Re: Question about breast milk...
started having problems a couple of days ago---so did the mothers tea help--there were a lot of good reviews on amazon....
Re: Question about breast milk...
^ I think it helped a little. I think increasing water intake and eating oatmeal helped the most.
Re: Question about breast milk...
Omg, breast feeding! :( not natural at all.I b fed the first week. By Friday after his birth, I was a bleeding, sore, hysterical mess, feeling like a complete failure as a mother. Hubby went out and bought the formula his paed had mentioned in passing, and we rented a hospital grade pump. Since then, it's been a process of edema, engorgement, exclusively pumping and formula supplementing. I have regained my sanity from pumping though. Im seeing the hospitals lc's multiple times and tomorrows appt is going to be another latch lesson. Baby has very strong suck mA and latching him on right isn't working out. My letdown is also very strong so there is gagging and pulling back. It's been a nightmare.I double pump 7 times a day, for about 20 minutes and it seems tobe working on an overall basis. I mean I don't get 4 oz per side or anything but some sessions I get more, some less, and overall supply has mA been going up. We're tracking everything, pumping and feeding times and quantities in an Excel document which was the only way I could think of for staying sane and marginally guilt-free about the formula plus breast milk combo.One really important thing to remember is: happy mommy, happy baby. Do what you need to, in order to be happy and calm.no amount of skin to skin will work if baby can sense your dread and resentment at feeding time. I give him the bottle and I am relaxed. He looks into my eyes, I talk to him, kiss him, cuddle him. You can, and will, bond with your baby, even if you are both fully clothed. They're mental about skin to skin here, too.
Re: Question about breast milk…
^ It will work out, whatever is best, SGC. 
I promise it will get better, inshAllah.
Re: Question about breast milk...
^I know, but mommy guilt is a strong thing, eh? Farisha, double pumping is very important for upping milk supply too. Try to pump after nursing for about 10 minutes too, if they've latched on. I find the baby center group, the exclusive pumpers, very helpful if you're on BC forums.
Re: Question about breast milk...
The fact that you're able to pump is awesome!
Re: Question about breast milk...
Tbat is the most imp part.... Trick ureself into staying happy!!!! It will keep the milk alive and the baby sane.... Start freaking and the milk supply will go down and baby will go nuts... Its a domino effect.... Im glad ure keeping ure cool! And lol at excel sheet... U are SO me... Trying to find ways to have some control over what is outta our hands hehe
Re: Question about breast milk...
SGC, you are right about happy mom and happy baby. I have made peace with the fact the my twins aren't meant to be exclusively breastfed. Every time they are hungry, I try to nurse them myself, if they latch on happily, then fine...otherwise, I am pumping and using formula as well to feed them. It has been a month today and life seems to be getting a LITTLE simpler. I have noticed if I skip nursing or pumping one time, there's a significant reduction in milk supply the next time I pump. And tell me about sore nipples..ooooouuuuch!
Re: Question about breast milk...
Keep at the pumping.... Milk supply isn't fully established until anywhere from week 9 to 12 so both of us have lots of time to get there. On the baby center boards, there are women who have freezers full of breast milk and they pump and feed all the way to baby's first birthday! It's hard work but it's obviously manageable. And if not, then we do the best we can.
Are you using lanolin on your nipples after each feed? It really helps to keep them from getting dry and cracked. What kind of pump are you using? A good quality pump is crucial to the process and for getting an optimal amount of milk out.
Khawa, without that excel doc, I'd be so lost lolYou're right about the happy and relaxed bit too.
Re: Question about breast milk...
After reading this....Breastfeeding memories are flooding back to me now and scaring the sh*t out of me! I don't know if i can do it anymore......keep calm...keep relaxed...deep breaths!
Re: Question about breast milk...
Am I the only one who found breastfeeding the easiest way of feeding infants? Okay the first few days were very depressing but it got better with time.
Re: Question about breast milk...
So did no one else experience horrible, make you scream, toe curling pain? I would literally be panting through it and absolutely dreaded each meal time by the end of his first week. My girls are also quite substantially sized... Not sure if that was an issue but I guess we'll see what the LC appt today yields. Nursing successfully is such a dream of mine.
Re: Question about breast milk...
^I did experience some pain during letdown, but nothing unbearable. And it gets better once your body normalizes milk production after the first couple months.
That sounds really bad. :(
Re: Question about breast milk...
Sgc: are u sure he is latching on right....its not meant to hurt that much.... :(
Re: Question about breast milk...
So did no one else experience horrible, make you scream, toe curling pain? I would literally be panting through it and absolutely dreaded each meal time by the end of his first week. My girls are also quite substantially sized... Not sure if that was an issue but I guess we'll see what the LC appt today yields. Nursing successfully is such a dream of mine.
Yes, I did. Is your child tongue-tied?
Mine was, I had no idea, the LC pointed it out to me.We went to the doctor, and he clipped it ( a very quick and simple procedure) and it was much better afterwards.
Re: Question about breast milk...
For the first few weeks I got these horrible contraction during feeding but the midwife explained it's coz my uterus is shrinking back or something, she said there's a connection between your uterus and your breasts.
My first one was underweight so I had to feed him for hours literally, for the 3 or 4 nights I was feeding him all night sitting down, that was quite difficult too.
But after that I didn't have any problem with bfeeding, it became really easy and i was happy that I chose the best option and was almost through it.
With baby's teething I felt soreness but it was temporary and I used (i think it was camomile cream).
With 2nd baby I got Milk Fever coz I was wearing a smaller bra and yeah for 3 days it was horrible specially when I was alone with 1 toddler and 1 newborn. But taking warm showers did help a lot.
errmmm this is it really but alhamdulilah I've done bfeeding for 2 years with each kid. phew can't think of doing it again though.
Re: Question about breast milk...
Sgc: are u sure he is latching on right....its not meant to hurt that much.... :(
Yeah and make sure that the whole aereola is in the mouth and not just the nipple...
Re: Question about breast milk...
So we went to the LC yesterday and tried latching him on with the nipple shield. It wasn't painless but it was bearable... I think I'm so traumatized by that first week that ended in cracked, bleeding nips that I'm just apprehensive now about nursing but still determined too, if that makes sense? The latch is apparently great, the suck is very strong though mA and he's quite determined once he gets on to get his feed. I will now attempt alternating between nursing and pumping to see how that goes. She also told me to use a larger flange size for pumping to combat any soreness that might have caused.
S_mk, What does tongue tied mean? I've never heard of it as a condition? The LCdid mention that his tongue might be a little short so it's not cupping/covering his lower gums properly which is why I'm feeling the pain. She said when he gets a bit older and grows, this would get resolved.
Re: Question about breast milk...
started having problems a couple of days ago---so did the mothers tea help--there were a lot of good reviews on amazon....
How are you doing now?
Re: Question about breast milk...
SGC, glad to hear things have improved if only slightly! Extra hugs to him from his GS khalas!