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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 22, 2019 8:29:43 GMT -6
Thanks! This has definitely been more challenging than I thought it would be. Setting small goals is a great idea! Definately this the first 2 weeks are very hard but by 2weeks you baby will have had over 100 tries at learning this new skill and they will get more and more proficent at it. By a month my daughter was so good at nursing she would be full/ done in 10 minutes. I just kept wondering of she was getting enough. Then i had my husband feed her one night she downed a 3 or 4 ounce bottle that fast so i didnt worry about her not getting enough after that. Wow! That is fast! 2 weeks...we can do this!
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Post by jewelsofthenile on Mar 22, 2019 8:48:11 GMT -6
Definately this the first 2 weeks are very hard but by 2weeks you baby will have had over 100 tries at learning this new skill and they will get more and more proficent at it. By a month my daughter was so good at nursing she would be full/ done in 10 minutes. I just kept wondering of she was getting enough. Then i had my husband feed her one night she downed a 3 or 4 ounce bottle that fast so i didnt worry about her not getting enough after that. Wow! That is fast! 2 weeks...we can do this! not all kids eat that fast. but she was very strong sucker and my boobs have a fast flow. There was a lot of her sputtering and coughing when she was a few weeks old because my letdown is fast which sucked because then she would pull off because she was overwhelmed have to latch again which is super painful those first few weeks. Take it a day at a time or even few feedings at a time. If one feeding is terrible just remember you have another chance in a few hours. And if you need a break pump and have YH give a bottle for a feeding. Lactation consultants are really helpful too i know I asked several questions the first week and she just kept reassuring me that i was doing great which really helped because i know i felt like i have no idea if we were on the right track.
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Eames
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Post by Eames on Mar 22, 2019 9:16:33 GMT -6
The first 2 weeks are so hard. Then with DD we turned a corner and she could at least consistently latch. Then by 6 weeks we were on our way. By 3 months I was confident we could do it.
In the early days I just remember crying and crying because she was so sleepy, didn't seem interested, preferred a bottle, etc. And asking my sister why no one talked about how hard it can be and why other mammals don't seem to struggle so much. 😂
But then we made it to 26 months!
This time I have the same occasional doubts, but I'm making small goals. One month. July 1 when I go back to work. Another big one is 6 months but I'd really love to make it at least a year.
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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 22, 2019 9:31:08 GMT -6
Thank you @jewelofthenile. I think looking at things 1 feeding at a time is helpful!
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pambee
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Post by pambee on Mar 23, 2019 9:39:02 GMT -6
H has been so gassy lately and I think he's not latching well at night because we're both tired and lazy. Which causes him to be gassy, sleep less, and be tired...which starts the cycle over. Oy. I need to be better about paying attention and relatching him but I just want to keep my eyes closed 😴
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Eames
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Post by Eames on Mar 23, 2019 10:26:21 GMT -6
We had a great nursing session with one of the twins this morning, the other not so much. One session at a time...
I'm just so frustrated with everyone in my house just popping bottles in their mouths. Like one twin woke up and was as content as could be, just looking at the light coming through the window, and the ILs are busy trying to shove one in.
I've repeatedly said that I wanted to nurse during the day, then we can top off with a bottle if they need more. Their response was that the bottle was already ready so perhaps I could just nurse after? Except they won't be as interested and they tend to get more frustrated in that order...
They don't know much or anything about BFing so I can't really blame them, but I'm just tired of having people in my space. Also with the discussion about how hard it will be for me to manage on my own. Well, first of all once I'm by myself I won't have to go hide upstairs anymore and can plant myself on the couch with boobs out all the time so yeah, that will actually be way more convenient.
(At least while pumping upstairs I have coffee and am watching an episode of house hunters international!)
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pambee
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Post by pambee on Mar 23, 2019 10:49:14 GMT -6
That would be so frustrating, Eames. What if you left less bm in the fridge, so it wasn't so easily accessible for them? Like if they had to get it out of the freezer and thaw it first you could either notice and ask them not to or maybe they wouldn't automatically grab it? I get that they're trying to be helpful, but if you've asked them not to that's really inconsiderate. I remember with E my mom was SO IMPATIENT wanting to give her a bottle, just so she could feed her, and it annoyed me so much. When do they go home? Eta- has YH spoke to them about it? Maybe if it was coming from him, backing you up, they would listen.
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Eames
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Post by Eames on Mar 23, 2019 11:00:07 GMT -6
pambee, one more week. I really love them but it's just too much in these early days while we are still figuring things out. I also think giving a bottle/feeding is one thing others can do to help nurture the babies, so I totally understand their desire. I guess I just want to make sure we are doing what we can to set ourselves up for success in the long haul. My H has said something to them, but things haven't really changed. I'm not sure how strongly he worded things though. I'll talk with him.
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Post by tapdancer on Mar 24, 2019 0:31:52 GMT -6
Eames I know I've had to do a lot of educating my own parents about BF. Like they didn't understand why it would be more work for me to pump and leave bottles for DH to do at night. Yes he could give her one but I'd still have to get up and pump. It's better this time because they know from last time. Also the only person that has stayed with us is my mom and that's just because DH is away this weekend. I'm sorry everyone is in your space and it must be hard to go hide all the time because you are feeding two babies.
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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 24, 2019 0:36:05 GMT -6
That’s so frustrating Eames! I hope your H can talk to them again and they’ll listen. I’m sure they mean well, and they’re trying to help, but they need to follow your rules. Had to fix tag...oops!
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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 24, 2019 0:38:51 GMT -6
DD has nursed every hour for the last 3 hours. So tired!
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Post by tapdancer on Mar 24, 2019 1:55:42 GMT -6
DD has nursed every hour for the last 3 hours. So tired! I know it's exhausting. But it's good for your supply. I've been up the last 2 hours with a baby that does not want to be put down.
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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 24, 2019 12:03:27 GMT -6
DD has nursed every hour for the last 3 hours. So tired! I know it's exhausting. But it's good for your supply. I've been up the last 2 hours with a baby that does not want to be put down. LT for commiseration. I hope you were finally able to get your baby down and get some rest!
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pambee
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Post by pambee on Mar 24, 2019 12:34:08 GMT -6
Last night was rough for us too! H didn't really sleep at all until after 2am and wanted to nurse about every 30 minutes. 😴 I thought I'd just skip church but woke up when MH got up anyways so we all went. But I'm basically counting down until we leave my mom's and it's nap time....
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Post by tapdancer on Mar 24, 2019 12:44:10 GMT -6
I know it's exhausting. But it's good for your supply. I've been up the last 2 hours with a baby that does not want to be put down. LT for commiseration. I hope you were finally able to get your baby down and get some rest! He did let me put him down around 4 and then slept until 7:00! 3 hours of sleep is in pretty sure the longest I've gotten since birth! I'm trying to enjoy the baby snuggles despite it being exhausting. pambee I hope you get a nap soon. I'm finding it absolutely necessary these days that I get at least a quick nap in the afternoon. Otherwise the early evening is a STRUGGLE.
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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 24, 2019 19:33:38 GMT -6
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pambee
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Post by pambee on Mar 25, 2019 9:18:35 GMT -6
Is anyone doing anything to increase supply? I don't feel like H isn't getting enough, but I just hardly ever feel "full" like I remember feeling with E.
I know I need to up my water intake, I normally drink between 100-150oz a day but lately it hasn't been on my mind and I'm drinking a lot less. I made some "lactation cookies" with E too that I felt helped so maybe I'll see if I can find a recipe again.
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Post by tapdancer on Mar 25, 2019 9:40:18 GMT -6
pambee Do you have any way of doing a weighted feed? Is he gaining weight? How are his diapers? I wouldn't automatically jump to "my supply is low"
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pambee
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Post by pambee on Mar 25, 2019 9:51:13 GMT -6
pambee Do you have any way of doing a weighted feed? Is he gaining weight? How are his diapers? I wouldn't automatically jump to "my supply is low" I could make an appointment with an LC at the pedi office but I'm not *really* worried about it, I know he's gaining and has plenty of wet diapers. I'm being silly about it but mostly trying to think proactively to ease my mind.
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Yogurt
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Post by Yogurt on Mar 26, 2019 8:59:11 GMT -6
Is anyone doing anything to increase supply? I don't feel like H isn't getting enough, but I just hardly ever feel "full" like I remember feeling with E. I know I need to up my water intake, I normally drink between 100-150oz a day but lately it hasn't been on my mind and I'm drinking a lot less. I made some "lactation cookies" with E too that I felt helped so maybe I'll see if I can find a recipe again. I was just reading this last night kellymom.com/hot-topics/low-supply/
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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 26, 2019 10:33:44 GMT -6
How long do your babies nurse in any one session? DD will nurse for about 45 minutes. Is that normal, long?
Also quite a few times she will nurse her normal amount of time and then want to eat again like 5-10 min later. Is that normal? Is my milk not “good” enough to keep her full? Like not enough calories?
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pambee
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Post by pambee on Mar 26, 2019 10:44:21 GMT -6
How long do your babies nurse in any one session? DD will nurse for about 45 minutes. Is that normal, long? Also quite a few times she will nurse her normal amount of time and then want to eat again like 5-10 min later. Is that normal? Is my milk not “good” enough to keep her full? Like not enough calories? Is she actively nursing for the 45 minutes, or does she fall asleep or just hang out on the boob too? I hadn't heard this before, but a ped we saw at our first weight check said they don't want them to (actively) nurse for longer than 30 minutes at a time because then they can burn more calories than they're taking in. I don't know who "they" are or where that recommendation comes from, but I thought it was interesting. But I know that E would hang out on the boob all day if I had let her, she'd doze in and out and just chill there after she'd eaten too. Does she nurse from both sides before she wants to eat again in 5-10 minutes? I think it's normal regardless, especially for a baby this young, but just might be a sign you could offer the other side when she finishes one if you aren't already. Nursing is a form of comfort, too, so she could just be wanting the snuggles that come with it too 😉 During the day H wants to nurse much more frequently, and it's pretty random, sometimes he'll go 3 hours between and sometimes 15 minutes.
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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 26, 2019 11:25:48 GMT -6
How long do your babies nurse in any one session? DD will nurse for about 45 minutes. Is that normal, long? Also quite a few times she will nurse her normal amount of time and then want to eat again like 5-10 min later. Is that normal? Is my milk not “good” enough to keep her full? Like not enough calories? Is she actively nursing for the 45 minutes, or does she fall asleep or just hang out on the boob too? I hadn't heard this before, but a ped we saw at our first weight check said they don't want them to (actively) nurse for longer than 30 minutes at a time because then they can burn more calories than they're taking in. I don't know who "they" are or where that recommendation comes from, but I thought it was interesting. But I know that E would hang out on the boob all day if I had let her, she'd doze in and out and just chill there after she'd eaten too. Does she nurse from both sides before she wants to eat again in 5-10 minutes? I think it's normal regardless, especially for a baby this young, but just might be a sign you could offer the other side when she finishes one if you aren't already. Nursing is a form of comfort, too, so she could just be wanting the snuggles that come with it too 😉 During the day H wants to nurse much more frequently, and it's pretty random, sometimes he'll go 3 hours between and sometimes 15 minutes. A typical nursing session is actually an hour, but I took away 15 minutes for her falling asleep/not actively suckling/burping. I hadn’t heard of that 30 minute rule before. She does nurse on both sides in that time. I do feel like I’m a “nipple pacifier” sometimes. I wonder if some of her repeat nursing is for comfort because she will suck a few times and then fall asleep. Once she’s asleep, I’ll unlatch her and then she’ll wake up and suck on her fingers or root, so that makes me think she is actually hungry. I don’t know! We have a pacifier, but we don’t use it because we were told not to as it can cause nipple confusion.
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Eames
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Post by Eames on Mar 26, 2019 11:34:08 GMT -6
orangehibiscus,my DD used to take that long, then she'd nap maybe 45 minutes, then we'd start over again. In the early days that's literally all we did. But I was paranoid about supply so I hardly ever unlatched her, even while she was just comfort sucking. With these guys they will try to do the same thing, but I am trying to keep them to 45 minutes. Then I'll unlatch/move them and they seem to wake up and want more, so we do bottles while I pump. When I pump I still get about 5 oz but they'll only take in 1 oz each or so. It seems to be ok for now, so I'm just going with it. I thought it'd be easier this time around, but I mostly feel like we're winging it. 😂
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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 26, 2019 11:37:36 GMT -6
orangehibiscus,my DD used to take that long, then she'd nap maybe 45 minutes, then we'd start over again. In the early days that's literally all we did. But I was paranoid about supply so I hardly ever unlatched her, even while she was just comfort sucking. With these guys they will try to do the same thing, but I am trying to keep them to 45 minutes. Then I'll unlatch/move them and they seem to wake up and want more, so we do bottles while I pump. When I pump I still get about 5 oz but they'll only take in 1 oz each or so. It seems to be ok for now, so I'm just going with it. I thought it'd be easier this time around, but I mostly feel like we're winging it. 😂 Yes! Sometimes it just feels like all I do is nurse her! I nurse with 2 positions (football and cradle) on each side, and I burp in between position changes. How do you tell the difference between real nursing and comfort sucking?
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Eames
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Post by Eames on Mar 26, 2019 12:00:16 GMT -6
orangehibiscus, for me it's like the difference between a strong pulling sensation and like little flutters. It also slows down with less swallowing.
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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 26, 2019 12:02:56 GMT -6
orangehibiscus, for me it's like the difference between a strong pulling sensation and like little flutters. It also slows down with less swallowing. Gotcha! That makes sense. Thank you!
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Post by tapdancer on Mar 26, 2019 13:21:13 GMT -6
How long do your babies nurse in any one session? DD will nurse for about 45 minutes. Is that normal, long? Also quite a few times she will nurse her normal amount of time and then want to eat again like 5-10 min later. Is that normal? Is my milk not “good” enough to keep her full? Like not enough calories? Is she actively nursing for the 45 minutes, or does she fall asleep or just hang out on the boob too? I hadn't heard this before, but a ped we saw at our first weight check said they don't want them to (actively) nurse for longer than 30 minutes at a time because then they can burn more calories than they're taking in. I don't know who "they" are or where that recommendation comes from, but I thought it was interesting. But I know that E would hang out on the boob all day if I had let her, she'd doze in and out and just chill there after she'd eaten too. Does she nurse from both sides before she wants to eat again in 5-10 minutes? I think it's normal regardless, especially for a baby this young, but just might be a sign you could offer the other side when she finishes one if you aren't already. Nursing is a form of comfort, too, so she could just be wanting the snuggles that come with it too 😉 During the day H wants to nurse much more frequently, and it's pretty random, sometimes he'll go 3 hours between and sometimes 15 minutes. +1 to all of this. It took me awhile with DD to figure out when she was eating versus just comfort sucking. I'll actively unlatch DS after about 20 mins and burp. If he's still fussy I'll put him back. If not then he's done. It's very normal for them to cluster feed in the beginning to help up your supply or as they go through various growth spurts.
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tngrl3
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Post by tngrl3 on Mar 26, 2019 18:34:30 GMT -6
pambee I've had 3 preemie babies,2 that had time in the NICU, and their rule is 30 minutes to complete a feed from either nursing or bottle because after that baby starts burning more calories than they consume. I'm not sure who "they" are but i do know this is pretty common practice and thought at least amoung preemie babies. I'm fairly sure it applies to term babies as well.
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pambee
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Post by pambee on Mar 26, 2019 18:40:48 GMT -6
pambee I've had 3 preemie babies,2 that had time in the NICU, and their rule is 30 minutes to complete a feed from either nursing or bottle because after that baby starts burning more calories than they consume. I'm not sure who "they" are but i do know this is pretty common practice and thought at least amoung preemie babies. I'm fairly sure it applies to term babies as well. It's good to know I'm not the only one who's been told that, lol! H was born just before 37 weeks so that could have something to do with it, but it makes sense for any newer babe too.
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