Chaz Moms and Moms-to-Be Chat (everyone welcome)

Taqroy · Jun 27, 2013

MM what is her weight at now? Can you do a weighted feed somewhere? They offered them at the hospital here and I know there are midwives that will do them too. I strongly recommend you do one - hopefully you'll come out and know everything is fine but if there is a problem you should go see an IBCLC consultant. They are SO much more knowledgeable than the people at the hospital.

Pumping is NOT indicative of what a baby gets. Trust me. Babies are crazy efficient at getting milk out and pumps are only sort of efficient. So don't think that you're under-producing just based on pumping.

I started out exclusively pumping because Falon fell asleep ALL THE TIME. It was super frustrating. We went through a whole list of things to get her to stay awake and eat.
- Make her naked
- Tickle the back of her neck
- Rub her back/shoulder/any part of her
- Diaper change (especially effective with cold wet wipes)
- Touch with a cold bottle (made me feel like we were torturing her but it was very effective)

This sounds like cluster feeding. It's normal, it sucks, and it's for the sole purpose of increasing your supply. Honestly, the first couple weeks of a new baby's life make yours revolve around nursing/pumping/feeding. It feels like an endless cycle but it gets better I swear.

You can try a lot of skin to skin time to help your milk come in - I did it a ton because Falon wasn't nursing and we weren't sure pumping would establish my supply.

milos_mommy · Jun 27, 2013

Thanks so much for your input.

I've tried making her naked for feedings and tickling her, nudging her shoulder, even a cool washcloth on her...it will wake her up enough for her to suck 3 more times, and then she falls right asleep again

The cluster feeding wouldn't be so bad if that wasn't how she wanted to feed 24/7. She would do that around the clock if I didn't give her any formula.

I never even thought of a weighted feeding, I'll look into that!

jenv101 · Jun 27, 2013

Yes to everything Taqroy said. We also had those issues plus cracked bleeding nipples and major emotional lows on my part. It sucks but the more you nurse the better! I went on fenugreek and blessed thistle. Apparently they work better together. Take three pills of each, three times a day. It takes three days for it to kick in. You can then up the dose if needed. I had to do the max dose for a few weeks to get my supply up. It was rough but it worked! Things got much easier after the 6 week mark and I was able to go off the herbs and things have been fine since! Hang in there!! Find a good breast feeding clinic or LLL clinic. We went twice a week for a while for the support. It helps to know you're not alone.

AllisonPitbullLvr · Jun 28, 2013

Taqroy said:

Seriously. Meconium issues suck. Ask Everleigh.

MM, I agree with what Taqroy and Jen have said. You can also try switching sides multiple times during a feeding to wake baby up.

My go-to BF resource is kellymom.com. It's the best website for information on everything related to BFing.

AllisonPitbullLvr · Jun 28, 2013

http://kellymom.com/ages/newborn/newborn-concerns/sleepy-babies/

Taqroy · Jun 28, 2013

milos_mommy said:

I REALLY think you should go see an LC. A real certified LC. And if you don't like one, go find another. (Seriously, some of them suck.) When Falon was falling asleep all the time the LC we saw actually had us switch to faster flow nipples. She said the risk of nipple confusion was worth it because part of the reason we couldn't get breastfeeding to work was that she was SO tired from working so hard to get food. I don't know if that's the issue for you but an LC would and they'd be able to give you better advice.

It sounds like you've got the pumping thing down - just make sure that you're pumping for every time the baby eats. And if she does latch on one side you can pump the other to help bring your milk in and establish your supply. If you're not using a hospital grade pump you should look into them. The hospitals around here rent them out for like $25/week and they make a HUGE difference. Hopefully you guys will figure this out soon but if you don't I can give you some tips on long term pumping. Falon wasn't able to nurse exclusively until she was six or seven weeks old so I have waaaaay more knowledge on the subject than I ever wanted.

One more thing I wanted to mention. I went through a hormone dump about two days after Falon was born and again at 2 weeks. It was AWFUL and sucky but it passed after a couple days. I'm mentioning it because it almost convinced me to quit pumping altogether - I started thinking she'd never nurse and I was going to be pumping forever and it was horrible and my boobs hurt and blah blah blah. But it passed and everything worked out. Just keep swimming and keep asking for help when you need it.

milos_mommy · Jun 28, 2013

My 12 day old can roll herself over from her tummy...she actually did it at like 4 days old but we thought it was a fluke...she just did it twice in a row when I put her on her tummy and then go to the opposite side of where her head is turned and talk to her.

AllisonPitbullLvr · Jun 28, 2013

Everleigh can roll herself over too and has been able to hold her head up since birth pretty much. More than anything I find it a pain in the ass! lol I've been head butted more times than I care to admit and I can't do tummy time with her since she just flips herself over. Trouble!

milos_mommy · Jun 28, 2013

Thank you guys so much for your advice - Allison, I did check out Kellymom but didn't think of trying the breast compressions...they've helped a lot and so has taking really deep breaths when she falls asleep/stops sucking.

So far since her 2am feeding she's only had less than 2oz of formula!! So I'm really really happy...she's also nursed every 2 hours and been happy and cute in between instead of screaming for food.

AllisonPitbullLvr · Jun 28, 2013

Yay!!!!

milos_mommy · Jun 29, 2013

8lbs at her 2 week checkup today! That's 1lb 2oz up from her birthweight!

AllisonPitbullLvr · Jun 29, 2013

How is she two weeks old already?!

ihartgonzo · Jun 30, 2013

I had to go back 20 pages to get caught up... it seems like just yesterday you guys were announcing that you were preggers!!! Congrats on your beautiful babies. Ev & Lily are so cute and perfect.

Allison, Ev's story and pictures made me cry. I'm so relieved to see her happy and healthy.

Malakai just turned 6 months. I'm shocked. He's crawling around, getting into everything, and starting to talk. What happened to my tiny little nugget? I love his personality, even though it's scarily similar to his Dad. Lol! He's such a ham, and a drama queen, but he's so sweet and caring.

I wish sooooooooooooooo much that I would've kept trying to breast feed. To everyone having issues or who haven't given birth yet, do ANYTHING you can to keep BFing. Malakai was so calm and content while I was BFing, and when I stopped producing milk and gave up, it was like night and day. He's had severe gas and reflux issues ever since and I always wonder what if. He's on Nutramigen now, which is basically all corn syrup. He's doing better on it than regular formula, but he stays up until 3-4 am like he's wired, and still has some reflux issues. I'm thankful to have my healthy boy, but I REALLY wish I still BF. Well that's my rant! Does anyone have any relfux tips to share?

jenv101 · Jun 30, 2013

Sorry to hear about his issues! Have you tried infant probiotics? I get one at Costco called Bio Gaia. Sleeping on his tummy might help if he doesn't do that already. I also use homeopathic colic drops which I can get at almost any drug store. They are safe and sometimes help. Other than that I don't know what else to suggest. Maybe once he starts eating more solids things will improve. I've heard goats milk is good but not sure what age you can start that at.

Barbara! · Jun 30, 2013

39 weeks and a day and I can't do this much anymore. Ugh. I'm in so much pain, but I have work in the morning. I want so badly to start taking off for maternity but I have to get a full two weeks of work in before the first of next month or I won't be able to pay rent. It's awful. I can hardly stand without seeing stars and once I lay down in bed, my boyfriend has to physically roll me whenever I want to move or get up because I can't do it myself anymore. I need $380 for rent on the first of August... Unless there are some rental assistance places or my parents want to help... Ugh. There's a point where strength starts to bend and this is too much.

Barbara! · Jun 30, 2013

39 weeks and a day and I can't do this much anymore. Ugh. I'm in so much pain, but I have work in the morning. I want so badly to start taking off for maternity but I have to get a full two weeks of work in before the first of next month or I won't be able to pay rent. It's awful. I can hardly stand without seeing stars and once I lay down in bed, my boyfriend has to physically roll me whenever I want to move or get up because I can't do it myself anymore. I need $380 for rent on the first of August... Unless there are some rental assistance places or my parents want to help... Ugh. There's a point where strength starts to bend and this is too much.

Barbara! · Jun 30, 2013

39 weeks and a day and I can't do this much anymore. Ugh. I'm in so much pain, but I have work in the morning. I want so badly to start taking off for maternity but I have to get a full two weeks of work in before the first of next month or I won't be able to pay rent. It's awful. I can hardly stand without seeing stars and once I lay down in bed, my boyfriend has to physically roll me whenever I want to move or get up because I can't do it myself anymore. I need $380 for rent on the first of August... Unless there are some rental assistance places or my parents want to help... Ugh. There's a point where strength starts to bend and this is too much.

AllisonPitbullLvr · Jun 30, 2013

Ihartgonzo, we are struggling with reflux too although we are breastfeeding. It sucks! Is Malakai on meds for it? Ev takes ranitidine but I'm not sure how much it helps. Definitely not 100%.

I definitely second Jen's suggestions of BioGaia and the homeopathic colic drops. We are using those too.

Do you feed him sitting up and keep him upright after?

We go to see the pediatrician again Tuesday because Ev is still having nasty, slimy green poops. I'll post here if she has any new info.

ihartgonzo · Jun 30, 2013

Thanks!!! I will go get BioGaia tomorrow.

I also give him colic drops, but it's hard to say if they help or not.

We've been feeding him upright and sitting him up for 30 minutes after, and he seems better. His doctor said he doesn't feel it's severe enough to take meds. I'm a worrier so it bothers me a lot... I have to remind myself that otherwise everything is great with him and how lucky I am. He's definitely growing fine. He's 20 lbs and 30" at 6 months! He does sleep on his tummy and he is so much happier, despite being told not to.

Barbara, that's awful! I know how you feel, I was grooming through out my pregnancy and my feet would just kill me. D: I took lots of breaks, and made sure I actually walked around, because standing in one place is bad for circulation. Stretching and doing yoga helped too! God I don't miss those last few weeks.

ThatCrazyGroomer · Jun 30, 2013

Wwnnnw b. Eq Eew qqwe err naqmwe ERR mmw www.ww. .

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