Can't believe this is happening again! (Barb?)

:hug: I can hear how frustrated you are and wanted to send you some cyber :hug: please know you are not useless and are doing everything you can.

Hun, how are things going today? I hope you are ok :hug:

I'm feeling like crap at the moment because i have a ear/sinus/throat/cheat infection with raging fevers. I can't feed Jackson properly because my milk supply has dropped cand i keep making him hot from the fevers and i have this annoying cough that keeps anooying him eveytime he latches on cause it pretty much shakes him off.

He's had 2 top ups for formula cause he was obviously hungry.

Just wish i wasn't so sick. It's making everything 100 times worse.

Oh hun, you are having a shocking time :hug: You are doing so well to keep going with all of that going on :hug:

If you want to talk things over with a breastfeeding counsellor, you can call the helpline - 1800 mum 2 mum (1800 686 2 686, drop the last 6 for VOIP) anytime, 24 hours a day, toll free and you don't have to be a member. Sometimes it just helps to talk about it to someone who understands.

I hope you feel better soon hun. Have you seen a doctor at all?

yeh ive got some heavy duty ab's but not sure if i should take them cause it goes throught breast milk but i cant have much else cause im allergic to a lot of it.

:hug: just wanted to send BIG hugs your amazing hun try to rest xxxx

Hope you're feeling better soon :hug:

Hun, you can call Mothersafe in NSW and they can tell you about the safety of the abs while bfing. Most are fine and if the doc knew you were bfing he should have prescribed safe ones.

I hope you are feeling better today.

You are having a terrible time hun :hug:. Hope you feel better very soon xx

Hope you're feeling better soon, hun. :hug: It can make it just that much harder to cope with looking after kids and dealing with your bfing dilemnas when you're so unwell.

Ok, took the AB's and today feel a little bit better. How ever got a tooth ache now cause of the sinus infection. Typical.

Anyway, I got the breast pump today that Maz very kindly organised for me. But I would only get 25mls our from both sides after half an hour. I couldn't get a proper let down. But could if i hand expressed. So not sure how to get it going with the pump. I was relaxed and in a quite from, so i dunno. Any suggestions?

I'm going to make some of those lactation cookies soon. Does anyone know if they actually work?

They never worked for me babe, only Motiluim worked for me lomg term...

With the feeding babe.. If J is "suckling" all the time he may be only getting the fore milk, the watery stuff that comes first, so would be "full", but not getting the all important hind milk, which is full of nutrients and fats.

If you can keep him off in between, feeding ONLY on the 3 hrs for a while might make feed him for longer, and get that hind milk from both breasts at each feed..... if bub doesnt take the hind milk, then you will also start to make less, starting a vicious cycle.... good luck sweets, you are determined and strong, and noone can parent your baby like you you can.

Wish you lived closer, i would certainly come visit and help if I could... xoxoxo

That makes sense Jodie. But how long should i leave him on there before taking him off? The only reason i keep him attached a lot is because i thought he'd get plenty then because i never know how much he's getting, he usually just falls asleep after a while.

That's great news that you are feeling better.

T, I would suggest feeding for 20mins on the first side, doing a nappy change then 20 mins on the other side. This should help maximize the hind milk. Sometimes spacing feeds can help, like waiting 3 hours, but if you are concerned about supply this might not be the best option for you to start with. I would start by trying the 20 mins per side first and see what happens.

What sort of pump do you have? Often it can take a lot of tries to get a let down with a pump. You could try putting a warm cloth on your breast for 5 mins before expressing, and also squeezing your breast gently while expressing (in fact doing this while you feed can help the baby get more milk too). I used to find I let down more easily if I watched tv or read while expressing too. Watching the bottle can make it harder to relax. Also try expressing in the same place you usually feed.

It is great that hand expressing is going well for you, that's a great achievement. You are doing so well hun. I hope it gets easier soon :hug:

So what do i do if he falls asleep before 20mins? He usually doesn't last longer than 15 minutes. He's not lethargic but i take him off, change nappy or just wake him up any way i can and he usualy wakes quite quick and seems alert. But as soon as the boob is back in his mouth he closes his eyes again and drifts off.

Hopefully if he isnt full from suckling so much he will WANT to take a good feed.. after one side is done, and you get a good burp and a change, he will actually want to take the second side.. dont panic if he doesnt do this right off the bat, it might take a few feeds for him to get into the pattern, but he should.. good luck.. xoxoxo

So is there anyway to know that he's emptied one side fully?

I don't think you ever fully empty the breast- because the breast is producing milk at the same time as bub is feeding- however if i feel the breast after a feed it is much softer than it is just before a feed. I can tell which side to start from just by feeling which is firmer.

I used to keep bub awake by tickling her ear while she was feeding.