Oh I haven't been in here for awhile either. Audax, I found the same thing with DD, it was intermittent though. We had better nights at times when she wasn't so close to me and didnt have the constant milk smell in her face.
At 15 and a half months she still has 2 feeds during the night. I'm pretty sure the first wake up is not for boob really but it's just so easy to use to get her (and me!) back to sleep. And at 15 and a half months, I just got AF back on Wednesday :/
Just a quick one from me - just wanted to say congratulations retrogal on 6 months of breastfeeding!!!! It is such an important step. here is to another 6 months (and then... the beyond!).
DD and I are at 20months and going strong. I am so thankful for breastfeeding at present. DD is sick and isn't eating a lot so we have upped her breastfeeds and I honestly have no idea what I would do if we weren't "still" breastfeeding. It has saved us this week... we would otherwise likely be in hospital with DD on a drip!
Hi!!! Can't believe I can actually come into this thread!! We are 3 weeks into exclusively breastfeeding - which killed my past record of 2.5 days! My next goal is 1 month, that's what I got to with Eden, and that was with top ups of both ebm and formula.
So we still have pain on latching but it's not toe curling and it disappears pretty quickly, so I'm guessing this is normal? It doesn't hurt enough for me to use shields or anything and its not causing any cracks so I'm thinking our attachment isn't perfect but it's not completely rotten either! She feeds about every 2 hours during the day, sometimes just one side, sometimes both. Then she usually wakes up twice a night for feeds. She has a bad habit of pulling at the nipple and tossing her head back and forth sometimes and I think I've worked out that she wants to suck but doesn't want milk. She's a huge comfort sucker, she came out with a blister on her arm where she had been sucking while in the womb!! So we use a dummy for those times and generally she is pretty happy!
So that's about it! Looking forward to celebrating one month!
Congrats Mel! Sounds good - hopefully you'll be totally pain free very soon.
I kept track last night and think DD is cluster feeding around 11-2am as well as before bed time.... I tried putting her back in her cot more, but she was sooooo unsettled I got even less sleep than usual.
Sleep will come one day J....
Hey Girls!
Congrats Mel on the BFing, I'm sure you'll be at 1 month and then 2 and then 6 in no time. Here's a thought for you though, in my experience if my children didn't want any more milk they would pull off altogether, perhaps if she is pulling and throwing her head around a bit (especially if you have just put her on) then it might actually be that when let down first occurs, there is so much milk and it is coming so fast that she is finding it hard to keep up or that she finds the milk is hitting the back of her throat, so she pulls back a bit to make more room in her mouth. Both of my children also like/liked a dummy for comfort sucking too.
Also very happy to have made it to 6 months with Alexander and now introducing solids, and still feeding Georgia once a day at 2 years and 9 months. She's obviously picking up good habits though, cos she now bf's her baby doll, and said to me last night 'quick mum I need a breast pad, I'm leaking, i'm getting all wet'. Cracked me up.
oh and TK1999 I know what you mean. Nothing better than being able to bf your little ones when they are ill.
oh and one more thing - Mel if your nipples are still sore on attachment, but not cracked, they might just be a little bit bruised. it's a lot of action and they suck pretty hard.... just think if Sahti did that to her arm, your nipple is doing pretty well to just be a little bit tender. you're right though, they'll most likely toughen up and you won't feel any pain very soon.
Jess - nah it's at the end of the feed that she does it, she chokes sometimes with my let down, but will only pull off if she's actually dead to the world. Otherwise she fusses until I give her a dummy, then she goes to sleep! I mean, obviously I'm not an expert at the stuff, but it does seem like comfort sucking to me most if the time. Funny about G and the breast pad!!!! They are so funny at that age.
I have to go back to catch up but Mel!!!!! I'm so happy for you hunni
Carmelo is 12 months in 2 and a half weeks... still going strong here We're doing roughly 4 feeds a day - hoping that's enough but it seems like it's what he wants! One on waking, one around 11am, again around 4pm and then before bed at 7.30-8pm.
Sometimes if we're out he isn't interested in the 2 day feeds... but if we're home, he's most definately wanting them.
DH & I are looking at going back to see our Dr to start our next IVF cycle between now and the end of the year... a little torn as I can't start while I'm BF... I have to do a full stim cycle, and with all of the drugs for my specific situation, specialist has said I definately can't be feeding while I'm cycling
I was thinking about expressing and discarding the milk while I'm cycling and giving Carmelo stored EBM.. but the cycle of drugs is roughly 6 weeks long, and at 12-15 months old, I would imagine my chances of getting him to reattach after that long off the breast wouldn't be great? Argh!
At this stage, I think we'll just carry on and see if he shows signs of self weaning over the next few months... I'm REALLY not ready to stop yet - and he doesn't seem to be either - but with all of my issues, we can't afford to leave it too long before we start IVF again in case it takes a while..... too much to think about, lol!
That's a tough situation Holly
6 weeks wold be a long time to pump and dump - it's really up to you and what you feel you're up for. As for your DS, it's really impossible to say. It may well be doable if you persevere long enough. Do you have a deadline in mind for going back to IVF?
Our deadline was to do a cycle by November this year. We still have a heap of meds here that we didn't end up using last cycle that we can use this cycle, and the date for usage is by November.... It's not a must to use them, but it seems a waste to not use them.. and to save us a bit of $$ on the next cycle... we were using it as a guideline though.
FS said approx 12 months after Carmelo was born to try again (he was pleased I wanted to BF for at least that long), but he said it was ultimately our choice when we were ready again. I asked his professional opinion, and he said 12 months give or take a few months is a good aim... I know I'm not old, but I'll be 34 in just under 2 weeks.. and if we're lucky enough for it to work this cycle or next, I'll be around 35 by the time I have the next bubba... but if not, the eggs just get older IYKWIM?
We'd like to have 2 more, so time to fall via IVF for each of those plus 12 months of BF each one takes me close to being 40 (if I'm lucky and fall reasonably quickly)... I don't expect it to take another 7yrs (now that he found the issue and fixed it)... but theres no guarantee with IVF, you know? Too many considerations!!!
We're the same age! Yeah, it's a tough one. Sucks to have to make compromises, but that's life, hey? We have two embies left, then I thikn it'll be it for us. But I also don't have to stop feeding to go back.
Mel - yeah sounds like you're right about the sucking. of course you're an expert, you're doing it and you're the only one who knows how to do it just right for your baby.
Hollybolly - I am going to be in exactly the same situation early next year. DS is only 17+ weeks right now, but I am really enjoying breastfeeding him - much more than I expected and he seems to love it too (he won't even look at a bottle which is a different can of worms - but we are going to work on that over the 5 day weekend). I'll be on various drugs for about 15 weeks for my cycle and my Dr doesn't want bf'ing while cycling (so pump and dump isn't even an option as you need to have stopped completely - and I will listen to him - he helped us create DS! after 3.5 years). We will need to start trying for #2 when DS is 12-16 months old...with 16 months really pushing it. I don't think it's much of a choice for us as we really want to try for #2, but I'm not happy about it.
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I tried putting her back in her cot more, but she was sooooo unsettled I got even less sleep than usual.
We're doing roughly 4 feeds a day - hoping that's enough but it seems like it's what he wants! One on waking, one around 11am, again around 4pm and then before bed at 7.30-8pm.
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