Can you explain breastfeeding? Im really not getting it right!

[Helenemjay]

Ive come to the decision that im a complete idiot regarding breastfeeding my dd, she is 8 weeks old and exclusivley breastfed but, im going wrong somewhere, she is having greeny poo's and i svery windy which i know is a sign of too much formilk, but i keep her on the same side as long as possible! If im honest i dont get the breast switching thing - If you have fed baby until she falls asleep then she wakes up 20 minutes later do you resume feeding on the side you just finished on or do you go to the other side? - im so confused

It's really not that complicated and I suspect nearly all babies have greeish poo at some times and it's nothing at all to do with foremilk. Also babies are windy little buggers no matter how you feed them. If your baby is gaining weight then you are doing it absolutely RIGHT!
It's not an exact science. Personally I'd probaby swap sides after the sleep scenario, but it's up to you. There's milk in both!

Is that really true, that business about too much foremilk, or is that just a myth propagated by Gina Ford?

Really, I think that if she's contented and gaining weight and doing lots of weeing and pooing, whatever the colour, you don't need to worry.

Sounds to me like you're doing fine. I breastfed all three of my DSs and they were all very windy.

You're not an idiot, you're doing brilliantly! Green poos are normal for a breastfed baby, so is wind.

I never switched breasts unless dd had had plenty from one side and was still hungry - I generally used one side per feed. If she fell asleep feeding before she'd had 10 minutes at the breast I used to gently wake her up - tickle her feet, flap her arm - so that she had a little more. If she had 10 minutes, fell asleep and wanted more later, I'd switch sides.

everybody is different. I used to keep mine on the same side for an hour. ie any feeds within that hour were from the same side then switch for the next feed. it worked for us.

Thanks girls, thats a good idea babaworshipper, about keeping the same side for an hour, i will try that, i just feel like im randomly stuffing a boob in dd's mouth whenever she squawks, and my sister who is also breastfeeding her dd says "oh dont you switch sides when you next feed her?" i just feel like a bit of a bfeeding bimbo! dd usually gives me a good 4/5 poos a day but the last day or two she has only given me 1 maybe 2, and they are very greeny manky poo's, plus i have had LOADS of blocked duct problems and now i have a really sore right boob and i have no idea why as the HV observed me feeding dd and she said the latching on is fine! Im sure breastfeeding isnt supposed to be such hard work!

Helenemjay, the number of poos does diminish at about that age.

Just a gentle suggestion - you know your baby better than me and this may not be appropriate - but if she's had a good feed, perhaps try other things to distract her rather than feeding her again straight away?

Thanks dinosaur! You are very right about my trying to do something other than feeding her again, im sure she cant be soooo hungry all the time, she was sucha tiny skinny little thing when she was born, but she has been piling on her weight, she put on just over a 1lb in about 10 days! she is getting quite chunky and still isnt happy unless she has a boob in her mouth!

babies get green poo and wind .. sometimes all the time .. sometimes occasionally

you are doing everything right ..

I never swapped sides with either of mine

One of the reasons that the number of poos diminishes is because breastmilk is just so well suited for the baby that there's sometimes very little waste - so sometimes not so many poos.

Really twiglet? you get so many people especially HV's telling you 'this is right' and 'that is wrong' it drives you nuts! some days i feel like im doing great and other days i think i just cant get it right, does everyone feel like this? there was a girl at toddler group recently who said she breastfed her first baby for 8 months and said she cant understand these people that just cant do breastfeeding - its soo easy, maybe they dont try hard enough stupid woman! but my sister breastfed her first baby for 8 months and now she is breastfeeding her dd who is 5 months and she makes it all look sooooo easy

And when you've been doing it for 5 months, you will make it look easy, too. The first few weeks can be really, really hard, but once you hit your rhythm and find your feet you'll be fine.

You're doing brilliantly, really you are!

WigWamBam - that makes sense i suppose! i never thought about it like that! that makes me feel better, last week she was doing so many poo's and they were exploding up her back! (sorry tmi?) now she's doing harldy any!

Thankyou WigWamBam! it is hard work isnt it?

The first couple of months are hard. They certainly were for me - dh was all for running off and getting stackloads of formula because it upset him to see how hard I was finding it. But then it just clicked - dd worked out what she was meant to be doing, we got into a rhythm and suddenly things were much easier. I think it was somewhere between 8 and 10 weeks when it all fell into place for me and dd, and suddenky it really was much easier.

Hang on in there - it does get better.

if it helps .. my 2 never fed for longer than ten minutes at a time .. which can also be normal .. I think I had very quick delivery as after they unlatched I would keep spurting.

Personally when they wake I wouldn't put them immediately back on the boob (unless they were obviously rooting or screeching for it) and I would use the other one

Thanks for that wigwambam and twigglet - i have noticed that dd is getting very very slightly better - there is a very very slight routine beggining to form. I have too noticed my milk still pouring out when she stops feeding but only from my right side - she really doesnt like feeding from that side, and so i wonder if thats the reason why i have so many problems from that side?

Helenemjay, I also used one side for each feed, and if ds was hungry again within the hour I would go back to the same side. That worked for us and I think it makes sense really. But it is confusing because I think that is fairly recent advice and you still have some people telling you to swap sides half way through. My mum said when she breastfed you started each feed on the side you last fed on and then swapped sides half way through.. what a faff! And there was talk about "emptying one breast before you start on the other.." How are you supposed to know when your breast is empty? Don't know about you, but I don't think my breasts are ever completely empty! And as the others say, as long as your dd is putting on weight and is happy enough you must be doing it right.
BTW I used to hate it when ds did that many poos a day and was glad when it went down to 1 a day. But now at 7mths he is doing one massive one a week! Sorry TMI.. I wish he wouldn't save it up and I long for the days when we had more frequent bowel movements! But it is totally normal for them to decrease.
I too remember thinking, "surely you just breastfeed!" Didn't realise it could be such hard work and there was so much to think about. But you are doing great and soon it will be second nature. It will all be worth it, keep up the good work!

Thanks Tatties, i really appreciate everyones advice and help! to be honest it has been getting me down, dd wakes up every 2 hours in the night for a feed! and im shattered! dp keeps saying why dont you just bottle feed? but i really dont want to! - i have absolutley nothing against bottle feeding and i think no-one should ever feel bad or be made to feel bad by anyone else for bottle feeding, its just not what i want to do - i LOVE the quiet little snuggles and the closeness dd and i have together when i feed her and i wouldnt give that up for the world, but i have to admit i am really really tired and it is getting me down.

Helen,sounds like you're doing great.
Babies are hard work,however you feed them!
B/feeding was hard work for me both times and I tried every permutation going re boob sequencing.

I would definitely say that you are over the most taxing part,but how about expressing a bit regularly so that you csan build up a supply of frzen and get dh to help out?

What about in the day? Do you get achance for a nap when the baby does??

Oh H, poor you . I know just how you feel. My ds was the same, fed frequently day and night, it is exhausting and it does get you down. MIL would say, "if only he was bottle fed we could give you hand..' But I don't honestly believe formula would stop him waking at night, it's just what he does. I've nothing against bottle feeding either, but I really wanted to bf and didn't see how I would get more rest if I didn't do it. After all, he'd still wake in the night and it would still be me doing the night feeds.. And it seems like all the other babies sleep through and are in a perfect routine.. but my ds just didn't fit in to that. It has taken me a long time to realise that it is best just to go with the flow. Why does dh think you should switch to bottles? Things do calm down eventually, I don't think switching to bottles would solve anything so keep on bf as long as it's what you want to do. Try not to let it all get on top of you, all of this is normal and you will be really glad you stuck at it. in the meantime try to catch up on sleep during the day by lying down on the bed with dd and bf to sleep. That was my lifesaver, often ds would sleep longer if I was asleep next to him. Let us know how it goes xx

Oh H, poor you . I know just how you feel. My ds was the same, fed frequently day and night, it is exhausting and it does get you down. MIL would say, "if only he was bottle fed we could give you hand..' But I don't honestly believe formula would stop him waking at night, it's just what he does. I've nothing against bottle feeding either, but I really wanted to bf and didn't see how I would get more rest if I didn't do it. After all, he'd still wake in the night and it would still be me doing the night feeds.. And it seems like all the other babies sleep through and are in a perfect routine.. but my ds just didn't fit in to that. It has taken me a long time to realise that it is best just to go with the flow. Why does dh think you should switch to bottles? Things do calm down eventually, I don't think switching to bottles would solve anything so keep on bf as long as it's what you want to do. Try not to let it all get on top of you, all of this is normal and you will be really glad you stuck at it. in the meantime try to catch up on sleep during the day by lying down on the bed with dd and bf to sleep. That was my lifesaver, often ds would sleep longer if I was asleep next to him. Let us know how it goes xx

Not really moondog i have a 5 year old ds to run about to school and a 2.5 year old ds2 running around like a lunatic, my chance of getting any sleep at all are very slim! i have expressed some milk before but so far dd flat out refuses to take a bottle, she just squirms and gags on it!

Oh thanku tatties, i think dp wants me to switch because he thinks im not coping! i disagree - i think i am coping, im finding it all really tiring and hard work but that doesnt mean im not coping! and unfortunatley my house is looking like a wreck and dp is obsessed with a tidy house (his mum is an obsessive cleaner and thinks everyone should be the same) so he prbably thinks id have more time to clean up if i was bottle feeding!

If he wants to help you then that's how he can do it - he can get some of the housework done in the evenings. Coping isn't something that you have to do on your own - it's something that he has to help you out with.

You are a busy woman!
He should be doing the cleaning and shopping as should all the people like Tattie's relative who want to help her bottlefeed!!

Could your dh do with a boot up the backside d'you reckon??

I'd also keep trying with the occasional bottle of EBM.