December 2007 - Santa's come early for some of us...

[Housemum]

Thought I'd start off the new thread as I've never started one before - congratulations to those of you who are on here now - hope I'll be joing you in the not-too-distant future!

Hi - VERY quickly....

Amani - I don't believe expressing is a good indicator of how much milk you are prodicing as it can be quite hard to express, especially this early on. There are other indicators that you are producing enough - the main one being that the baby is putting on weight. But please talk to your health visitor about it and also try and get some advice from a breastfeeding counsellor - they are the experts. It sounds like you are doing wonderfully well and I am sure things will settle down soon, but I understand why you need the reassurance.

TheLady - please don't stress too much about bottle feeding, it has happened to quite a few people I know. I would never judge anyone, and it sounds like you made tremendous efforts to breastfeed. My SIL had a very traumatic birth with her 1st child and I think this contributed to the problems she had with feeding. At the end of the day, Frances will be getting lots of goodness from the formula and will, I am sure, thrive on it. Also, it does sound like reflux - we had this problem with dd1. She wouldn't settle well either - we found swaddling her (using the Miracle blanket from Mothercare) really helped. She eventually grew out of it when we weaned her and switched to formula (ironically!).

Caz10 - I have been expressing for the last few days and my DH has been giving her a bottle before he goes to bed. However she has been a hungry little monkey and even 4oz wasn't enough for her last night so I have had to top up. However, we are keen to give her a regular bottle from now on (she is just over 2 weeks) as we REALLY struggled to switch to bottle feeding when we needed to at 5 months last time....

Claireybee - thanks for info on Emma Jane bras - am off to try and buy one online now.

hi all,

let's see how i get on with one-handed typing...

claraq - sorry to hear about your mastitis - are the ABs having an effect yet? i had mastitis last week and it was excrutiating to feed but much much better after a couple of days of ABs - hope it's the same for you

amani, suey and others - sorry bf is soo hard - i also had the 7pm- 3am constant feeding at the beginning but milo is 2 weeks tomorrow and has really settled into a routine of feeding every 2.5-3 hours which lets me get enough sleep to retain my sanity! i know it feels like an eternity now but if you do want to persevere things should begin to improve quite soon. the soreness is also much better now and i feel so much more positive about it all - so hang on in there and it will all start to come together

clara - that's interesting about your dd1 not accepting a bottle - i was planning to wait untul 5/6 weeks like caz10 but maybe i'll introduce a bottle earlier now..

amani - agree with claraq - how much you express does not necessarily indicate how much milk you have - i never could express much with dd but had plenty of milk

end of part 1...

part 2..

congrats lizzer, loucee, suey2 and thingmagig

loucee - my goodness what a birth and hope you're recovering well

suey - sounds awful you poor thing, hope you're feeling ok now

lizzer - fantastic birth story - on all fours was my form of transport in late labour too! and dexter is gorgeous (as is your dd)

all is well here - milo is a complete angel and hardly ever cries. ILs are over from ireland for ten days which isn't ideal but dh is being lovely and taking them out a lot so i can have some time alone with milo. feel terribly guilty about DD who is desperate for some attention from me but with feeding all the time and ILs wanting to play with her all the time it is hard... almost looking forward to dh going back to work so i will have them both all the time - may live to regret saying that!

Hi everyone

Just popping over to see how you are all doing.

Just wanted to say to thelady - have you tried swaddling?

It was a total godsend for my DS

xxxxxxx

Hello all,

I'm having trouble with breastfeeding too. i never expected it to be quite so hard and painful. Rory is taking his milk, but my nipples are sore and he's not putting on weight so mw thinks there's a latch problem. I've been trying for more than 3 weeks now and can't seem to get it any better. I admit that I've gone against MW advice and given the wee laddie some formula at night, and have been expressing some milk to make sure he gets some inside him. I'm glad that he manages to feed from a bottle and from the breast.

Got quite depressed over Christmas. Thought I might have a touch of PND as have been unable to stop crying. Felt better yesterday as DH and I went out to see some friends with Rory and it made me feel more normal again.

Have been out and about a little bit after CS. Didn't leave the house for about 10 days but after that have been to local shops and local walks with DH. Yesterday we braved busses and the tube for the first time.

Am getting fed up with constipation and piles, anyone else?

Sorry this reads like a bit of a moany essay about me. I've not got much time to post these days as you all probably find too. Sounds like we're all having similar niggles.

Louccee - snap = except I had a spinal. I went for a 10 minute walk on day 5 and went christmas shopping the next day. I was fine - I took a pain killer and the worst thing was a pulled a muscle from trying to look after my stomach.

evie is fime - she had lots of cuddles with various relations over xmas. she had a cold though and sounds like a hedgehog. she is feeding well - about every 3 hours. I am a little tired but doing ok.

btw I am finding bf harder this time thsn dd2, but easier than number 1. I had forgotton about leaking breastmilk and how painful it can be. I also has a touch of mastitis. However evie is a better feeder than dd1 - and feeds for about 45 mins st a time every 3-4 hours as apposed to dd1 who grazed all the time and was never off the breast.

I echo everyone else - it does get easier, less painful and less tiring eventually.

Good to hear everyone else's experiences, and clara that's interesting re the bottle. You get such conflicting advice don't you? Everything I've read says avoid giving EBM by bottle for a good few weeks - then my HV came in today and said get started asap, basically for the reason you had mentioned too. I can't seem to hand express so the scary looking hand pump might get investigated soon...

Wizzska I have been feeling the same, really teary the past few days when I hadn't ever felt like that before (nothing at all on days 3-4 when everyone says the baby blues will strike..) Maybe it's just tiredness setting in?

Feel bad, but starting to feel like things are a bit of a chore now - think I need to get out and about again.

Wizz, piles are awful. It?s just typical, undercarriage swelling and pain goes down, then stitches start to hurt, they start to heal and then piles have now appeared with a very painful vengeance. Why oh why is childbirth so unpleasant? to keep the population low I imagine. It makes me think of all the women of centuries gone by, how the hell they coped without medication!

Louise was also pass the parcel with all the relli?s this xmas, she was so good and contented. [proud mama emoticon] I also never tire of people telling me how well I look,

I?m also thinking of giving a bottle once a day from next week onwards, as I?ve heard numerous reports of struggling to switch from breast to bottle after 3-4 months, it?s easier if someone else feeds baby though as they can smell your breastmilk.

hi everyone, hope you are all getting on OK. Wizzska, I too am feeling very tearful- it is really rather odd and not like me. Perhaps the hormones are still working their way through our bodies? I am impressed though that you were out and about on the tube! I took my LO today on a couple of very crowded London buses and it was very unsettling- every time someone coughed I would jump about worrying!!

Does anyone else have a sleepy baby? Mine needs waking every four hours for feeds- we have to set an alarm clock, she never wakes us. This sounds great but actually I'd like a bit more action!

Hi everyone and congrats on all the new arrivals.
Thelady, you have my every sympathy, dd was also a velcro baby and we tried absolutely everything to be able to put her down but nothing worked. She slept on me for the first 8 weeks and after that gradually started taking some of her sleeps on her own but it was quite a long time before she stayed in her cot all night (apart from feeds). Please don't despair though, it was slow going but from a few months old she would only sleep if you put her in her cot and left her alone so a complete change around-Frances WILL get there and you'll miss the cuddles(hard to believe now when all you want to do is put the baby DOWN!) DS is better than dd was but certainly not a baby who is happy to just be sat in his chair etc, he also wants cuddles most of the time but can usually be put down once he is properly asleep which to me feels like heaven! Also DO NOT feel bad about ff, you tried hard with bf and better to have a thriving ff baby than struggling on with bf.

Everyone wondering about introducing a bottle, dd had one a day from very early on and had no problems switching between breast and bottle. Once I introduced a second bottle though she got lazy at the breast and was fully ff not long afterwards. DS hasn't had a bottle yet mainly because I'm too lazy to get all the paraphanalia out of the cupboard but I've just started introducing a bedtime routine for him and once that is in place I'll start giving him a bottle as part of that (ebm to begin with and then formula once he starts taking more than I can express easily)-it really helped with dd as it meant she took more in one go instead of snacking all evening and meant that her first stretch of sleep was longer and I only had to do 2 night feeds, am just hoping will work for ds in the same way!

We started on the infacol yesterday because he was having real problems with his wind and was taking up to 3 hours to settle after feeds, it seems to be helping so far as in the night I was only up for an hour at a time with him instead of 2 or 3. Also giving him a dummy some of the time as when he was struggling with the wind he was comfort sucking and compounding the problem by taking more milk and making his wind worse-he doesn't seem to need the dummy in the same way that dd did (I was really anti them before I had her!) but it does seem to make him more settled and tbh when I have dd to look after as well I'll do anything for an easy life!

hello all.
have started a different tack after the breastfeeding consultant came yesterday. She said that teh baby should be able to go 3-4 hours between feeds if she feeds until she is full. She taught me how to watch for 'good sucking' and totally changed my latching on technique. She was incredibly matter of fact. I am expressing at the end of each feed (baby gets both breasts each time) and this gets offered to her as a top up when she finishes the next feed- she acn be lazy or dropping off, but still take the bottle. If she refuese the bottle, she has fed enough from me.
this morning after a difficult night, she has had 4 then 3 hours between feeds and now has not fed for 2.5 hours and is still asleep. To keep her awake i change her nappy between breasts and make sure i regularly wind her if she stops sucking.
The consultants name is clare byam cook and i would thoroughly recommend her book.

Hope this is helpful for any other people struggling. She also emphasised that every mother and every baby is different with regards milk supply and speed of feeding, and not to be sucked into timings- however, baby should not feed for more than 30 mins each side- if she does, the latch is likely to be wrong.

Night nanny starts tonight. am sooo looking forward to some sleep- even if i will be up for fedding, it is the other stuff that takes it out of me

Fab advice suey, thanks! Our local BF counsellor is coming out tomorrow to see me as I am in AGONY from poor latch on one side, will post what she says. of your night nurse, esp as DH is nightshift just now, yuck!

Hey chicks, haven't been on for ages and too lazy to catch up too far

DD was early - 25th Nov (was due on 6th Dec) - straightforward birth and home the next day. So far so good I think, she's gaining weight nicely and seems in the past few days to be going for longer between feeds.

Breastfeeding is a bit of a minefield isn't it?! No right or wrong answers, vague advice from midwives / health visitors ("shold I ...?", "yes, you can do it that way if you want to"), not really what I expected. Comparatively we are doing pretty well I think and my heart goes out to those of you having trouble but stick with it! Chances are if you're awake and having a tough time, at least one of the rest of us is in the same boat. xxx

Congratulations mimicake.

Still an uphill struggle with BF, feel like my whole time is spent having a baby attached to me. Have increased her feeding time to about 25 mins, which gives me slightly longer in between feeds, approximately 30 mins and giving a complimentary bottle at night. Feeling a little down as DH and DD1 have been out and about doing activities and shopping, whilst I've been stuck at home with a baby on my breast.....

has anyone actually reached that stage where 'it get's better'?? I'd really like to know when it is,,,,

Congrats to all the new mummies!

BF counsellor here today, v nice but more woolly advice! She seemed quite keen on co-sleeping too, which I am very scared of, she didn't push it though, but seemed to be suggesting it would help our sleepless nights - think I would get even LESS sleep doing that TBH.

Anyway she helped me with latching on which has been v bad on one side resulting in a LOT of pain even when I'm not even feeding. So I know what I'm MEANT to be doing now, but even she said it would be a struggle to correct.

Re length of feeds etc she said there's no answer really, but as suey said, more than 30-40 mins prob means latch is wrong. (mine def has been on one side). On the offering one side/both sides she said there's no correct answer, it has to be baby led, offer them the 2nd breast if they don't seem happy after coming off the 1st one themselves.

Think we have also been guilty of trying to get her down to sleep in her crib too quickly rather than holding her, it's been feed, wind, down...then DD screams and we pick her up again and repeat, whereas if she gets cuddled after a feed she will be content in my arms or with DH. I'm going to find it hard though to be sitting with her for longer, I'm like you Amani, desparate to get off the sofa!

co sleeping caz? no way! I would be terrified.

New BF working a lot better, although not infallible. Am expressing with a pump to increase supply and have enough on the go to miss the middle of the night feed and leave it to the night nanny- so i may get 6 hours break overnight tonight! Blisssss
DH is particularly pleased- he does not need to get up at all now she has started.
must dash- 3.5 hours since last feed and millie is now hungry.

Amani - no, it's def not better yet!!
Think I thought the BFC could wave a magic wand and "fix" feeding/sleeping etc for me...

Suey can I ask what kind of pump you have, and would you recommend it? Think I def want to be able to delegate at least one feed a day! Do you express at the end of every feed or just particular ones?

and my thoughts exactly on the co-sleeping, I'm far too scared and wouldn't know where to start with exactly how to do it anyway.

Hello I have graduated at last!
Just checking in will catch up properly tomorrow to discuss problems with bf and co-sleeping

congrats!!!!

OK - my whinge tally

Not enough sleep - check!
Piles - getting better but still ouch. Managed a couple of poos though.
Norks - they fecking hurt! Think milk is coming in.
Bad parenting - Daniel has a dummy now because mummy's norks are for providing food and not comfort
Fanjo - getting better, still slighty achy
Pelvic Floor - so what's that then? Better get exercising.
Tears - copious!
Baby - angelic, gorgeous, and a total PFB!!! Love him sooo much!

Caz - DH is off buying me a Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature manual pump, we have TTCTN steriliser, bottles and dummies and thought it best to make sure everything same and therefore compatible, reviews rate it very highly.
Will let you know how I get on - have been advised to use it to ease engorgement when it happens.

I like the closer to nature pump, it works ok but hurts the nips more than bf for me.

Must go and change the stinky nappy again! i love the look of surprise after filling the nappy, and she tends to do it on guests!!

DH has got manflu, so I'm a single mother atm, wow, my hat is off to them!!!, plus must be harder with other kidlings.

Congrats BT, good that you've got DH trained to announce for you!!!

Hi,have come over here to join you now that I have baby Lois.
All ok here. All she does is sleep, so so different than when ds1 & 2 were newborn. They brought so much chaos with them!

My milk has come in today so have stuffed a couple of cabbage leaves down my bra and just taken a couple of nurofen.

Had my best nights sleep in ages last night so actually feeling vaguely human today. Hope you all having a good Sunday.