"Has your milk come in??"

[OceanPrincess]

LOL AJP - you can keep it thanks

Thanks for all the comments and support girls. Yesterday arvo and evening I tried expressing with my sister's pump, after I had fed DD, and only got a tiny amount both times. Decided this means my milk probably hasn't come in yet, not completely.

Toomany thanks for those great tips. I'm going to try and work on the nighttime routine - we're trying Daddy-daughter time at bath time followed by feed and bed.

I hadn't thought about changing at night waking her up! Here's a stupid first time mum question - how can I tell if she has a pooey nappy without undressing?? Will it smell through the clothes and nappy??? I'm still learning...

I've got my first MCHN appt tomorrow, she will weigh her then so I'll be able to be sure she is putting on weight.

Her poos have changed to a dark yellowy-orange colour with grainy stuff in them. Are these the breast milk poos??

[Snacks]

The pump gives you absolutely no indication of how much milk you've got, babe. Particularly late in the day. Your boobies can tell the difference between baby and plastic
While you are feeding her, you can have a peek inside the nappy (just flip it out a bit from her leg with your finger... But don't stick your finger in too far, LMAO!) and see if its pooey, if you can't smell it. I found that DD had pooey nappies most of the time, so for us it helped to change the nappy between boobs (sometimes she really wasn't a fan of this, but it meant that it was easier to settle her after the second boob).
I'm not sure that it's easy to tell from poo colour whether your milk's come in yet. Poo can be lots of colours. But if she's pooing a lot, then I'd say it is in and she's getting plenty
Keep up the fabulous work, mate!

[diva det]

OP

mustardy water poos is usually B/milk poos!

i have the same trouble telling if levi has pooped or not so i during the day i feed one side, then change his bum regardless, and then offer the other side. Overnite I change his bum before i feed him as he usually on does one side overnite before he goes back to sleep. I also re-wrap him after i have changed his bum overnite so i can put him straight back into his cot after he has fed and nod off by himself as he is such a sleepy state!

I wouldnt worry about not getting much when you express esp after a feed- means Isobel is getting her feeds worth. Bub gets heaps more off you, than you will get expressing.

mwah and keep going- you are doing great!
odette

[bronners]

From what you have said it does sound like you milk has come in. You could just have a very efficient feeder and your breast have adjusted quite well. Not becoming engorged and plenty of wet nappies is generally a good sign of both these things! Not all women become engorged - sounds like you are one of the lucky ones
Edited to add that I agree with above about the pump not being a good indication of supply. Often the let down reflex doesn't work as well when using a pump, a baby's sucking technique is far more efficient at removing milk. Keep up the good work!!

[MantaRay]

As Snacks said hun, the amount of milk you express will tell you absolutely nothing about your supply. Is there a reason why you want to express already? Usually it's best to wait for a few weeks until everything's settled down before you add that complication into things.

It sounds like everything is going very well hun. Good work! Don't worry, it does get easier as you go.

[OceanPrincess]

Thanks again girls...

MR, DH wants to be able to help a bit if he can and give her some EBM to help settle her at night. I was also curious to see how much I'd get... but I get what you are all saying about a pump not being as efficient as a baby on the breast.

Starting to get a bit despondent though... I know she is getting lots of wet and pooey nappies, she settles well most of the time, but I just don't think my milk has come in yet. DD still takes up to 20 mins each side, but then last night she was doing the 5 minute sucks and pulling off again and showing no interest in reattaching.

Then today she is getting a bit fussy at the breast - she takes a few goes to attach and sometimes attaches incorrectly, then when I correct it she cries and gets upset while I'm trying to fix it.

She also gets confused by her hands and tries to suck on them instead of my nipple. I don't want to wrap her as I know it is important for her little hands to stroke the breast but she gets frustrated sucking them and not me. How can I keep her hands away?

Sigh.

Oh and this is Day 8

[Snacks]

Ok - not sure about the hands (it has been a while for me!)... Maybe you could wrap her to attach (as long as she's happy about it) and then loosen the wrap once she's sucking?
How often is she feeding atm, OP?
When she's feeding well, can you hear her swallowing?
They can be impatient little creatures, can't they? I remember Natty getting terribly cross with me when I tried to correct her attachment. (And when I changed her nappy before she wanted me to, LOL.) The best thing to do is just see that as impatience and try not to let it stress you out too much. I know it is easier said than done. (But you get better at dealing with your offspring's impatience I am pretty good at it these days, LOL.) The important thing is for you to be as calm as you can, and she will get it even if she gets a bit cranky first.
Hang in there - you are doing so fabulously well.

[OceanPrincess]

Thanks Amy, appreciate your response.

She's feeding at different intervals at the moment... yesterday evening/night it was every hour and a half or so until she settled to sleep at about 11pm, then she slept til about 2.30am, then again til 5am, then today she has fed about every 2 hours. Except for right now which has been about 3 hours.

I know its early days and she won't really have a routine at this point... or even set feeding patterns... but I am just getting worried I'm not providing for her!

I'm feeding her when she wants... I'm sure she's fine...

ETA - yes I can hear definite noises when she sucks...

[Olive]

OP it definatly sounds like your milk is in

meconium is thick black and sticky

transition stools as your milk comes in are light green/brown colour

breastmilk stool yellow in colour and quiet liquid with some pale seed like solids

[~Saram~]

ocean princess - you need to take adeep breath and give yourself a pat on the back. yu are doing a wonderful job at BF, your milk sounds like it is well and truely in and your baby is getting enough. Relax and enjoy this newborn time. For the first 6wks all they want to do is eat and sleep, get a magazine, lots of water and just feed her all day long if you need too - everything else can wait. She will stretch her feeds out eventually when she is ready and before you know it she'll be weaning like my little girl and you'll be wondering where the time has gone :-)

If you want her to go longer between feeds try increasing your hindmilk by feeding off the same breast in a row for exampple if she takes one side at a time do right side then at the next feed right side again before offering left. Then left side, left side again beforing ofering right. Try to increase the amount of time she spends at one breaset before offering the other which will increase her access to the rich fatty hind milk.

Can you feel your let down? Is this the time she is often on and off the breast? It could be that your let down is too fast or too slow - either way she will get used to it. If your letdown is coming in too fast you can pull her off and put a cloth over your boob to catch the fast letdown then put her back on - my DD used to hate me doing this so I would leave her on and she learnt to deal with it herself - often putting her tongue up to stop the flow.

If she isn't interested in reattaching than don't worry, she may be sucking for comfort if she has wind pain or colic

As for her hands, it's OK to wrap and yes babies get frustrated when you reattactch them but that's much better than having cracked nipples.

As for expressing, try in the morning when you are full. Remember to relax and try thinking happy baby thought to get your letdown happening. if using a handpump try to imitate her sucking doing fast pumps then switching to slower rythmic pumps. If she is having issues at the breast I probably wouldn't introduce a bottle maybe try cup feeding her instead?

Remember you are doing an awesome job, this is the hardest time and IT WILL get easier I promise you!

[OceanPrincess]

Looks like I may have been worrying over nothing... the MCHN came today and my little champ is now weighing 3.85kg, which is 100g over her birth weight

She has put on 285g in 5 days, which the nurse said could not have happened if my milk has not come in.

So yay!

I will stop stressing now... maybe

Saram, everyone, thanks for your help.

[Olive]

awesome news OP!!!!!
miss M sounds very much like isobel!!!! very similar weight gains!

[MantaRay]

That's great news OP. You are doing a fantastic job, try not to worry. The feeding will settle down and you will start to feel more confident with it all soon

I understand about wanting your DH to help. It is really great for dad's to bond with the babies early. But expressing so early can interrupt your supply settling, and can cause you extra stress at this stage (which are already discovering I think). You will also find that you will probably feel really uncomfortable (being full) at the moment if your DD drinks EBM for a feed instead of bfing. In a few weeks this is something you can try if you are feeling ready for it, but for now you might be better off if your DH spends time doing other things with your DD - often baths are a great thing for dads to do, and he can also do the nappy change and bring bub to you at feed time. Something to think about anyway.

Keep up the great work hun.

[diva det]

WELL DONE - Isabel- great weight gains

OP's new mantra- My body is providing exaclty what my baby needs!!!!

The extra feeding is Isabel building up your supply to meet her needs. She is getting bigger so hence needs more milk.

Keep going and dont doubt yourself- you are doing everything right! Just have faith in you and your bubs!

[Snacks]

Great stuff, OP! Was just going to say that 2-hourly is really good - you can reassure yourself that way that she's not sleeping too long and letting your supply drop off IYKWIM?
Brilliant stuff about the weight gain! Congratulations to you both.
and LOL @ stopping stressing! Do we ever? But you should be so very proud of yourself and your little girl

[Toomanytoomany]

OP, as others have said, the pump will give you absolutely no idea whatsoever. It seems the only sign that makes you think your milk isn't "in" is that you aren't engorged, when in fact this may simply be a sign that your baby has a terrific latch and is emptying your breasts really, really well.

And I know it's tempting to want some sleep overnight, but honestly, the best thing for milk production is to put the baby to the breast whenever she wants to suck. Nighttime feeding is a very productive time for making milk - the more hours you go without putting the baby to the breast, the more likely it is that your supply will drop.

In these early days it really is probably best to simply feed, feed, feed, and then sleep when your baby is sleeping, whatever time of day it is and whatever else it is you think you have to do - your dh can help by making sure he keeps on top of the housework instead, perhaps!!

[Toomanytoomany]

Looks like I may have been worrying over nothing... the MCHN came today and my little champ is now weighing 3.85kg, which is 100g over her birth weight

She has put on 285g in 5 days, which the nurse said could not have happened if my milk has not come in.

So yay!

I will stop stressing now... maybe

Saram, everyone, thanks for your help.

Oh i didn't see this! Well done - see,you need to trust your body It produced this gorgeous girl, and now it's producing gorgeous milk for her

[Visitor8]

Mine weren't hard and uncomfortable either but there was definately milk there lol Ashtons wet nappies and weight gain were proof of that