So my breastfeeding journey is comming to an end!
I think Miss Em has started to ween herself of the boob!
She just fusses so much when she is on it now! and with Uni comming up and DH having to look after her more we think now is the time to start!
So today i gave her her first bottle of EBM! And i must admit i had tears in my eyes! She has had the occassional bottle of EBM from DH but this was my first one! if felt so weird, but she hooked right in and was so content afterwards!
I have a fair bit of EBM and plan to try and keep up the supply, but also try to slowly let things "dry" up!
I never ever would of thought i would of got this far!
I have really enjoyed my breastfeeding journey and am really glad that i got to experience it!
Thanks to everyone who supported me and gave me reassurance on my down days
At the risk of being horrible, many many 3-month old babies are very fussy at the boob. She's taking EBM OK - which is great for while you are at Uni. Why not continue to breastfeed her when you are around? It will mean less washing up for you and make maintaining a milk supply easier. And even if in a few months she's down to one or two breastmilk feeds a day that's still beneficial for you both. Surely a midwifery course has to be sympathetic to an expressing Mum?
hj- yes, they go through lots of fussy periods!! She is not weaning, and you don't have to wean if you don't want to. BM is her only source of nutrition, she won't wean off it Self-weaning usually occurs after age two.
So if you weren't wanting to start weaning for any other reason than you thought that she wanted too, rest assured you don't have to, she still wants to BF, she's just a little fussy at the moment. They can be so confusing sometimes! You're doing a great job!
Well done hj; although ivagree with kmn. She is right... And most babies dont self wean at such a terribly young age. Miss em knows what is best for her and that is breastfeeding you can still bf when home , no?
Its very normal for bf bubs to get fussy Around this age they go through big development stages .... Breast refusal is common too and passes..... Aba website has info on this
Self weaning "usually" happens from 18mths onwards dependent on diff things ie a new pg etc
Good stuff hj! I also agree with kmn, Heaven and Shanti. My DD had a fussy period around 3 months. It's VERY normal. If you're happy to keep going with it, then go for it. No reason why it has to be all or nothing. With my DS, I had a low supply and had to comp feed for a few months but still kept up with the breastfeeding as at least he was getting some breast milk.
In addition to my last post HJ, (was on the i pad so couldnt type for long) my DD had fussy periods at 3mths, 5mths and again at 10mths (with biting) but we got through all those stages with the right information and support. If you wish to continue BF your DD, then this is definitely not the end of your journey if you don't want it to be
PM me if you would like any info hun..... also you can call ABA helpline on 1800 Mum 2 Mum.
As the others have said, many babies are fussy at the breast at that age. You might have noticed that she is more aware of her surroundings now and when this happens they don't want to feed for long and miss out on everything going around them. They are also able to drain a breast very quickly at that age so she is probably drinking more than you realise. Babies just don't self-wean at that age so that's some good news for you.
It would be very hard for you to produce enough milk for such a young baby while exclusively expressing so if you are happy to keep breastfeeding when you are home that would make life easier for you. Some tips for getting through a feed when she's fussy are feeding in a quiet, dark room, feeding her while she's sleepy (or even asleep) and many mums also find a breastfeeding necklace can help. This is a child-proof necklace that you would wear with big beads or something that attracts her attention and that she can play with while feeding.
Okay so im back to it and have been all weekend so far! thanks heaps everyone - very reassuring to know that fussing is normal!
I didn't plan to quit all together and was going to feed when i could, was just thinking this would be easier when uni starts and DH can feed while im away or studying!
So im still trying to express as much as i can to get that stock up, and DH brought a tin of formula on friday but it has not been opened!
So hopeing to go between EBM and BFing for aslong as possible but if it dosen't work than it dosen't work and the formula is there if needed!
Was also great to read that they can drain a breast very quickly (thanks MantaRay) i didn't know that (yet another thing) and was worried that after a few minutes she seemed done! thought she was just using me as a dummy kinda thing!
and expressing while bfing is hard enough let alone doing it exclusively, have no idea how exclusive expressors do it! they are amazing!
would it be recommended to take something to increase my supply so i can get my EBM stock up some more do you think???
There are things you can take to increase your supply. For me in the early weeks/months with the probs we encountered, I had to take drugs (Maxalon/Motilium) and also Fenugreek which helped immensely even though it made me smell like an indian curry house!!! however don't take these things unless you really need to. Best to get advice from a Lactation consultant first. They know best. Do you have one in your area that you know? Many MCHN's at the baby clinics are LC's just ask around. Some aren't though.
I think BF your DD as often as you can is the best way to increase your supply!! As MR said, babies drain your breast ALOT faster than any pump will. You could try a double pump too if you like? You can hire these from your local ABA group at a cost.
If you like, I have a booklet I can post to you (to borrow) on Breastfeeding and Returning to Work - interested?? Let me know. It's an ABA booklet, I have them for my training as I'm training to become a counsellor
At 3 months how your breasts regulate milk production has changed. Instead of being the hormone driven "just make heaps" from the first few weeks, they now respond by making milk when they are emptied.
So to build up a freezer supply you need to keep emptying them! Pick a time each day when your DD isn't likely to be wanting continuous feeds (e.g. when she's usually asleep) and make that the time when you feed the pump. And over a couple of days your breasts should get the idea, and there should be more there.
Once you are at uni you will find that you have to express or you will explode. And what you express at uni one day will be close to enough for bub the next day - you don't actually need to stash a month's worth of milk in the freezer.
Tips to make expressing on the go a bit easier:
*talk to Uni - there may well be a Mum's room or a first aid room or some other relatively quiet place with a power point.
*beg, borrow or steal an electric double pump (or hire one) so you can halve the time you spend expressing
*get a few extra sets of "bits" for your pump (off ebay or off friends), so you can do a big scrub every couple of days.
*See if you can get access to a fridge anywhere at Uni. That way you can just put milky pump bits in a big zip-lock bag in the fridge and come back to them, rather than having to wash each time
*little esky with cold block will be needed to get the milk safely home.
GOod luck!
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So this is really it
however don't take these things unless you really need to. Best to get advice from a Lactation consultant first. They know best. Do you have one in your area that you know? Many MCHN's at the baby clinics are LC's just ask around. Some aren't though.
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