Breastfeeding Questions

[jd11365]

I have a couple of questions for those of you who breastfeed...

It seems as though Kayla wants to "snack" every now and again. Is this ok? Should I avoid this? It seems like sometimes it can be only an hour after a full feed (which is usually 15-20 minutes on one breast) and she will want a 3 minute "snack" and stop. She is such an easy baby and doesn't really cry unless she is hungry. My friend said she might just want to suckle and to give her a pacifier, but I am trying to avoid starting with a pacifier since she is a pretty content baby already.

Also is it ok to let her go one breast at a time instead of switching? If I interrupt her to burp and switch, she generally doesn't want the second breast and falls asleep. I figure she might as well enjoy a full feed without interruption...

Finally, I am large to begin with and generally full of milk. Sometimes Kayla actually chokes on the milk which can be scary sometimes. She totally gulps it down sometimes. Is this normal? Should I be doing something? It also seems like the cause of her spitting up in the middle of a feed or right after because she chuggs it down so fast and furiously...

Thanks!
Jamie :-)
Mommy to Kayla 5/1/03

[liya]

1)its totally normal if she snacks now and then, some babys actually do this...some, like my own, just use the breast as a pacifier and fall right asleep or relax when that sucking sensation comes in. If you dont want to use a pacifier dont, she can use your breast as a pacifier...no biggy most babys prefer it to a piece of plastic...lol
2) your doing it correctlly by not switching her from breast to breast remember that the baby should totally empty one breast and then go to the other one...this is the way it should be done...advice for babies to switch to the other breast is usually when they are lazy suckers and they fall asleep to often...to wake them up it is recommended, along with other things, that you switch to the other breast...this doesnt sound like its the case of your baby so what your doing is perfect...
3)try expresing some milk out if you feel your breast are too full sometimes they take in more than they can handel if the breast is extremely full of milk and this can make them choke....

your baby sounds like a really active bfdr...just wanted to congragulate you on a job well done....

hope this helps

[ginalc]

I agree with Linda. Sounds like you're doing a great job AND like you've got great milk! :)

It might help you to think of nursing as a way of mothering your child. Babies nurse for many reasons. Sometimes she will be interested in a full meal, other times, just a short snack. Besides nursing for hunger, babies nurse for comfort, for warmth and thirst, and they often find nursing soothing when things seem overwhelming.

Soon -- between 4 weeks and 3 months postpartum -- your supply and her need will balance out more evenly and she'll choke less. Until then, keep a breast pad or cloth diaper handy to catch the extra flow when you pull her away for some fresh air. :) If you pump or express large amounts of milk often, it will take longer for things to balance out.

BTW, I've nursed only from one side per feeding with all of my babies, too. If baby is content, forget the pacifier. Not all babies need them.

gina, mom to 3
BFing for 4 yrs!

[Melanie]

1 - she probably just needs your comfort. IF you don't want to nurse for comfort and don't want to use a pacifier...a clean finger works, too!

2 - Absolutely...Ds is a healthy 18 mo and has only nursed this way. They get more of the 'better' hindmilk when they nurse on one side only.

3 - If the choking gets to be a problem, you could express/pump at first until you 'let down' then nurse her, but that might affect your body getting regulated.

[spu]

Hi Jamie,

Congrats on breastfeeding Kayla!
I've been nursing my twins for just about 10 months now and I had all the same q's you have. I agree with Gina and Linda. And like they said, babies nurse for so many reasons beyond hunger and thirst.

First off, take off your watch and turn the clocks away from you. Breastfed babies feed totally differently than formula-fed babies due to the content of the breastmilk. Since it's more watery and protein-based, it digests much more quickly, therefore breastfed babies will nurse more frequently for hunger (and also for comfort, and all kinds of other wonderful reasons!). Also, since it is a thirst-quencher, if the baby is a little thirsty, then a few minutes is all she'll need. If you look at other mammals, those with higher fat content in the milk are usually mammals that need to be away from their babies for an extended amount of time to gather food, etc. In human mammals, we're meant to be very close to our babies, so feedding often is how we're designed.

My LLL described breast feedings like this: sometimes babies want a full-course meal and sometimes they only want a little snack. Sometimes, they might eat a full meal and a little while later decide they want dessert (the rich hindmilk!) So if she's nursing, seems done, and wants a little more a little while later, then you know why.

Another beautiful thing about breastfeeding is how we as moms can provide the means to satisfy the closeness and suckling requirements of a baby. All babies need to suck and why let them become attached to a piece of plastic? It's so much nicer (and easier!) to be there for your baby. If you can do without the pacifier, that would be great. Plus, nursing is a great way to mend a boo boo or a bumped head as they begin to explore the world. Even for just 30 or 60 seconds, it calms them right down.

In terms of switching breasts, you're correct - keep her on 1 breast as long as the feeding will last -- and also for the 'snack' if it occurs within a half hour or so. That way you can be sure she's getting the rich hindmilk in the back of the breast area. If it's already an hour or so later, then either breast will do since our bodies are so efficient at producing milk that she's probably going to get foremilk again at that time.

If you're very full (as I was nursing twins!!) you might want to express a little foremilk just to the point of the letdown. This will help the coughing/choking when your milk lets down. Also, this will help if you're in abundance of foremilk and she gets full before even reaching the hindmilk. This happened to me with my babes and even though they nursing eating tons, they had a slow weight gain in the beginning since I was producing so much foremilk.

To help the flow of hindmilk, use your finger tips and gently roll/massage them from the armpit, the sternum, the ribs,... all around working your way to the nipple (kind of like doing a breast exam).

Congrats again! You're doing a great job!

susan

twin girls 7.20.02
charlotte & else

[COElizabeth]

Jamie,

You've gotten good advice, but I just wanted to add reassurance that Kayla will eventually stop choking and sputtering as she learns to cope with the flow and as your body regulates it. James did this, too, and I pumped off a bit a few times, but most of the time I didn't bother, and the problem just went away after a while. It sounds like things are all normal and going very well! Congratulations!

Elizabeth
Mom to James
9-20-02

[jd11365]

Your support is so wonderful. I am so happy to be breastfeeding. (Ok...except for 3 am when I wish my husband was up with her...lol) I really wanted to breastfeed, and though I had some difficulties with latching on in the beginning, I'm glad we stuck with it. I really appreciate all of your advice and encouragement. It's not always easy, but you guys help to make me feel more confident.

Jamie :-)
Mommy to Kayla
5/1/03