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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Pregnant and Nursing Support Thread

535 replies

TinkerBellesMum · 25/07/2008 10:06

I thought I'd start up a support group, for those of us pregnant, with an older nursling. If you are pregnant at the moment or tandeming or have done in the past and want to add your support, please post!

I'm 12 weeks pregnant and have a 2 and a week year old. One of the first things I noticed about being pregnant was my nipples felt bruised like she'd bitten me. 8 weeks later not much has changed and I'm still spending every feed saying "gentle please".

Someone please tell me it gets easier!

I'm also starting to feel quite full and hard.

I keep getting told by my family I'll have problems tandem feeding "and how many mothers do you know who have done it?" My dad was grilling me the other day about tandeming and when I'll stop Tink nursing. He's a radiographer. I made him agree with me "Well, you know yourself that when the adult teeth come through because they're in a totally different order to the milk teeth the jaw changes shape" "Yes and around the same time the soft spot in the jaw fuses" "That change makes it impossible for them to continue nursing, that's why they got called milk teeth" lol how could he argue when he'd just backed my argument up!

OP posts:
Original poster
TinkerBellesMum · 16/08/2008 22:34

He will be fine, he's not a tiny baby who needs it (you know, as in doesn't have anything else, not that it's not important) or is going to be given a bottle and his memory is long enough to remember. Plus I'm sure he will be brought in to see you and you can give him some milk in the hospital - you will probably be glad to TBH as it will help relieve engorgement.

OP posts:
BabiesEverywhere · 17/08/2008 07:13

When I was in hospital after a CS, my DD didn't speak to me nor nurse for the first day I was in hospital. I think she was very cross I wasn't home with her but she was very lovely to her new brother, which was more important in the long run.

Second day she ignored me whilst signing to demand a nurse, she pushed my face away so I couldn't look at her (odd combination of behaviour I know)

Third day she tried to latch on whilst I was nursing her brother (didn't really work out, it was a bit difficult to physically juggle them both.

My DD normally 'needs' several nurses a day and yet managed without when I wasn't there and she loved the milk returning and she to really milk drunk

Once I was back home things got a lot easier, especially feeding them together on the sofa with a big pillow.

Plus my engorgment has been much easer to deal with this time plus I am barely leaking unlike last time.

HTH

constancereader · 17/08/2008 10:37

Thanks for the words of encouragement - I do appreciate it!

BabiesEverywhere · 17/08/2008 10:41

It is a really interesting time trying to juggle a newborn and our toddler.

So far things seem to be working out fairly well but it is early days yet (DS is just 8 days old !!!)

constancereader · 17/08/2008 12:58

Congratulations BabiesEverywhere
I didn't realise your experience was so recent!

Original poster
TinkerBellesMum · 17/08/2008 21:28

lol BabiesEverywhere Tink does that for fun. She will push me when I'm feeding her and sometimes lets go to say "'way!" She was playing with Mum earlier, asking her to smack her bum, pushing her away, Mum was asking for some milk and she shock her head, at one point she came off, crossed her hands over my nipple and said "gone". I love having an older nursling, it's so much fun!

She told me today she will share her milk with the new bobba, but she said no when Nanny asked for some. I keep asking if she has milk for me, but she said she doesn't have any. I keep trying to "get" some and she squeals! She's saying "'way" before I get near her!

OP posts:
thehouseofmirth · 17/08/2008 22:25

Haven't checked this thread for a while but just had a qick catch up on posts. Am now 14 weeks and it's still as painful as it was!

BabiesEverywhere congratulations on your new arrival. It's interesting to hear your hospital story. Would have like a home birth this time but it looks like I'll be having a C-section instead and I'm dreading it for so many reasons but most of all as Ii have never spend a night away from DS and he still nurses to sleep at night. Although to my huge relief and even greater amazement, I appear to have night weaned him over the past week and it has made a huge diffeence to how I feel.

BabiesEverywhere · 18/08/2008 21:52

I hoped for a home birth too, but sadly it was not meant to be. All the best with your little one and your CS.

PinkTulips · 20/08/2008 23:13

my milk dried up

ds is not happy, don't think he's going to be dry nursing as he was disgusted to find on milk tonight.

will give it a few days to see if it's all over but i might have to leave this thread soon by the looks of it.

Original poster
TinkerBellesMum · 21/08/2008 09:09

lol I should check before I tell people to post else where

How is everyone doing?

OP posts:
BabiesEverywhere · 21/08/2008 09:24

PinkTulips, Are you sure your milk has gone ? Can you try hand expressing in the bath ? Does your LO swallow when he nurses ?

PinkTulips · 21/08/2008 12:05

lol tink

it's definitely done in the right breast and he's getting very little on the left.

he had a good long try this morning in bed and gave me very descriptive updates every time he got a drop... 'look mama, there milk... yum yum. has bubbles in it' (bubbles in it as he's let go the second he tasted it to tell me and it had been in his mouth [yuk])

he's not cross at the baby at least although he refuses to accept it might be gone for good.... he seems to think i can just turn it back on!

even the left isn't expressing any but he seems to be able to get a tiny bit but he's certainly not satisfied.

funny thing is i leaked the whole way through the other 2 pregs and i wasn't trying to nurse!

Original poster
TinkerBellesMum · 21/08/2008 12:38

Let him keep trying, he's right it's not gone for good. If he can keep getting some it will come back soon enough.

I can't believe I'm past half way to when Tink was born already!

OP posts:
MegBusset · 23/08/2008 18:36

Hi all, BabiesEverywhere pointed me in the direction of this thread

I am around 6 weeks pg and still feeding DS (18mo) in the morning and at bedtime. Not sure yet if I want to tandem feed, so will be interesting to see other people's experiences...

PinkTulips · 23/08/2008 22:00

hello meg

aparently 1/3 of babies self wean in the first trimester and another third in the last so you probably won't have to make any decisions about tandam feeding if he's in that 66%.

everyone i've spoken too seems to have found it a really positive experiance though

well he's geting milk from lefty but not from righty apparently. he gives it a try every morning and night bless him but he's not having any luck, and what he gets from lefty seems to be negligable

i was pushed about tandam feeding or not but i didn really want weaning to be his choice... not forced on him

PinkTulips · 23/08/2008 22:02

'wasn't pushed' rather

BabiesEverywhere · 23/08/2008 22:17

"aparently 1/3 of babies self wean in the first trimester and another third in the last so you probably won't have to make any decisions about tandam feeding if he's in that 66%."

True, however the Flower book says most of the 66% are mother weaned babies, if you leave the baby to self wean you are much more likely to be in the other 34%.

PinkTulips · 23/08/2008 22:35

really? i heard that statistic on MN and it was presumed that it meant actual self weaning

what does milk drying up fall under i wonder? self weaning as they choose not to dry nurse which they could do or mother led weaning as it's not really babies choice

BabiesEverywhere · 23/08/2008 22:37

Actually let me dig out the book and check.

BabiesEverywhere · 23/08/2008 22:52

Got it on Page 166.

"26% of children self wean during pregnancy."

There are two oft misquoted studies...Moscona study states that 57% children wean and the Niles Newton states a figure of 69%...both of these studies included mother led weaning in their figures.

PinkTulips · 23/08/2008 22:55

interesting, so most will in fact stick it out if given the option?

BabiesEverywhere · 23/08/2008 23:03

From those figures, we know around 26% of children would self wean, 31%/43% were mother wean children (who may or may not of self weaned if they were given a choice we don't know) and the remaining 43%/31% children did breastfed throughout pregnancy.

PinkTulips · 23/08/2008 23:19

if we put aside the mother led, then 37.68% of the rest self weaned so we can presume about 38% of the motherled would self wean and the rest wouldn't right?

so approx 62% of babies would probably choose to continue feeding if given the choice

BabiesEverywhere · 23/08/2008 23:33

Sounds about right

PinkTulips · 23/08/2008 23:59

lol.... i have an inordinate facination with this, i'm never sure if dd fell under self or mother led and i always wonder if i'd bothered to keep trying with her what she would have done. she lost interest when i got preg but did keep feeding when i offered, i gradually fell out of offering though, forgetting feeds here and there and then not bothering the next day and then at 12 months i was so tired and cranky i gave her a cup of milk instead of her night feed and that was the end of it... she never asked for the feeds she missed though, it was always me initiating feeds.