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I would only express as much (little) as you need to make it easier for her to attach. Like a pp said, at this very early stage I would be concentrating on just getting her attachment right, getting you settled back at home and letting her regulate your supply rather than express to actually get something ITMS.
Her poos could well just be her little tummy adjusting to your milk after colostrum. My girls had nothing but liquid poos for months so I can't tell you when they normalise - whatever that is!
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just a little with the expressing - you can even do it by hand if it's easier.
and definitely normal with the poos! i freaked when i saw little bits like cottage cheese in DS's nappy. apparently totally normal :lol: (sorry if anyone was eating when they read that!!)
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The ABA has a great chart with all the various poo colours you should expect in the first few months. I'm on my phone but someone should be able to find the link and post it for you.
Hope you are enjoying being at home.
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Thank you! Everyone I am so happy for your support. I am so pro-breastfeeding and want to relish in it but at the moment I dislike breastfeeding because I feel like I am causing my baby pain or unhappiness.
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Just express till it's soft so she can attach more easily.
poos sound fine - very normal for a newborn.
7 minutes may well be enough time for her! How often is she pooing? otherwise doing ok?
Sounds like you're doing well :)
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Ok so I kept a 24 hour chart yesterday recording Honor's feed times and wet nappies etc and while I thought I was only getting about 7 feeds into her it actually added up to 11 feeds between 7am and about 6 am. Some of the feeds were tiny - only about 4 minutes if she was restless. These were mostly on my right breast which is the one I'm having attachment problems with. But other feeds ranged from 7 to 15 minutes. One was EBM... I was tired and she was unsettled so hubby took charge while I went to bed.
Rousing her to drink is still an issue, mainly at night. Feeding to a strict 2 hour daily routine isn't really working because it often takes an hour or more to wake her, feed her, change her, try another feed if she was fussy with the first one, then settle her. So a 2 hourly routine would mean she's barely asleep before I'm waking her again. But somehow I got 11 feeds of varying 'success' in- a mix of demand led and manually waking her.
She had 7 wet or dirty nappies.
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Oh and if she isn't fussy or not attaching properly her feeds seem like good ones, even the 5 minute ones, as she has a strong and constant suck swallow pattern.
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Ladylove, it sounds like you're doing well.
If keeping track like this helps you, then that's good, but sometimes it actually just puts more pressure on you. If she's feeding at least 8 times and doing multiple poos (+some wet ones) then you're probably on track and can let her lead a bit more in deciding when to feed (and for how long).
Great work
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I know, it's a fine line. I like to feel like I know what is happening, it makes me feel more in control of such an intense period of learning and experience and responsibility for this new little life. But it does make me a bit tense and obsessive rather than relaxed and able to go with the flow.
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I may have had a mini breakthrough- she attached and fed beautifully on my right breast when I positioned her in a sort of seated position. I had no nipple pain at all. Hopefully it wasn't a fluke!
Then she did the runniest messiest poo ever- it was like a waterfall that ran all the way up her back and soaked through her clothes. Oh my sweet bunny!
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Oh I remember those special poos. If you're really lucky, you end up wearing it too ;-) I frequently used to end up with both of us in the shower. Ewwww
That's fantastic you've had a breakthrough. DD1 was a brilliant feeder from the start but DD2 was very difficult . Once we got that first good feed or two though it was much smoother going.
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If it works, then it's good :)
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Hey that's great hope you have more painless feeds!! :D
Ah yes the up the back poos :lol:
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Bugger- it worked three times but tonight she didn't latch properly again in the same position. My right nipple is so sore. I'm 50% there, it's just the one breast that's causing issues. I'm seeing a lactation consultant on Monday, fingers crossed she has some new tips for me.
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You're making progress ladylove, it'll come together with a bit of time.
Trying different things on the sore side is a good idea. Even moving baby around (ie, different positions) can give the sore spots a chance to heal a bit while you get it sorted.
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How are you doing now ladylove? Hope your nipples are feeling better.
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It's a bit hit and miss Hotl. She feeds beautifully off the left side but the right side is a bit random. Every time I think 'ah, I've found the perfect position' something will change - maybe in the way I handle her or maybe Honor herself- and she's on incorrectly again. She does not seem to open her mouth wide enough to take in enough skin around the nipple or if she does it's for a millisecond then she chomps down again before I can get the breast in. She also has this odd habit of sort of shaking her head from side to side really quickly when I bring her to the breast and opening and closing her mouth equally as fast... She's like a manic little head bobbing machine and I can't seem to focus her or keep her still enough to position then latch :( she's almost hyper when she does this. Is that weird?
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Nah, not wierd. i remember wanting about 4 hands when i first started breastfeeding so i could get everything lined up.
I feel like a bit of a beginner myself at the moment, because DS does things so differently to my first child. My DD helped me to learn that as soon as you think you have worked things out, they will change again so i am a few steps ahead in acceptance this time.
My DD definitely favoured my right side, i think most people have a side that works better for them.
