<**DISCLAIMER** This post will be all about my boobs and nursing - Dads, Grandpas, Brothers, etc. if you choose to continue reading don't say you were not warned!!!>
Okay - I need some advice from any of my mommy friends out there who have had success with nursing. This little guy is just hungry ALL OF THE TIME. Sometimes I can't even get him to go two hours and he wants to eat again, but my boobs can't keep up with him! I have had to supplement with 1/2 formula 1/2 breastmilk a few times when I just had nothing for him or I wanted it to keep him full longer. Even adding the formula only seems to get me another 45 min or so between feedings. Did anyone have this problem?
I also found that although I would nurse him on both sides, he was not getting all of my milk. When he'd be on the first side and the milk would let down, it was also letting down in the other boob so it was just spraying into my bra pad. I found this out when I fed him right after I showered and did not yet have a bra on yet. So since then I've been feeding him on one side and pumping the other side at the same time and then feeding him the bottle that I pumped. It seems to work, but it's not very convienient! Any ideas?
I am also worried because I'm going to AZ for 3 days in October for work. I have some pumped and frozen, but not nearly enough and I can't seem to get anymore to freeze because my little piggy eats everything I make!! I think I'm just going to have to have to have them use what I have frozen and mix it with formula?
I REALLY want this whole breastfeeding thing to work. I told myself that I was going to give it a valliant effort since I did not with Justin and went right to formula. Although Justin seemed to be a happier baby and I really thing it's because he was full all of the time. Ugh. I'm torn :(
Any help/tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If you don't want to share your boob stories on my comments you can email me at melissamet@hotmail.com.
Thanks!
7 comments:
I had a similar problem with Lincoln. He just wanted to eat all of the time! I kept thinking he wasn't getting enough food but his weight was on track with his curve. His doc told me that sometimes babies just need to suckle and to try to stretch out feedings by giving a pacifier first. Also, Mason might be going through a growth spurt right now and in a few days he'll be eating less. I know breast milk is easier to digest then formula so they definitely eat more often. I don't think you should worry about your milk supply with him nursing so much. Your body is super efficient with keeping up with demand. You could also try talking to someone at the Breastfeeding Resource Center (I think it's part of OSF) but it's on Executive drive off of Glen. I can get you the number if your interested. Good luck! I think it's definitely good that Mason has a great appetite-- it'll make him big and strong so that he can keep up with Justin :)
I successfully exclusively nursed Carter for 7 months, and could have kept going but I had a good stockpile built up and well, was tired of being a cow. :)
He was a breastfed baby that had to eat every 2 hours or so. He'd eat for 20-30 miunutes, be up for 20-30 minutes, and then sleep for an hour. Rinse, repeat. Honestly, I just kept going and going. The more you nurse, the more your body will make. I think you are doing the right thing with pumping, that should help increase your supply. You could also try to pump in between feedings (I know ... that's like something on the boob like every hour!) but it might help increase your supply. The part of the milk that makes babies the fullest is the end - the creamy stuff. You want to make sure that Mason is getting to the very end of the supply in your breast before you either switch him or feed him the pumped bottle.
Babies do tend to cluster feed and nurse a ton at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months due to growth spurts.
You are doing so much for him just by nursing him. If you need to supplement with formula, do so, but just try to pump your milk and freeze it when he gets formula so your body doesn't get used to not feeding at that time.
Good luck - let me know if you have any other Qs too! I'm not a doc but hey, if I can do it, anyone can!
I echo what the other girls wrote... but I will add that the lactation ladies that I worked with always told me that supplementing with formula is somewhat of a vicious cycle. Your body is very good at keeping up with the demand. If the demands increase, then your body will quickly begin making more. If you are supplementing with formula --- definitely pump and make up for that extra feeding.
Yup -- the part about the creamy part being at the end is very true, too. Some kids don't feed long enough on each side to get satisfied... try to do your best at making sure he is pretty much emptying out one boob before moving to the next :)
Hang in there (but don't be too hard on yourself, breastfeeding is tough) -- I definitely believe that any amount of breastmilk that you can get into Mason is a really good thing :) And it is helping you burn a TON of calories, too!
I had trouble with Noah too. I started supplementing at about one week old when he had nursed for 90 minutes and was still hungry. He ate like a pig (and still does). I pumped in between feedings, but never really got a supply as good as I had with Ava. I'm not sure why. Then at my 6 week appt, my doctor put me back on birth control (a low dose, not the 'mini' which is supposed to be okay) and that totally dried me up. In general, I think boys just eat a ton! Good idea pumping the other side when you let down. I don't have any advice different than what the other girls have said. Hang in there, and any amount you give him is good for him!
I might just add with the other ladies, when you are nursing on one side and you feel the other side letting down, put firm pressure on the non-nursing side and that should get it to stop flowing.
And try the pacifier, wanting to nurse and just wanting to suckle can seem very similar.
Hey Melissa - Congrats on breastfeeding - it's a lot harder than it looks! I exclusively bf'd Gabe for 7 months, but there were lots of ups and downs along the way. I also had a crazy letdown and would often choke Gabe it sprayed so hard (sorry TMI); the pumping/feeding seemed to help me, too. Just be sure to have Mason nurse from the side you pump from to get the "good" stuff at the end as well as completely emptying you (Mason will empty you better than a pump and help boost your supply). It took my body a good six weeks to get the supply-demand issues under control, and just when things were going well, Gabe would hit another growth spurt:)
Oh, one other important item - drink lots and lots and lots of water!!!! It takes a lot of water to make breastmilk!
Hi Melissa -
Hope nursing is going better. I definitely echo what everyone else has said and surggested. For C, I added in an extra pumping a day to make mroe milk. It seemed to work. With the twins, I had no problem pumping and keeping up. I never nursed them, but I had a freezer full of b/m. I have also heard that boys are just hungerier than girls. Also, drink lots and lots of water (which you probably know). This should help increase supply.
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