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DD is demand fed, and for the last couple of weeks has been feeding hourly. I in no way want to control when she eats and when she doesn't, so it's not something I want to change in any way, but I'd love to know how other mums cope. My hair is falling out in big chunks lol! Sometimes, she'll feed for 30+ minutes, and I'll only have half an our or so until she starts again :o Luckily, she sleeps 8-10 hours overnight, so thankfully I'm getting rest then...but I'm pretty exhausted! Tips?
I don't know. But I did lol. I just lost all expectations that anything else was normal. If that makes sense. DS was EXACTLY the same. Every hour on the hour. And he didn't sleep overnight and I coped with that too (most of the time ;)). I think I was just so ecstatic to be feeding him myself as I didn't with DD1. But don't feel bad if it annoys the crap out of you. Maybe give yourself a list of things to do in those 30 minute breaks? That's what I did. And instead of big blocks of achievements I would achieve things gradually throughout my day. Whatever gets you through, there are no rules :) AND drink LOTS. Can you rest your eyes and feed in bed while she feeds?
Pumpkin
Wow - I have no idea, but I couldnt read without saying what a wonderful job your doing. Your an amazing mummy
You are but also remember even the amazing have moments of Oh My Freakin GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
AND if she's not suffering nipple confusion and you have some storage go the bottle and pump after the next time she feeds if you need a break? Dunno if it's something you want to try... but I'm trying to think of solutions xx
If you need to offload (and I hope my post didn't seem... "Oh it's fiiiiinnnne darlink") call me xxx
I think you be very very grateful for the overnight sleep.
And do you have a sling? Sometimes she may be wanting to be held and close rather than actually fed.
Also - I had to quit caffeine completely, because the hourly "doses" were really revving DS up.
Work out your minimum standards for everything (in my case it was we have clean towels and we have food and cutlery - that'll do). And still try and get out and about to remind yourself that the world is there. I don't think you have much choice but to get comfy with public breastfeeding, even if it is confronting - because if you don't you really are stuck.
Good luck!
Hi,
At this age babies want to feed to connect with you, not necessarily for the food. Do you give your little one both breasts at a feed? While in the early days babies will only need one breast at a time, by 4 months, they will generally want both breasts. Do you find if she is in a sling and you are on the go - at the shops etc she doesn't want to feed as often? I always found that when mine had better things to see or do they didn't feed as often - if we were just haning out at home, they wanted it all the time.
Re your hairloss - it probably not related to breastfeeding. Generally it's a shock or crisis such as the birth that causes the break. It takes some time for the hair to "grow out" and it coincides with the time we are breastfeeding. But it's not caused by breastfeeding
1. be comfortable ;) - tracky pants and a loose top worked wonders for me and my favorite chair.
2. Lots of water and plenty of snacks - when i could i would make up a couple of little containers of snacks (dried fruit, nuts, fresh fruit, muesli bars, cheese & crackers) when the girls were ready for a feed i would grab a small container and a water bottle and just sit back and watch telly and eat/drink.
3. A good book - comes in handy when they are feeding for a while and not too worried about you reading over the top of them ;)
4. I times like those i often went and laid in bed when i knew the girls would have a longer feed, i would just relax and do nothing :)
Prob no help, your prob doing all of that anyway, keep up the great work hun :)
:hug: thanks guys. I'm actually okay with it, although it's pretty draining. She naps two or three times a day, for about an hour. So that's when I try to shower or make some food. When DH is home it's easier, the uni year is nearly over so I'll have some reprieve soon. Luckily there's no pressure for the house to be spotless (and we're going to start getting a cleaner in). I'm starting to worry about my hair though...I was thinking maybe taking a vitamin supp? Would that be okay for DD, is there such a thing as too many vitamins (lol!)?
Breastfeeding basket. Tip Pinky McKay gave me when she came to give me lactation advice. Make up a basket with a few good snacks in it (bananas etc), a water bottle, the TV remote, a magazine, your phone... then whenever you have a spare moment you go to the toilet, get more food and get ready to sit back down again! Try to make it a relaxing time and soak it up, turn it into an opportunity to care for yourself.
There are "breastfeeding" vitamin supplements - probably not necessary unless you aren't eating reasonably well though.
I thought the hair loss was pretty typical a few months after birth.
Oh lots of replies while I was responding.
Yep, I wear her in a sling heaps. She loves the close contact. We have a bath once a day together too, for lots of skin on skin. She still wants the boob though.
Public bf, I'm sooo cool with it. I even have a BF adventures album on fb ;)
Oh I'm glad the hair isn't related! Was starting to worry me. Her birth was not traumatic, but I have had some other stressors. Usually she'll only take on breast, I offer the other but no joy. I have a huge supply, don't know if that makes a difference? She can be on the boob sucking strongly for a good 40 mins and I can still squirt across the room. If I pump, I'll get 150ml in about 3 minutes, then I stop.
ETA barb, yes, when out she is a lot more distracted and we can sometimes stretch the feeds put to two hours.
My hair fell out in chunks too, it's not fun to find hair all over the house hehe! Do you take your pregnancy & BF supplement? Maybe they might help.
Just let everything slide for a few weeks, don't worry if you don't get the cleaning and stuff done. Have your fave dvd series ready to go in the dvd player or something. Have a little stash of things you need next to the couch on a table. Water bottle, snacks, a good book, your phone etc. I found I'd be hungry and then bub would start feeding and sometimes I wouldn't eat for hrs because I got so busy with her. She was permanently stuck to my boob hehe but she is a super cuddly, affectionate bub now and I'm thinking that it's because like you we just went with it and made the most of the cuddle time.
Here I was thinking the hairloss was a metaphor LOL but the hairloss is NORMAL. It's actually part of the postpartum process. Every woman is different, some women only lose hair for the first month, others depending on the lusciousness of their locks can continue to lose hair for 12 months. It will go back to normal just think of it as losing your pregnancy coat ;) xxx
Don't worry about your hair, that's normal :) You don't lose it at the same rate as normal when pregnant so after baby is born it all falls out! You feel like you're losing all your hair! lol. Mine started at about 4 or 5 months after they were born and it's still going now. Lucky I've got a lot of hair :rofl:
Make sure you're drinking lots of water.
I really don't know exactly, you just kinda keep on truckin' for the most part. My DD was a frequent feeder for a very, very long time including overnight (4+ wake ups till 2). When she was little I'd just set up the couch with my laptop, some good DvDs (or TV shows), something to read, a huuuuuge bottle of water and snacks (I ate a lot of cashews and peanuts haha). It is really hard to eat properly when you are chained to your butt so that could be why you feel run-down. I always did the big bowl of porridge in the morning, with some banana and that could keep me going for ages with snacks and water if neccesary (such as DD wouldn't settle at all till mid afternoon when I could finally grab something else) but definitely, yeah, try to eat when you can.
I think the hair thing is pretty normal, isn't it something to do with how much you retain during pregnancy (you know, that luscious pregnancy locks) and then the 'fall out' has to catch up? I don't know, could be making that up. At any rate, you having vitamins won't affect your breastmilk negatively... it will just put in what it needs, its smart and stuff; same as your body will only absorb what it needs and then turn your wee yellow lol.
Woah too many replies!!!! Haha, gimme a minute to compile my replies, on my phone ;) you guys rock.
Okay:
Rouge: Ugh, I'm SO lucky DD sleeps at night. I'm the same, I'm just rapt to be BFing. When I'm really tired I'll doze a little. Wish I could feed lying down, but it just doesn't work for us anymore. She kind of does have nipple confusion...it's hard to explain. We're still on the nipple shield, not because she needs it now, but because she refuses to eat without it. Makes me a bit sad that I'm not 'really' feeding her, but that's where we're at atm. I've tried her with a bottle but she just pushes it out, cheeky thing.
Bengal: Aw! Thanks chick, that's really sweet :hug:
Kmn: yep, very lucky! We have a few carriers and slings, we're very big on close bodily contact. I also have cut out caffeine (sadly lol). You are right as well, getting out helps. We go out probably 5 days out of 7.
ZF: The container of snacks idea is GREAT :) I always sit down for a feed and then think damn, I don't have anything with me to eat.
Meow: I like that idea! So you just keep restocking it when you run out (of say, snacks)? That would be handy. I have a good little basket that would do the job.
Babyluv: aw that's so sweet. DD is a very affectionate girl too. I'm the same with the forgetting to eat.
Heaven: (and everyone else) that's extremely reassuring about the hair loss!! I was worrying I'd go bald!
Jellyfish: Wow overnight too! I think I'm going to set up little BFing stations around the house with a water bottle etc ready to go :)
Thank you all SO much, great tips! I love the idea for snacks on the go and bf baskets :grouphug:
PZ - how is using a nipple sheild not really feeding her!! Don't start crazy mummy guilt on yourself!! It doesn't matter how it gets in her belly - it's just so awesome that it gets in there FULL STOP.
I don't know how you cope. I do know that my hair fell out for months and month until about 14months after DS2 was born.
Take care of yourself :hug:
WORD!:
Get that rubbish outta your head girl. YOU ARE FEEDING HER!
My bad. I know I'm feeding her. Sometimes I just wish I could plonk my boob out and that was that. No sticking a pastie on my boob first. Mum was talking about when I got teeth as a baby, and DH said 'it probably won't even matter for you, you've got the shield'. I know he didn't mean to upset me, but I actually cried at the thought of NOT having my nipple bitten :shakehead:
It's funny the things we judge ourselves on.
I have no doubt the older she gets she will one day be ok without the nipple. You will have that moment I promise.
I always wanted a co-sleeper, never happened. Felt like I'd failed in the bonding somehow. Always wanted a sling baby... that wasn't to be either. I mean I used the sling but attachment parenting wasn't something either child wanted. I even wondered if I smelt wrong LOL! And was offended that they wanted to sleep in their cots :p
It doesn't always go to plan, but it's not because you failed. It's just sometimes what happens. And I can tell you know you have amazing perseverance to the benefit of your beautiful daughter. Don't ever doubt that. :hug:
Keep perservering with and without the shield hun. I had to use nipple shields with my DD for about the first 3 months as she just couldn't latch on without it. I got sick of them and started trying her without them. Sometimes she would feed sometimes not. If she was hungry she wouldn't have the patience to try. But eventually she got it and we haven't used shields for a long time. The most important thing is she is getting your milk, you're doing a great job :)
I just realise my derp. "without the nipple" I meant without the nipple shield... Hopefully that gave you a giggle. Still slightly delirious obviously.
Babe, just wanted to pop in and tell you what a frickin' CHAMP you are :) You are doing a fantastic job! I know it feels right now like this will be a never-ending road to walk, but I promise you will get through and DD will get into a workable routine soon... it seems like you can't go on any more but you can, and you're doing an amazing job of it :) DD1 was bottle-fed, but fed every hour on the hour, DD2 was BFd and much the same... you muddle through it. The housework, the shopping, meh, it will all still be there when you have time for it. The hair loss is totally normal, I had it after DD2 and honestly thought I was going bald - don't panic! Vitamin supplements etc won't do much to help, it's a normal process that happens post-partum. For nine months, your hair got stuck in the 'grow' phase of its cycle, and barely any fell out - and you have beautiful thick hair like mine... imagine going nearly a whole year without losing a strand, then the hormone switch back to 'normal' growth and loss flips back on and that 9 months worth of retained hair just goes 'Time to goooo!'... yeah, there's clumps everywhere and you'll think you're going bald! But don't worry, it's not BF-related, and you will still have plenty of hair, it's just thinning itself out to its pre-preg state after holding on for so long :) It'll get better - it takes a bit of getting used to to realise your hair has been *that* different during pregnancy, but you'll adjust :) (Watch out for your nails, too, mine were awesome during pregnancy and then started splitting and breaking off about two weeks after birth and they've never been nice since... ah well, what goes up must come down, right?)
Just hang in there, hun... try to maintain as much of a 'life' as you can. Go to the shops, do coffee and playdates etc if she's easy to feed on the go, if it helps you mentally to get out of the house so she stretches her feeds out, then do that and see how you feel. Call your friends around to help entertain DD so that she might not want to comfort-suck constantly while you're at home, and of course get Nanna and Dad on board to help out and keep her amused so you can rest when you need to. Just hang in there, you are doing such a fantastic job and this too shall pass :) *hugs*