Mihow

Breastfeeding Questions

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Mihow
in

I’ve been trying to breastfeed for about 5 days. (Emory turned one week old at 4:05 AM.) I’m trying to get things going. It’s been a slow process. The hardest part is that I have no idea how much milk should eventually come out. I’ve been pumping. The pump helps because I am able to keep track of how much comes out in a certain amount of time but it doesn’t seem like that much yet. I can get about 2.5 ounces in about 15 minutes and then things die out substantially. The flow slows to almost nothing. Is this normal? Isn’t it supposed to be really strong eventually? There is no way, at this rate, I’d be able to support the little guy on my own. Well, that’s not entirely true, I might be able to, but he’d have to stay awake for hours and hours on end and I’d have to breastfeed him around the clock. I’m still having to supplement at least two feedings during a 24-period with Enfamil.

I’m writing today in hopes of getting a conversation started about breastfeeding. If anyone out there has stories they’d like to share, amounts they remember pumping, or hints about how to get things flowing faster, I’m all ears. And hopefully this post can and will help other new, breastfeeding mothers out in the future.

P.S. It’s now day 7 and I’m feeling a little less terrified that I’m going to unintentionally hurt the baby. He’s still entirely too delicate for words, but I’m becoming more secure by the minute. And then night comes and I get worked up again. Last night, the 6 o’clock news had me in tears. I was sitting on my bed, pumping out some breast milk for the late night feeds, sobbing. It was awesome.

Comments

52 responses to “Breastfeeding Questions”

  1. Jonathan Avatar
    Jonathan

    This is totally unreleated, but as important…
    The chinese lead scare is now on baby bibs—http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/15/news/companies/lead_bibs/index.htm?cnn=yes

    just wanted to make sure you knew.

    That said…

    The flow does improve.

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  2. jon deal Avatar
    jon deal

    OK, I’m a dude, so all my advice is like… 3rd hand. But, we do have 4 kids and my wife breast fed all of them. She was also a Queen of La Leche League at one point. (OK, I’m unclear on exactly what her title was. :-])

    She would say this to you: Do not worry. Calm down. You CAN NOT judge how much milk you are producing for the baby while he is nursing. And he is MUCH more efficient at vacuuming milk out than ANY pump. Odds are high that even though you might get a “paltry” amount while pumping, he’s getting much more.

    The BEST judge of whether he is getting enough nourishment while breast feeding is is weight gain. If he’s gaining weight, everything is fine.

    OK, enough of that form someone like me.

    Now I have to go do something extra manly… like tame a wild beast or build a bridge. Sadly, I’m just a nerd, so I guess I’ll go back to messing around in Photoshop.

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  3. Lori, Cooper's mom! Avatar
    Lori, Cooper’s mom!

    Hire a lactation consultant. Most people I know who were successful at BFing hired one. It is pricey (the few I called in Brooklyn were in the neighborhood of $225/hour) but everyone says it is worth it. The baby is the best pump. Oatmeal (real oatmeal, not the instant kind) is supposed to increase supply and make sure you drinks TONS and tons of water… won’t increase supply but will keep you hydrated. I pumped exclusively for 2 months and the most I ever got out of one boob was 3 oz (6 oz total for two boobs in one pumping session). Do you have a hospital grade pump? That will also help your flow. The Medela Pump In Style is awesome, that is what I used. Good luck!

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  4. Lori, Cooper's mom! Avatar
    Lori, Cooper’s mom!

    Forgot to add – get yourself on kellymom.com – it’s the best BF resource site out there.

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  5. kim Avatar
    kim

    as you know i don’t have any kids of my own [yet] but with all those girls pulling out their breasts in front of me all the time right now and talking about BF i feel safe to say: RELAX. it will take some time to work itself out. you won’t even have the “real” milk for the first week or so. nature is pretty amazing about those things you just have to give them [and yourself] some time. emory is new to that nipple-thing as well and may need some practice but i’m sure he will get just what he need and otherwise he will let you know. so lean back and relax and let nature do it’s thing. you’re only been practicing for five days, give it a little more time before you hire someone… that’s just what i think though.

    PS.: in germany after you have a baby you have a midwife coming to your house every day for at least the first week and after that every now and then – all paid for by the health insurance. that’s how i know i’m not giving smartass advice – it’s what the midwifes said :)

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  6. meshbetty Avatar
    meshbetty

    Both of the comments from Lori and Jon Deal are right on. Each person is different when it comes to breast feeding just as each pregnancy is different. I had some problems with I had Isabel in that she had no interest in the breast after being on the bottle for a couple of weeks after being in the NICU at the hospital I finally got her on but it was a challenge. For Aubrey we had latching-on issues. Not fun. In the end I did hire a lactation consultant. Definitely money well spent. Like OBGYN’s they have seen it all, and will have no problems helping out if you need it no matter what you need.
    Also, remember this is a learning process for both you and Emory. You are getting trying to get what feels right and supply food and he is trying to do the same. It is not easy but don’t give up. But also in keeping in agreement with other posts you have had, if you need to supplement with formula then so be it. You just gotta do what is best for you and Emory and no one can say otherwise.

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  7. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    I am using the pump in style. It’s great but I’m not getting much out of it.

    Also, not sure we can afford those prices right now. :/

    Emory is putting on weight. He’s already passed his birth weight which we were told (by our pediatrician on Monday) was a good thing. But I’ve still be using the formula so that could have something to do with it.

    Ideally, I’d love to pump enough milk so that I could give my boobs a break (esp at night) and TJ could get a chance to feed him. TJ is really awesome about the co-parenting thing. I know he really wants to take part in the feeding.

    So….

    yeah.

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  8. Jonathan Avatar
    Jonathan

    i just saw your twitter…

    If I’m right on what you’re talking about, I believe you might want to google the phrase “diaper service”

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  9. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    I hear ya. But I was referring to the amount of actual laundry I’m/he’s producing. It’s insane!

    Thanks, Kim and Meshbetty. It’s funny and kind of sad the number of nipples I have put this little guy through. he’s got ‘em all figured out, but wow, it must be confusing.

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  10. Lori, Cooper's mom! Avatar
    Lori, Cooper’s mom!

    How often are you pumping? If you are primarily pumping and the baby is not on the breast, you need to be pumping every 3 hours around the clock for 15 minutes a session to establish your supply (yes, even when TJ is feeding!). It takes a while (weeks) for it to regulate. You can do it!

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  11. autumn Avatar
    autumn

    i’ve been there and i think all mothers would say the same. it’s so emotional. just remember you’re doing the best you can. i had a really hard time breast feeding. i had so much milk i could feed that village their always trying to get you to donate money to on tv. it i just would of shipped over my breast milk we wouldn’t see those commercials anymore. i had so much milk, things were so slippery the little fella couldn’t latch on. it was a nightmare. get all the help you can inside the home with it because it’s such a money saver! it’s nice your mom is there to help you out. hang in there, it DOES get easier.

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  12. Julie Avatar
    Julie

    Sounds like you are doing all the right things. Breastfeeding is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Much easier the second time around.

    Emory is definatley the most effiecient breat pump. You should call Le Leche League in your area. They were an excellent resource for me and my insurance covered a session with a lactation specialist. Maybe yours will too??

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  13. pghgirl Avatar
    pghgirl

    Mihow I want to lean over & give you a big hug right now. You’re doing fine. I agree that if Emory is gaining weight he’s getting what he needs. Your body knows how much milk to produce by how often you nurse. If you pump/nurse more you will produce more milk. Think about the size of a baby’s stomach—it doesn’t hold a lot, especially at 1 week old so don’t fret about measuring what you pump. Just take care of yourself, drink a glass of water everytime you pump/nurse, and try to sleep when the baby sleeps. (I know easier said than done, but in my case lack of sleep really effected my crying jags and can effect milk production as well.) For the first month or two, esp when nursing, let all other priorities fall away and concentrate on yourself & Emory. To relate my own personal story-my son nursed every two hours for probably the first couple of months. He would not take a bottle. He had some trouble latching on at first, but around 6 weeks he really started to get a lot more efficient at pulling the milk(I could feel the change) & our feeding sessions got shorter & shorter. He was huge & I ended up losing 10 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight. I could not keep up & ate more than my 6ft tall husband. My daughter was born 2 years later. She latched on right away, slept longer at night & didn’t nurse as much. I was worried that my milk production would wane so I started to pump. I ended up creating way too much milk & was engorged a lot of the day. She grew normally & gained enough weight. Eventually I figured out she knew what she was doing. I stopped pumping & let her go about things in her own way. I didn’t lose as much weight but definitely got more sleep. Remember, everything you’re going thru is a stage that will pass-the good and the bad. Some stages are longer than others but whatever is happening now will change at some point. You can do it! (ps imho if you aren’t having trouble w/positioning or the latch you don’t need to pay for a lactation consultant & can probably get by on free advice, a phone line, or even the pediatrician—they are often the best breast feeding advocates. Don’t hesitate to call Emory’s doctor’s office.)

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  14. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    Thank you, all.

    Another thing about the whole breastfeeding thing is Emory always falls asleep! And I feel so badly tickling his feet and blowing in his face. He can’t seem to stay awake for long enough to get a full 15 minutes in on one breast let alone move onto a second. :] I have been switching from one to another from one feed to another. Which I know is probably a bad idea.

    This is a very difficult thing, breastfeeding. I had all these plans about using washable diapers and/or ecofriendly diapers, I had no idea I was going to spend so much time thinking and/or talking about my boobs.

    It’s the number one priority at this point, that and changing his diapers and making sure he doesn’t pee on me.

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  15. Cleo Avatar
    Cleo

    My son was never a true fan of the breast because of early latch issues, so I pumped almost exclusively. Early on, I had to supplement some feedings with formula, but by the team I stopped pumping (around 10 months), he was getting breast milk only. I found that if I pumped one breast at a time, rather than trying to do both at the same time, I would get more milk. Sure, it took longer, but was more effective in my case. I also recommend you try Mothers’ Milk tea. It’s sold at Whole Foods and at some grocery stores. It really helped boost my supply. My midwife said that 1 dark beer (the darker the better) a day or 1 glass of red wine also would help with supply. The dirty little secret of motherhood is that nursing is not as easy as it looks or seems. Hang in there!

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  16. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    The dirty little secret of motherhood is that nursing is not as easy as it looks or seems.

    So true. SO VERY TRUE.

    Also, I have had the Guinness a day as well. (Well, had a glass of wine two nights ago.) How long did you wait before feeding again? I have gotten mixed answer regarding that issue.

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  17. pghgirl Avatar
    pghgirl

    Both of my kids would fall asleep for me. I wasn’t good at waking them up & I never got the hang of using both breasts in the same feeding. I ended up using one at a time & everything turned out fine. Maybe that was the reason my son ate so often though. I suppose if I was overdue for a feeding I might have looked a little lopsided once in awhile, but I never noticed! Do what works for you & Emory.

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  18. meshbetty Avatar
    meshbetty

    As far as the falling asleep while eating issue, Aubrey did the same thing. One of the things the lactation specialist suggested was to strip her down to her diaper (the baby not the specialist!) so she would not be as snuggly warm. That way she would stay awake to eat and then could fall asleep after.
    But remember, your little guy is only a week old and they tend to sleep a lot then. I look at my 11 month old as I write this and she is all over the place. I miss those sleepy times!

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  19. meshbetty Avatar
    meshbetty

    As far as the falling asleep while eating issue, Aubrey did the same thing. One of the things the lactation specialist suggested was to strip her down to her diaper (the baby not the specialist!) so she would not be as snuggly warm. That way she would stay awake to eat and then could fall asleep after.
    But remember, your little guy is only a week old and they tend to sleep a lot then. I look at my 11 month old as I write this and she is all over the place. I miss those sleepy times!

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  20. Cleo Avatar
    Cleo

    My midwife told me that if I wanted to have a drink, the best time to do so was right after pumping or feeding. This assumes that by the time you are ready to pump or feed again, the alcohol should have passed through the system. Anything more than 1 glass of wine or 1 beer, the advice was to pump and dump. Since breast milk is such a precious commodity – my every waking moment was consumed by how much I was producing in the beginning – I never had more than 1 drink. If you are pumping a lot and you haven’t heard of or don’t have these, Medela makes steam bags that you use to steam clean your pump parts and bottles/nipples. They were a true life saver for me. About $5 for a box of 20.

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  21. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    Cleo: yeah, I have kept it to one drink for the very reason you speak of. It’s precious, that stuff! I have visions of knocking a bottle over and it’s almost too much for me. That would probably make me cry as well. ;]

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  22. rachel Avatar
    rachel

    Hey Michele. Finally, YOU are doing a GREAT job. You really need to relax as that too can help your body really focus on what it is supposed to be doing. Yeah it is natural but it is so awkward, you two have to learn how to work together. Get into the groove. Breathe. k?

    I hired a lactation consultant who came out and in seeing how neurotic I was – was she getting enough? was I producing enough? She told me 10 minutes on 1 breast and then feed on the other til she is finished. and then alternate which breast you start with. I think it was more a marker for me than for the girl. It really did the trick and made me feel like I was in control of what was happening and increased my confidence. When she fell asleep, cold wash cloth to the face. I know but it works. I just handed Toby a box of mother’s milk tea. I lived on it and it worked. really. I had so much milk I did not know what to do with it. Now everyone is different. Maybe it will work but there are many things out there you can try to help promote milk production. Do you have the nursing mother’s companion? I found that book helpful too.

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  23. rachel Avatar
    rachel

    Dude I cut and pasted so Finally is not meant how it is placed in that last post. I had that as my last paragraph and realized that you needed to know how awesome you were doing immediately.

    I suck.

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  24. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    No, you don’t, woman. I didn’t even think anything of it. :]

    Currently drinking two bags of Mother’s Milk tea. Gonna chase that with a Guinness. (Kidding).

    Did you fine folks boil your bottles and BF equipment every time you pumped? Or did you just clean ‘em out real well. Curious.

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  25. Cleo Avatar
    Cleo

    The tea works miracles. I cleaned my bottles and pump equipment after every use – although I only cleaned the tubing every few days. If you have a microwave, these made life so easy – add a few ounces of water, nuke for 2 minutes, and that was it.

    http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2735035&cp=&sr=1&f=Taxonomy%2FTRUS%2F2255957&origkw=medela&kw=medela&parentPage=search

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  26. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    BLOODY HELL! The only time I ever wanted a microwave. Blood hell.

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  27. Julie Avatar
    Julie

    Mihow, I’ve never breastfed before but I hear you… it’s something that I know will one day be really important to me.

    One of my Flickr friends (Amanda) is a huge advocate for breastfeeding. She has two children who she nursed for at least two years each and she might be able to offer some insight into your situation. Her website is http://officiallyamom.blogspot.com. She’s also a HUGE Flickr poster and from what I know of her, a really nice person. Maybe try dropping her a line?

    Best of luck to you and little Emory. This is so important and I’m so glad to hear you’re trying so hard.

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  28. Lori, Cooper's mom! Avatar
    Lori, Cooper’s mom!

    To clean the pump parts get the Medela microwave steam bags, works in minutes and you can use each one up to 20 times.

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  29. tobyjoe Avatar
    tobyjoe

    Maybe we should get a microwave. Then, a DVD player!

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  30. tien Avatar
    tien

    emory is totally saying “yay, more nipple!!” in this photo.

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  31. Wendy Avatar
    Wendy

    So much to say..so little time!
    Regarding the sterilizing, it depends on your water supply-our public health nurses say it is only necessary for the first three months here.

    I agree with all of the previous posters-you’ve got to give it at least a month before it will become easy, the learning curve is so steep! But once it’s working, it’s wonderful. :)

    My son used to fall asleep feeding all of the time, so I’d feed him on one side, then change his diaper (which woke him up), and put him on the other side. Eventually, I figured out that he only needed to be fed one side per feeding, as I had way too much foremilk, so he was super gassy when I switched him after 10 minutes to the other side. So once he fell asleep, off to bed for him!

    kellymom.com is a wonderful website, and so is the la leche league website. I don’t know how much time you have on the computer, but babycenter.com has some great bulletin boards where you can post questions on breastfeeding, parenting, everything.

    Unfortunately, if you are trying to increase your milk supply, pumping, then sleeping through the night will not help. You still have to get up every 3 or 4 hours to pump. If you can manage it, it would be better just to breastfeed Emory every 3-4 hours.

    I used to worry that I wasn’t producing enough milk for Jonah, but my nurse/LC told me that if he didn’t get enough for one feeding, he’d just be hungry sooner for the next, which would stimulate me to make more milk. And it did. Your body is amazing the way it knows to regulate just how much milk the baby needs, and what he needs in it. Trust yourself!

    Pumping, for me, worked great at first, then not so good, then I got better at hand-expressing. It is much less painful for me. But now-I can’t pump more than 1/2 an ounce, yet I know he’s getting more than that.

    Relaxing helps the milk flow faster/sooner. Which is easier said than done, I know. If you can feel your letdown, then you will soon recognize how you can relax to speed it up.

    Can you breastfeed lying down? Then you can snooze/relax. Do you co-sleep? I have many friends who swear by it for breastfeeding at night, they barely wake up. I was also too afraid I would squish Jonah, so I never did. I just set up all of my pillows on a chair so once he was latched on, I would put my head back and doze.

    Good luck, and keep posting so we can try to keep helping!

    hug

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  32. Wendy Avatar
    Wendy

    I forgot to say..Michele, I think Emory has your mouth!

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  33. Lowy Avatar
    Lowy

    First, congratulations! He’s beautiful!

    Secondly…without reading the other posts, I would say that if you want to commit to breastfeeding, you just need to relax and not worry so much about schedules, milk production, etc.

    I exclusively breastfed my daughter for 6 months, until she started solids. I never gave her a bottle. I never used a schedule. And because I am a stay-at-home-mom, it has worked out well.

    I too was worried at the beginning that she wasn’t getting enough – but sure enough, she was gaining the right amount of weight. She would constantly fall asleep after about 5 minutes! Then fall asleep for an hour, then feed again. This lasted for about a month or two. You just have to go with the flow, again, if you want to breastfeed. Babies have their own schedule and at this age you can’t impose a schedule.

    I would just normally feed her as much as she wanted from one breast, and when she fell asleep (5-7 minutes later), would put her down, hand her off to someone else (my boyfriend or mom), or let her sleep in my arms while I read. She’s wake up, I’d switch breasts…this went on most of the day. At night we ended up with her in our bed alot, which was actually great: there is nothing better than sleeping with your baby! (again, at least for the first 3-4 months or so)

    Pumping never worked for me either. I started doing it when she began with solids (to mix with her cereal) but it was a pain. And I never got that much out. But that has nothing to do with what the babies can get out.

    As far as co-parenting…there are plenty of other things your husband can do. Diapers, number one! Cuddling, sleeping together, giving baths, reading, stories, rocking…so many things. Don’t think that if he doesn’t feed it will leave him out of something. It’s just different. As I said, my daughter has never had a bottle, and she is still very very attached to her papa!

    Also, I think we put too much importance on weight. The important thing is if your baby is thriving. That means, he’s developing properly (which is hard to tell with a newborn but will become more apparent in the coming weeks). My daughter has a very hard time gaining weight but is super active and strong and very tall for her age. So – just different body types.

    If you do continue with formula, you will have to be very careful with weight gain – i.e. too much weight gain. It is very easy to overfeed babies with formula, and then you have them weighing something crazy like 14 pounds at 6 weeks.

    But the most important thing, again – relax, you are doing a great job, just be there for your baby (and it IS a 24 hour job…and will only get more intense), and enjoy him.

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  34. Kerry Avatar
    Kerry

    I had lots of different issues as I nursed my son and found that the LLL website has an area where you can send a question. Then a trained LLL leader writes you back! You can go back and forth with emails until you get it all figured out. Then you have this saved stream of very helpful emails too. They can hook you up with a leader in your area as well. If you are dedicated then I suggest finding a leader and meetings. It is so helpful. Plus you meet like minded mothers and you can learn from each other. It takes a village!!
    My best advice would be to nurse on demand. Try to stop the formula so that you have him at your breast more. That is the only way to establish your milk supply. If you don’t feel comfortable stopping with formula right away I suggest pumping each time you give him a bottle. Plus if he is filling up his diapers then he is getting milk. I remember with my daughter would count each poop and pee. I did it for weeks. First timer, I over did it all!
    Also, If you feel like you need help making more milk naturally there are things like Fenugreek you can take. You might smell like maple syrup but your milk supply will increase!!
    Just remember you aren’t alone. There are tons of people that will help you.

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  35. Lana Avatar
    Lana

    Michele – I only have a cat, so I can’t offer any real advice. But when I first adopted Orville, he was sick and I called him a loser cat and stressed out way too much.

    Look at that photo up there, Emory looks healthy! So keep doing what you’re doing. Hey, we didn’t learn Photoshop in a week either. BF sounds hard, but so were quick masks.

    My ovaries are cringing at my comments.

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  36. Leslie Avatar
    Leslie

    Michele…

    I had a terrible time with breast feeding. I had breast reduction surgery years ago and wasn’t sure if I would be able to breast feed or not. That doubt, compounded with the postpartum crazies, literally almost drove me nuts. Like you, I’d pump and cry and supplement…and then I’d do it all over again. Your milk WILL come in. Mine didn’t, but there was a medical reason for it…and I am starting to think that I just gave up too soon. You aren’t going to harm Emory if you supplement with formula. Gage has been on formula for eight months and he hasn’t been sick yet…no ear infections…no surliness…etc.

    You CAN do this. And if you need to talk to someone else who went crazy with baby blues, please call me or email me. Seriously. I cried for the first month, I think…and never felt truly confidant in my mommy skills until he was three months old.

    Emory is gorgeous and you have a wonderful supportive partner. Lean on him and lean on all of the people around you. Parenting in the hardest/best thing in the entire world. No shit.

    big hugs

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  37. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    Leslie, I wish you lived closer, or I to you.

    I’m going to email you if i can find your email.

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  38. melhow Avatar
    melhow

    OK—That is the most adorable picture ever!

    Speaking for the moms who couldn’t breast feed and had to bottle feed, I was extremely worried about overfeeding with formula. My pediatrician reassured me that it was virtually impossible to over feed a baby. You basically have to force feed them constantly for that to happen. They stop eating when they are full on breast OR bottle. Shep was a much heartier eater than Simone so I asked our pediatrician here if I should worry about him eating too much. Again, I got the same reassurance. Over eating is a learned behavior so don’t worry at all about supplementing with formula. Emory will stop eating when he is full and Murray can finish the bottles:)

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  39. leslie Avatar
    leslie

    I just emailed you… :)

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  40. Amanda Avatar
    Amanda

    I read that if you are concerned about your milk supply, spending a day in bed with baby just snuggling skin on skin can get your hormones cranked up and the milk production going.

    Even if it didn’t work it sounds like a wonderful way to spend a day. :D Thank you for this topic, it will hopefully help me too when the time comes!

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  41. Susi Avatar
    Susi

    Soooo – Kim send me :-)

    As a pediatric nurse I am saying: Calm down! The baby will drink as much as he is supposed to drink. The nature did a great on doing that :-). You can’t kill your baby – don’t give up!

    I’ll try to explain it to you. So start with your right breast, switch after about 15 min to the left one. The next time nursing you have to start with your last breast you nursed. In this case it would be the left one. The milk flows by itself when the baby is sucking, if you feel some nodes in your breast gently massage them downwards to the nippel. If you think your breasts are getting smaller and you think you have less milk than the day before: DRINK! Especially tea, at least 2,5 to 3 liters of liquid a day. Warm your breast before you start nursing. That kind of let your milk flow easier. After nursing you should cool your breasts. You can put white cabbage leaves in your fridge, wrap them around your breast after nursing (I am serious!). It helps! Promise. Hope I’ve helped a little bit.

    Enjoy your special time with your little one!

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  42. Chi Avatar
    Chi

    Delurking to say congrats. on having a healthy and beautiful baby.

    I too could only got 5-6 ounce every 3-4 hours when I pumped. No matter what I tried: drinking lots of water, taking Mother’s milk tea, pumped more often, tried to relax, tried to take more naps, etc., I just didn’t have enough milk for my baby. I had to supplement him with formula. Finally I gave up and consoled myself that at least I was able to give him 75% of my milk, that should be better than giving none at all.

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  43. Sandi Avatar
    Sandi

    Hi Michele!

    I’m sorry that you are struggling with breastfeeding. It is so hard isn’t it? For something that is so natural it doesn’t always come naturally.

    I agree with what previous commenters have said in regards to not getting very much when pumping. One thing that I don’t think anyone has suggested is to try pumping the other side while Emory nurses. This way you can make use of the letdown reflex to get more milk.

    My other suggestion is to find a LLL meeting. You can take Emory with you and weigh him and then nurse him and then weigh him again. This will tell you how much he is getting. I was sure that I was starving my babies until I did that, it was a huge relief.

    I hope that you are getting some rest. If you need some more help feel free to email me.

    You can do this!

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  44. Michele Chaves Avatar
    Michele Chaves

    You’ve gotten some great advice here. I can support the comments about keeping with it and breastfeeding or pumping every few hours, around the clock. I found that to be critical. You get use to the around the clock thing—sleep deprivation is just part of the deal. At some point, I moved to the co-sleeping situation because of that around-the-clock feeding schedule and it worked for us. It was just too much to keep getting up every few hours or sleeping all night in a chair with a boppy around my waist because I was too exhausted to get back in bed.

    I think every new mom is worried at first, but my lactation consultant gave me very simple advice—supply and demand. If you pump and nurse, the milk will come and it will eventually regulate itself to the right amount. It takes a little while, but it will happen and you’ll be amazed at what a milk producing super-machine you are! Withing a few weeks, I was freezing all the extra milk until I pulled back and my flow just adjusted itself. If I remember correctly, it took about two weeks for everything to come together.

    Just hang in there. It’ll work out. Are you experiencing any nipple pain? If so, that could be a sign that Emory isn’t latching properly. That was a probably for me at first. Once Annie and I got that right, we were set. I really loved breastfeeding and was a little sad when it ended. It is a really special bond you’ll have with your little one!

    Another little breastfeeding warning – keep your diet bland. Most babies have gas issues and eating the wrong food can make for some pretty horrible times as your baby screams and kicks in pain from a huge gas bubble. It is terrible. Mylicon (I think that is the spelling) it is a wonder med for gas (for us, at least) – you can get it at most any store. The first three months are tough because their little digestive systems aren’t fully developed so they’re super sensitive to what you eat—which is passed in your breast milk.

    Good luck. I know you and Emory will work it all out!

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  45. KidKate Avatar
    KidKate

    Can I just say? Lord, he’s cute. That is one perfect baby! Congrats. And BTW, I’m bookmarking this discussion for when I’m struggling with the same issues, approximately (knock wood) four weeks from now.

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  46. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    You are getting lots of great advice here…know that you are clearly a wonderful mother and doing an awesome job. None of it is easy!

    Suggestions: If you can rent or find someone out here in the Internet who can loan you a ‘hospital-grade’ pump, do it. They are light-years better and I wish I had one when my kid was a baby!

    Go here: http://www.lalecheleague.org/resources.html to see common questions answered, join forums with other nursing mothers, and get local support!

    Generally, it does take over a week to get into a groove, for your breasts to get milk production fully underway. Nursing/pumping round the clock as someone suggested above is the best way to kick things into gear (exhausting, but with a payoff that is worth it)!

    Whatever you do, Michele, try not to beat yourself up over anything. You clearly love Emory more than anything and will do what is best for him! Remember this: children/babies are all different, as are all us adults. You and TJ and Emory will figure out what works best FOR YOUR FAMILY, and that will be the right thing. There is no wrong thing, even if it isn’t what you planned or expected or what someone else said you should do.
    It is what works for you and that baby.

    I’m so proud of you and just bursting with joy for you!!
    xo

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  47. Allison Avatar
    Allison

    Lots of great advice! My daughter is 14 months old and just last week I was saying, “Oh, honey, remember this time last summer when we were up all night with the baby and got to watch Bernie Mac and Conan O’Brien?” (shows I never got to watch because of our go-to-bed-early-gotta-get-up-for-work lifestyle, which we are now back in). We still mourn our former life at times. But would not trade it for anything now. What you are feeling is so totally normal. Do not fret. I remember the weight thing being a bright spot. And, I remember doing nothing but nursing, changing diapers and doing load after load of laundry for days on end. It levels off eventually. Soon.

    Breastfeeding – where to begin? My biggest hurdle was realizing that I had to trust my body and its ability to make milk. It’s all about supply and demand. Yes, pumping doesn’t seem to get as much out, you will notice a distinct difference in your boobs in a week, 2.5 ounces is great for this stage. He doesn’t need that much – he has a little tummy. Warm washcloths on the boob helps the flow a little better, semi-naked baby and a cold washcloth keeps sleepy ones awake. And flip-flopping him from side to side may help keep him awake too.

    My goal was to BFeed for 6 months, I wanted to throw in the towel at 2, 5, and 10 weeks and most of the weeks in between, and then something just clicked with us both. It was hard, man. really hard. But I am still nursing her a couple of times of day and loving every minute of it.

    Ride the hormone wave – you ramped up slowly for 9 months into a certain state and you are just ramping down. It just goes a little faster on the way down. Hang tight, sister!

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  48. Victoria Hamel Avatar
    Victoria Hamel

    2.5 oz at a week old is great milk production!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Speaking as a mom who breastfeed exclusively 3 kids (not at the same time) for over a year each… just like many said you have to trust your body. People have been having babies for 1000s of years and until recently twas no such thing as formula so trust in mother nature.

    The best things about breast feeding are not having to mess around w/the bottles and such…so I am saying too myself you poor thing messing around w/the pump and the formula, it’s a lot of extra work isn’t it?

    I found the key to breastfeeding is everytime the baby cries…nurse. As long as he is going thru diapers and you can feel that before you nurse you are ‘full’ and after nursing you aren’t ‘full’ anymore, he is getting what he needs.

    Don’t let the pump be the judge of how well you are feeding your baby. nurse early and often and basically you are kind of up about every 3 hours for the first oh 4-6 weeks…and the crazy part is as much as your life has completely changed very soon and for years to come this will be remembered as such a wonderful special time.

    *Oh also I wanted to say, I am not an earth mother but the only way I could get sleep was to have each of our babies in our bed so I could nurse on demand. Once you get the hang of it, you almost sleep through a a feeding. :)

    kellysmom is a great site, laleche league is a great resource for the budget concious.

    (((((hugs)))))

    Oh don’t you just love the little sounds they make when they are nursing..sigh…

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  49. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    Awesome advice, people! Thank you. You know, last night (for the first time and out of frustration because our little guy has his days and nights mixed up) I slept with Emory. He laid next to me from 4 AM until this morning at 8:30 and wasn’t too cranky at all. He slept! And I slept! Of course, I woke up a lot wondering if I was going to crush him.

    I was going to make a post about this much. How do folks sleep with their baby? Do they put pillows all around or just trust their instincts not to smoosh them? We did well last night. I might try again tonight.

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  50. Sandi Avatar
    Sandi

    Glad to hear that you got some sleep! Hopefully Emory will get his days and nights sorted out soon.

    As for sleeping with your baby, the babies start off in their own bed and when they wake up the move into our bed. We sleep with one baby between us and then the other baby sleep between me and their bed. I use my arm as an added measure to ensure that she doesn’t work her way out of bed. I think that this works great for us, ymmv, but I think that it would be easier with one baby to be worried about.

    I usually end up sleeping on my back until one of the babies needs to nurse then I just turn towards the baby that needs me. I don’t know if you are able to nurse lying down yet, it took me a while to feel confident enough to try it as my babies were kind of small to begin with.

    My husband was reluctant at first to have the babies in bed with us, but I get so much more sleep now and a sleep deprived mama is no fun so he relented.

    If you want more info about cosleeping let me know, I have a bunch of articles I can link to.

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  51. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    Goodness, woman, how many babies do you have! I’m going to read your site and find out. I can’t imagine having two to juggle. Sounds to me like you have your hands full for sure. (And your bed.) Amazing.

    I had him in bed with us this morning and he slept really well. I think this works out well when he gets too fussy. When he’s in bed with us, everyone is happy.

    Oh, and last night was the first night he slept from midnight until 3:00. Usually he keeps us up the entire time fussing. The little guy doesn’t really cry, he just shrieks every now and again and fusses a lot. But it’s enough to warrant staying up/losing sleep.

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  52. Sandi Avatar
    Sandi

    I have twins that are almost five months old. It is definitely interesting :) It took us a couple of weeks to figure out how to get everyone to get more sleep. I’m so glad to hear that you got more rest last night.

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