Breastfeeding Chatter #17

Oh BG I'm so sorry your little poppet has had such a tough run lately, ontop of everything else you have to deal with (not to mention her of course!) you are SUCH a trooper! Good on you for sticking with bf this long it sure is comforting for both when they are unwell. PS I hope you all get a little respite now.

WM yep your Dr is a noob! Actually I can barely believe you were told that, especially being in the medical profession yourself *pfft* to your Dr lol. FWIW I have been pg AND/or bf since June 2006 and I've had no adverse health issues! My babies/toddlers have all weaned a few months into og though but it hasn't really bothered me coz apart from #1 they all got at least a year and I wouldve happily continued if they wanted to. This time actually I am a little relieved almost that ds weaned a few weeks ago as bubby does have suspected IUGR and so of course I want to be doubley reassured she's got every chance to get all she needs :) keep at it with your little man as long as you both want I say :D

Congratulations WM!!! :) did your doctor give any reasons or is that just what they think? No experience her yet, but can't wait to see how it goes :)

BG: that is so good!!! I got warm fuzzies reading that :)

Dd seems a bit off her milk again...I have a feeling my cycle must affect it.

BG, that is great that you were able to bf her through such a rough run. Hope the engorgement settles though, not fun.

Congrats, WM! As long as you feel fine, there's no need to change what you're doing.

Arg DD had taken to screaming for a feed once or twice at night again. It's the only thing that resettles her.

Is it normal for my boobs to feel really really empty and soft at 6 months?

There is always milk there if I try and hand express but they just feel like nothing is inside them.

haha and more saggy? I will say yes to this because this is me!

I officially have "mum" boobs!

Do yours fill up between feeds? or overnight?

Oh yeah, got the saggy going on!!!!

They fill up to a point between feeds but not as much as usual. Definitely more overnight though. I have been feeling really anxious at the moment cos Miss G doesn't sleep at night these days and I spend half the day worrying about how bad the night is going to be which I am guessing does nothing for the sag factor ;)

That sounds the same as me then :)

Does she feed well before she goes down for a sleep?

They seem to and they don't wake hungry so I guess they are getting enough. Just seems hard to believe there is enough in amongst all the sagginess lol

At around 6 months your boobs become a lot more efficient at making milk and tailoring supply to your babies' needs. So feeling a bit saggy is pretty normal as is not feeling as rock hard between normal feeds anymore. But skip a feed and believe me you'll feel it!

After 12 mths my bbs went even further down - back to my normal size. This time around they settled quicker and were pre-pg/bfing size before 6 mths but DD2 has had a recent feeding increase and I have the cleavage to prove it. I'm enjoying it while it lasts!

The settling down thing happened by about 3 mths with DD1.

Phew, was getting all paranoid that my supply was dropping. Which I know is silly given we demand feed but you know what it's like when you get a thought in your head :)

Totes normal ;)

DS turned one, and we made a full year of breastfeeding! DD also still feeding, so 2 years and 8 months of breastfeeding with 1 year of tandem feeding.

My Mum, who is supportive, asked me yesterday how long i thought DS would breastfeed for. :rolleyes: i don't know when DD will finish, so no idea how long DS will want it.

i had a funny day yesterday, lunch with the folks for DS birthday and then there was a fire near our place and i was asked to help out with the radios. My Mum took both my kids to her place (first time she has had DS) with a couple of pots of EBM. They had dinner and bath etc and then i picked them up around 10. DS coped really well, had some of the ebm but was happy and didn't even want a feed when i picked him up. He had a feed when we got home though. It was nice to know that he will be ok if i have to, or choose to, be away for a few hours. My boobs were bursting though, and i even considered pumping while driving on the way home! I didn't but pumped when i got home, before waking ds in the car cos i knew he wouldn't take heaps and i was happy to restock the freezer a little.

fantastic work HotI!!

Excellent Hotl, I really admire tandem feeders.

How long did it take for you to get your af back after a baby? I've had it once and then not again for 43 days. Is this normal with breastfeeding? I know they say breastfeeding can change things, but i was irregular before, so i am trying to work out if i put it down to still having the same issues or is it a part of breastfeeding?

My cycle returned after 8 mths and first AF at 9 mths. My cycles have (unfortunately, since we're not TTC!) been completely regular. But I've heard it can be all over the place for a while.