We're two weeks in. Most things are actually going well! I would say 99% of the stress I've personally been under is from the breastfeeding. For those of you who breastfeed, ever have, are working mamas, or have ever tried to breastfeed and threw in the towel....I would love to hear from you.
I've been having a hell of a time the past 2 weeks, and am really weighing if it's worth sticking it out. Regardless, I would still pump regularly, and feed Samantha breastmilk (and only supplement with formula if my supply didn't meet demand at some point). It's most important to me that she get breastmilk. How she gets it is of less importance.
Nearly all of my friends and family were able to stick it out, and after 6-8 weeks get it to work. Maybe i'm just impatient, or really wanting my maternity leave to be pleasant (versus super stressed out every 2-3 hours).
Here's the problem so far:
* Sam rarely latches. I've gone to lactation consultants, and they've helped with the latch, and today was the FIRST day she latched without much fuss at one feeding. Normally she wont latch at all, and I have to use a nipple shield.
* Now even the nipple shield doesn't always work. We've had to feed Sam breastmilk via bottles for so long, that perhaps she just prefers that now.
* I start feedings with trying to latch, then usually end up with a shield. Even then, she eats for 5-10 min max, and then goes into a sleep that is unbreakable. We poke her, undress her, change her dipe, even put wet rags on her. You'd think there was catnip in my boobs! She just won't wake up. Once we give her a bottle, she wakes up. So it's very frustrating to have to breastfeed in vain, then nipple shield often in vain, and still have to then supplement with a bottle, THEN PUMP.
My supply has really improved! i went from 1/3oz per side last week, to now I pump between 3.5-5.5oz (total) every 3 hours!!! I am freezing most of it, but I'll likely have to throw most of that away. (I had to toss 30oz of frozen milk the other day, but my pedi recommended it since I'd been taking fenugreek which gave baby painful gas!) I just have TOO much milk. haha. So supply is not an issue. thank goodness.
On top of all this, Sam only eats 16-18oz a day. She seems happy with that, but our pedi insists she should be eating 24oz per day. She has us waking her up every 2 hours to eat during the day, and 3 hours at night. No matter what we do, she won't eat more than 18oz. if we try to force it, she spits it all up.
I'm so lost in all this. I'd love to get your experience, what worked for you, etc. Here are also some specific questions I have:
1. Your latching experience. How long did it take to see improvement, and when did it become second nature/easy?
2. Did you ever use a nipple shield? How long?
3. Did you supplement feedings with bottles? (either breastmilk or formula)
4. How often did you feed your baby the first month? 2 hours? 3 hours? Did you have to wake him/her, or did s/he wake up hungry on his/her own?
5. When did baby show their own pattern for feeding times, and when did s/he start sleeping longer stretches at night?
6. How often and how much did baby eat the first month? Do you think s/he ate 24 oz a day?
7. How did you wake him/her up when he fell asleep during a feeding?
8. What will you do when you go back to work?
9. How often do you pump during the day?
10. Did baby always eat a fair amount via breastfeeding, or would he just nibble a little and not get too much?
11. for working moms, do you feel it was worth it to spend so much time getting breastfeeding down, given that you were returning to work and would mostly be pumping?
Part of me is thinking.... well geez, I go back to work in a few months, and I'll just have to pump all day (and through the night, so I get more sleep)...meaning i will only have, at best, 2 chances to breastfeed her each day. That said, I'm asking myself if its' really worth it to spend my maternity leave in this state of frustration, trying to perfect the art of breastfeeding...when I will rarely be doing it anyway once I go back to work? It almost seems a better option to keep pumping to keep my supply up, and mostly do bottle feedings. I do need to make sure she is comfortable with bottles, since that's how she'll be eating most of the day.
As much as it seems reasonable to just throw in the towel, there's this part of me that also doesn't want to fail at breastfeeding, either. I'd feel so inadequate for not sticking it out like everyone else has done, you know? is that weird?
I would sincerely love to hear from any of you, time willing. One of you sweet bloggers even gave me your phone # to call - and I will take you up on it over the next week!
PS - here's a pic for your viewing pleasure! One is of Snap watching over his little sister. He is obsessed with watching her. The other is Sam with a pterodactyl. We bought it for her since her cry often sounds like a pterodactyl swooping in for the kill. LOL. Yes, she is our little prehistoric cutie pie bird. :)
Friday, April 23, 2010
Questions for breastfeeding (or have ever tried) mamas
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16 comments:
Breastfeeding was completely worth it for me and I nursed both kids for seven months each. I had a tough time with my daughter who wouldn't latch on that well (she was tongue tied at birth so they had to clip her frenulum, the little flap of skin under her tongue, a day or two after she was born). Anywho, I had problems with my nipples blistering and bleeding from an improper latch. She would spit up milk with my blood in it and I felt awful and it seemed so unhygienic. The LCs assured me it was fine and to keep going, but I pumped to keep up my supply and to allow my nipples to heal. By about five weeks we were golden. Here are my other responses for you:
1. About five weeks for me. We'd become naturals at it by then.
2. I never used a nipple shield. The LC suggested I use one but I never did.
3. YES, supplemented with both breast milk and formula until we got the hang of things. We wouldn't have gotten through it without supplementing.
4. She would wake every two to three hours on the nose.
5. They usually start sleeping for longer stretches when they hit a certain number of pounds and can go for longer periods without eating. I think it was about 3-4 months with my daughter, but even then she would only go about four hours.
6. Yes, probably 24 oz per day. 2 oz every 2 hours (2 x 12) or 3 oz every 3 hours (3 x 8). Sometimes she would only eat 2 oz every 3 hours, so anywhere between 16 and 24 oz.
7. I never woke her up when she fell asleep during a feeding. I let her sleep and knew she would wake up again when she was hungry.
8. I work from home.
9. I pumped maybe twice a day, once at night and once in the daytime.
10. My daughter wasn't a nibbler but my son was. She would stay on until she was finished but my son would just take bits at a time. I think he just liked boobie. :)
11. Can't answer your last question since I work from home, but BF was totally worth it for me. If you don't find it to be worth it for you, don't allow yourself to feel bad about it like most new moms do. Do what works for you. I would try to hang in there for a few more weeks though to see if it gets easier for you.
BTW, Samantha is absolutely gorgeous! What is that yellow thing she's in? She looks so comfy!
1. Your latching experience. How long did it take to see improvement, and when did it become second nature/easy?
I was very lucky, Jack didn't have any latching problems.
2. Did you ever use a nipple shield? How long?
No
3. Did you supplement feedings with bottles? (either breastmilk or formula)
We started introducing the bottle after 2 weeks so DW could feed the LO too. We haven't had to use formula yet.
4. How often did you feed your baby the first month? 2 hours? 3 hours? Did you have to wake him/her, or did s/he wake up hungry on his/her own?
We fed on demand, it equaled to about every 2 hours or so. But he would sometimes go 3 hours in the beginning. If she isn't having a weight issue I wouldn't stress too much if she goes long before feedings.
5. When did baby show their own pattern for feeding times, and when did s/he start sleeping longer stretches at night?
Jack is 10 weeks and I'm still waiting. He's gone 4 hours between feedings a couple times.
6. How often and how much did baby eat the first month? Do you think s/he ate 24 oz a day?
he ate about 3-3.5oz a feeding.
7. How did you wake him/her up when he fell asleep during a feeding?
Tickled his ear.
8. What will you do when you go back to work?
I've started work already and I pump
9. How often do you pump during the day?
3 times a day at 9:30, 12:30 and 3:30
10. Did baby always eat a fair amount via breastfeeding, or would he just nibble a little and not get too much?
He sometimes used me as a human pacifier but that isn't happening a lot anymore
11. for working moms, do you feel it was worth it to spend so much time getting breastfeeding down, given that you were returning to work and would mostly be pumping?
I think it's totally worth it. It's an amazing bonding time for both of us and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Hang in there!!
1. Your latching experience. How long did it take to see improvement, and when did it become second nature/easy?
Ryan didn't have any trouble latching on. Sometimes he would play with the nipple, so I would take my breast in my hand, squeeze it slightly and put the nipple in his mouth when he opened it up nice and wide.
2. Did you ever use a nipple shield? How long?
No, we never used one.
3. Did you supplement feedings with bottles? (either breastmilk or formula)
No, we never supplemented.
4. How often did you feed your baby the first month? 2 hours? 3 hours? Did you have to wake him/her, or did s/he wake up hungry on his/her own?
We fed on demand. When baby was hungry, baby was fed. Sometimes it was more often then others, but we never worried about it. If he was hungry, he would let us know and I would nurse him.
5. When did baby show their own pattern for feeding times, and when did s/he start sleeping longer stretches at night?
Ryan started sleeping the night at about 2.5 months I think. He naturally asks to nurse every 3 or so hours.
6. How often and how much did baby eat the first month? Do you think s/he ate 24 oz a day?
This one caught me off guard. I don't think she should be expected to eat that much at 2 weeks old. You may want to look into that. In the first month, I would say he ate every 2 hours maybe. He definitely did not eat 24 oz. He is 4 months now and he eats an average of 16 oz of breast milk from a bottle a day (while Im at work) and 3 nursing sessions.
7. How did you wake him/her up when he fell asleep during a feeding?
If he fell asleep, I let him sleep. As long as he gained weight, there was no reason to try to force him to eat more.
8. What will you do when you go back to work?
I went back to work when Ryan was 9 weeks old. I nurse him before work in the morning. He gets two bottles during the day. I nurse him when I am home, no matter what. If I'm there, he gets the boobie.
9. How often do you pump during the day?
I pump 3 times a day. I nurse him at 6:45. I pump at 10, 1230 & 230. I get home around 445 to nurse him again.
10. Did baby always eat a fair amount via breastfeeding, or would he just nibble a little and not get too much?
You can't tell how much a baby gets from the breast unless you weigh them before/after a feeding. Some babies nurse for long periods of time and others only for ten minutes.
11. for working moms, do you feel it was worth it to spend so much time getting breastfeeding down, given that you were returning to work and would mostly be pumping?
Breastfeeding is absolutely worth it. I don't consider myself as "mostly pumping". I nurse Ryan 3-4 times a day and on the weekends. The majority of his feedings are from the breast. And, even if they werent, being able to nurse him just once a day would still be worth it for him and I.
I am more than happy to help in any way I can. I am actually considering becoming a LC, so I enjoy sharing my experience in the hopes of helping new moms. Feel free to email me if there is anything I can do to help! laurieannnorwood @ yahoo.com
It was most important to me to have n have SOME breastmilk through 6 weeks, when you have the most colostrum. We made it that far, and then I gave up. She occasionally goes on for comfort or whatever, but as time goes on, she's getting less. My problems were supply, and she's a lazy eater (that's no better with the bottle, har).
1. Your latching experience. How long did it take to see improvement, and when did it become second nature/easy? n/a
2. Did you ever use a nipple shield? How long? n/a
3. Did you supplement feedings with bottles? (either breastmilk or formula) Both. Formula from the beginning, as she had low blood sugar, and it was hospital policy. I pumped and would give her BM from a bottle, but I never made much.
4. How often did you feed your baby the first month? 2 hours? 3 hours? Did you have to wake him/her, or did s/he wake up hungry on his/her own?
haaaaaaar. We fed on her own schedule. She was slow to re-gain, and her bili numbers were a weeeee bit high, and so they told us to wake her up and feed her, but she. was. impossible. to wake. IMPOSSIBLE. I gave up.
5. When did baby show their own pattern for feeding times, and when did s/he start sleeping longer stretches at night?
She still doesn't have an eating pattern, really. Every few hours, she'll eat anywhere from 4-7oz. We got fairly long stretches fairly early on; two weeks ago we got some 8-9 hour stretches, but they are not the norm.
6. How often and how much did baby eat the first month? Do you think s/he ate 24 oz a day?
I don't think so, but I have no way of proving that, as we didn't keep track. Her bili numbers went down, and her weight went up, so we just went with the flow. The general formula they give for how much they should eat (at least for formula, I'm not sure about BM) is 2.5 times their body weight. So if she's 8lbs, then about 20oz. But just keep an eye on her diapers - if she's having enough wet diapers and pooping, then she's getting enough.
7. How did you wake him/her up when he fell asleep during a feeding?
hahahahahaha You're so funny.
8. What will you do when you go back to work?
Formula, which is what we switched to.
9. How often do you pump during the day?
When I did pump, I pumped 3-4 times a day. I know I should've pumped more to work on my supply, but I weighed my sanity vs. time spent on feeding-related activities, and my sanity won out.
10. Did baby always eat a fair amount via breastfeeding, or would he just nibble a little and not get too much?
She never got much. She's a lazy eater - suck suck suck, look around, whatever whatever, oh wait, you're taking that away from me, but I wasn't done! - but even when she ate for good amounts of time, she was always starving when she came over.
11. for working moms, do you feel it was worth it to spend so much time getting breastfeeding down, given that you were returning to work and would mostly be pumping?
n/a
my nursing relationship with GP wasn't golden till around 1 month. and she was born exactly at 40 weeks. so it may be a month to a month and a half for you considering wasn't Sam born before 39 weeks???
i'm saying that to say that two weeks into it is not an indication of how it will be. her latch will improve. it has to. i'm not sure what kind of nipples you are using or what flow bottle, but i would stick to the slow flow and get bottles with wide nipples to make her latch on to the bottle in the same way she would the breast.
GP never had a problem with latch, but she was born a greedo. we had trouble at the hospital keeping her away for feedings. this was like day 1 - 5. after that, she was an old pro. at the hospital, we kept her up with a cool rag on the forehead on on the feet. we also would strip her down to tshirt and diaper for feedings. being wrapped in a blanket used to help her sleep... another tip was ear tickling and kinda rocking her head back and forth while she was still latched on.
i always feed on demand, and i wasn't concerned about the ounces, and frankly neither should you be, as long as the baby is gaining weight. if baby is getting bigger, clearly she is getting enough milk. no need to worry. babies will not starve themselves. neither will toddlers.
i pumped for like the first month when i went back to work. and that is when the stress was getting to me and i wasn't sleeping much. the time started to outweigh the benefit, and slowly but surely, we were to formula at around 5 months. i planned to breastfeed longer, but it didn't happen that way. it was hard to accept initially. but GP has been fine.
I used a nipple shield for every single feeding for Bliss for his first 3.5 months. He got nipple confusion in the hospital and my midwife suggested it and it worked. If I were not a first time mama then I would have had him weaned off it sooner I am sure but it seemed to be what worked and we make things so hard on ourselves the first time.
I would never NEVER wake a baby to feed. www.kellymom.com is a great resource for all things breast feeding related. Invaluable site.
Bliss fed every 2 hours around the clock for his first year. He at times would nurse for minutes and at time he would nurse for hours. I went with the flow on his nursing demands, he dictated it all. I simply offered breast first and often.
Soul has been a completely different nurser. From her first night she would go hours between feedings. At times 6 hours before a feed. She also never nursed for long periods of time. I was sure she would not be gaining weight but she always did. She fed in clusters so she would eat for a few minutes then again a little bit later then again then not for 4-6 hours.
Bottom line if they are peeing and pooping and gaining they are getting enough breast milk.
Here is my big belief/suggestion around it. It is one of my greatest joys of motherhood for sure but way beyond that...motherhood/parenting is hard. Especially hard and with your first baby you doubt yourself so much, you worry so much, you go through such extreme emotions and there is always that little fear in your mind of "am I doing this right, am I doing the best for my baby?" and for me, and I personally believe it can be for many others, breast feeding was this one area where I could really feel like I was doing it right, I was doing what was best, my own body was making what my baby needed most for growth. It gave me such confidence during times where mine waned.
Good luck mama's, you have a beautiful little baby girl there, just precious.
p.s. if ever you want to call just email me and I will give you my number
Carrie,
I gave you my number cuz I don't have time to answer all this typing with one finger and tandem feeding the twins!!
But I'm great on speaker phone, so call me!
I've had a rough start, too, but it was totally worth it to stick it out.
Whoop Whoop took almost 9-10weeks to latch on without a battle but now he's a champ.
Sam is gorgeous, hang in there! Call me.
Oh Carrie. Breastfeeding was THE hardest thing I've ever done in my whole entire life. NO ONE prepares you for how hard it is. Holland was a LAZY LAZY nurser and didn't bring my milk in well. He didn't gain much weight in the first month and it was so stressful!!!
1. Never saw improvement and it never got better, but I may not have given it a chance to.
2. N/A
3. I think we gave him his first bottle around 2-3 weeks? And we did that so that I could get some sleep because he wasn't sleeping AT ALL. I didn't know that I should have still pumped then so it would have made more sense to just feed him. This affected my supply. We were adding a teaspoon of formula to his BM bottles when we found out that he wasn't gaining weight and our doc was concerned.
4. I woke him and fed every 2 hours (or earlier) until he reached birth weight. Then I would just feed on demand which felt like always (because, as it turns out, he was always hungry since he wasn't getting much)
5. A few months in? It's all a blur. He didn't start sleeping through the night until 6.5-7 months.
6. That seems like a lot to me. BM is different than formula. I would listen to her. Don't overfeed her. If you're giving her BM in bottles start with a certain amount and give her more if she seems more hungry. You'll figure out the amount that works for her. Holland never really drank more than 30ounces/day at the most.
7. We tried everything that you tried and it was SO DAMN HARD. You said she reached her birth weight, I don't think you need to wake her anymore.
8. I pumped 2x/day at work. About 20 minutes each time.
9. When I first started EPing I pumped every 2 hours around the clock to boost my supply. Then I moved to every three hours. I think around 4 months I dropped the overnight pumping session and I was pumping 7 times a day? It's seriously all a blur.
10. Didn't get much!
11. N/A
I totally understand why you're considering EPing. IT's actually getting more and more prevalant. Definitely think it through before you make your final decision because she may never latch again (Holland didn't). I was so sleep deprived that EPing was the option that worked for us - and I liked knowing how much he was getting. But it's not always easier.
If breastmilk is what's important (not the way she gets it) then you definitely have choices and she'll be great either way. YOU are important too so if one thing feels better than the other than go for it. If we get to have a second I will do whatever it takes to make breastfeeding work.
I exclusively pump and we rarely supplement with formula. We had major latch problems as a result of me having to go back into the hospital after Christopher's birth. BF was such a nightmare for me that I really don't feel that I'm missing out, but I will tell you that EPing is REALLY inconvenient at times. I could not have done it if my partner was not home the first two months. That said, I am back to work and the arrangement works well for all!
We had some minor issues with latching and used a supplemntor to help. I did not read through all the other comments so forgive me if this is a repeat. A supplementor (sp?) has a syringe filled with your pumped breastmilk or formula in it and has a very thin catheter coming out one end. We put the tip of the catheter at the side of the nipple and depress the syringe just enough for baby to get a taste of milk. This is all it usually takes for baby to latch on. Once she is on she usually has a strong enough suck to draw breast milk and draw from the syringe/catheter. Our daughter Dara has no problem latching on now. My biggest problem is milk production. I have to supplement with formula and can't stand it. Did you notice an increase with fenugreek? The lactation consultant that I spoke with said some people have a flare up of allergies with fenugreek if you are prone to seasonal allergies. Was this an issue for you?
Good luck.
Breastfeeding was a nightmare for me. I never did get it right (for various reasons), I just pumped for 6 months. I also supplemented with formula after about 4 months. The most important part is to do whatever is best for you BOTH. She'll be OK with breastmilk OR formula, or some combo in between.
1. Latching- He needed to learn how and it took a good 3 weeks before he'd latch without a lot of tries.
2. My breasts were way too swollen/full for a nipple shield to work.
3. supplement feedings- not until 3 or 4 months, and only so the other mama could feed him.
4. How often? On demand/ every 2 hours for sure, we did have to wake him up. This time we're going to wait for the baby to wake up and be alert enough to latch properly. I think sleep feeds were a big part of the problem for us.
5.When he figured out the latch, he figured out his eating pattern. Started sleeping for about 4 hours at about 4 months old.
6. I don't really know how much he ate.
7. Sometimes the cold wet washcloth on the feet/neck worked.
8. Not going back to work. But my wife is once she has bean #3 and her 6 months leave. She is going to pump at work.
9. I have very painful oversupply. I pumped to relieve pressure probably 8 or 10 times a day. Still getting blocked milk ducts and mastitis frequently. (after 14 months, very hard to stop with oversupply)
10. Sometimes he just wanted comfort boob and didn't get much.
I just wrote a novel as a comment and it was too long, they wouldn't accept it. So I will try and keep this short. The gist of it was that I had two completely different experiences with my two kids. My son went sorta like what you're going through now. He wouldn't latch (never did) and it was a nightmare. I gave up trying and just pumped and supplemented with formula when need be. At the time I had no issues with that decision. He got breast milk until around 5 months when I gave up all together and he went on formula from then on. He ended up having suck/chew/swallow issues and couldn't swallow a cheerio at a year old (in all probability this had NOTHING to do with Bfing or not) and even now, at 4 years old we still have major food issues and issues gaining weight. I have major Mommy guilt because somewhere in the back of my mind I think "maybe if I had stuck with the breast milk..." Again, this is probably not true at all but I have always regretted the way things worked out.
So when I had my daughter I was adamant that I was going to BF her exclusively for a year. It was different from the start. She latched easily, ate every two to three hours and gained weight fine. When I went back to work I pumped religiously every three hours and on the days when I had her I also pumped then too (I would feed her on one side first thing in the morning when I had a ton of milk and then pump the other side) and that helped to make sure I made enough. She just turned one and I am proud to say she was exclusively breast fed the entire time. Again I am sure there is no correlation, but she is totally healthy, eats great and is the picture of health. So somewhere in the back of my mind I want to tell you to stick with it. Make it happen because I don't think it is realistic to only pump and have that be a long term solution. My supply died when I went back to work with my son, but stayed okay with my daughter I think because she nursed too and there is no question that stimulates more than a pump.
Either way, choose what is best for YOU and your baby. This was simply my experience and my Mommy guilt has NOTHING to do with your life or your baby. It is more important to enjoy your time with your baby. That is number one. Formula is not the devil. If breast feeding doesn't work out for you, it isn't the end of the world. Hope this wasn't too preachy and that it helped in some way.
1. Your latching experience. How long did it take to see improvement, and when did it become second nature/easy?
Owen had a really tough time developing the proper latch. I had to see a lactation consultant several times (and through cracked, bloody nipples) before we got it down. He might have been 6-8 weeks before it worked.
2. Did you ever use a nipple shield? How long?
No
3. Did you supplement feedings with bottles? (either breastmilk or formula)
We started introducing the bottle after 3 weeks. We have not needed formula.
4. How often did you feed your baby the first month? 2 hours? 3 hours? Did you have to wake him/her, or did s/he wake up hungry on his/her own?
Like others, we also fed on demand. Early on, Owen went up to 3 1/2 to 4 hours sometimes before waking up. Our pedi stressed the number of feedings in the day and weight gain, vs. amount. She just suggested not letting him go longer than 4 hours.
5. When did baby show their own pattern for feeding times, and when did s/he start sleeping longer stretches at night?
The every two hour pattern emerged pretty early, and has stayed consistent. Owen started doing longer stretches (5-6 hours) at night at about 2 months.
6. How often and how much did baby eat the first month? Do you think s/he ate 24 oz a day?
It's hard to tell with bfing. Up to 2 months, he was eating 8-10 times a day.
7. How did you wake him/her up when he fell asleep during a feeding?
rubbed his nose
8. What will you do when you go back to work?
I feed Owen first thing in the morning, and last thing at night, and pump the rest.
9. How often do you pump during the day?
3 times a day at 9:30, 12:30 and 3:30
10. Did baby always eat a fair amount via breastfeeding, or would he just nibble a little and not get too much?
Once he figured out the latch he would eat pretty voraciously, then peter out at the end.
11. for working moms, do you feel it was worth it to spend so much time getting breastfeeding down, given that you were returning to work and would mostly be pumping?
Absolutely. Not only is bmilk so good for the baby, it is a wonderful bonding experience. But what matters most is what works for you...everyone has different needs and emotions about this. Sam will be loved and cared for either way!
Congratulations on her arrival.
1. My experience with my son was terrible. He was so small and so jaundiced and TIRED all the time. He didn't have a great latch to begin with which resulted in him not getting enough. I pumped from start which means he got a bottle/syringe from day one. I tried exclusively BF for a few days after we were discharged he lost so much weight and his billi levels went up that we were told to pump and bottle feed for at least a week. Giving him a bottle ment he got used to the fast flow, we eventually moved him to Dr. Br.own's preemie nipples because the flow was much slower than anything we had tried. It took a long time to get him to BF w/out a big fuss and melt downs on both our parts. I would say that we didn't really start getting the hang of latching until he was about 5 or 6 weeks and it didn't start getting "easy" until he was 3months.
2. I used a nipple shield for the first month on one side. On the suggestion of an LC I would latch him w/ the shield and then once he got going I would take it off and have him latch w/out it. Eventually it began to work and I used the shield less and less until we ditched it completely at close to 1.5 months
3.From day one he got a syringes of colostrum and then milk.
4. He would wake every 2 hours to eat.
5. Once we really began BF more exclusively, I noticed he was a snacker. He eventually started sleeping longer at around 3 months going from every 2.5 hrs to about 3hrs between feeds. Now at 8mo he goes 3.5-4hrs between milk feeds and has night time sleep stretches anywhere from 4 to 6 hrs a night. At around 5.5 months we picked up the Baby Whisperer and began using her methods, I wish we had found it sooner.
6. The first month he ate about 16oz and then he BF at least 2x a day. So he probably got a little less than 24oz.
7. undressed him, rubbed my finger down his nose, ran my hand through his hair, changed him, tickled his feet. These methods didn’t really work until he got older.
8.When I first went back I pumped in the AM before work, twice while at work, once when I got home, and then once again before bed. Because I continued to pump after we went home from the hospital we have a pretty good freezer stash that we continue to dip into since my supply has gone down since I returned to work. I also don't pump as much anymore I only pump 3 maybe 4x (before work, 2x at work, and then maybe before bed). I also took Fenugreek from very early on and he did have gas but he dealt with it fairly well and eventually he stopped being affected by it as much.
9. In the beginning I pumped after every feeding for about 1 month except at night. Eventually around 2 months I went to every other feeding skipping here and there until eventually it was just in the early morning, sometime in the afternoon, and then again at night up until I went back to work.
10. He was a snacker. I had a consult with an LC when he was about 3 weeks old and she made a comment that stuck with me which was that your breasts will only produce what he's eating. So even if he didn't want to snack there isn’t enough for a full meal. It becomes a vicious cycle that's hard to get out of. That's why at that time it was so important to pump after each feeding. Eventually we were able to get him to stop snacking
11. It was definitely worth it to continue pumping and working on the BF'ing. We didn't start out with a blissful nursing experience but now it's pretty good and it feels good to reconnect with him that way after a long day without him. Also, there were days when I would bring a bottle of expressed milk to feed him and then we'd stay out too long and I'd have to nurse him. I don't have to worry about bottles now. Now I'm only pumping once or twice on my days off and he nurses the entire day with one bottle at night that my partner gives him. It's hard as hell but worth it to stick it out. It's not always textbook but it works. And eventually pumping starts to really suck.
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