Breastfeeding General Chatter #12

[onthefly]

oh yeah, lol at me, pumping at 20-something weeks probably isn't a very good idea
I had thought of hand expressing at 40+ weeks if baby is late again. Most likely though I won't as it's too much effort really.

DS is 18 months old and STILL like that. He gets soooo excited when it's nya-nya time - it's how I get him to open his mouth to brush his teeth before bed. I'm not sure if that's good parenting, but never mind. And you should see/hear him when he gets to have the second side as well. I swear there's nothing there, but he doesn't care at all.

Yay for you Alioops!

[briggsy's girl]

E just tries to go THROUGH everything... she will help pull top up if she can see me doing it - but if she wants something and i'm not quick enough, she will just try to eat through everything

[onthefly]

He he, just wait till she's more coordinated and able to pully our top up with one hand and yank your bra out of the way with the other....

[briggsy's girl]

hmmm not looking forward to that - can cope at home, but we feed anywhere she needs to be fed - can't imagine people want my booby hanging out in the middle of the shops! i at least TRY to be discreet

[onthefly]

Don't stress, by then it'll probably just be a bedtime feed anyway.

[briggsy's girl]

ok, quick question

is it normal to all of a sudden need BOTH sides to fill the bubba. until now, one has been sufficient - but the last couple of days she's demanding the second side. and draining it. i'm not sure if it's cos the weather has been warmer off and on, whether her appetite is bigger, or whether some stress we've been under is impacting my supply. she is still feeding just as often (as little as half hour between feeds in the arvo) so i'm not getting much chance to replenish the supply!

i thought about lactation cookies to help up the supply, but we're seriously strapped for cash at the moment, and even if we had the bucks for the ingredients i can't justify a 60k round trip to buy them - so, can anyone think of things average people have in their homes that help with supply?

[onthefly]

Could well be the weather - are you getting plenty of fluids too? Or growth spurt. I doubt it's a supply problem. DS did this sometimes, then would only have one for a while, then back to two...
If she's feeding more that'll increase your supply anyway. Just watch the output for any signs that somethings wrong.

[briggsy's girl]

still p;oopin and peein like a trooper!
i'm drinking as much as i can! when i'm home it's easier than when i'm out cos i have water at hand all the time. i tend to forget to drink while i'm out so get back into it when i get back home again

[Sterla]

Yeah, I'd say either the weather or a growth spurt . Sounds like everything's going great!

[kelebek]

Hi Ladies,

I hope you don't mind if I pop in and join you guys. I am still feeding DS who is just over 19 mnths. I never thought I would still be feeding this long and here I am torn between wanting to keep feeding him and not

Anyway I have a question for you Marcellus

And you should see/hear him when he gets to have the second side as well. I swear there's nothing there, but he doesn't care at all.

Does this mean you only feed from the 1 side? I ask as I mainly feed from the left side and occasionally from the right, I know the milk is different in the right (it seems to be more concentrated) and just wanted to check it was normal.

BG I agree with the others if she is happy and you are getting normal amount of wet and dirty nappies it could be either weather or development growth or both. DS would do this go from having both sides to one and back again, I tended to just follow his lead and he was also a frequent feeder. Sounds like you are doing a great job

Congragulations Ali on reaching those unchartered waters, I hope you get smooth waters. I think having the goal to continue to bf (with good reason too with the trip) will help you to preserve if you have any problems.

DS is definitely a boo addict and I have happy to say that we have cut out the midnight feed finally after 18 mnths

thanks ladies

[onthefly]

Congrats on cutting out the midnight feed Kelebek
I was only doing one side, cause I wanted to really cut back, but actually recently I've gone back to 2. He's still super excited when I let him have the second though. I know before I always had more milk on the right - now it's probably much of a muchness since there's so little there. I only sometimes hear him swallow - he feeds for a while and eventually pulls off and tells me 'no' pointing at the breast. Then he points to the other and asks for that.

I'm happy not to be feeding through the night anymore, but neither of us is ready to wean.... unfortunately going back to IVF next year means we have to. I'm trying not to think about it too much for now.

[briggsy's girl]

is it bad to not have goals as to how long we're going to feed? i just find i'm going with the flow and i'm content with that! i am honestly surprised that i've lasted as long as i have - but i'm happy to have done this, and i'm going to keep going as long as we're both feeling ok about it all!

am going to send DH (or mum) shopping tomorrow while they are in town to get the stuff for lactation cookies. for the first time EVERy last night, DD wouldn't settle with just the one side at bed time - she needed both - and even then, she refused to go straight to sleep - had to be rewrapped four times in her cot - soooooo glad she's still in our room! no whinging, just didn't want to go to sleep - to be honest, i think i crashed first and DH just kept an eye on her...

spending the day at home today and going to keep an eye on how much i drink - i think maybe we're facing a growth spurt or something. didn't think she was due for one for a while (she's almost 5 months - thought it was due at 6) - or maybe a wonder week from her behaviour - again, not due - but she seems to be going through all the stuff! she went through the last one nearly 3 weeks early so who knows... anyway, if i stay on top of my own hydration, i can discount that as part of the issue if she is unsettled/wanting more milk.

[onthefly]

BG, she may also be getting to an age where feeding to sleep (or to a "ready-to-sleep" stage) won't always work. It's a bit of a nuisance where your secret weapons don't work so well anymore And yeah, she's probably on her own personal schedule for developmental milestones.

I never had any goals actually, just same as you. I wanted DS to self-wean, but have accepted now that that is not going to happen. Oh to be younger/fertile, hey?

[briggsy's girl]

yeah age is on my side (kinda) but definitely not DH's - old fart that he is lol

i don't mind if E doesn't need to feed to sleep - not a drama for me - i just wish she was consistent! lol daytime she is refusing to sleep unless fed to sleep - night time, she seems to feed til she is full, then want to play before sleep. weird kid!

she's a much happier poppet this morning so far - will see how things go through the day. it wouldn't surprise me if she's hitting a wonder week early... i don't mind if she wants to feed lots - she just needs to stop clamping down then turning to look at everything else - it hurts lol

[sloane]

marcellus - oh boy, feeding to sleep stops working at some stage?! i'm soooo gonna be in trouble then it's definitely my weapon for day sleeps

BG - i think just going with the flow is a lovely way to be. i think that takes the stress off you both & just lets you enjoy it

i have found myself enjoying feeding more than i did even a month to 6 weeks ago...when everyone told me it gets easier, they really weren't lying! i even find myself being quite vocally pro-bfing now, way more than i used to be. i can't believe i'm the same person who sat crying my eyes out at the computer typing up a plea for help in the first couple of weeks. thankfully kaz, mantaray & missymoo all came to the rescue & helped me to keep going

[onthefly]

It still worked for daysleeps when DS was overtired for AAAAges, but stopped for bedtime fairly early.

Good for you Sloane! That's great

Yowch BG

[briggsy's girl]

argh! seem to be having a shocker. DD is on and off like nothing else. she is pulling and whinging like there is nothing there (jumps one side to the other like a loon - is happy at first, but whinging after a bit) - not sure what the go is. i've been drinking heaps today. have called mum and she is going to the shops tomorrow for the ingredients for lactation cookies (and will probably bake them for me before DH picks the stuff up on his way home from work!)

just a quick q for anyone that might help. i had a c/s with DD after an IUI stim cycle and one of my ovaries was still rather swollen right through the pregnancy. last night while i was feeding DD i got some serious pains - short, sharp, all on the side where i had the swollen ovary. i know when DD was born, i was getting uterine contractions when she was feeding for a while, then it all settled down - would it be normal to get them again with her feeding more? or is there more chance that i may be having a kick start to my ovaries or something (my nipples are killing me, DD is feeding weird, and now the ouchies)

i'm a bit all over the place and no idea what is happening - i'm hoping it's short term, because i seriously don't know how long i can take this on top of everything else we're dealing with at the moment, both yesterday and today, i think i would have caved if formula was easy to get hold of - thank god DH takes the car to work tomorrow so i have NO way of getting it so i can keep working with DD to get through this

[tk1999]

I am another who doesn't really have 'goals' I didn't and still don't want to be disappointed if for whatever reason we can't reach the goal so we take each day that we breastfeed as an achievement.

I went to my first ABA meeting on Friday!! It was nice to meet other people who breastfeed. All the people I know who have children/babies started out breastfeeding but ended up formula feeding their children so it was nice to not be the only one who breastfeeds.

Ouch BG... ouch! DD has already started her eyes wandering around the room and sometimes she will stretch the nipple as she looks. It kind of hurts but I imagine it is nothing compared to E's new move! With the ovary pain... could it be AF preparing a comeback?