Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
genielee_83

Difficulties in BF

Recommended Posts

I tried to bf, since nipples are small, so i used pump to stimulate.

But after stimulation, the breasts became so hard and painful.

The milk i not coming out...

I pumped and only a few drops from each breasts..

now , how am i to relief myself frm engorged breasts b4 they turn "bad"?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Do u hv a let down? Without let down your milk won't come out.

Hi Ally's Mom,

What is let down? I am a new mum too and I pumped it out too. I have been givng my baby breastmilk since Day 3 she was born until today-Day 17. The max milk I can pumped out is 80ml (both sides) at 1 time and that happened only once. Other than than, it's only around 40-60ml (both sides). How can I increased the milk flow? I drink soup also..

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

what's a let down..

I waited for the nurse to do home visit previous day,

but she nvr came, then i cant stand the pain.. so went to the gynae to ask for med.

to stop the milk thus relieving my self... but gynae said if want continue also can, let baby suck .

Hippo,

From both breasts , i only have 4 drops of milk.

Ally's mum,

After med, they're geting normal by day... but the milk inside will subside back or i have to

pump out? Will there be a lump?

My MIL said since my breasts are nt officially "open ceremonied", the milk will subside. and might couse cancer when

only there's a actual bf going on.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Why don't you latch your baby on?

Letdown is a tingling feeling that occurs when the milk ducts relax and "open", allowing milk to flow freely. Without letdown, it's hard to BF as milk is held up in the ducts. Letdown is best achieved when you let baby suckle and nurse but can be achieved through things like nipple stimulation, looking at pics of your baby or even smelling baby's clothes.

Also, when you talk about small nipples, are you refering to inverted nipples or...?

Best to see a lactaction consultant (for contacts, search the BFing thread or goggle) - I wouldn't advice taking meds to stop milk production as this is a problem that can be easily solved if you can latch on your baby. Dunno what your MIL means by cancer if you BF. >.<

I really hope you BF your child because it's the best...much better than formula.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Cancer if you breastfeed? Most likely it's the other way round cos you're stopping something natural (milk) to flow out. Think about it.

.

The best is to latch on. Let baby suck and your engorged breast will feel better. It's sure proof. It'll also help to increase the milk supply.

I had the same problem. My nipples were like "stucked". But my baby cleared it up by suckling. I wouldnt have been able to get the milk out by pumping.

When it was too painful (engorged), I would expressed by hand if my girl was asleep and didnt want to suckle. It's damn painful (like massaging hard on a bruise) but you wont die of the pain and it'll be much better when all the milk is all out.

Dont give up. Many of us suffered initially but survived and are proud BF moms :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

my nipples were short too, not inverted; bb couldn't latch well... both of us also frustrated after trying 2-3 days. so i ended up pumping. before pumping, i would need to massage/ press breasts with warm towel (about 1 minit per side). the first few times wont have so much milk, but if u do it continously every 2 -3 hours; i'm sure the amount will increase. i got engorgement too, same thing > have to massage, stroke the lump out towards the nipple frequently... it'll only get worse if u dun help it to go off. i got a fren who was in deep engorgement pain; she had to be admitted to hospital then a few nurses have to press her breasts to release the engorgement :wacko3:

my CL would make me some soup/ tea to increase milk.. u can ask those chinese kedai ubat, i'm sure they can advise u.

about breast cancer; i heard if u dun release ur milk only might get it wor... never heard the other way around before :blink:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I tried to bf, since nipples are small, so i used pump to stimulate.

But after stimulation, the breasts became so hard and painful.

The milk i not coming out...

I pumped and only a few drops from each breasts..

now , how am i to relief myself frm engorged breasts b4 they turn "bad"?

I experience this before and I know how you feel. You can use cold(from the fridge) cabbage and wrap it around your breast to relieve the engorgement. It works very fast. Nurse as much as possble. Once the engorgement is reduce stop using cabbage because it will reduce your milk production.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
what's a let down..

I waited for the nurse to do home visit previous day,

but she nvr came, then i cant stand the pain.. so went to the gynae to ask for med.

to stop the milk thus relieving my self... but gynae said if want continue also can, let baby suck .

Hippo,

From both breasts , i only have 4 drops of milk.

Ally's mum,

After med, they're geting normal by day... but the milk inside will subside back or i have to

pump out? Will there be a lump?

My MIL said since my breasts are nt officially "open ceremonied", the milk will subside. and might couse cancer when

only there's a actual bf going on.

Hi genielee,

My baby is always too impatient . Want to

Latched her on the right breast but whenever I positioned her, she just can't wait n willbecine angry n push my breast. We tried for few days n so decided to pumped both sides. Occasionally will still

Let her latched on if one time we positioned her, she can suck comfortably n did not cry

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Why don't you latch on when you first see rooting signs instead of waiting till she's crying (coz of hunger)? When babies are hungry, they don't have the patience to practice and learn latching on correctly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hippo, the best way to increase milk supply is to latch baby on. If don't latch on, milk supply won't increase no matter how much soup you drink. My daughter when first born is also v impatient when hungry and will struggle when I try to feed her. Just persists. If she is wailing like crazy and refuse to latch, carry her for a while till she calms down then try again. And you can do like what meiteoh said...latch on before she cries hysterically. To ensure you hv good milk supply, you're supposed to latch baby on frequently anyway - every 2 - 3 hours. By the way, how are you feeding your baby the expressed breast milk? Don't use bottle coz she can get nipple confusion...then it will b harder to teach her to latch on to you. Don't give up ya.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Genielee, you shouldn't take the meds coz it will reduce your milk supply. Try not to use the cabbage either coz it will also reduce your milk supply. If really engorged, latching baby on is the best way to relieve the engorgement. However, if baby is full and refuse to suck, then you can relieve your breasts by pumping some out jus enough to relieve your breast - not too much otherwise you will keep producing more milk and keep having engorged breasts. If you feel specific areas of the breasts is still hard even after you've fed your baby, there could be a blocked duct in that area. To avoid this, feed using different positions - cradle hold, football hold and lying down position, as they will clear ducts in different areas. If really still cannot clear that blocked duct, massage that area and push gently down to your nipple to clear it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Like what everyone says - latch latch latch! Pumping is never the same and I think most new Mums are very caught up and get disheartened very quickly with the low milk qty initially. FYI-you only do get the large amounts of milk eg 8 oz per pump when milk supply is well and truly established. So don't panic if its just half an ounce initially.

I think the football hold it much easier for new mums IMO. Then once you are more confident then you may progress to the cradle hold.

But the most important thing is to read up and understand how breastfeeding works. This helps build up your confidence level.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Like what everyone says - latch latch latch! Pumping is never the same and I think most new Mums are very caught up and get disheartened very quickly with the low milk qty initially. FYI-you only do get the large amounts of milk eg 8 oz per pump when milk supply is well and truly established. So don't panic if its just half an ounce initially.

I think the football hold it much easier for new mums IMO. Then once you are more confident then you may progress to the cradle hold.

But the most important thing is to read up and understand how breastfeeding works. This helps build up your confidence level.

yummymummy,

You mentioned about 8oz per pump. I am wondering, when do we usually reach that amount? My baby is 10.5 weeks old and I am already back to work. So far for the past 1 week at work, I managed to pump a total of 4oz from both breast every 3 hours. Is this ok or too little?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Crasybug, don't worry about how much other mothers are able to pump out. Different babies have different levels of appetite. As long as what you've pumped out is enough for your baby, that's fine. 4 oz every 3 hours sounds about right.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Crazy,

Don't worry about the amount as long as it is enough for your baby. 4 oz is good enough and a great effort. But to answer your question, I latched on my baby 8 times a day for the first 2 months, hence, I ended up with a lot of milk supply. It eventually decreased over time as I latched on less and less frequently after returning to work.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Crasybug, don't worry about how much other mothers are able to pump out. Different babies have different levels of appetite. As long as what you've pumped out is enough for your baby, that's fine. 4 oz every 3 hours sounds about right.

Thanks Ally'sMom. At least I know I am still doing alright. I haven't been stocking up my freezer as I am currently staying at mum's place and her fridge is all full of food & ingredients. So, that's why I was a little worried as I may not have reserve if baby is suddenly having growth spurt.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Hi Crazy,

Don't worry about the amount as long as it is enough for your baby. 4 oz is good enough and a great effort. But to answer your question, I latched on my baby 8 times a day for the first 2 months, hence, I ended up with a lot of milk supply. It eventually decreased over time as I latched on less and less frequently after returning to work.

Oh wow, even the first 2 months of latching u already had 8oz per pump? That's a lot!! I did the same thing too, every 2-3 hours baby will be on my breast. I guess different baby different appetite. But again I wonder, do you all latch baby on both breast each feeding session? Coz my baby always latch on on one side only. So by the next feed, the other breast would have 4 to 6 hours of milk. So I am just wondering.....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I latched on both breasts, but baby could never empty both sides. So after every session, I just pump out the extra milk, and store it for future use. They came in handy once I returned to work. :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'll latch on one boob and when she's done, I'll offer the other one - like a dessert. Up to her if she wants to take or not. Usually she'll drink a bit and that it's done. Then next feed, I'll offer that boob first - alternate loh. That way, milk supply can be balanced between both boobs. When I was building milk bank, I'd pump from one boob while she latch on one boob.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

We should offer the 2nd boob after they've finished the first one. My first daughter would drink some from 2nd boob. But my this 2nd daughter will refuse to drink no matter what. She will clamp her mouth shut. Even if on occasions she does open her mouth, she will just like my nipple and refuse to latch. So in the end I gave up. So now she only drinks from one boob. There are times however where she is v hungry, then she will drink from both.

On milk supply, if you're going back to work and is worried you may not hv reserve, you may want to build up a bit of stock. Pump some out, say 1oz before your baby's feed and gradually you would hv more milk supply. On growth spurts, what usually happens is that we hv to latch baby on more frequently lor.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Agree with meiteoh. I feed baby on one side till it's empty or he is full. Then I offer the other side.. if baby dont want anymore then I pump it out..

When you feed baby on one side first, baby will get the benefit of foremilk and hindmilk. Both are important for baby's development.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Same goes to me! My bb is 13 days old. My milk production is very little. 1st pump every morning can achieve 2.5 oz for 1 side. But for the next every 2 hours I can only produce 1-1.5oz milk for 1 side, which is not enough for my bb! My bb needs 2.5 oz for each feed. Whenever I let my bb to latch on, she will only suck for a few minutes then after that she'll sleeps. I tried to wake her up by kacau her here and there but doesn't wake her up! Even manage to wake her up, she will just suck another few second and sleep again! My nipple becomes her pacifier :( Everyday I spent lots of time on latching but she still feel hungry at the end bcos my milk flow is slow and she keeps on sucking for soothing/pacifier only. I got so fed up & decided to use today & tmr this 2 days to try not to latch on and just focusing on pumping out the milk to see whether can improve current milk production.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I let my daugther latch each breast for 10-15 mins.. for the first boob after 10-15 mins latch my daugther will take a rest then I will pull it out and let her latch on the second boob... normally she will latch less than 10 mins for the second boob coz she almost full and I will let her let go by herself... the next feed I will start from the second boob to balance up the milk supply.. :smile:

agyy,

when my daugther at that age.. she treated my nipple as her pacifier too.. I just let her suck and let my nipple be her pacifier.. I dont care she drink the milk or not... just let her suck for 10-15 mins then I take it out.. after few weeks my milk supply increase and its more than first 2 weeks when she born (although its still not enough for her... at least its more than first 2 weeks.. during that time I manage to pump out 1OZ from both boobs)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...