. Your health visitor is just taking a UK persepctive.

dont know the answer to the other questions.

Char - I'm angry at my HV. I of course, trust WHO over her. I'm surprised she can say that to new mums. She said BFing past 6 months is for bonding purposes only.

Re: increasing my supply. I've noticed over the past few weeks that when I express I produce much less milk than I used to :( From 5-6oz down to 3oz. Also my baby's weight gain is not fantastic (approx 3 ounces per week).

At what age would you say babies can latch independently at night?

BTW what's HTH?

Bagged - very interesting re: WHO guidelines. I never thought of that.

That is just ludicrous. Milk should be a vital and large part of a baby's diet right up to 1 year and beyond.

Expressing is no indication of supply. Often as supply regulates to baby's needs you will find you express less. It's your breasts becoming more efficient. I have never been able to express more than 0.5oz until my baby was ill and I bf DD1 to 2.9 and am bfing DD2 at almost 7 months. Babies are much more effective milk removers than pumps!

I'm trying to remember back now. I'm fairly sure DD2 was latching independently at night by 4 months if I put her vaguely near my breast.

HTH means hope this helps :)

RE the Times Article: this is a good read.

Char - thanks for your response :) I'd love to increase the amount I can express so that I can build up a good supply of EBM.

Does anyone know any good techniques for increasing supply? Pumping every 3 hours?

Is it true that night time is the most important window for increasing supply?

re milk after six months, babies still need the majority of their calories to be from milk up till the age of one. Bm is designed for baby humans so suits their needs better than modified cows milk (ie formula) at any age your baby will benefit from the antibodies etc passed on in bm. "only for bonding" as though this is not important! Why buy formula when you lo reaches 6m? It may not suit them and you can produce something that you know does suit them for free!Many people struggle to establish bf, to throw this away at 6m would be madness! And that's without even getting into the health bennefits for you, every day counts.

Sorry your hv is talking such rubbish.

oh and re weight loss i am slimmer now than before i got pg and i have eaten loads, never feeling like i've scrimped. Ds is seven months.

1. Weight loss is simple maths, calories in must be less than calories out. if you eat cake and biscuits to negate the extra calories BF uses, you won't lose weight. If you eat a sensible controlled diet, you will lose more than you would on the same diet and activity without BF. However, BF will make you hungry and thirsty and it is harder to stick to a restricted diet. You also need to be careful about vitamins and minerals etc.

1. Some of the protective benefits of BM are undone by feeding other substances (like the conditions in the gut that prevent tummy upsets). Exclusive BF is better, but some is better than none.

1. You are beginning to discover that HCPs can be wrong, welcome to a whole new world of worry! Training or no, some just seem to stick to their strongly held misconceptions, possibly because they have been doing it that way for years to no apparent ill effect, or that they don't want to admit to themselves they could have been wrong and done damage. Besides, if you have free, perfectly formulated food for your 6 month old, why ignore that and buy a substitute. If babies "need" follow on milk, then BF is still valid. But it's not just that, BF continues to benefit the child, which is why the WHO recommend it.

1. Let baby suckle, that's what brings the milk in, and that is why your supply matches his demand. If he wants to suck, even if you think there is no milk there, or he should be full, or it doesn't fit the routine, let him and your milk will follow. If you want to produce more milk than he needs, then expressing will help.

1. In much the same way as they manage with a breastcrawl I imagine. My LO often falls asleep at the breast and I suddenly realise he has latched on again, they just sniff out the nipple, open their mouth and root around until they find it. This obviously won't work if you have rolled to the other side of the bed.

Porcelain - BFing hasn't made me hungry (thursty yes!) I'm loosing weight. I wasn't sure whether that was due to BFing or the fact that I'm eating very sensibly. I read on a thread that BFing weight loss was a myth.

Re: vits, is the Pregnacare BFing suppliment sufficient? I'm currently not taking anything

Re: supplimenting, some nights my baby gets 1/2 carton of readymade formula (when DH is doing the baby night shift). Are you saying that this will negate some of the benefits of my BFing? I can't express enough to give him EBM. Hence wishing to increase my supply. When DH is doing the night shift I use the pump at 3am (so that my supply does not diminish) but one pumping session will only supply 3oz which is less than my baby eats per feed.

Is there any medication to help increase supply?

If you are giving more frmula than you are pumping (if that makes sence) then this will affect supply. Can you allow your abbay to suckle in the night rahter than offfering formula? Prolactin, the hormeone that regulates milk production is at it's peak through the night so this is a particluarly sensitive time for the suckle/productio feedback affect

Magic BF weightloss is a myth, just a herbal pills, chinese tea, and food combining for weight loss is a myth. Weight loss happens when you use more energy than you eat, it's that simple. Various methods might help reduce food intake, or increase activity, but these only work if they are not negated on the other side of the balance (by reduced activity or increased food). BF will not make you lose weight if while you are BF, you are sitting on your bum eating cake! If you are eating and exercising as you normally would to maintain a steady weight, BF will probably lose you some. Being tired, sore and even thirsty makes a lot of people reach for snacks or sugary high calorie drinks.

Theoretically a proper balanced diet will have all the vitamins you need and supplements would be unnecessary. Personally I know I don't always eat properly (as per guidlines) and take BF supplements, but that is personal choice, not a medical recommendation. Even a badly nourished mother produces adequate BM.

I have no idea how the odd carton of formula would affect gut balance, it's all about pH and bacteria and stuff, but I'm not sure of the specifics. If your baby needs that formula, then she needs it, I wouldn't worry about it.

It seems like your problem could be with expressing rather than supply. Have you tried talking to a BF counsellor about how to express more effectively? I assume you are expressing while the baby is feeding off the other side, at a time of day when you know your breasts are full, with a decent pump and all that. I find having DS sleeping in my lap when I am expressing helps, because he is there for my let down, but I also get to express off both sides. Or if it's not every night then could you express on a daily basis and freeze portions to combine to make up a full feed?

I believe there is medication, but if you go do a Dr and ask for it, they will probably tell you not to bother and just feed a bottle as it's not worth the stress and hassle.If you were absolutely determined to EBF then you could push for it, but if not then you really don't need to worry about the odd formula feed.

Following on from porcelains comments obv if you want to give formula that is fine but if you want to continue with bf as well it may be worth looking in to mixed feeding so as not to diminish your supply. It's not something I know about but there have been threads on here about it. I have heard of people drastically demishing supply and ending up fully ff as it isn't quite as simple as just giving formula when you want iyswim. Check out Kellymom (they may also have info re how it would affect the gut)

Regarding supplementing counteracting the goodness of breastfeeding on the gut, this is v. interesting: drjaygordon.com/pediatricks/startingout/supplement.html

1. Does breastfeeding really help you to lose weight?

Depends on the person - for me, yes. Eat lots and still lose weight, all 3 times. After 3 babies I'm back to 8 stone and in a size 6-8

1. Is it true that the baby can get most of the BFing benefits from just 50ml of breast milk per day?

No idea - wouldn't have thought so

1. Why did my health visitor say that there are no nutritional benefits to BFing past 6 months yet WHO say otherwise?

Becasue many HVs don't know anything about BF. DS2 and DD carried on gaining weight despite not really eating any solids til 12+ months

1. How can I increase my supply?

Nurse lots, cosleep, skin-to-skin.

1. When co-sleeping, how does baby latch on by herself and stay latched with no input from mum?

I don't know but mine all did. It's great, I get sleep they get milk

1. What is your opinion on this article?

Loads of codswallop. Kramer went on Woman's Hour to explain exactly what he meant and was apparently very annoyed that he was misquoted in this article

"3. Why did my health visitor say that there are no nutritional benefits to BFing past 6 months yet WHO say otherwise?"

This really irritates me. I would ask her does she mean babies need no milk after six months? Oh no, they still need milk. So at six months of age human babies suddenly stop needing human milk but need animal milk instead

Just to echo what someone else said that after around 6-8weeks it's normal for you to express less (goes in hand with the breasts not feeling so 'full' anymore) and is completely normal, as the body perfects the regulation. I remember being a heartbroken when I discovered this and then had to think about when to express etc.

Why don't they tell these things, it's like they don't want us to BF. {grumpy PMT emoticon]

If you want to express more, then I'd recommend expressing at the same time each day. This worked for me (I even did it in the evenings, as opposed to mornings). First few days I'd get 2oz, by about 5th I'd be up to 4-6oz. If I then didn't do it for a couple of days, I was back to square 1.

As for weight loss, completely personal upon your circumstances. Wasn't until I upped my activity level that I lost the weight.
hth

On 1) though, I should add probably that before I had DS1 I was very slim anyway (I still don't fit into al my old clothes) I also am very active carrying the baby in a sling and often pushing DS2 in the pushchair too. And when I say I ate loads, that's relative - I've begun to realise that my portions sizes areporbably smaller than other people's (I'm very good at just eating to hunger. Once I'm full that tends to be it)

I wouldn't want to contradict the research but just want to point out that that isn't guaranteed. (i'm over weight, bad at portion control etc and have still lost weight while bf without trying. Granted i am quite active. ) i know one persons experience doesn't mean anything but starlights post made it round a bit like fat peeps would definately get fatter and vice versa.