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Baby,

can u share why brand of ice pack u are using?

I am using the ice pack from MOM's Little One and the cooler bag also from there.. have been using it since after maternity leave until now.. almost 22 months lioa.. the condition of the ice pack still good..

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Hi everyone,

I gave birth 4 weeks ago. few days after i gave birth, i totally do not have milk and i can't breastfeeding at all. so, i had to give my son formula. however, because i am new mummy and i doesn't know eventhough i do not have milk, i should let my son suck my nipples. i didn't do that can caused my son doen't want to suck my nipples already. i was so sad and have to pump out my milk.

Well, i am not a good mother because i do not have patience. I only pump my milk twice a day. i know this is not good and i am support to pump every 3 hours. well, after 4 weeks now, my milk is getting lesser and lesser. initially i can get 3oz each time i pump and now is less than 1.5oz. will my milk getting lesser and lesser and will stop within 2 months time?

please advice. I am lost here.

Thanks.

Hi sumsum2202,

Don't give up!! I also face the similar situation as you last time and I able to make it now.. my baby will turn to 2 years soon (another 11 days to go).

As a first time mummy, I also do not have much experience about bf. It was my husband who wanted me to bf my baby and keep encourage me. My baby having very serious jaundice and the Dr at the hospital my baby admitted last time keep ask me to stop bf. That was when my baby about 2 weeks old. During that period I am so lazy to pump (only pump at most 2-3 times a day) since the Dr also advise me to throw away the milk. I was thinking, why should I work so hard to pump out the milk if I have to throw it away. After my baby was discharge I also been advised not to bf my baby until her jaundice level drop to safe level. I only start to bf my baby when my baby was 3/4 week old. I also give her FM besides BF as I afraid she don't get enough milk. She also a lazy feeder at that time. It was when my hubby bring me to the Lactation Advisors 1 week before my 2 months maternity end and when I am back to work which change my BF journey. The Lactation Advisors encourage me to feed the baby frequently (although is not easy and time consuming) and do not worry my baby don’t get enough milk.. if there is demand.. there will be supply. She even ask me to pump another side while feeding my baby and also pump after we feed our baby. The same advise was given by my colleague (don’t think we do not have enough milk for baby). After 2 week working, I manage to fully BF my baby without any substitute of FM. I can even have EBM storage until today.

So, please don’t give up.. you can do it. Just feed the baby more frequent from now.. and pump out every time after feeding your baby. Also don’t think you do not have enough milk.. The theory of BF is very simple “The more demand, there will be more supply”.

Now, my dilemma is whether to continue BF my baby after she turn 2 or not.

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My baby's just turned 3 months old. I give him expressed milk in 2 - 3 oz per feed.

If he takes 2 oz, it can last him 2 hours, 3 oz lasts him ~ 2 1/2 - 3 hours. So in total, he's drinking 10 - 11 oz during my work day.

Everyone keeps telling me that I should increase the portion to 4 oz per feed. Is that really necessary?

I'm actually encouraging my baby to reverse cycling so that he doesn't drink that much milk when I'm away ( so that I don't have to deal with pressure of having to meet expressed milk quota ). I let my baby latch on when I'm at home so I have no idea how much he's actually drinking.

I think my baby likes frequent meals in smaller portions vs. larger portions but longer lapses in btw feeds.

He alr weighed 6.4kg at a little over 10 weeks old.

Should I change anything in his feeding pattern?

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Personally, if this routine has been working for you and your little one, I'd say stick to it. Nothing wrong with having frequent meals - in fact, even for adults, having small but frequent meals is healthier than eating large portions over long periods.

I've lost count of the number of times people have told me to do this or that with my BFing routine with Eva. I just ignore them. My take is that if it's working well for me and Eva, who cares what other people think I should do.

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sumsum,

I am sorry to tell you if you continue with how you pump now, your milk supply will drop further. IF you really intend to continue with your BF journey, you must buck up & pump every 3 hours (midnight included). There are mommies who managed to BF their babies by pumping exclusively. Yes, it is hard work, so the choice is up to you :). Do make an appointment with LC to get more info on how to boost up your supply. Read more here for some tips to increase your supply. Good luck!

Marlene,

I feel it's not necessary to increase. My daugther is taking max 4oz from young till now. Unless he is showing signs of not having enought while you are away, then you can try to increase 1/2oz or 1oz AFTER he finished the initial 2/3oz. If not, I will not mess with what is working fine now.

kcdream,

What is wrong with BFing BEYOND 2 years?

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sumsum,

I am sorry to tell you if you continue with how you pump now, your milk supply will drop further. IF you really intend to continue with your BF journey, you must buck up & pump every 3 hours (midnight included). There are mommies who managed to BF their babies by pumping exclusively. Yes, it is hard work, so the choice is up to you :). Do make an appointment with LC to get more info on how to boost up your supply. Read more here for some tips to increase your supply. Good luck!

Hi Janice,

Thanks for your advice. I know i am not a good mother because i do not have any patience.

Especially now after the CL left, i need to 24 hours take care of my baby and cause me no time to pump milk. Sometime i force myself to pump milk but i will fall asleep because i am too tired.

You are right, my milk is getting lesser and now even only have 1oz per time. I need a longer time to pump out my milk which also caused me very tired. I am thinking to stop it.

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sumsum, if you feel you need to stop, then stop. Just take note of your mistakes this time and learn from it so that you can BF your 2nd one successfully the next time - if you intend on BFing or having another kid.

I must be very frank. BFing is hard and tiring work - you cannot say that you want to BF yet not have the patience, stamina or energy for it. I admire a lot of the mummies here who BF, especially those who are FTWM. The initial months are very tough for them - have to go to work and pump, then come home and take care of the house, baby and HB before pumping/latching on, and the waking up at night just to pump. BUT things do get better once a routine is established and once you're used to it. It's just a matter of time.

I've seen many SG mums - SAHMs most of the time - give up BFing because they want to sleep longer, don't want to wake up at night to pump and so forth. That's a very cavalier attitude to take. As a result, their babies are more prone to falling ill, tummy issues (coz of FM) and so forth.

At the end of the day, I always tell ladies to try try and try as much as possible because BM *IS* really good for your little one. Being a mum means sacrificing on a lot of things, even sleep. BUT it's still your call. If BFing is going to make you unhappy or stressed out, then stop.

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Hmm.. I once called up the LC in my hospital when I first had the problem of pumping out very little... I asked if we need to wake up in the midnight to express BM she told me not to... She told me to rest as enough rest is also important in generating more BM... I know it's kinda contradicting here... But I really couldn't get up in the midnight to express milk, but I feed my baby girl when she asks for feed for once or maximum twice in midnight... But I'll wake up at 5.30am to express milk (that's since I'm storing up my EBM for babysitter till now)...

When baby is with me, I never use bottle (too lazy to sterilize / wash / etc) and I just latch on... I remember I was very stressed over little milk supply during pumping (she needs almost 20oz a day and I can only get 3oz per pump!). She was fed full from bbsitter everyday so she only sucks 2 times b4 sleep, and 1-2 times in the morning. So, the first weekend when I got her back from bbsitter, I let my babygirl latch for weekend and i suspect she was having growth spurt because she was feeding EVERY HOUR... :wacko3:

But when I go back to office the next day, my every pump is consistently 6oz to 7oz. So instead of pumping 4 times a day to get 20oz, I reduced to 3 times a day as I can meet the 20oz quota daily...

So when my friends asked about getting milk from pumping, I normally will tell them to latch as much as they can... For me i think it's easier than bottlefeed as I just need to pull up my shirt to feed her... But anyway, I have been letting my baby latch as much as I can since the day she's born and only bottlefed when I'm too exhausted during the first week, and when I do massage during confinement month (once in 2 days). Not sure if that actually helps to build up the milk supply now....

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sumsum,

I don't think you are a bad mom! Just because you failed at BFing, doesnt means you are bad! There are lots of aspects in mothering :). Don't push yourself too hard - it's not the end of the world if you can't breastfeed :). Majority of mommies are formula feeding & their babies are thriving. What's important is wellness of both baby & you. Like meiteoh said - learn from your mistake & do better next time! Take care!

bearbear,

If you are latching baby on, then there's no need to wake up to pump cos you'll be feeding baby middle of the night. If you are pumping exclusively, you'll need to pump cos no baby is removing milk from your boob & you need the pump to stimulate milk producing hormones (especially during early days). Once your milk supply is established & you are making enough quota to meet your baby's demand for the day, you can skip the midnite pump session.

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hi dear mummy....I need some advice on BF also.....

currently I am working, so I will pump my breastmilk and keep in cooler bag and give to me baby when I go back....but they dont like the milk which I pump out.....but they like to suck if directly from breast....I think because of the smell....is there anyway to make them like it? currently my MIL give them to drink formula and mix some breastmilk but they still cannot finished it...and it's waste everyday my MIL trow the remaining milk....\

pls give some advice or any mummy experience this b4? thx....

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Kellysiew, will it be because your baby is rejecting the bottles instead of rejecting the breastmilk? I had the same problem when I tried to bottlefeed my baby and she cried and refused to suck. At first we thought it's bcoz of the frozen milk but we tried to feed her with syringe, she swallowed it, though still crying. Later we found out she's actually rejecting both me and my hubby bottle feeding her. My mum and MIL can feed her well with the frozen milk in bottles...

Maybe u want to try to find out and see if she's rejecting the BM or the bottles first...

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I have a question - can hepatitis B mother breastfeed after baby in vaccinated with HBIG at birth? Will the cracked nipples (with blood) caused infection to baby?

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kellysiew,

Agree with bear bear, could be your baby don't like your current bottle's teat. Try to change to another one? Try not to be the one who bottle feed too cos babies are smart - they know they can get from you direct so they'll refused bottles.

bearbear,

Generally, if you are a carrier, your baby is likely to be exposed during pregnancy & delivery & is immunized at birth, researchers says it's safe to breastfeed from the start. I feel it's up to you to decide & I've read somewhere that we have to take care not to develop cracked nipples to be on the safe side.

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Dear All,

i am new to this thread & still at the very beginning stage learning abt BF.

I m reading this thread from the beginning...currently at page34 and i will still keep reading to catch up wutever info psoted earlier...

i haf few questions here n i m sorry if it is repetitive questions...

  • my breasts grew at the beginning of pregnancy & r shrinking now as what posted in previous thread...however the bra is rather tight for me...i went to hunt fo nursing bra so i only need to change once (from now till BF), but the SA said i still have potential to grow so advise me not to buy yet :huh: ...in fact my breasts dun grow much...still the same cup (i oso duno y)...should i buy the nursing bra now base on the current size? BTW, y all the nursing bra so big size...its too big for me!!! i tried the B cup oso soooo big...any advice?

  • i read from the previous post that she (forgotten who) massages her breast since 5th month pregnancy and she got plenty of BF, so i oso start imitating her :tongue: i found there are some clear tansparent water coming out from my nipples after massaging...only little tiny 'drop' like a dew...juz wondering wut is dat? is dat normal?

  • I am freaked by the crack & bleeding nipple...can i start applying some cream to prevent it? which cream is recomended? or can i apply olive oil at the same time when i apply on my tummy?

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foolgal:

1) i bought my nursing bra when i'm abt 30 weeks.. and i bought according to my size that time (if it's too tight, buy 1 size up). i do not recommend to buy nursing bra right after deliver, because when the milk kicks in, you will have tons of milk that actually can feed few babies.. so, in the 1st month after deliver, my breast are as big as papaya (no kidding, it's that scary for me), and when i go out, i did not wear bra, i just put nursing pad :-p after the milk have establish (balance) to what my baby's needs, it is back to how it is..

2) what you mention the transparency liquid so called "colostrum", and it is normal

i did not massage my breast but it is not recommend to massage after 36 weeks, as it can make you have contraction

3) i'm not sure will it work now by applying cream this early.. but i do have crack nipple when i started using breastpump (did not know how to adjust the suction)..right away i apply the cream.. so, so far no problem

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foolgal:

1) i bought my nursing bra when i'm abt 30 weeks.. and i bought according to my size that time (if it's too tight, buy 1 size up). i do not recommend to buy nursing bra right after deliver, because when the milk kicks in, you will have tons of milk that actually can feed few babies.. so, in the 1st month after deliver, my breast are as big as papaya (no kidding, it's that scary for me), and when i go out, i did not wear bra, i just put nursing pad :-p after the milk have establish (balance) to what my baby's needs, it is back to how it is..

2) what you mention the transparency liquid so called "colostrum", and it is normal

i did not massage my breast but it is not recommend to massage after 36 weeks, as it can make you have contraction

3) i'm not sure will it work now by applying cream this early.. but i do have crack nipple when i started using breastpump (did not know how to adjust the suction)..right away i apply the cream.. so, so far no problem

thanks for your advise islandgal,

wow papaya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :wacko3: cant imagine ler :unsure:

leme buy the bra this weekend la...

ok then i will stop massage after week 36...hopefully the massage help me to produce more BM :lol: i wish to b like a fren of mine: FULLY BM and the bb is 6mo now!!! so great of her!!!

cross my fingers...no crackie...

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f00lgal,

why dont you wait till you are in your third trimester only buy the nursing bra? Your breast might still grow...Or u will need to use bra extension.

Like islandgirl, i also never massage my breast and so far i have enough milk to BF exclusively until she started solids at 6 mths. She is still being breastfed now at 8 mths.

Well i also dont know whether does it help if you start using the cream now. Other than the breastpump, sometimes when the baby latches on often, will also cause some pain. Your breast will just need to get use to the frequent nursing and then you will be alright.

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f00lgal,

why dont you wait till you are in your third trimester only buy the nursing bra? Your breast might still grow...Or u will need to use bra extension.

Like islandgirl, i also never massage my breast and so far i have enough milk to BF exclusively until she started solids at 6 mths. She is still being breastfed now at 8 mths.

Well i also dont know whether does it help if you start using the cream now. Other than the breastpump, sometimes when the baby latches on often, will also cause some pain. Your breast will just need to get use to the frequent nursing and then you will be alright.

Good suggestions Sheep, mayb i should buy the extension which is way cheaper huh!!! thanks!!!

Yeah, i really hope that i have sufficient BM because this is really individual...i haf frens who intend to BF whereby they'd done everything they could but still...no BM...

Alrite...which means i juz need to get use to the pain huh...i juz hope no cracking & bleeding :unsure:

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f00lgal, your own determination is very important, and you must always remember that all women will definitely have enough BM for their babies then you'll be able to do it. The starting is going to be tough but if you endure it, things will get better later.

Hubby's support is very important. I told my hubby to pls support me when everyone around (esp. parents) tell us that BM is definitely not enough for babies. He did, and he didn't want to buy milk powder to standby because he knows i'll take the easy way out (this might be a bit extreme). So, when in very difficult situation, i had no choice but kept on feeding coz there's no milk powder at home. :lol:

I'd suggest you to read up breastfeeding to get prepared. :smile:

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f00lgal, your own determination is very important, and you must always remember that all women will definitely have enough BM for their babies then you'll be able to do it. The starting is going to be tough but if you endure it, things will get better later.

Hubby's support is very important. I told my hubby to pls support me when everyone around (esp. parents) tell us that BM is definitely not enough for babies. He did, and he didn't want to buy milk powder to standby because he knows i'll take the easy way out (this might be a bit extreme). So, when in very difficult situation, i had no choice but kept on feeding coz there's no milk powder at home. :lol:

I'd suggest you to read up breastfeeding to get prepared. :smile:

yeah determination is the most important key!!! this is wut i m worrying about...i really hope i have the determination & wont give up!!!

i start preaching my HB & mum about the challenges that most BF mum face during BF...in fact is my tactic to pre-am them :tongue: ...and i will try to talk bring this topic from time to time to let them know i really 1 2 BF...

my HB is a typical guy which...anything wutever u like type... :dash2: juz hope he can support me...the most happiest thing he absorbed was - dunit 2 buy FM which save up a lot :sauer2:

my mum was telling me got2 take papaya soup...

so i think they r kinda at the supportive side...however sometimes ppl might give up ezly esp when there is obstacle...

so keep my fingers crosssssss....all the best to me!!!!

yaya i m yet to read more abt BF...still at the learning stage...

i m glad to get 'real' experiences from this thread!!!

KUDOS 2 all BF mum :cheers:

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f00lgal, I'll be very frank.

Breastfeeding is not for the lazy or the unmotivated or the indisciplined. You must be prepared for waking up at night to feed (sometimes every 1-2 hours), feeding through the day and night during growth spurts, problems like milk blebs/plugs/mastitis/blocked ducts/engorgement and so forth. Most of the time, the people I encounter who fail to BF are so because 1) they want to sleep through the night (don't want to even get up to pump), 2) they don't drink a lot of water and prefer to lose weight fast fast, and 3) they take the easy way out - FM is easy, it's there, just prepare and feed (but in the long run, more expensive and mah fan when you want to go out).

If possible, set some BFing goals eg do you want to latch on immediately after birth NO MATTER WHAT (I latch on immediately after my c-sec; to hell with the pain), will you BF less coz of things like jaundice, ginger, etc, and how long will you BF for (the min is 6 mths)? Once you decide, STICK to your goals and prepare for it by reading and buying things (if necessary like pumps, nursing tea, Purelan creams, etc).

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thanks meiteoh,

yeah it is in fact a very tedious job...i had been thinking whether i haf the determination at the initial stage when i 1st exposed 2 all the negative experiences & comments from people around BF mums from this thread...

after reading the posts & the supports here, i told myself there is no way i cant do it!!!

my fren can express her BM even she needs to travel extensively for more than a week!!! she went thru all the hassles to pump, freeze and bring back the frozen BM...

so i must tell myself that I MUZ BF...not only try n c la.....

i really hope that i haf sufficient BM 2 BF...

the supports from this thread really help us to stay firm & move forward!!!

thanks every1!!!!

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Hi gals..Nice to meet u all =)

im planning to breastfeed my LO too. EDD end of June. Just wondering do you ever attend any breastfeed classes before devliery? it is necessary? I am so excited but just afraid that I am not strong enuf continue breastfeed him.

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