February 2007 Post Natal Club

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Hello

I know it's not even February yet, but here is the new thread. Even though Jacob was born in January, I feel he is an honorary Febster!!!

Looking forward to more new bubs coming this way!!!

Hang in there MoosMa ! You've come this far and put in lots of effort to making it work. People keep telling me it gets easier soon so hopefully we should both be finding it easier soon.

Sandy is continuing to feed on and off for hours and grizzling in between. My nips are starting to feel very very raw. DP has given him a couple of formula feeds during the ngiht to give them a break.

He's also been doing a lot of crying with arching back and pulling knees up, is this colic ? or just being a wriggly baby ? I so didn't want to be a panicky mum, but I feel really ill equipped to know what's normal and what's not. I've never really been around babies at all and I've no idea what they are supposed to do / not do and what's normal and what means there's a problem. I've read a couple of books, but it's not really the same.

Thanks Suis, I know it will get better but it's hard to see that far ahead sometimes isn't it? At the moment I'm expressing milk and feeding it to her in a bottle until my nips heal, they really are agony

Arching back is common with reflux but pulling knees up isn't, that sounds more like colic. However both of them could signify wind, do you wind him as you feed him?

We do try to wind him a bit, but I have so much trouble getting him to latch on to the nipple shields (and nearly no success in latching to me) that I am loath to take him off for winding once he's on there. When we do wind him he doesn't seem to burp much at all. He's only really been sick at all twice. Do you think suing the shields might be causing him to take in extra air ?

However, He does fart like a trooper all the time, and I am starting to think that trapped wind might be causing him discomfort. The HV said the farting was normal but he does seem to do it an awful lot. Great comedy value, esp when he's being held by other people when he does it, but I do wonder if it's supposed to happen this much.

(we've got one of the Tummy Tub baby baths, which he loves, but he does give himself a start when he turns it into a mini jacuzzi)

Sounds like windy pains Suis. DS was like this and we termed it 'colic' as it happened every evening for a few hours. Colief drops helped but they're a PITA when breastfeeding.

DS was a REALLY farty baby - and it stunk! DD appears to have a similar problem. With DS it was really embarrassing. He smelled like rotten eggs the whole time. My HV said she had never known such a farty baby! But it was all normal and he grew out of it at about 4 or 5 months. And once on solids at 6 months it really settled. I did take him to see my osteopath who did a lot of work on his tummy at about 4 months so it may have been that that helped. DD is seeing the osteopath next Tues (frist appointment I could get - she must be good!)

Hi all. how's the feeding going? I feel like I still haven't quite got the latch right but am hoping to see someone on Tue to check it out. I totally know what you mean Suis about not wanting to take them off once they're latched on. Luckily DS doesn't seem to get windy so I just leave him til he starts nibbling and then try and break the suction to put him on the other boob for a bit. This seems to be working for us - he settled last night at 11, slept til 3, fed for 30 mins then slept til 6, fed 30 mins then slept til 8.45. I couldn't get back to sleep after the 6am feed though because I was starving so came downstairs to have porridge! I'm going to try making some of determinations oat cookies this afternoon because I'm going to have a go at expressing milk and want to make sure I've got lots. I did express before when I wasn't feeding off one side and it went well so I'm hoping for the best. My plan is to go out to a friends house on Thursday! Anyone know the best time to express? is it after you have fed? I don't want to 'do' DS out of his dinner!
LOL at farty babies, DS made himself jump a mile the other day when he farted in his sleep. Yet to see what happens in the bath!

Smudgemum I believe the best time to express is while you're feeding your baby on the other side but without having Hindu goddess style arms I'm not entirely sure how that's feasible... I think just after the feed is probably second best.

Feeding here is going badly. I had one sore nip so was expressing that side and using the other side for all feeds until that side got sore too and I started expressing both sides and feeding her my milk out of a bottle. Last night I ran out and used a bit of formula for the last feed.

Today one side was healed so I bf'd her and was very pleased with myself for getting a good latch and I was comfy throughout. I don't think she had a lot though as she was hungry after only 2 hours (she normally goes at least 3) and had 3 ozs of EBM. Since bfing her I seem to be getting more sore which is odd, and the other side is getting sore from expressing too, so it seems that no matter what I do I get lots of pain with it.

I think now my only real option is to express what I can until it dries up and use that to wean her slowly on to formula. I'm very very disappointed as I really wanted to keep bfing for several months this time (only managed 10 weeks with DD1 and am not having any more babies) but I guess if I can't then I can't and at least I got the birth I wanted.

I'm trying not to let it get me down but the mood swings are incredible! I go from flying high and yippee-ing down to sobbing uncontrollably over silly little things. I'm not even that tired so I can't blame that! I'm hoping it'll settle down once we have a routine established and I've sorted out the feeding. My lovely mw is coming to see me tomorrow and I hope she won't be too disappointed at me giving up, she's been so kind and supportive while I've been struggling, but I think I've given it more than my best shot and I need to be kind to myself a bit now (and try not to feel guilty about it!).

Sorry for the long post, I bet you wish you'd never asked now!

Moosma - what about these to help heal your nipples? Also try and get expert help to see what the problem it. It usually can be overcome. Has baby been checked for tongue-tie - sorry for hijack

Oh Moosma, sorry you're having such a bad time. Is it worth not even trying to feed directly for a day (even if you think you've healed on one side), just express as often as poss and then have another go with your lovely MW helping? Like you say, you've given it your best shot and that's all you can do but if you're going to feel really bad.... Saying that, your sanity, emotions and happiness are the most important thing so you have to just do what feels right. It's not surprising that your emotions are all over the place and although you say you're not that tired, I'm sure that plays a part. Go and have a lovely warm bath with some nice smellies and a piece of cake!
I agree with you that trying to express on one side whilst feeding on the other is surely impossible. I still have to be really careful with DS latch and hold his head during the feed so I definitely wouldn't have enough hands to pump as well. I'm still sticking to rugby ball hold to feed to make sure I'm properly healed. Saying that I don't think it's conventional rugby ball (ie I wouldn't get in the England squad) as DS seems to be sort of sitting up facing me! My nips often throb a bit after I've fed (but don't hurt at the time) and then if I'm cold they're even worse. Think I'm being called for next feeding duty now. Look after yourself!

Moos ma I'm sending you a big hug ((( ))))Don't feel bad if you give up, Bfing is by far the hardest thing I have ever done. Could you try to keep up some of the expressing? Just think of all the goodness you have already given your baby. You have already set it up to have good health just by feeding in the early days.
feeding is up and down with us, still with a few tears in between. I didn't go to the BF clinc on Fri as had a terrible night so am now aiming for Tuesday. My nips are starting to be a bit sore but I'm not sure if this is just dryness, as I can't see anything else wrong with them. I have been expressing in the evenings but did some this afternoon and got over 50mls out. This was a bit of a shock and then Maya fed for a while too. We want to meet a friend in london in the next couple of weeks for tea (only next to Victoria station so not a big trek) and I want to know I can give her a bottle when we are out so I don't feel stressed if I can't latch her on. Dh has been giving her what I've expressed in the mornings, alhough today it was a paltry amount.
Hope it goes wel with the midwife.
best wishes to everone else.. greys anatomy starts again tonight!!!!

Thanks Mears, I haven't tried those but I think I've tried everything else! I've had Kamillosan, Lansinoh, breast shells, nipple shells, the works! I've just got fed up with being in constant pain, it's very depressing and I seem to be getting less and less each time I express.

Peachygirl, if you're starting to get sore I would suggest you try to find the problem as soon as you can before you get too bad like I did! Good luck for Tuesday, I hope you get lots of nice help like I did

Moosma - I agree with mears - definately try and get hold of some expert advice. Also try the feeding forum on here as there are some bf counsellors who frequent it and some excellent advice.

Do your nipples look normal? (not bruised/cracked/misshapen after a feed) If so, it could be something completely unrelated to the latch such as nipple thrush. I had this a lot with DS and it's bloody sore, but treatable. Or could it be that the breastpump is causing some trauma to them? I know that pumping too much made mine really sore.

Whilst breastfeeding isn't the be all and end all, you don't sound totally ready to give up yet. Keep the milk going with expressing and as many feeds as you can manage and try and see an expert. Most things can be solved with the right diagnosis.

Sending you huge hugs - I know how awfully emotional and painful the early weeks of breastfeeding can be.

I've been on the forums and had lots of help from there and from 2 local midwives who have been really good, and I have perfected my latch too, I just don't seem to be healing. Also I'm expressing by hand as the pump I have made me bleed before any milk came out! This morning I really wanted to carry on but now I do feel quite ready to stop. It makes me sad to think I'll never bf a baby again but I also feel relieved at not having to struggle on any more.

Thanks for all the hugs, they're much appreciated, DH is getting Chinese tonight so I don't have to cook and I've had a nice relaxing afternoon doing nothing so feel much better now

Just remember you've done a great job and given her a great start. Enjoy that chinese

For those wondering about feeding and expressing at the same time... it is possible. I actually need 2 hands to feed too - one to hold my boob. And then I would lean my electric pump on a whole load of cushions and lean my other boob in it! I had to feed rugby hold to have enough room. You can also buy special pumping bras... look well weird though!

Ah, here you all are!

Must read back and catch up with everything.

Young Patrick thriving and we are both trying to get the hang of this bf lark.

Loads and loads of sympathy MoosMa.

Good call on the hand expressing. I was having similar probs with the electric pump, it was massacreing my nips worse than LO, but hand expressing seems much more gentle. I've been managing to express during feeding by fitting the bottle into the waistband of my pjs, being a bit slouched and hand expressing with my one free hand (it is a bit messy and slow though).

I'm also still having the same mood swings. Some of the time I feel almost back to normal, but there are still plenty of bouts of inexplicable tears and feeling pretty low. It will pass given a wee bit of time.

Remember too that you have given your LO the very best start by what you have done already. If you can't go any further, you have already done the most important bit. Whilst breastmilk is the best for your baby, so is having a parent who isn't stressed, miserable and in pain all the time.

When being faced with possibly having to give up bfing myself, my DP reminded me that it is also important to enjoy the precious early days with your baby.

Hello Everyone! Sympathies to Moosma - I was so disappointed to give up BF when my milk went and Jacob kept losing weight. However, if the problem is not fixable, the best thing for you and your baby is to be happy and healthy and the feeling of knowing that outweighs the disappointment. I will definately try again - I think my problems were directly connected to the fact that I purely expressed for the first 4 weeks of Jacob's life and that is so clinical, followed by latching him on 3 times a day in hospital - not very relaxing!

If anyone is using bottles for the odd EBM feed, please can I HUGELY recommend a brand called Dr Brown's. They are anti-colic and recommended to me by a friend. They have a funny funnel type thing down the middle. Anyway, Jacob is a total guzzle guts and "touch wood" hasn't had any colic. They are more expensive at around £5 per bottle but fantastic.

Jacob is doing well. Not sure what he weighs as we trudged up to clinic last Thursday only to be told he didn't need weighing as he has a hospital app soon. Very irritating. He had 6-8 week GP check today and everything is perfect. Some things are measured from his birth date, others from his EDD, like focus and smiling. He's just starting to do both, but is naturally later than a full term baby. He's 9 weeks tomorrow! How crazy to think there'll be 9 or 10 weeks between our first and last born babies on the thread!

Questions for the those in the know:

Can I give Jacob the odd drink of cool boiled water?
When should I start being brave and put him upstairs with monitors on in the evening (gulp!)

Hello Everyone! Sympathies to Moosma - I was so disappointed to give up BF when my milk went and Jacob kept losing weight. However, if the problem is not fixable, the best thing for you and your baby is to be happy and healthy and the feeling of knowing that outweighs the disappointment. I will definately try again - I think my problems were directly connected to the fact that I purely expressed for the first 4 weeks of Jacob's life and that is so clinical, followed by latching him on 3 times a day in hospital - not very relaxing!

If anyone is using bottles for the odd EBM feed, please can I HUGELY recommend a brand called Dr Brown's. They are anti-colic and recommended to me by a friend. They have a funny funnel type thing down the middle. Anyway, Jacob is a total guzzle guts and "touch wood" hasn't had any colic. They are more expensive at around £5 per bottle but fantastic.

Jacob is doing well. Not sure what he weighs as we trudged up to clinic last Thursday only to be told he didn't need weighing as he has a hospital app soon. Very irritating. He had 6-8 week GP check today and everything is perfect. Some things are measured from his birth date, others from his EDD, like focus and smiling. He's just starting to do both, but is naturally later than a full term baby. He's 9 weeks tomorrow! How crazy to think there'll be 9 or 10 weeks between our first and last born babies on the thread!

Questions for the those in the know:

Can I give Jacob the odd drink of cool boiled water?
When should I start being brave and put him upstairs with monitors on in the evening (gulp!)

sorry

Answers for Maazaa:

Yes if you think he needs it.

When you're happy to! I've had to do that right from the start as it's not safe for her to be downstairs with DD1 until I get the playpen.

Also thanks for the sympathies, I have the mw coming tomorrow to help me have another go at latching her on as I seem to have healed now. Hopefully I won't get damaged again.........

Am a bit apprehensive about it but am determined not to get upset about it if it doesn't work.

Maaza - if you don;t feel up to putting him his cot yet don't worry. The latest SIDS recommendation is that babies take naps in the same room as an adult anyway. Mind you, that's not always feasible!

Hi everyone,
am very pleased to be able to finally join you over here. we are struggling but persevering with the bf as well. currently having a 24hr break from feeding directly as nipples just got too sore last night (blister on left one!), so playing the expressing game. luckily don't seem to have any supply issues although i'm not too sure how much she should be taking at each feed (hospital said 30mins on breast or 30mls EBM - which doesn't seem like enough reading through this thread). I am managing to express around 40-60mls from both sides in around 20mins, so just giving Abby as much as she wants from the bottle. Am planning to restart latching on tomorrow morning - hope she's not got too lazy.
apologies for the lack of punctuation/capitals - am typing one handed as lo is asleep on my shoulder.

Morning all. We had a rubbish day and night on Sunday/Monday with DS waking every 2 hours through the night and then wanting to feed every 1.5 hours through the day and not sleeping unless I was holding him. Last night was much better though so I'm hoping it was a blip. Saying that, although he sleeps in his moses basket at night, during the day he wakes up as soon as I put him down. He'll sleep in the sling or in my arms and can be snoring nicely, I put him down and ping 'waaah'. Anyone know whether 4 weeks is too early to start worrying that I'm setting myself up for permenantly having to carry him? When he's awake, he's happy to be in a bouncy chair for a bit, or lying on the floor, it's just when he's asleep.

Hope the MW helped Moosma. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you. Having expressed last week to give sore nips a rest and managed to get quite a lot at one go, I'm now trying to express so that I can go out and meet friends on Thursday night. Really struggling to get much out now. I think I might have been pushing pump on my boob too hard and it was cutting off supply. Tried to express whilst feeding today Suzi2 and although I haven't got an electric pump, feeding him rugby style and then propping pump on cushions seemed to work ok. I got about 2.5oz out.
Hope everyone's ok emotionally. I had a bit of a 'do' this morning when DH was cross with me because I hadn't made his lunch. Well he said I should have said that I hadn't made it - when exactly did he think I had time? Perhaps with my 5th arm whilst feeding and expressing? I tried to point out that I hadn't made it the last few days because unless DS is still asleep in bed, I've had my hands full! Going out later for a second attempt to get to the breastfeeding support group. Nice and sunny outside!

Smudgemum - you could have written that first bit for me!!! thomas (3weeks tomorrow) is exactly the same - won't go in the basket during the day unless he is sound asleep - will fall asleep in my arms and the minute you put him down it is like there is a level in him that once he gets horizontal he will wake up! He sleeps well in it at night - but is a horror in the early evening - pacing up and down settles him - maybe I need to get a sling to carry him around in as I can not get anything done during the day! I don't mind cuddling him - but don't fancy that when he is 6 months old!

Having said that he will go 3 hours between feeds and feeds at around the same time evenings - 9-9.45pm. 1-2am, and 5-6am and then again at 9am (even though some days I have to make him wait for it - trying to time the school runs!!)

Health visitor came today - she is lovely - different one to we had for dd, but was here for nearly an hour chatting! Signed up for baby massage when he is 8 weeks old, and she weighed him - now 9lb 1oz - so 9oz over is birth weight and slap bang on the 50% line in his red book. There is also a pram walk club twice a month - so will go for that in two weeks tome - just to get out and about and meeting new people.

Hope everyone else is ok - there are still a few left on the ante-natal thread - hope they will come over soon and we will be complete!

Hello ladies and babies! How are you all? Jacob and I are doing well, getting confident and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. I have absolutely no desire to return to work even though I'll have to - just enjoying the time we have now.

So, has anyone had the "I've got it harder/I'm more tired" row with their DH/DP? I'm sure it's a newborn classic. I just cannot imagine how you ladies with other children are managing - superwomen!!!

Thanks for the answers to my questions Suzi2 and Moosma. I left Jacob in his crib yesterday morning, popped the monitor on and came downstairs to do some jobs for half an hour, before giving in and bringing him down! Still, progress, I think!!