Breastfeeding General Chatter #12

[daiany]

Minny ~ thankyou, im sure you can make it to 19 months too
Sterla ~ thankyou :

[Khaleesi]

Greenslw I'm sorry your having a tough time at the moment, i don't really have any advice but i wanted to say the first few weeks of b/fing are hard but it will get easier

Congrats Sterla on reaching 12 months.

I know i posted once & then disappeared but i have been having health issues, things are improving so i plan on posting a lot more.
I have a question, I recently had to change medications as my old one wasn't helping anymore.
My Dr rang a pharmacist before changing me over & the pharmacist assured us these meds where fine to take while b/fing. The thing is since i started taking the medication DD2's bowel motions have been really runny & now she goes 4+ times a day. Do you think i should be worried?
On a positive note we reached 11 months breastfeeding yesterday

[daiany]

Sterla: congrats on reaching 12 months

~Phoenix~ congrats on 11 months of breastfeeding even though your dr said the meds are ok whilst breastfeeding..to put my mind at rest i would call my dr and tell them how your babys bowel movements have changed since you've been taking the meds just to make sure and put your mind at rest

[onthefly]

Green, please wait till you're finished with the ABs before deciding.
We were very lucky in that we had a follow-up with our pead already booked when we were at a similar point with DS. Our GP had mentioned lactose intolerance and I was worrying about what that would mean, whille DS could not lie down and had terrible gas and green, frothy squirts. The pead explained about lactose overload due to the ABs causing diarrhoea. He advised the following -

Foremilk has a slightly higher amount of lactose. So, to give DS' gut a break and chance to redevelop lactase, he suggested expressing a small amount before each feed for a few days.

I did this and noticed an immediate improvement. It still took a week or so to completely clear up, but I think it helped. Since your DS is still on ABs I think you'll have to wait till after for it to clear up, but this might be worth a try.

As for stopping altogether - that's your call, of course. I urge you strongly to get advice from a pead or LC or someone like that before you do, though. There might be another answer out there

[Gigi]

Greenslaw (makes me think of coleslaw - yum!)

i assume you have been put on a restricted diet?
are you able to have DEECAF COFFEE? beofre being preg, i thought decaf was yuck, but i did get used to it. do you like herbal teas? they don't have caffeine.

my nb had big wind problems too, and no-one i asked had much idea, then by pure accident, a stranger in a chemist mentioned how good Gripe Water had helped their babies, so i tried that. There were five brands to pick from, and i had no clue what made them vary, so i tried the first one i found - that had 1% alcohol in it, and my baby HATED it, but it had the desired effect. The next brand i chose had ZERO alcohol in it, and my baby gulped it down like it was yummy. About three minutes later, a loud gurgly stomach sound would happen, then splurts and a big sigh of relief on her face (and a nappy to change LOL) but it relieved her pain (and very promptly). So for the first six months, i carried that stuff with us EVERYWHERE cos it became our "magic bullet".

i',m not saying it would work for EVERY bub in EVERY situation, but it's a cheapish soluation that might be worth a try. Woollies sells the zero alcohol version we ended up suing it. Pink and white label on a brown glass bottle. (under $10).

it is a big shock to the system, to be suddenly looking after a tiny baby

the first part of breasdtfeeding is called the Attachment Phase, and it's a big learning curve for both the baby (to learn to suck efficiently) and for you.

being on call so much, ALL the time, you DO need to find SOMETHING that makes you feel good. For now, it might have to be something non-food based.

i CRAVED orange juice like crazy in the first few months, and it did awful things to my baby's bottom, so i coudln't have orange juice, and a little thing like that, AT THE TIME, really upset me. Of course, my first priority was making sure her bottom wasn't sore, but being sleep deprived, sure did mess with my head.

i found the first four months, really hard (establishing bf-ing). it did get easier. (we're still bf-ing and my child is now three years, two months old.)

You NEED to find out, somthing to replace, whatever you're going without.
If you really like your water in a certain way e.g with a slice of lemon in it, make sure you have lemons in the home. Whatever makes you feel a bit better -(cos you need to rehydrate EVERY time you breastfeed). Make it a priority. You have to look after yourself physically and emotionally, so you can be the mum you want to be. When you're giving out so much for your bub, it's easy to forget, or put in the TOO HARD BASKET, stuff to do with looking after yourself. SHowers became really important to me. Having nice comfy cloth breastpads that stopped me leaking wet circles on my t-shirts, just getting those lifted my mood. the little things that suddenly mean so much.

and later on, i got nice bf-ing tops, that were easy to feed in and covered my tum, that made me feel better too.

hormones going crazy after you've had a bub, it's a BIG adjustment, so don't expect heaps from yourself right now, time to be gentle with yourself and be happy with smaller things, cos having a tiny baby to care for, means you will get so much less done. they need feeding and changing and settleing - ti's a full time job just doing that - let alone cariring for yourself as well, and keeping a household going (food, washing, clearning etc).

it feels so overwhelming at teh start

big hugs to you Greenslaw

[Greenslw]

I ended up in hospital on Monday it was awful so many sick and crying babies, I just wanted to take DS and run. His UTI is all cleared up and the ped said he looks really healthy. Also said that Colic is normal and should clear up by three months 8 weeks to go.

I've tried a few colic formulas and don't think any are really working. Will give gripe water a go. Can't hurt for $10. His wind is in the form of farts some so loud they could be DH. He has explodo poos too sometimes got DH on the shirt last night (secretly ) which was 45cm+ away.

I'm concidering eliminating dairy all together but think this is going to be so hard not only milk and yogurt but bikies, cake, cocolate! ahhhh.

phoenix re meds is she unsettled? I'd ring the pharmacist in your women's and childrens hospital just to confirm. Congrats on 11 months.

Marcellus no green frothy poo here but can try the expressing, do you keep it or chuck? and how much?

Gigi no coffee for well now 11 months for me. I used to be 5 cups a day too. I do drink one tea a day and the rest is herbal. Sometimes a soy chi when I"m out. I've cut acid foods and drink right out of my diet too. So no oj for me or soft drink. I seam to have kept my pg heart burn, no fair. I am a shower freak too, also cos of my post baby stitches, I get DSS to watch bubs while he sleeps or wait for DH to get home. white choc was my treat but if I'm going to give up dairy No more. oh well it isn't for ever.

I think sleep is the one thing that would make all of this better. I feed for 1 hour to 90mins to make sure DS gets all the high milk possible. Then settle him (normally in the sling) then into his bed and I need to rock it every time he stirs with wind for about 30mins or he'll wake up (good at doing this with my foot now) then I sleep for 30mins-1hour then repeat. OMG that sounds so awful reading it back. DH is taking DS from my 7pm feed till 10pm but last night I could hear him crying so I didn't really sleep. "sigh" but bubs is happier.

I've been massaging his belly while feeding so he doesn't scream at me so much and that seams to move some of the gas but it comes right back.

Off to Child and Youth Health today for a day service to get some tips on setteling. I'm not sure I need it really just need the wind to go away.

[Khaleesi]

I ended up going back to my GP who rang my specialist. It's a side effect of the medication & i need to stop taking it & switch back to my old meds. So it's looking like i may have to wean her at 12 months

[lauren22]

Would I be able to join this thread? I just had my ds Sunday morning and I've been breastfeeding my milk came in just yesterday and things are going pretty well

[onthefly]

Welcome Lauren!

Green - it's great that your DH is helping out. Now.... get some earplugs so you can take advantage of it Glad to hear that his UTI has cleared up - are you guys done with the ABs yet? It's true that colic/wind/reflux is pretty common with little ones and does tend to ease after teh first 2-3 months.
On feeding - is he going 1 hour on 1 side or 2? one thing I used to do was time DS for 20-30 mins, then burp and switch sides. You can then switch back to side 1 again if he still wants more - that way he gets three sides in 60-90 minutes (and hopefully more milk). i found that DS would feed 1 hr + on one side if I did not switch him, but would often fall asleep after 15 minutes on the second side once he was full.
when i did that expressing thing I just dumped it. maybe just keep it up your sleeve in case of frothies - that's the most obvious sign of lactose overload.
Well done on nuturing your healthy baby

HI everyone else

I said to dS last night - we don't often have milk these days, do we?
no
is there any there?
no
Do you want some anyway?
yes

Sorry to hear that Phoenix, but I guess this is something that's important to your health, and so important for your baby too.

[Kamarine]

Hi everyone, am just joining the thread too, if thats okay.
Nao was born 29th of Jan, been breastfeeding since then. Second daughter, but longest time breastfeeding so far. Had problems/not enough support the first time.
This time around, its been a bit easier, but only because I knew what to expect. Still a few more bumps to iron out though.

[MantaRay]

Phoenix, very few meds are a problem while bfing. It might be that you can continue the meds at a different dose, or timing them differently, or that there is another one that would be fine. Dr Rodney Whyte at the Monahs Medical Centre is the guru on bfing and meds, and during business hours you can ring him on (03) 9594 2361.

Greenslaw, I'm sorry you are still having issues. Have you called 1800 mum 2 mum?

Sorry guys, I'm sneaking on at work and haven't been able to read through all your posts.

[alioops]

Welcom Lauren and Tam!!

Tam - I know what you mean. With DD1 I just told DH I had had enough. This time I told him to tell me to keep feeding for a day or too then re-asses. It has worked. Having his support and encouragement has kept us going for over 8 months. I also know where to go if I need pro help now.

Lauren - Cabbage leaves stored in the freezer are the best pain relief.

Green - Just a thought, could he have some thrush considering he has been on AB's recently? That may contribute to his screams.

Gigi - Good on you still going!! I love hearing how well Bilbs is doing on your booby mook.

AFM - Leah is doing great. feeds are quick and she still chucks everywhere. She doesnt like the poos since starting solids. Plenty of pear and bf seems to be making it easier now though.

[Gigi]

Greenslaw - wow, i've been told for a bub to have a UTI it's quite a big deal, that must have been an ordeal (in hospital, away from home too). I'm glad you have a supportive dh. i agree totally with Ali, many times in the first four months, if it wasn't for dh making sure i got a sandwich and a drink, telling me what a lovely sight it was to see me and bilby feeding together, encouraging me when it was difficult - i may have thrown in the towel MANY times. i DID need a cheersquad, and he was it. Times when i doubted everything i was doing and thought "this is all too hard!".

we did the "partners aba" course, at 8 months pregnant with the local aba office. i think dh learnt so much in that three hours, about how important his role was, to keep me going, physically and emotionally, when bf-ing got difficult. i had no idea if he would "step up" when needed, but he surprised me, and did. (i initially thought he would run a mile, and find it all a bit "ugh".)

Something i got told, is that bubs with colic benefit from having their knees up. SOunds like that would already be happening in your situation Greenslaw, cos you are using a sling. But i remember being told how useful a baby hammock was (for bubs with wind issues like colic) cos when they're sleeping, their knees are up (in the hammock).

Your dietary constraints sound very full on. I am assuming he has food intolerances? and you're in the stage of finding out what they are? might be? sounds very tricky.

i know there is SUGAR free chocolate available. i wonder if there is LACTOSE free chocolate? You need SOMETHING to have a bit of a treat!

So hard to keep going when you're sleep deprived. :nods:

Welcome Lauren, glad the bf-ing is working out for you and your nb, congrats.

Phoenix, commiserations at having to wean your bub, sometimes you just gotta do, what you gotta do, to get thru. But i would also try to take from the situation, the celebration of your success, you have obviously breastfed your bub for twelve whole months!

in Australia, that is about 11.75 months more than most bubs get, so think of all that wonderful boost he's already got to his immune system, to his chances (as an adult) of getting all those chronic diseases like diabetes? You have given him the gift of better current and future health! So remember, you are a breastfeeding success story. It might have ended a bit earlier than you desired, but it's still a success - good on you!

Welcome Kamarine - yeh, it's much easier to bf when you know you have somewhere to ask your questions. i think joining BB when i was pregnant was good, because then i was exposed to the possibilities of "bf-ing is not easy, you do need help" so instead of not preparing, and expecting it all to be easy, i EXPECTED it to be hard, did some research, and joined the ABA in advance.

i still got a shock when the medical staff in hospital were so negative and unhelpful about bf-ing (this, in a supposedly pro breastfeeding hospital - cough splutter), but at least they weren't my ONLY source of info. i knew i could ring ABA, i knew i could hire a private lactation consultant if things got urgent. i eventually found a GP who was also a LC which was great.

i never actually got involved in the physical meetings of the aba, due to alot of reasons, but i got so much support in other ways from aba
- the bimonthly magazine you get with your subs, called ESSENCE, i would read that from cover to cover. full of interesting info on bf-ing, it felt so real, hearing from other mums going thru similar issues to me and my baby
- the phone helpline
- the email helpline on the aba website
- the info on teh aba website
- the podcasts (linked on the website)
so most of my support was online, which is what suited me.

all the things i just listed, apart from the ESSENCE magazine, all those thigns are free and available to anyone, (you don't have to be a paid up memeber of ABA to ring them, email them, or listen to their podcasts).

and of course belly belly, i have gotten so many wonderful posts of support on here, when i have posted about bf-ing frustrations. and practical things i could try.

so yes, without my online "village", i doubt i would have kept bf-ing this long (three years, two months now). to think my initial goal was three months! at the start i didn't even think my body would make milk! i was so surprised when my milk came in! (what? my body is actuall yworking like it's meant to?).

i like being able to get advice, but not being judged on which way i might go with it. BB has been a safe place to get it all out, have a vent when you need to. Know you won't be judged.

i'm so tired, i'm rambling! night all!

[briggsy's girl]

so yes, without my online "village", i doubt i would have kept bf-ing this long (three years, two months now). to think my initial goal was three months! at the start i didn't even think my body would make milk! i was so surprised when my milk came in! (what? my body is actuall yworking like it's meant to?).

this is exactly how i feel! after everything we've been through just to get our baby, to know that my body not only stepped up and produced milk (albeit a few days later than i would have liked!), it fully sustained DD for the first six months of her life, and we're still going strong now at almost 9 months.

my initial goal was to BF so that she got the colostrum - and then see what happened. when that worked, i started taking it one day at a time, with a view to hit six months - now, i have no goal. each day is a new day. while i continue to produce milk and she continues to want it, we will continue to BF.

welcome and congrats to the new mummy's in here!

i have started expressing a couple of times a day - not trying for huge amounts, just enough to put in the freezer for when i return to work. i will be back two days a week and DD will either be with her Daddy or her Granma. if she is with my mum, chances are mum will plan her outtings for banking and stuff to coincide with being in town when i'm on my lunch break - means i'll get bubba snuggles and be able to feed her myself - otherwise i guess i'll be expressing at work. thankfully (i think!), since DD has started solids, she has spaced her day time BF's out quite a bit more and mostly feeds for comfort before a sleep util we hit late arvo - so i think i'll be able to get away with expressing just once a day at work (big feed before i leave at 7, another when i get back to her around half 4). i'm not prepared to allow my working day to interfere with my BF relationship with my DD

[Shanti]

Lauren22 - congrats on your new little arrival!!!! Glad to hear all is going great!

Welcome to the new mummies in here!!!

I just wanted to share something that happened today. I was visiting a friend's house today, a friend from mothers group and her little girl who is DD's age. She's still BF her DD but only morning and night feeds. She gives her formula for all other feeds. We were just generally talking and she added in that "the MCHN told me when K was 6mths old that I could stop BF as my milk has run out of nutrients and she isnt benefiting from it anymore"

When she told me what the MCHN had told her I was gobsmacked

Not only does society in general need more education on BF and it's benefits past 6mths but also GP's, MCHN's etc....!!!

[Inertia]

Lauren22 - congrats on your new little arrival!!!! Glad to hear all is going great!

Welcome to the new mummies in here!!!

I just wanted to share something that happened today. I was visiting a friend's house today, a friend from mothers group and her little girl who is DD's age. She's still BF her DD but only morning and night feeds. She gives her formula for all other feeds. We were just generally talking and she added in that "the MCHN told me when K was 6mths old that I could stop BF as my milk has run out of nutrients and she isnt benefiting from it anymore"

When she told me what the MCHN had told her I was gobsmacked

Not only does society in general need more education on BF and it's benefits past 6mths but also GP's, MCHN's etc....!!!

OMG! She didn't honestly buy into that, did she??? The fact the MHCN did is disturbing enough!

I can see it now - stone age neolithic supermarkets stocked with formula and heinz pureed baby food.

Well how else could have mankind survived past 7 months through the ages?

[Greenslw]

I'm sorry to hear that phoenix

Welcome Lauren and congrats on DS.

Marcellus it normally (not yesterday) takes 30 ish minutes each side. but yesterday and last night DS was cluster feeding, OMG he's been on my boob so much. He must be growing.

Hi Kamarine and congrats on Naomi's arrival. I think second time round bf would be much better.

MantaRay I've called them heaps. Really good support.

Alioops DS has thrush and did prior to AB. So we're still treating.

Gigi, yep knees up seams to work well. But carrying an almsot 5kg bub is getting hard on my back.

briggsy's girl well done on the pre work planning, My Lactation nurse said I should start soon and try DS on the bottle so he'll take it when I go back to work. Loads of planning isn't there.

Shanti you're kidding that is awful miss information. My nurse said that even if you give one feed a day the good stuff (can't remember the word) is as much as if you feed 8 times. You're milk goes up in potency. I hope you gave her some "real" info.

Cluster feeding is hard work! DH and I had a bit of a spat last night cos I'm feeling a bit needy and he's going away for 3 weeks his mum is coming to stay next week and then I'm going to my mums for the other two. But there is nothing like your parter. I will miss him so much and so will DS.

I was going to spend a week with him but with DS being so demanding I don't think I can do a week with no electricity, shower, toilet right now. (DH's house is under construction on Kangaroo Island) that's why he's going to put the power in.

I got a bit teery when I thought about how alone I'll be and how I'm not sure how I feel about mother in law staying etc. Bloody hormones.

DS is asleep in the sling layed out on the couch next to me. I know it's not good but OMG by back needs a break and poor little man didn't sleep much yesterday,

[Khaleesi]

Well i've been off the meds for a few days now & it according to both Drs all traces of the medication should of left Kodi's system by now, but she still has watery poos 4+ times a day.
So maybe it's not the medication after-all.
We go back to the GP on Monday if she is no better.

I'll bbl