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Post by clementine on Mar 11, 2018 12:17:20 GMT -6
Any have a recommendation for an app to track feedings? Which side, what times, wet and poopy diapers, amounts pumped, etc. I guess I could download 5 or 6 and try them out. 😏 I’ve been using Baby Breastfeeding Tracker and I’ve been happy with it. I downloaded a few and was going to try them all but this one worked fine and I was too lazy to try the rest. You can track all of the things you mentioned.
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Post by clementine on Mar 11, 2018 12:19:07 GMT -6
clementine I have been using a shield on the left but haven't needed it on the right side. The left side is just flatter than the right and it's been painful to me. Sometimes if I am in a different position I can get away with not using it. She doesn't seem to notice the difference so much and has been doing well on both sides. I just now saw this but this is me exactly. He seems to have a harder time getting a deep latch on the left and that nipple is really sore. I’ve been using the shield occasionally on that side or when he’s super sleepy bc I feel like it keeps him latched and awake better.
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Post by katietopaz on Mar 11, 2018 13:18:55 GMT -6
Any have a recommendation for an app to track feedings? Which side, what times, wet and poopy diapers, amounts pumped, etc. I guess I could download 5 or 6 and try them out. 😏 I liked BabyConnect with DS1. I also used it to track sleep - you can track about everything under the sun with it, if that's your thing. Plus it has graphs, if you're Type A like me 😬
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Post by leatherpants on Mar 11, 2018 13:19:50 GMT -6
Any have a recommendation for an app to track feedings? Which side, what times, wet and poopy diapers, amounts pumped, etc. I guess I could download 5 or 6 and try them out. 😏 I liked BabyConnect with DS1. I also used it to track sleep - you can track about everything under the sun with it, if that's you're thing. Plus it has graphs, if you're Type A like me 😬 +1 to this! I like Baby Connect too
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Post by nuggetrn on Mar 11, 2018 13:25:28 GMT -6
Any have a recommendation for an app to track feedings? Which side, what times, wet and poopy diapers, amounts pumped, etc. I guess I could download 5 or 6 and try them out. 😏 I have the glow baby app and I love it.
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yianna
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Post by yianna on Mar 11, 2018 18:44:14 GMT -6
Medela has a good app too.
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Post by nevertoomanyshoes on Mar 12, 2018 2:38:24 GMT -6
clementine I hope things are going better! Anecdote: I had to pump after each feed while using the shield and give DS a bottle of pumped milk after he nursed (so I would give him a bottle of milk straight after he nursed, get him back to sleep or pass him to H, then express milk ready for after the next nurse). It helped my milk properly come in, as well as helping him gain (he wasn’t gaining once we went home from hospital).
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Post by clementine on Mar 12, 2018 6:34:34 GMT -6
nevertoomanyshoes thanks! Things are going better overall. We’re basically done using the shield - yay! But now I have a whole new list of concerns. I have a call into the LC so hopefully she can help! That is some serious dedication on your part. Nursing, bottle feeding, and then pumping... how did you have time for anything else?
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Post by woodenshoes on Mar 12, 2018 7:03:06 GMT -6
I am just going to vent because...I am frustrated. I knew the chances of me being able to BF were slim. I didn’t produce enough for DS. We attributed it to his 3 day NICU stay/that separation. At 3 months I started completely FF him. I wanted to try again this time, with DS2, but we never got immediate skin to skin time and I was only able to try to nurse him 3 times before he went to NICU. I did some pumping but I got nothing so they had to give him formula. It appears he is not getting enough either. He will nurse for a long time, I see milk by the sides of his mouth when he unlatches, but 5 minutes later he will be cueing he is hungry again. Or I try to nurse and he just falls asleep...he has been a sleepy baby and even giving him formula in a bottle has been tough at times because he won’t wake up. We see the pediatrician tomorrow. I really should just switch to FF now for my sanity, but it makes me feel guilty and I know it shouldn’t. Sorry for the word vomit I thought it would be easier to just quit this time but it is not. I was hoping to make it to a month with some kind of breastfeeding.
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Leaf 🌱
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Post by Leaf 🌱 on Mar 12, 2018 7:30:06 GMT -6
woodenshoes you’re doing a great job. BFing is not the be all end all. He needs you to be happy and healthy so release any and all guilt about switching to FF or supplementing. It sounds like you’re both really tired. If continuing BFing is really important to you, maybe try power pumping? Maybe he just needs to build a little strength so he can nurse and then take a bottle of formula. If you decide to keep trying BF, would it be helpful to set a limit? Sometimes doing things like saying “If I’m not enjoying this and he is not nursing well at least 4x/day by Sunday, we are switching to formula exclusively” gives me a sense of control and proves to me that i tried it, it didnt work, and I’m ok with letting it go. A billion hugs. There’s no wrong way to feed a baby... unless it’s goats milk as discussed on GD 😂
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yianna
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Post by yianna on Mar 12, 2018 7:53:43 GMT -6
Fed is best woodenshoes ! Don’t give up though - there’s nothing that says you cannot combo feed! Nurse him then bottle him OR bottle him then nurse him!
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Post by alwayscheese on Mar 12, 2018 9:52:06 GMT -6
I am just going to vent because...I am frustrated. I knew the chances of me being able to BF were slim. I didn’t produce enough for DS. We attributed it to his 3 day NICU stay/that separation. At 3 months I started completely FF him. I wanted to try again this time, with DS2, but we never got immediate skin to skin time and I was only able to try to nurse him 3 times before he went to NICU. I did some pumping but I got nothing so they had to give him formula. It appears he is not getting enough either. He will nurse for a long time, I see milk by the sides of his mouth when he unlatches, but 5 minutes later he will be cueing he is hungry again. Or I try to nurse and he just falls asleep...he has been a sleepy baby and even giving him formula in a bottle has been tough at times because he won’t wake up. We see the pediatrician tomorrow. I really should just switch to FF now for my sanity, but it makes me feel guilty and I know it shouldn’t. Sorry for the word vomit I thought it would be easier to just quit this time but it is not. I was hoping to make it to a month with some kind of breastfeeding. Hugs momma! I am in the thick of this with you. Different circumstances, but it's all so hard. I'm waiting on DS to get labs drawn then headed to appt with lactation consultant.
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Post by mrsmonogrammed on Mar 12, 2018 10:02:14 GMT -6
Hugs woodenshoes. Babies go through A LOT of growth spurts in the first few weeks so him cueing that he’s hungry doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not doing well! It’s his job to tell your body to make more milk so the cluster feeding and seemingly insatiable appetite could be from that too! Do what works best for your family. A happy/healthy mama means a happy/healthy baby!
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polson
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Post by polson on Mar 12, 2018 14:29:33 GMT -6
woodenshoes +1 to what everyone has said. i’m questioning things as well. give yourself some grace this is really hard. i like leafs idea of setting small goals - i did that the first time around and am doing it now. that said, dd2 had her first pedi appointment last friday and was up 2 oz over discharge weight (she was down 5 oz from birth) and they want me to come in for a weight check this week. it’s making me nervous - is this pretty typical? i don’t remember this from dd1, but i also had a 2 week appt so maybe that was the whole point of the 2 week appointment. they don’t do 2 week appointments where i am now.
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Leaf 🌱
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Post by Leaf 🌱 on Mar 12, 2018 14:33:09 GMT -6
polson weight checks are SUPER normal and Inknow a lot of people ending up going in for a quick nurse’s visit for a NB to get weighed. I feel like it’s so hard when you’re dealing with sleepy newborns and literally only ounces of difference in weight. That’s a big poop or a decent feed’s worth of difference. Don’t stress!
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Post by leatherpants on Mar 12, 2018 14:55:49 GMT -6
Aw man, I’m sorry woodenshoes. @leafs Post was exactly everything I wanted to say so she covered it and then some with some wicked advice on the goals. Feeding worries suck but the only goal is to keep him fed. You are doing a great job. You truly are. I get being disappointed and sad but don’t feel guilty. Someone once told me guilt is a gift you give yourself. So tell it to fuck off. ❤️ Big hugs.
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Post by nuggetrn on Mar 12, 2018 15:31:46 GMT -6
polson I had to take baby in for a weight check at 3 weeks after she had maybe lost 3 ounces at her 2 week appt. I think we're all still kind of wondering if the scale was off. DD was 7 lbs birth, 7 lbs 3 oz at her first appt 4 days later and then at her 2 week back to 7 lbs. The fact that she was up 3 oz was a surprise. So technically back to her birth weight at 2 weeks but had still managed to lose weight. Weird. She was 8 lbs at her weight check though. So yay!
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Post by woodenshoes on Mar 12, 2018 17:20:58 GMT -6
I am going to quit. I nursed L several times today and after he was done with the feedings he took a 3-4 oz bottle within 15 minutes. After he nurses he falls asleep, but after a bottle he has some energy. Based on my scale L is down 1 pound from his birth weight when he was born last Monday. I know with DS1 the lactation consultant said that he was using all of his energy to just get whatever little bit he could get. I think the same is happening now with L. They both have/had excellent latches so it is a bummer my body doesn’t work in this department. I also have been checking my blood pressure and it is still high. I am sure the stress of wanting/trying to BF doesn’t help.
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Leaf 🌱
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Post by Leaf 🌱 on Mar 12, 2018 18:39:42 GMT -6
woodenshoes please go pour yourself a glass of wine and snuggle that cute baby. That’s enough decision making and stress for one day.
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Post by alwayscheese on Mar 12, 2018 19:22:09 GMT -6
I have no idea what happened to my post that I intended to add to my previous message. woodenshoes "ETA I intended to say more. -Your sanity is more important than HOW you feed your LO - are you pumping and not getting enough? Or only supplementing with formula?"
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yianna
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Post by yianna on Mar 12, 2018 19:37:59 GMT -6
I am going to quit. I nursed L several times today and after he was done with the feedings he took a 3-4 oz bottle within 15 minutes. After he nurses he falls asleep, but after a bottle he has some energy. Based on my scale L is down 1 pound from his birth weight when he was born last Monday. I know with DS1 the lactation consultant said that he was using all of his energy to just get whatever little bit he could get. I think the same is happening now with L. They both have/had excellent latches so it is a bummer my body doesn’t work in this department. I also have been checking my blood pressure and it is still high. I am sure the stress of wanting/trying to BF doesn’t help. Every mom deserves to enjoy her baby and not be stressed about making enough food. You’re a rockstar for trying again!
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Post by woodenshoes on Mar 12, 2018 19:38:00 GMT -6
alwayscheese I have done both. The same thing happened with DS1. I just was really hoping it would work because it would save us money. If neither of the boys had to go to NICU maybe it would’ve worked for one of them but who knows. My sister had similar issues so it may be genetic.
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Post by nevertoomanyshoes on Mar 13, 2018 3:45:51 GMT -6
nevertoomanyshoes thanks! Things are going better overall. We’re basically done using the shield - yay! But now I have a whole new list of concerns. I have a call into the LC so hopefully she can help! That is some serious dedication on your part. Nursing, bottle feeding, and then pumping... how did you have time for anything else? Glad things have gotten better! But sorry you have other issues now Luckily MH was able to be on leave the whole time I had to do that so i didn’t have much else to do. I just lived in the glider lol.
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polson
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Post by polson on Mar 13, 2018 4:36:21 GMT -6
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cp3
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Post by cp3 on Mar 22, 2018 14:55:22 GMT -6
My milk came in yesterday which yay because it took way longer with DD1. But I am uncomfortable and and they are rock hard even with baby eating about every 2-3 hours. I've been hand expressing a little with my hand pump but I'm debating if I should use my regular pump. I don't want to increase my supply and I can't remember if this is normal for the first few days.
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Rama
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Post by Rama on Mar 22, 2018 15:14:38 GMT -6
My milk came in yesterday which yay because it took way longer with DD1. But I am uncomfortable and and they are rock hard even with baby eating about every 2-3 hours. I've been hand expressing a little with my hand pump but I'm debating if I should use my regular pump. I don't want to increase my supply and I can't remember if this is normal for the first few days. LC told me it was normal for the first few days milk comes in and you should regulate down after. That said, I've had to pump some out because poor Lyra is just drowning in my milk.
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girlmom
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Post by girlmom on Mar 22, 2018 17:06:55 GMT -6
I was uncomfortable for quite a few days - 3 for sure, but I think it was more. I did not express at all because I was afraid that might encourage more milk production.
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yianna
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Post by yianna on Mar 22, 2018 18:33:20 GMT -6
My milk came in yesterday which yay because it took way longer with DD1. But I am uncomfortable and and they are rock hard even with baby eating about every 2-3 hours. I've been hand expressing a little with my hand pump but I'm debating if I should use my regular pump. I don't want to increase my supply and I can't remember if this is normal for the first few days. Uo can express for relief just don’t empty them!
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Post by ovenrack on Mar 24, 2018 12:00:44 GMT -6
My milk came in quick and regulated pretty quickly, with very very minor leaking and engorgement that wasn’t too bad. But then at 2w post partum I started leaking a TON. And more engorgement. I’m annoyed.
T is having a tough time with all the milk so we’re doing a good bit it side lying over a towel so she can let the extra dribble out.
Sorry, girl. It should lessen soon...
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Post by alwayscheese on Mar 24, 2018 18:21:28 GMT -6
My milk came in quick and regulated pretty quickly, with very very minor leaking and engorgement that wasn’t too bad. But then at 2w post partum I started leaking a TON. And more engorgement. I’m annoyed. T is having a tough time with all the milk so we’re doing a good bit it side lying over a towel so she can let the extra dribble out. Sorry, girl. It should lessen soon... Yes I feel like the leaking has got steadily worse!? And yes I tuck a burp rag in my bra because OMG MILK EVERYWHERE!! Eta when will it lessen?
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