Breastfeeding Talk

[thatgirlrachel]

I was only able to breastfeed/pump for a month with DD, so I'm hoping to go longer this time around. Since I only did it for a short period, I didn't really master the art so I still feel I have lots to learn.


Can we just use this thread to share experiences, advice, thoughts, questions, etc.? Basically, just talk all things breastfeeding.

[CoachTsWife]

Sure!

I was still breast feeding DS when I got pregnant, just in the morning and evening, when I got pregnant this time. I pumped at work for over a year and I'm not looking forward to doing that again, but I'm grateful we have a pumping-friendly office environment.

Do you have specific questions thatgirlrachel?

For me, the worst part was definitely after my milk came in and the soreness that goes with that. I remember sitting in my chair, trying to let DS nurse, and crying because it hurt so bad. I dreaded every feed during those couple days. I'm not looking forward to going through that again, but I'm thankful I can look back and remember that it was just a short time, and it will pass.

[thatgirlrachel]

No specific questions...yet. I guess I'm more looking for others' experiences since my experience was so short.

We had latching issues. DD never did get it and at about 2 weeks old, at 2am, when both of us were crying from frustration - I pumped and gave her a bottle. Since that worked, I continued to EP for the next 2-3 weeks and my supply suddenly dried up. I could have made more of an effort to stick with it, but a lot of other factors played into letting it go (new job was among them).


A lot of my confusion is with the dos and don'ts while breastfeeding. Can I assume that the same type of food "no-nos" apply while breastfeeding as well? (Thinking things like oysters, etc.)

[arimaythea]

I breastfed DS for about 22 months. I worked from home permanently after my maternity leave ended, so I could nurse him instead of needing to pump. I planned to let him wean on his own, but pregnancy made me decide to start the process sooner than I think DS would have wanted. Overall the general experience was positive, but not without some struggles.

Our biggest hurdles:

- Tongue tie. He lost around 15% birth weight due to bad latch and me using a shield because of the tongue tie. We got the tie laser corrected a week after he was born and he gained the weight back, so pedi did not push supplementing.

- Never took a bottle. I wanted to be able to build a little pumped stash so I could stop by work or go out for a little while, but we introduced it so late and tried so infrequently that the times I did go away from him, he completely refused the bottle the whole time I was gone. He's actually never gotten the concept of sucking something other than a boob so still now won't drink from sippys or straws - only from a normal cup that we hold for him.

- Biting. I got some horrible bite wounds later in our breastfeeding journey that were so painful that I had to hand express for days to keep supply while I let the bites heal. This was probably the worst part of the whole experience and made me contemplate weaning multiple times.

[CoachTsWife]

thatgirlrachel , I didn't really watch what I ate while I was nursing. I laid off cruciferous veggies if I thought DS was having a bought of bad gas. I eat mostly paleo to help my autoimmune disease so I eat a ton of veggies. Someone else can weigh in on your oyster question - I don't know since I don't eat them.

You do, however, need to watch medications. There is an app I need to find and re-download. You can look up meds in their database and it'll tell you what is safe/unsafe. E.g., some cold medications can affect your supply.

If you have access to a lactation consultant, take advantage of that. I asked to see one while in the hospital and I also asked to see the one on staff at my pediatrician. I didn't know what I was doing, had no idea if we were doing it right, so I just asked them if it looked like we were doing it right, lol. They usually had some positioning suggestions and one told me to go change DS's diaper if he seemed too sleepy to nurse. That usually woke him up enough to finish a feeding session.

I used an app on my phone, Baby Daybook, to track all feeds - just which side and how long he nursed. That way I didn't have to remember which side I started on last time or when the last feed was.

[curmudgeon]

I breastfed DS for 6 months. Looking back I wish I had tried to make a year, as I can't remember any specific reasons why I quit when I did.

My biggest struggle was in the hospital. The nurses told me to nurse for 15 min on each side. So I kept a strict time limit because I thought that's how it was done. He lost a lot of weight and they had me supplement with formula. lol to only 15 min each side. Once we were home he took 30 min each side easy. Once I figured out this wasn't a quick thing we were good.

[rebeccabunch]

thatgirlrachel good thread idea! I'm just going to write the equivalent of a blog post so no one really needs to read this.

This is such a personal topic that can get touchy. I'm firmly in the you do what's best for your family/mental health/mama health/baby camp.

My oldest had such slow weight gain. It was really stressful and I had a ton of IRL support from friends and one of my cousins that had experienced BF ups and downs. My H was also super supportive in that he commiserated with me that I was going through hell to try to make it work but he never said it's not worth it or stop doing it. My mom on the other hand... but I tuned her out and any other potentially negative people. I listened to DS1s doctor that from the start said not every kid is 50% on the weight chart. Someone had to be 5% or else there's no chart! DS1 hit all milestones early and his pedi never made me feel guilty or that I wasn't doing enough. That was key and we also have great LC support at my hospital during PP and after. I called their damn support line almost daily and went to their free support group to weigh DS and meet with an LC each week when I was on leave.

DS2 had no weight issues and the whole process was night and day difference because of it. He was medically diagnosed with MSPI at 5 months though (dairy/soy intolerance) so that sucked in a different way.

I have a love/hate relationship with nursing. I hate pumping. I hate my life being scheduled in 2-3 hour blocks. I hate worrying about clogs/mastitis because I'm very prone to them. I do not feel truly back to myself until I'm maybe 6 weeks past weaning. I like that baby gets immunities through BM bc I'm crazy about baby sickness. I like that I have a built in way to calm the baby. I like it at night. I like that it may help me burn calories.

What helped me was believing in myself even when things didn't look great. Having support. Having a good pump and extra parts. Ignoring negativity. Literally politely not listening.

This time I'm going to introduce formula earlier, probably one bottle a day to help with a certain chunk of time at work when I go back. Oddly, formula and how to introduce it intimidated me. I didn't know how to do it until I tried to wean DS2 at 9 months due to reoccurrent mastitis and it didn't work. Now that I know how to do it, I'm going to be ready from the beginning and will likely find a happy balance of doing both that will make my life better. It doesn't have to be all or nothing!

[rebeccabunch]

Aug 28, 2017 11:17:37 GMT -6 curmudgeon said:

I breastfed DS for 6 months. Looking back I wish I had tried to make a year, as I can't remember any specific reasons why I quit when I did.

My biggest struggle was in the hospital. The nurses told me to nurse for 15 min on each side. So I kept a strict time limit because I thought that's how it was done. He lost a lot of weight and they had me supplement with formula. lol to only 15 min each side. Once we were home he took 30 min each side easy. Once I figured out this wasn't a quick thing we were good.

Yes! This! Nursing is fluid and different with every baby. No hard and fast rules like 15 minutes per side, you have to wait X amount of time before you feed again, etc.

[trinitrotoluene]

I nursed DS for 17.5 months. We went about a month between him weaning himself and me getting pregnant again. We were pretty lucky with our experience. He had a great latch and loved nursing. He never liked bottles, and only taking 3 ounces a day when i was at work was common, which meant that he started reverse cycling, which was miserable, but meant extra time with him too. I do want to have the bottle come in so that it is something he will accept and I'm not chained to him all the time, but I'm very excited to be a SAHM this time and not have to stress over it the same way.

[rebeccabunch]

Aug 28, 2017 11:01:46 GMT -6 thatgirlrachel said:

No specific questions...yet. I guess I'm more looking for others' experiences since my experience was so short.

We had latching issues. DD never did get it and at about 2 weeks old, at 2am, when both of us were crying from frustration - I pumped and gave her a bottle. Since that worked, I continued to EP for the next 2-3 weeks and my supply suddenly dried up. I could have made more of an effort to stick with it, but a lot of other factors played into letting it go (new job was among them).


A lot of my confusion is with the dos and don'ts while breastfeeding. Can I assume that the same type of food "no-nos" apply while breastfeeding as well? (Thinking things like oysters, etc.)

See if your hospital staff as LC support. If so, hv one visit you at least once day. I needed latch help with boys. Squeezing my boob lightly into a C to help get more in his mouth was huge. Your whole nipple should be basically in their mouth. Switching positions when something was sore and doing football or dangle feeding when I needed a good clearout. Kellymom website is so helpful.

Its all coming back to me.

[chitownsully]

I second rebeccabunch, Kelly Mom helped a ton for random questions I had. Not the be all, end all, but helpful.

I made it a year with DD and by that time we were both over it. I had more food cravings during breastfeeding than I ever did during pregnancy. I wasn't expecting that. DD had a tongue tie that we got resolved immediately. She ate better after that but it still hurt occasionally. You'll see a lot articles or blogs saying that breastfeeding should not hurt. I respectfully disagree. Sometimes it does but it's only temporary.

Definitely see an LC if you have access to one. There are also a ton of breastfeeding support groups around to take the LO to for weighed feeds, etc. I would recommend those as well.

I didn't restrict my diet but as others have said, if LO has an allergy or is gassy, it's something you'll need to look into. I also drank alcohol - carefully.

[mommabakes]

I'm hoping to be able to breastfeed again. I made it 13 months with DD and 14 months with DS.

The first month with DD was so incredibly painful, and I was terrified to nurse DS. Thankfully no pain at all with him. Everyone tells you it's not supposed to hurt, it's easy, etc and that was just not my first experience at all. I also didn't enjoy nursing like so many people seem to. I did it partially for the financial savings and partially for the convenience-I'm a SAHM, so pumping wasn't necessary.

I never had to adjust my diet at all, I'm not sure if I could have breastfed if I had had to cut out dairy or wheat.

[caitost21]

Oh man do I have feels about breastfeeding. BF started out awful for me but eventually turned into something we both loved. I was still BF him when I got pregnant and we made it 18 months.

In my experience, the lactation nurse at the hospital was awful. She wasn't friendly and I never felt like she answered my questions. Our problems actually started when we left the hospital and after my milk came in. Just a side note, my boobs looked porn star worthy. I couldn't stop staring! Anyway, I had the issue of a very forceful letdown and I produced a lot of milk, which is both good and bad.

Because my letdown was so forceful, my son would curl his lips in to try to control the flow and this caused cracks and bleeding. About a week in, I broke down in tears just from the amount of pain I experienced with each feeding. It was worse than labor pain. I was able to get in to see a lactation nurse that day at the pediatrician's office and if it weren't for her, I would have quit. She said my nipples were the worst she has ever seen. She observed a feeding and immediately showed me how to correct his latch. She also gave me the ingredients for the best nipple cream ever. I visited her monthly over the course of his first six months until my nipples healed, my milk regulated and I no longer had to correct his latch.

My number one advice is to see a lactation consultant. Even if it is just a visit to say you're both doing perfectly and baby is taking plenty of milk, it'll be such a peace of mind. I plan to see mine within the first week and check in with her as needed.

I also had mastitis 2-3 times and it was awful. This is where the too much milk came into play and then the cracked nipples.

I worked from home with my son do I didn't have a regular pump schedule but will need to pump M-F this go around. I'm not looking forward to it at all. I much prefer baby do the work.

[kinipela7]

My experience wasn't great, however we are going to try again and hopefully have a better experience! I really want to breastfeed (not because I like to because I don't) but for the health benefits especially since this baby has kidney issues.

DD stopped gaining weight at 4 months. We decided to stop at 6 months because of the no weight gain. Not even sure what even happened - guess my supply went away for some reason (despite doing ALL the things that are supposed to help increase)

Another thing to consider: I spent a lot of time pumping and making a good freezer stash. I was up to 150 oz and then realized DD wouldn't take the milk that had been frozen. There's an enzyme that some people have in their milk and some babies refuse it (I guess it can make the milk taste different).

[thatgirlrachel]

I love reading everyone's individual experiences! Keep them coming. A few thoughts I have...

I didn't *love* breastfeeding either. Starting a new job and not being certain of the logistics was a huge role in our stopping, but I honestly felt a relief when I stopped. I felt like my boobs were always sore and huge and I just felt I wasn't doing it right. I really just didn't feel like myself - and at the time I needed something to go back to normal. And, that was my boobs (well, a new normal after birth of course). I'm not going to put pressure on myself in case that happens again, but I do feel like I have a better sense of understanding this time around. And if nothing else than for financial reasons, I'd love to be able to do it longer.

Like others mentioned, I remember a lot of pain. I remember pumping and seeing blood in my milk and having to research if it was safe for baby or not. But, we did have latching issues so that was a lot of it.

I recently found out there is an LC at our hospital (never knew that with DD!). So I'm excited to have extra support this time.

I think a lot of my problem is that I am a type A planner. I need to have everything figured out before-hand. And with breastfeeding, everything is SO fluid like others mentioned. Since I will have a little longer maternity leave this time, I hope I am able to be more patient and work to figure different things out. I don't want to pressure myself, but I'm setting an expectation for myself to at least try.

[thatgirlrachel]

Also, it doesn't help that I live in the deep south where nursing in public is frowned upon. Even my own mom has her issues with it (one of the few things we disagree on). So there is almost no one I can talk to locally about that sort of thing. I have a lot to learn, but I'm willing to at least try.

Please - keep all of the stories coming! This is good stuff and gets me really excited for baby to be here!

[chitownsully]

Aug 28, 2017 12:52:30 GMT -6 thatgirlrachel said:

Also, it doesn't help that I live in the deep south where nursing in public is frowned upon. Even my own mom has her issues with it (one of the few things we disagree on). So there is almost no one I can talk to locally about that sort of thing. I have a lot to learn, but I'm willing to at least try.

Please - keep all of the stories coming! This is good stuff and gets me really excited for baby to be here!

This is so unfortunate and I'm sorry you have to deal with it. I did make a rule that if you wanted to visit, that's just something you'll have to deal with. I wasn't going to hide in a room in my own house to make visitors comfortable. :/

[rachydc]

I made it 6 days breastfeeding and the pain was just too much to deal with on top of crazy pp hormones, a crying baby, and other pp joys. I exclusively pumped for 8 months after that. It wasn't glamorous being chained to a pump every 2-3 hours, but it just became what I knew. Pretty sure DD slept more than I did. Once I got the hang of constantly pumping, it wasn't bad. I plan on doing the same thing this time around

[bootsorhearts1]

I plan to EP for 2-3 months, basically while I'm on mat leave and then I'll switch to formula before I go back to work. I EPd with DS for 9 months because we struggled to the point of tears with BFing as others have said. Latch issues, supply issues, thrush, mastitis, you name it. I have come to the conclusion that it just doesn't work for some women, and sadly I am one of them so I'm not fighting it this time around. She'll get a few months of pumped milk but I don't want to be tied to a pump for so long like I was last time. (The one wild card she could throw is if she refuses formula like DS did but I'm keeping my FX that does not happen.)

thatgirlrachel, as others have said no real food restrictions, you can even have an alcoholic drink or two, just watch the timing i.e. do it after a feed. Medications are the biggest thing but it's not as restrictive as pregnancy. If you were always feeling 'full' and sore, probably you weren't getting emptied enough. That is not normal. I mean, yes, while BF your boobs are big and I remember when I stopped I looked like I lost 25 pounds because they shrunk so much but pain and fullness (except right before a nursing/pumping session) means something is not right. Agree with others on seeing a LC. If they don't have one at the hospital, find a local one. Ask if your insurance covers the LC appointments. Mine did!

Hopefully you don't have any issues this time! It's good that you're giving it a shot but that you know from experience the world doesn't end if you give it up.

[bubblefan]

We are coming up on our two month weaning anniversary--DS nursed for nearly 2.5 years and would have happily kept going. My supply all but dried up around 20-ish weeks into this pregnancy and BF'Ing was super painful.

We had a few bumps in the road. The first 8 weeks were incredibly painful and then I'm not sure what happened, but it was suddenly okay. Maybe his mouth getting bigger and making a better latch?

We also dealt with a MSPI. It runs strongly in my family so I have already cut out those proteins in my diet, just in case. And DS refused formula/bottles. I'm not going to lie, I never *loved* breastfeeding but I am happy with my experience and I hope to do it again this time. My boobs have been making something clear (pre-colostrum?? Is that a thing?) for the past month.

[bootsorhearts1]

bubblefan, same here with the leaking. And my DS refused formula too. Just one day out of the blue when he'd been happily drinking breast milk or formula from a bottle for weeks, he decided he no longer wanted formula. I remember sitting in the basement surrounded by cans of 6 different brands of formula and both DS and I were crying. It was pitiful. So pumping became kind of a necessity.

[danvers]

I nursed DD for 15 months and only stopped because we wanted to start trying for #2 and my period hadn't returned yet. For the most part, everything about nursing her was super easy - and I don't attribute that to anything I did or she did or whatever. DD has just always been one of those magical unicorn kids about most things. I have a lot of anxiety about #2 showing us the "real" side of most things.

Some issues we encountered:


1. DD did show an intolerance towards dairy, beef, and soy around 3 months. When I cut those things out of my diet, a lot of her symptoms (fussiness, spitty, green foamy BMs, etc) disappeared. I stayed dairy free for a long time - almost a year or so. It wasn't hard once I found a list of things I could eat but I did miss cheese and ice cream.

2. It helped to just "bare it all" when I did nurse at the hospital and my home. Visitors were warned but the first few weeks when I wasn't going anywhere it helped to be able to "whip it out" wherever and just nurse without worrying about moving rooms, a cover, and whatnot.

3. DD didn't take a bottle from H or I at all. Ever. She did take them for daycare starting on day 1 but still never took them from us. This caused a lot of stress pre-starting daycare but turned out fine.

4. I hated pumping. Loathe. I'm not sure I have words to describe how much I disliked hooking myself up to a machine 3 times a day but I hated it. I'm not excited about going back to work sooner this time but it is what it is.

I miss the cuddles from feeding DD (and I firmly believe these cuddles can be bottle fed or breastfed) and am so looking forward to just staring at my newborn as she feeds and sleeps.

[doodlemommy]

I breastfed DD for 18 months but I had low supply despite trying literally everything out there and needed to supplement. So we always nursed first and then topped up with formula at the end and she had no issues going back and forth. I stopped the formula top up at a year and kept nursing 2-3 times a day.

I plan to do the same thing again but I'm hoping my supply will be a bit better this time, fingers crossed!

[August Blooms]

I haven't read yet. I read a bit before DD arrived and was told about Kelly Mom as a resource. DD was jaundiced at birth and I was forced (my feelings about the whole situation and how I was treated are some of my baggage from the last time I gave birth) to formula feed. We transitioned away from the formula to EBF which I did for the year I was off. I pumped a bit to have a stash for when I left someone to watch DD but it was hard because my body seemed to make enough and I never was in a oversupply situation. I actually had a really easy time breastfeeding, obviously the beginning sucks when your nips are sore and they want to be on the boob 24-7. I breastfed up until March when I weaned.

[rebeccabunch]

One thing I'll add since I'm a little further from it, especially that DS1 just turned 5, all of the BF or not BF anxiety/discussion/concern/obsession etc is topical when you are going through it but 5 years later? Doesn't cross my mind. Isn't relevant. Doesn't matter. Point being, whether you are a good mom or not will not be defined by how you feed your baby from birth to one year. I always tell my boys my number one job in life is to make them feel loved and safe. (This is usually said tersely while I'm trying to convey getting them a different snack for the millionth time that day is not my responsibility). In the long run, how you feed your baby doesn't matter nearly as much as a number of other things.

[cythe]

I have a really dumb question.

If you EP, or start to because #labor and #newbabies and all the other things that come with a newborn, can you not transition to breastfeeding once things calm down? Assuming your supply doesn't dry up, you're still producing.

[August Blooms]

I've read now...

+1 to finding a lactation consultant, even if things seem to be going well. I was lucky that my naturopath is also a lactation consultant and runs a free breastfeeding clinic weekly through La Leche League... totally worth it. There were babies at all ages and women with all kinds of different situations and even if the advice wasn't applicable at the time she gave some good tips.



+1 to not getting great advice in the hospital from the nurses, I'm sure some are great but some of them are just repeating what they've been trained to say and aren't experts. The LC in the hospital was much better.

Like kinipela7 I had issues with the pumped milk that I had stored. I think I had to do with a safe for breastfeeding med that I had been. switched to. Luckily when that happened we were almost at the one year mark.

[rachydc]

Aug 28, 2017 16:27:58 GMT -6 cythe said:

I have a really dumb question.

If you EP, or start to because #labor and #newbabies and all the other things that come with a newborn, can you not transition to breastfeeding once things calm down? Assuming your supply doesn't dry up, you're still producing.

You can definitely transition to breast. I don't know the details, but I know a lot of premie moms Pump while their LOs are in the NICU and then when they get home and settled they BF. Idk how it works with non premies or how long, they may or may not latch if they're used to a bottle depending on how long you EP for? Not my wheel house but I know it can be done!

[arimaythea]

cythe, you could switch from EPing to BFing. Baby might need to relearn proper latch depending on how long you'd been doing bottles, since the way they drink from the two is different. Your natural flow could also differ from the flow baby gets from the bottle, so that could take getting used to for the baby. Definitely possible though, I'd say.

[rebeccabunch]

Aug 28, 2017 17:10:40 GMT -6 rachydc said:

Aug 28, 2017 16:27:58 GMT -6 cythe said:

I have a really dumb question.

If you EP, or start to because #labor and #newbabies and all the other things that come with a newborn, can you not transition to breastfeeding once things calm down? Assuming your supply doesn't dry up, you're still producing.

You can definitely transition to breast. I don't know the details, but I know a lot of premie moms Pump while their LOs are in the NICU and then when they get home and settled they BF. Idk how it works with non premies or how long, they may or may not latch if they're used to a bottle depending on how long you EP for? Not my wheel house but I know it can be done!

It's not impossible but it's harder to go from EP to getting the baby to latch. My suggestion would be to try to push through and see an LC if latch issues are causing you to want to EP before you make your decision.

I think I'm the beginning EP may seem easier but is much harder in the long run. I'm not an expert, just my opinion.