Breastfeeding advice

[MotherJen123]

Hi hope I'm doing this right!!

My first post
I'm a member of another forum but just not getting the advice I'm after on there so thought I'd give this forum ago.

I'm breastfeeding my 6 day old daughter it's going very well she's a very settled baby, I have managed to express twice too and have 2 bottles in freezer from jointly expressing and catching the leaking milk.

But one boob is a lot more "full" than the other. I always put her on this one last as I worry if i was to put her on the less full one she will be too full up. What should I be doing?

During the night feeds aswell I will wake up soaking Evan with 2 sets of pads in my bra, my bra is soaked through...this doesn't happen in the day is this normal??

Also like I said I am enjoying feeding but have noticed from the afternoon after feeding it feels like literally my energy is being drained away I feel exhausted. I absolutely do not want to give up but my hubby goes back to work next week. He will be working away 4 days a week. I have 2 already at school and it's not fair on them if I feel that exhausted that I can't Evan stand to make the dinner.
I've noticed my appetite has completely gone. I am eating a lot less than when pregnant it just kind of disappeared, can I also add that I had a planned c section at 38 weeks so I'm also recovering from that still.

Any advice on keeping energy levels up?

Thank you hope I get some answers, have heard this forum is a lot nicer than my other one....hope so Jen z

Soaking through pads at night - totally normal. Horrid isn't it? It will die down a bit probably as your supply settles, but doesn't always!

I'm sure someone will be able to give you some more advice about differing fullness, personally I'd probably keep alternating at each feed and always offering the second one afterwards just to keep them both receiving plenty of requests for more milk production, but I'm no expert and so long as you're offering them both sometimes they should both keep producing I guess.

Energy - hmm, you need to eat! Any chance you can make big batches of food that keeps and leave it on the fridge for constant nibbling? Like a potato salad or pasta and pesto or something? You may not feel like eating, but you're still having to fuel all that little baby growing from your body - with that plus serious operation recovery of course you're exhausted!

All the best with it, well done so far and congratulations on your new daughter.

Hi, the first thing is its very early at six days. Milk doesn't come in til around day three, then I found I had boobs like bowling balls for the next couple of days until it settled down. That included leaking etc, but it didnt continue.

You will produce the milk you need, so if you always use one side and she takes more from that side it will exacerbate the problem, so personally I would still alternate which side you start to keep it even. That said, I think some people do end up with one more productive side so it may not completely level out.

I dont think it is recommended to express until 6 weeks, to allow feeding to establish first (unless you have to of courss) so perhaps leave it for a bit.

So long as there are plenty of wet nappies and gaining weight, then just go with it and let it settle for a bit.

(No expert, just personal experience etc)

Expressing will encourage oversupply as you're telling your body to make more milk than your baby needs.

Same with your full boob- if you always put her on that one last she'll take less milk from it.

Stop expressing for a couple of weeks until things settle, and feed equally from both boobs.

Food wise, flapjacks, toast, simple things you can grab. Hot chocolate is good, made with full fat milk.

Sorry would just like to add

When I expressed it was at the time she was due a feed and she was not with me Hubby took her to his mums with my collected milk. X

You have two bottles in the freezer though? That's a lot in 3 days, assuming your milk came in about day 3. you've basically told your body to make two bottles worth of milk more than your baby needs.

Considering one feed at this age is 2-3 oz, if you have full bottles in the freezer that's 4-6 extra feeds.

If you have an oversupply issue to start, be careful only to express what she can drink, if you want to express.

Did you breastfeed your other two? Breastfeeding in the early weeks is about establishing supply and demand. Personally I would say forget the expressing, other people wanting to feed your baby, and focus on getting into the swing of things.

6 days is young to be swapping breast and bottle, especially if it's the first baby you've breastfed.

Yes I have 2 pots of milk in freezer with 2-3 oz in each. These were solely from leakage when feeding her and from expressing on the day she was not with me.

She has not had a bottle yet??

Thank you for everyone's advice yes the leakage is gross lol
Yes there are a lot of wet nappies!!
She has only been weighed once and only lost 2Ib which midwife said was great.

I will defo start trying to alternate which boob I start with first!

Have found some "healthy flapjack" recipie on line and am going to go shopping to get the ingredients in a few days and maybe keep them near me for when I'm feeding plus apples/bananas

Thank you ladies! X

Jen, all sounds as if its going well :)

I am assuming she has lost two oz not two pounds!!

It's really early days for you to be expressing unless you have to. Most mothers find it's easier to get bf established by going with the flow.

New babies really need their mums next to them during this time and it's normal. It doesn't last forever :)

Week one and you're already expressing - amazing stuff! Congrats on such a flying start to breastfeeding, sounds like you are doing great.

As others have said, try alternating which boob you start with to see if the supply evens out. A friend recommended to me putting a bracelet or hairband on your wrist to remind you which side to do next (and switch it after each feed). The feeds can blur into one another, especially at night, so it helped me keep track of it. The leakage will die down once feeding is in a rhythm and your body knows how much to produce, it's just overdoing it while it works out how much your baby needs to take.

Feeding yourself can feel like a job too far when you're knackered from BFing but it is so important. I used to have a box of Frusli bars in the bedside table at all times

Hi it sounds like it's going well. You gave birth six days ago so it isn't surprising that you feel tired!

As others have said it is early days to be expressing. Your body works out how much you need based on how often your baby feeds so you don't want to make it think it needs more. Although well done on managing to get so much! I never could. My dd is 14 mths and still breastfed and I never managed to express a decent amount (though I stopped trying after the first 2 or 3 months!)

I think most women have a 'better boob'. My left I think was always the more full one. I think that's pretty normal. When feeding has become more established I think it should even out a bit more.

I didn't have an appetite in the early months either. I do now though! Back then I ate a lot of shop bought oat bars, flapjacks etc. I found them easy to eat one handed, relatively nutritious (well oats, nuts, honey, chocolate.. All your 5 a day lol). I also ate toast.

I had extreme thirst, I drank water by the gallon. Never started feeding without making sure I had my water bottle handy.