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I wanna send my salute to all Breastfeeding Moms. It's a difficult journey.

For me, I failed, sigh~~~ Both time!

Usually I started quite okay for the first 2 days, then the problem will begin by 3rd days. Both time, my breasts will engorge until cup G BUT the milk duct will get blocked and won't come out, however long and hard I pressed, massaged, hot compressed, cold compressed, cabbage.

For this time, I massaged from morning to whole nite to the next morning and evening. My hb helped and how I cried becoz of the pain. I am just not tough enough I supposed, as I ended the torment by a call to my doctor who gave me a pill to stop the breastmilk.

My problem? Breastmilk flow too fast, but it cant come out. :(

I am so guilty even until now.

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My supply so far seldom add or drop. It always constant to be around 4 oz for 3 hour interval. From there we can guess bb need bout 4 oz ma, right?

hmm... the amount of BM that bb consume when they latch on the breast and bottle feed is different... even if you can pump only 4oz, that didn't mean that you bb need only 4oz. sometime, some baby need more and sometime, some baby need less. that's why there's some mother have over supply issue and some have under supply issue...

i can only get around 3.5oz every 2-3 hours. but my gal take about 5oz of BM almost every 2-2.5 hours. i don't increase my gal BM consumption based on age. I'll increase the oz when my gal can finish all the BM at 1 go and the feeding time in between have shorthen to less than 2 hours. even so, the increment is very minimal. usually it's only 5-10ml each time increase.

mhyap1,

i think i'll adopt ur method ask bbsitter monitor if bb cry before feeding time for more milk. By the way, how u cope with the extra 1.5oz required? Increase the pumping session? i m bit worry not enough supply later actually.

tml,

now my gal started solid already so I no need to be so stress out.. hahaha... since she is 5 month old , the amount of BM that she takes is still the same. on the day when my supply is drop, i'll increase my pumping session.

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I wanna send my salute to all Breastfeeding Moms. It's a difficult journey.

For me, I failed, sigh~~~ Both time!

Usually I started quite okay for the first 2 days, then the problem will begin by 3rd days. Both time, my breasts will engorge until cup G BUT the milk duct will get blocked and won't come out, however long and hard I pressed, massaged, hot compressed, cold compressed, cabbage.

For this time, I massaged from morning to whole nite to the next morning and evening. My hb helped and how I cried becoz of the pain. I am just not tough enough I supposed, as I ended the torment by a call to my doctor who gave me a pill to stop the breastmilk.

My problem? Breastmilk flow too fast, but it cant come out. :(

I am so guilty even until now.

Escudo, how come your baby isn't sucking or why don't you express via breast pump???

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hi,

any of you who has been seeing a good LC, can pm me their contact? thank you.

I've seen Christine Choong. She is good. You can get her info here www.mamalink.com.my If you are seeing her, do go with your baby. SHe also has a breastfeeding support group in facebook. Just type mamalink in groups.

Btw, Christine is conducting a free breastfeeding support group this Thu. I thought of going. Anyone else interested?

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hi ladies,

you can try this method my sis used. put a petal of cabbage leaf (i don't know how to call it :p) inside each side of ur bra for a few hours. after that, the milk will flow like water tap when pump. i read it somewhere in the internet too. she claimed it help to soften her engorged breast. she described it as hard as knee when engorged but after a few hours of cabbage leaf, it feels as soft as the back of small thigh.

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Actually, it's normal for newborns to 1) fall asleep at the breast and 2) wake up easily.

Point 1: Falling asleep at the breast is caused by the act of breastfeeding itself. Breastfeeding is comforting for babies and produces a hormone which calms and relaxes both baby and mummy. In the early days, babies need a lot of comforting, hence why God created breastfeeding - to comfort and nurture babies as well.

In order to ensure that baby gets enough to eat while suckling, you have to wake her up by tickling her feet, her chin and even undressing her. I remember how my mum used to discourage me from feeding her directly by saying how I torture Eva by undressing her and keep her awake when she just wants to sleep, that I should just let her sleep for hours on end, and that I should feed via bottle instead. She shut up when she saw that Eva was putting on weight and happy.

Earlier at the hospital, the midwife already told me not to worry as baby is kept warm by tummy-to-tummy contact during nursing and that in the first few weeks, I shouldn't feed by bottle because of the possibility of nipple confusion AND one thing - baby is the best breast pump. Latching her on helps stimulate milk production, encourages her to suck correct and well, increases our bond too.

I believe what you're experiencing now is the effect of nipple confusion whereby she prefers the bottle over your breasts. To be honest, sucking from breast is not easy for a baby which is why if given the opportunity to be lazy, some babies may choose the lazy way and just suck the bottle instead of sucking from the breast which requires them to exercise their entire face, especially the lower jaw.

Point 2: Newborns, especially premies, have a higher risk of developing apnea - they can stop breathing and "forget" to wake themselves up. This is the primary cause of SIDS and the risk is increased when babies are bundled up (too warm). Hence why newborns have longer light sleep hours than deep sleep and why they don't achieve sleep maturity until the pulmonary system or body is more matured. What you can do to get her to sleep for longer periods is to ensure that she has had enough to eat (not too much, not too little), that you burp her so that she is all comfortable and that her sleeping conditions are just nice - not too hot, not too cold.

You did mention that your baby is 5 weeks old...I suspect she's nearing a growth spurt, which could explain why she would want to nurse more and/or that she keeps waking up often.

Whatever you do, don't give up and keep on trying, k? :smile:

Thanks for the encouragement, meiteoh! I seriously wan to be persistence on BF my baby until 6 mths. But sometimes when i see her sleep so soundly at the breast (even though she has just suckled for 10 mins),i dont want to wake her up...sometimes, even though i wake her up, she refuses to continue. that;s why when she wakes up frequently for milk, i feel gulity..then my confinement lady will feed her with bottle (which this has made me even guiltier and feel myself as failure).

So far, my baby still suckle from my breasts despite she is fed with bottle 5/6 times a day..but she will make a fuss sometimes especially when she's sleepy. so now, i will make sure she's very hungry before i take her to my breast. it's very stressful for me to go through the bf process as my persistence sometimes make me very emotional nowadays. Once my baby refuses to suckle from my breast, i cried so badly out of sudden...and i guess i was just losing it. my hubby asked me to go to doctor...which he suspects i got slight depression. and yeah...i feel that myself too..coz i can just cry out of nothing. sometimes, i feel so pressure until i dont want to see my baby. sigh~~ i never thought bf is so tough...i dunno how long i can hang on....:(

i heard about SIDS...im worry too...that;s why i watch closely on her ..which make me like a freak!

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sweetcandy, for 5 weeks old baby if u pump 12am & 6am it will affect yr milk supply. yes, can get 9oz, because of the big time gap & late night & early morning is highest milk production.

hard to say if its becoz of the teat, is it a slow flow teat? yr letdown could be very strong due to the big time gap. if u give her latch on more frequently, the letdown will be less forceful. perhaps try a few nights just direct latch-on. did u burp her immediately after direct feed? sometimes the crying after 1 hr could be due to burp.

hi happi,

in that case, my milk supply will drop if i continue with the current practise? But my baby sleep soundly at night that im afraid she refuses to suckle directly, then she'll cry out loud.

i really dunno what to do now.

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tml,

now my gal started solid already so I no need to be so stress out.. hahaha... since she is 5 month old , the amount of BM that she takes is still the same. on the day when my supply is drop, i'll increase my pumping session.

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sweetcandy. if she's sleeping thru, u can let it be.

but whenever she wakes up at nite for milk, give her direct instead of bottle.

more contact with baby will stimulate milk production, so hv as much direct contact as possible.

yr supply is enough to meet yr baby's needs.

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Sweet, I suspect she's too used to the letdown from the bottle hence why she's frustrated when she's sleepy (when you're sleepy, you don't want to work so hard to eat). I feel though that you shouldn't wait till she's very hungry to suckle because it can increase the chances of colic/gas building up in your baby but if it works for you, then I supposed it's ok.

It's good that she's feeding for 10 minutes from your breasts although what you can do is slowly try to train her to not fall asleep so fast after suckling. Happi's suggestion on direct latch on at night is good. What a lot of mums do is to feed the bottle during the day and latch on at night. This will come in handy when and if you go back to work.

Yes, BF is tough work and this is just one of the many hurdles ahead. After a while - when your baby is older - you start to get tempted to stop, especially when she's sleeping through the night and such. But when I see those Michelin-like thighs, I get encouraged to continue BFing. :lol:

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hi ladies,

you can try this method my sis used. put a petal of cabbage leaf (i don't know how to call it :p) inside each side of ur bra for a few hours. after that, the milk will flow like water tap when pump. i read it somewhere in the internet too. she claimed it help to soften her engorged breast. she described it as hard as knee when engorged but after a few hours of cabbage leaf, it feels as soft as the back of small thigh.

if use incorrectly this method will coz the BM to stop produce also. so becareful... :)

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happi & meiteoh,

thanks for the info. I think you girls got the point..now i understand better especially why my baby sometimes will make a fuss when she is drinking halfway from my breast. maybe mei teoh is rite, she could have gas while suckle too fast. soemtimes she choke on my milk too...

i dunno if i shd giving her direct now as the thought of feeding her has put me alot of stress..sometimes i cry becoz i couldnt get her to latch on to my breast..always think that i have failed the practise and end up crying for nothing! my hubby got frustrated with me crying frequently, ask me to give my baby EBM instead of going direct which i had say NO all the time until yesterday. I cried again becoz i couldnt get her to my breast.

Now, should I just give in to EBM since i have given myself such a great pressure on my persistence to direct feed my baby? sigh...my hubby will bring me see doc to see if i have got post natal depression :bye:

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My gal is on BM 100% and I dun understand the frus/stress of some of us here where they feel sooo bad if the BB rejects to be directly fed. To me the most important thing is that BB is taking on BM and it doesnt really matter if it's via bottlefeed or directfeed. Why stress yourself unnecessarily and stress will affect milk supply!!

I used to directfeed her 100% on 1st 2 weeks of my confinement and then subsequently I just did it during daytime and nite feed on eBM via bottle. I still wake up once to pump in order to maintain my supply till I started work - too tired. I also cut down directfeed to 1-2 times a week after I started working as my gal is staying with my parents. Also she kena bad coliq even with directfeed or Avent bottle till I changed all her bottles to Dr Brown. No point insisting on directfeed if that will upset my BB. Since last week, she totally reject my breast. She will struggle if I put her near to my bare breast. I am absolutely fine with it as she still drinking happily from the bottle. I just pump 100% la. No big deal at all. She still love my hug and wants me to carry & talk to her.

Cheer up!!

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sweetcandy, bunnyNwife is correct, as long as u're giving BM whether direct or EBM is good.

if EBM is hard to express find someone to help u with boosting the BM supply or expressing the BM.

if direct is yr choice, troubleshoot accordingly.

if BM is too hard, u can give formula - find a good formula if necessary. as long as u hv tried yr best. yr bb does not need a depressed mom.

prioritize accordingly, its not a do-or-die for BM. BM is the best for baby, but if a depressed mom is the tradeoff, then it won't work either. really,

e.g. if u can't find organic vege, buy the vege that's available - wash it thoroughly, cook & eat. it will be better than junk food rite? *just an example, i know it has pesticides etc, just for sweetcandy to relax!

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Sweetcandy, there's nothing wrong with EBM - it's still breast milk. If your baby is happier on the bottle, then give her the bottle. No point making makan time for her so frustrating and upsetting for the both of you.

And if your circumstances are such that you cannot give BM, then no point dwelling on the matter. Just do what is necessary of you. What's important is what is good for your baby in his/her situation. Don't compare with other people, k? :smile:

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Hi,

My breastmilk supply drop suddenly, not sure why, its happen after my confinment period.. last time i used to pump my milk once at night before sleep after breastfeed my baby, usually i can pump up to 120mi, but now i only can get about 60ml, it drop by half.. any one know how to increse the milk supply naturally?

Thanks..

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hi everyone..

i REALLY need some advice form u all.. please help..

my baby seems to want me and me only..esp after i sent her to the new babysitter on monday..

i'm really considering of weaning her but i dont even know how to wean.sigh. she is very clingy to me and refuse to drink from the bottle when i'm around. the babysitter has to force her even when im not around. during weekends or after work, she will only drink if i bf her. and i feel that she's bginning to treat my breasts like a pacifier..

im feeling very helpless as to what to do.. she's 6 months.. before this she was ok.. dont know why she suddenly become so clingy... should i stop bf her and just give her ebm from the bottle? i tried before actually yesterday but she kept on crying for me n it lasted almost half an hour till i couldnt tahan so i bf her...sigh..am i weak to give in?? now i dont even know if i should carry her cos once i carry her she can smeel the milk and she will refuse the bottle..

my hb balmes it on me for bf her whenever i can but i do that cos i want to boost/maintain my supply.. but he says i spoil her now she doesnt want bottle n want me to bf her all the time! :(

i really dont know what to do..having sleepless night.. please help!!

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Escudo, how come your baby isn't sucking or why don't you express via breast pump???

I did.., baby was sucking, but seems like didn't do the trick.

I expressed using breast pump and still the milk wouldn't come out.

Not sure what happened till now.

Been doing those both till my nipple bled actually.

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hi ladies,

you can try this method my sis used. put a petal of cabbage leaf (i don't know how to call it :p) inside each side of ur bra for a few hours. after that, the milk will flow like water tap when pump. i read it somewhere in the internet too. she claimed it help to soften her engorged breast. she described it as hard as knee when engorged but after a few hours of cabbage leaf, it feels as soft as the back of small thigh.

Didn't work for me. My breasts engorged lagi teruk even after this method.

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Nony, did you manage to see an LC to check what was the problem? At least can avoid (if you're planning a third baby)...

Usually if sucking doesn't help, it could mean improper latch on or blocked ducts which require additional help to drain them.

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zeroflower, i heard 6 mths is the age for "clingy". this is where they only want 1-2 selected ppl & will refuse to be carried by anyone else. have to wait a long while for them to adjust to new ppl. what to do? no solution at the moment.

hi everyone..

i REALLY need some advice form u all.. please help..

my baby seems to want me and me only..esp after i sent her to the new babysitter on monday..

i'm really considering of weaning her but i dont even know how to wean.sigh. she is very clingy to me and refuse to drink from the bottle when i'm around. the babysitter has to force her even when im not around. during weekends or after work, she will only drink if i bf her. and i feel that she's bginning to treat my breasts like a pacifier..

im feeling very helpless as to what to do.. she's 6 months.. before this she was ok.. dont know why she suddenly become so clingy... should i stop bf her and just give her ebm from the bottle? i tried before actually yesterday but she kept on crying for me n it lasted almost half an hour till i couldnt tahan so i bf her...sigh..am i weak to give in?? now i dont even know if i should carry her cos once i carry her she can smeel the milk and she will refuse the bottle..

my hb balmes it on me for bf her whenever i can but i do that cos i want to boost/maintain my supply.. but he says i spoil her now she doesnt want bottle n want me to bf her all the time! :(

i really dont know what to do..having sleepless night.. please help!!

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bunnyNwife,

did your supply drop if you dont direct breastfeed your baby for weeks??

becoz i'm gona give bbsitter day n nite care, wondering if can maintain my supply if i dont direct breastfeed my bb

all those outsider kept telling me my supply wil drop if i do that..

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bunnyNwife,

did your supply drop if you dont direct breastfeed your baby for weeks??

becoz i'm gona give bbsitter day n nite care, wondering if can maintain my supply if i dont direct breastfeed my bb

all those outsider kept telling me my supply wil drop if i do that..

So far my supply maintain and with slight increase overtime despite I only direct feed my gal 1-2 times a week only since she was 2 months old and since 2 weeks ago she officially rejected my breast totally. My gal is staying with my mum 24/5 and I only bring her home over the weekend.

Before I started work, I used to pump every 3 hours (same interval as my gal's feeding time). 1 week before I start working, I start to drag longer interval for each pump session to avoid bad engorgement later on. By the time I resume working, my pump interval was around 5-6 hours which means I only pump 4 times a day (6am, 12pm, 6pm, 12am). Now (4th month), I only pump 3 times a day (6am, 2pm, 10pm) and I still manage to get the same 32-34oz/day which is more than enough for my gal as she only consume 24-28oz ( 6-7 feeds of 4oz) a day.

The secret of maintaining milk supply is that we need to eat more carbo (cant skip rice/bread like b4 pregnant) and drink sufficient fluid. Forget about dieting and don't worry about putting on additional weight with those carbo. We should take extra 500cal everyday to produce milk. Every pump session = slimming session too!

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jocelyn,

As per here, one cup of tea, 2 to 3 times per day. Apart from taking the tea, when you are away from baby, you must pump too.

tml,

Increasing as per mhyap1's method is good. This will avoid wastage of our milk. Tell you babysitter, breastfed babies are DIFFERENT from formula fed babies. Cant use the same method to apply to them.

sweetcandy,

I agree with the rest, dont be too hard on yourself. EBM is still your milk!

zeroflower,

Please dont give up! Since it's only a few days your baby is with the new sitter, you cant expect baby to "embrace" her immediately. Need some time to adjust also.

1st you have to ask yourself, do you really want to wean becos thats your target (6 months BF) OR just becos your baby is more clingy, fussier then usual & you cant take it? Sometimes when things all come rushing, we will be kelam kabut & will make a not so wise decision. There could be other reasons for your baby's behaviour - teething perhaps, hence need more comfort sucking? Change of new environment will trigger that also. It could be a temporary set back so please be patient.

If you wanna bottle feed at home, ask hubby to do it instead of you. Baby will be confused cos all this while you nurse her & then you suddenly give her a bottle, she sure will refuse la! Please remember to pump to maintain your supply if you are not nursing, ok?

Ask nanny to be extra patient, if baby refuses bottle, use alternative feeding methods instead - for the time being. Just keep trying to coax her to the bottle but try not to force cos the more you force, the more she'll resist.

My gal had behave like that before at nanny's due to teething & nanny have to syringe feed her instead. After a few days, things went back to normal.

Last but not least, talk to hubby. Tell him you need his support especially NOW cos it's a difficult time for you too. He blaming you wont make things better.

Whatever you decision is, just try your best. Good luck & take care!

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