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  1. #11
    Dr C is offline Gold level (500+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by MomToOne View Post

    You do learn to slow way down during this time. There's just nothing you can do but just sit there, and you start accepting that. Like a pp said, bfing is your job right now, and it's a job because it's really hard and takes all day!


    Couldn't agree more. Ditch the bottles and SNS for now. Catch up on some old movies. Or just sit there and enjoy snuggling with your little guy. If you're getting sore, get your ped to refer you to a lactation consultant--you may need to adjust his latch a bit.

    If you are really worried that he's not getting enough, make an appt with your ped (who sounds great) for a weight check after 2-3 days of EBFing.

    Good luck and congratulations!
    My sweet boy 8/06
    My beautiful girl 10/09

  2. #12
    srhs is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    You've gotten tons of great advice.

    I'll throw in my .02 having been a mom who supplemented with both in the beginning. Everything IMHO of course, and I know others may disagree.

    If you are not sore and able to BF for 4 hours at a time, go for it...your supply will be helped, all will be good.
    If you ARE sore, you might limit those marathon sessions though as the non-nutritive sucking could exasperate things. See a LC to check or rule out poor latch, suck, tongue tie, etc. Damaged nipples quickly became infected nipples with both my DC.

    If you're really fretting about how much DC is getting, buy or rent a good baby scale. Weigh baby before and after a feed, and you'll know how much he got.
    And, it doesn't hurt to take fenugreek if that'll make you feel more proactive. (Well, it "hurt" a little for us as DS2 had reflux and I was exasperating it with my oversupply brought on by my eagerness to build up supply while I was supplementing through early feeding issues.)

    You asked about bottle or SNS as a last resort. SNS is certainly better as baby is practicing his suck, your body is getting the cue to make milk, and you are avoiding nipple confusion. That said, if you get frustrated, exhausted, and upset...asking DH to give baby a bottle will not sabotage your entire breastfeeding goals...cut yourself some slack.

    Honestly, to me, it sounds like your LO is just fussy, not hungry. What hunger cues were you observing? Some of the cues are easily confused with those that can actually indicate pain--like from reflux or gas.

    ETA: Our pedis never required an appt for weight checks, btw. We could drop in anytime, but they did ask us to avoid the hour before and after lunch, which is very busy. No copay, no charge. Call your office and ask for their newborn weight check policy; it's very common. And then make sure they take you to the exact same scale each time.
    Last edited by srhs; 03-20-2010 at 09:01 PM.

  3. #13
    Clarity is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by SnuggleBuggles View Post
    I
    Another thing to try is to feed a normal feeding breast only. When the sucking and swallowing really trickle off then take him off. When you take him off, if he starts to fuss, try something besides nursing. Have your dh stick baby in a sling and walk around. When my ds1 was a few weeks old I really treated almost all crying with feeding.
    I agree with everything Beth wrote, actually. My LC was a kind soul who told me that it was OK after 15-20 minutes to remove my (typically sleeping) dd from the breast. Yes, she was often back on a mere 45minutes to an hour later. I found dd2 did not nurse as much as a newborn - mostly because I better understood when she needed to nurse but also because she was less likely to comfort nurse than dd1.
    big girl 6/06
    little girl 9/08

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    "I'm not stupid; I just don't stop to proofread." (PRM?)

  4. #14
    joules is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Thank you ALL *SO MUCH* for the replies!!! You have no idea how much this has helped!!

    I agree, I took breastfeeding class and read up a little bit about BF, but really didn't expect this at all. I knew it would be hard, but didn't know the marathon feeding sessions were even a possibility. Everyone just tells you to do xx mins per side or something and then to feed every 2-3 hours. Which leads you to assume that each session should be way under 2 hours at least.

    And thanks for all the links to kellymom. I had browsed the site for info on fenugreek earlier, but never fully explored the rest of the website. This article perfectly described my situation: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/bas...ond-night.html

    DH has been VERY supportive. I don't know what I'd do without him and am a bit worried about how I'm going to handle everything myself w/o him when he returns to work next week. I really need to learn how to slow down.

  5. #15
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    Goodness, you sound so stressed! I would echo the suggestion that you stop all of the supplementing (with formula or pumped milk) and trust that your boobs will work things out. If you want to monitor something, keep an eye on wet diapers and you can purchase a scale to weigh baby before/after feedings to know how much he takes without needing to measure the milk itself.

    Every baby is different in terms of feeding patterns/habits. You'll work out the delicate dance that your DS needs. I will also say from my experience that I had a much more challenging time with BFing issues with my second (C-sect) vs. my first (vag delivery). For us, I think that some of the meds I got with the c-sect made my letdown too strong and conseuquently messed up DD's latch as she tried to keep from choking when the floodgates opened. I also think that she had range of motion issues that made nursing more difficult for her (and painful for me) which was helped a lot by a couple chiropractic adjustments for her.

    I wish you good luck and peace of mind. You guys will work through this and soon BFing will feel as natural as can be (it's just hard to imagine that sometimes when you're struggling).

  6. #16
    pastrygirl is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by joules View Post
    Everyone just tells you to do xx mins per side or something and then to feed every 2-3 hours.
    My two have never spaced feedings out 2-3 hours until they were several months old. That was a myth for me... It was closer to 45 minutes here, and that's start time to start time. My older son would nurse, take a 15-min break, and want to nurse again. After a couple of months, he would nurse for 45, take a 45-min break, then be ready to nurse again. Eventually he got faster and started doing the every-3-hour thing, but he was almost a year old by then.

    My youngest is now almost 7 months old and still nurses every 90 minutes. Two hours is pushing it and he'll be quite upset by then. But, he nurses very quickly -- 5 minutes, maybe 10. The first month or two were rough, though. Even though he nursed quickly, he nursed VERY often so that it seemed nonstop.

    Hang in there, it gets SO much better!

    ETA: I also had one-side nurslings! The baby still only nurses from one side per session. I forget when my oldest started taking both sides, but I'm pretty sure it was around a year.

    ETA2: I really, really wanted to quit this time around. It was SO HARD. Since I'd had a great experience with my oldest, I knew it would get better...someday. I'm so glad I hung in there! It got better for us at around 3 months.
    Last edited by pastrygirl; 03-21-2010 at 08:34 AM.

  7. #17
    Kymberley is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by pastrygirl View Post
    My two have never spaced feedings out 2-3 hours until they were several months old. That was a myth for me... It was closer to 45 minutes here, and that's start time to start time. My older son would nurse, take a 15-min break, and want to nurse again. After a couple of months, he would nurse for 45, take a 45-min break, then be ready to nurse again. Eventually he got faster and started doing the every-3-hour thing, but he was almost a year old by then.
    This sounds JUST like my DS. He nursed constantly for the first 3 months of his life. I finally just accepted that's how he is. He was also a very fussy newborn. I usually took his fussiness as hunger, but he would refuse to nurse, so there were many sleepless nights where I watched a lot of TV holding a crying baby. Still now, there are days that he wants to nurse every 2 hours, start to start. You'll get through it, and you'll do great! My DH was/is very supportive too, and even though he's the only one, it made all the difference in the world.

  8. #18
    joules is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    =============== UPDATE =================

    So we went back for a weigh in today (4 days since last appt where Dr. told us to breast feed only - no SNS, no supplemental formula). DS didn't gain ANY weight (an ounce at most maybe) - he's supposed to be gaining 1/2 to 1 ounce a day. =(

    I'm going to try pumping some breastmilk and feeding thru SNS every other feeding or so (at the Dr's suggestion).

    For the last few days, I've been feeding when he's hungry (usually every 1 to 2 hours during the day. And 2-3 hours at night...very rarely 4 hours at night). Sometimes he takes just one boob, other times he takes both (If he only took one, then the next feeding would come sooner - an hour or so). Usually I put him on one side for 20-30 mins and then the other side for another 20-30 mins (unless he falls asleep completely)...just to make sure he drains out at least one side completely. He doesn't seem hungry after each feeding.

    This feeding thing is so hard!! But the last few days - not having to pump or supplement was so nice/convenient. So I got to get a little "preview" of what it's like when I finally succeed at this breastfeeding thing. It gives me more incentive to keep this up. Thanks for all your support!!!
    Last edited by joules; 03-23-2010 at 02:54 PM. Reason: edited for clarity

  9. #19
    SnuggleBuggles is online now Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    Had he just peed? Did he poop recently? Ounces are tiny little amounts and simple things like that can make a difference. The scale, the time of day... I don't know, I wouldn't go nutty with supplementing just yet if he has good diaper counts and is in good spirits. The average newborn gains 6oz in a week- average. Some will be more, some will be less. Try not to get too stressed about the numbers. You are doing a great job though!

    Beth

  10. #20
    ♥ms.pacman♥ is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by egoldber View Post


    If you want to exclusively breastfeed, you need to trust your baby and your body and stop supplementing. Baby staying at the breast for a long time, including what may be hours is truly normal in the early days. This is how your baby builds your supply. Nursing is a supply and demand operation.

    Congrats!
    so true. for the first few days after DS was born i got NO sleep at all because DS would nurse every 2-3 hrs and the nursing sessions seemed to take forever (some feedings would take 1.5 hrs, so the feedings would almost "overlap" each other and it seemed like i was always nursing!). but i kept at it..now DS is 10 weeks, 13lbs and i've never had to supplement with formula. i really do think that the reason DS nursed so much in the beginning was to stimulate the boobs in order to be able to make enough milk supply to meet his needs...if i had supplemented with formula, i don't think i would have had as good supply as i do now (or, it would have been a lot harder to get to be able to exclusively breastfeed).

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