All about breastfeeding

[fluene 0]

Bao B Hopefully it is just as what you said, a current habit. I don't want my babies to develop unhealthy habits that are difficult to break later. Believe it or not, my hb's nephew who is 4 years old now still wake up 4 times for milk at night! I always tell his parents that it is a habit rather than the kid being hungry. But they are happy to let the maid tend to him this way.

Since my babies come home, my bm dropped drastically. When the elder baby came back, my bm dropped 75% due to stress and tiredness. The baby's discharged from hospital caught us offguard as we haven't prepare anything yet at that time. Not even a bed for the baby!! So, I was very stressed to get things ready and going. When the younger baby was discharged, we somehow got things in order already. But still, my bm is 50% less than it was before. I was told that once the babies latch on, the supply will come back in. But not for me. Tried everything. Papaya soup, fenugreek, red dates water, etc but no avail. Any other remedies that can help?

My ebm stock is also diminishing fast as nowadays I do not produce enough bm for both babies. They drained my breasts in no time at all. Have to top up from those from the stock. No expressing is carried out either as the breasts are already empty.

[chelvin 0]

AIYOOOO..... ITS TRUE LA..NO SCARE U ALL...AFTER I UNLATCH HER THEN SUDDENLY I CAN SMELL COFFEE AROUND HER...SO I SMELL AGAIN NEAR HER MOUTH SEKALI THE COFFEE SMELL IS FRM HER MOUTH,THEN I ASK MY HB TO SMELL ALSO..HE ALSO CAN SMELL IT THEN I KENA SCOLD PULA THAT NO MORE COFFEE AS LONG AS I STIL BREAST FEED BABY...

I ALSO NO PERIOD UNTIL NOW,N DOC SAID WE WIL STIL GET PREGNANT EVENTHO NO PERIOD..SO SHE ASK TO TAKE CONTRACEPTIC PILL OR CONDOM IF DON WANNA PREGNANT SO SOON..

[yvonne118 0]

Something to share with all bf moms.

How many extra calories do you need when breast-feeding

How many extra calories do you need when breast-feeding

[meiteoh 0]

Re no period during BF: Yes, some women don't get their periods but it doesn't mean that you can't get pregnant. You still can get pregnant so be careful, ya?

Re coffee: I'm not surprised coz I remember when I was working and drinking at least 2 cups a day sometimes, my pee would come out smelling like coffee! So what more breast milk la.

[zeroflower 0]

i've not had my period since i delivered. been 5 months.

just want 2 check...these few days with the hols n babysitter quitting, i'm taking care of my girl so i've been bf directly. my ebm storage is therefore getting older cos i never use n i never express out either cos baby drink up everythg... once i e a new nanny i need to use the ebm stock again...if my ebm is 2 months old (early August), will the ebm still be suitable for my bby now? i mean the nutrient in the ebm was for her when she was 3+mths. Now she's 5 mths. thks all...

[stpeiyee 0]

I brought my elder baby for check up last Fri. A couple compared my baby and theirs and commented that one look already knew my baby is breastfed while theirs is formula fed. Why? Their baby is huge!!! But of course they didn't know mine is pre term baby.

fluene,

i breastfed my baby until i went to singapore to relocate my home to KL. my baby who was born with low birth weight, 2.34kg at birth managed to catch up in term of weight n length though he was fed with EBM at 80% most of the time. his paedi told us this when we brought him back to hospital for his check up when he's 6 weeks old. the paedi was very pleased to c that he's doing very well, comparable to those normal birth weight babies. i do not think that FM will make a baby bigger, it depends on their intake amount n of course, their growth rate. n i hv seen many babies fed on EBM or BM that are comparatively 'bigger' compared to babies fed on FM.

[June 0]

the answers to all our worries abt bf n coffee can be found here http://kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/caffeine.html

after i read it, if just a cup of coffee per day, n the coffee is those instant one... it is not a problem at all haha. Cos they said the limit is 500mg caffeine per day and one cup of instant coffee of 8oz only contains 80mg caffeine.

[junejune7806 0]

Hi all,

Have a query abt frozen EBM. MIL is bringing bb for an outing this weekend... about 3-4 hrs. So if i plan to let her bring my EBM stock, do i need to warm it up for her first, or let her bring the cold EBM and onli use warm water to warm it when need to feed?

Warming it first will be more convenient but i'm just afraid the milk will spoil after few hrs. Any advice?

Thanks.

[happi 0]

bring frozen EBM, after 1-2 hrs it should defrost nicely to room temperature for feeding.

[Jojo2009 0]

During breastfeeding my baby was pulling my nipple and then get angry but after that still want my breast. Does it mean that I have no milk? But when I express with hand there are milk coming out. I will stop breastfeeding if my baby continue to pull but when I resume after 10 min he is ok already. Has anyone encounter this behaviour?

[meiteoh 0]

Fluene, I suspect I got a mini milk blister yesterday coz no matter how much Eva suckled, the huge lump in my right boob wouldn't go away and when I squeezed my nipple, something whitish came out. So I got out a sterilized needle and just pierced the skin (didn't go very deep). Now the lump isn't there and the milk blister is slowly disappearing. I am keeping an eye out for it though but am wondering if I should still see an LC for posterity sake.

Anyone know how to prevent milk blisters? :S I suspect I got it from the engorgement two nights ago (Eva slept for five hours!)...

[Bao B 0]

I also got a white milk blister at my right boob today !!!!! sooooo painful but I don't dare to pinch it ! lastime when I got it, I just pump longer then it will go away, hopefully this time too ! I already prepare it will pop up as a blister last night coz last night my right boob engorged like rock again.....

[fluene 0]

Mable It is good that you were able to get rid of the blister so fast and on your own too. I got my blisters due to excessive pressure during pumping. Not only that, I had deep chest pain too due to prolonged pumping. All these were resolved after I've seen the lactation consultant.

Brought my babies to see a paed last 2 days. It is the same paed who were in charge of the special care nursery in UMMC. He advised that we should alternate pre term formula and breast milk for my babies to help them gain weight. We have started the pre term formula yesterday. So although my bm is not that much it is still ok for now since we are alternating with pre term formula. Before this, I didn't even know that there is formula specially for pre mature babies.

Btw, I notice that my ebm is not as creamy as before. It is more watery now. Why huh?

[janicelly 0]

yvonne,

What the rest said is correct. No period doenst mean you wont get pregnant. I was like you too - I got back my period early, 3rd month if I remember correctly. During the following few months, it came every 2 months & once my gal started on solids, it came back regularly as per last time. So dont worry about it. Different women, different bodies, so not everyone will be so lucky to be period free during their BF journey.

As for BF long mommy will become weak if they dont "bo", well I see it this way - since we are working moms & we nurse at night, we tend to be more tired then usual & with that, our immune system sure will be weaker. I have to admit I fell sick more often after I become a mom BUT I dont think it's related to me BF for so long, more to me trying to be supermom :p. That said, we MUST take good care of our selves too. If you feel taking "bou pan" will help you, then go ahead! But remember to ask before taking any herbs is it safe for you to take or not cos you are BFing.

fluene,

Maybe you can try to use fenugreek seeds to make tea instead of taking the capsules? I found fenugreek capsules dont really work for me. Actually, we are supposed to take fenugreek WITH blessed thistle but some women respond very well with fenugreek alone. Guess we are not among the lucky ones. I am not sure wether I am imagining things or not but the few times I made the tea, I feel my milk supply increase. You can try Earth Mama Angel Baby Milkmaid tea too (contents include fenugreek AND blessed thistle). At the same time, maybe you can try to take oatmeal/oatmilk?

zeroflower,

Should be ok to offer to your babies cos the guideline says can keep up to 3 months in normal freezer. If we cant give to baby when it's 3 months old, then why mark it at 3 months ler (my personal opinion la, up to you to decide). Personally, I've offered 3 months old milk to my gal before & she's ok with it.

jojo2009,

Do you have a forceful let down? Does your baby chokes when you have letdown? You monitor & see, if it's bcos of your letdown, you massage your breast a while & after the initial spray only offer your breast to your baby.

Mabel,

You are already taking Lecithin right? It should help with preventing. Apart from that, maybe you can try these :-

Massaging the breast, areola and nipple with a massage oil containing grapefruit seed extract (GSE) can help to heal recurrent milk blisters. To make the massage oil: mix a few drops of grapefruit seed extract or citrus seed extract into olive oil.

Another treatment for persistent milk blisters: Once per day, spray breast and nipple area with a solution consisting of 5 drops of grapefruit seed extract, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 2 cups water

Vitamin E ointment - applied very sparingly and wiped off before feedings (too much vitamin E can be toxic to baby) - can also help.

Source : here

[yvonne118 0]

fluene,

It is common your milk is more watery now. My breast milk started to be watery after 1 week+

[yvonne118 0]

Thanks to all the replies and janicelly. Our case seems similar, I have no worries now about the period after reading all the posts. Now i just enjoy the period free moment~! :)

Another problem pop up recently. I found my breast very dry and skin peeling off at the down part on both breasts. Is this common? Is it due to expressing using breast pump? I don't feel sore anyway.. Later on I discovered my breast appear stretch mark, the stretch mark look similar as on my tummy, anyone experience that? Do I need to apply the same oilment as I apply on my tummy? The oilment seems no effect on my tummy even though I applied 3rd mths after pregnant until now (As most instruction says should apply until 3 mths after delivery) Initially I thought my breast shrink down, but when i measure it shows same figure as before.

[meiteoh 0]

Janice, yeah, am taking 9 capsules of lecithin - totals up to min 3.5K mg. Sometimes I tell myself that I'm a pill popper...but popping supplements. :X Am also more religious in applying Purelan on my nipples because I read that it helps heal and prevent milk blisters.

[janicelly 0]

yvonne,

Ya lo, when I 1st started BFing I was so happy telling hubby I will be period free for soo long BUT it came back 3rd month. I think I jinxed myself, hahahaha.

Hmm...I've never encountered peeling/dry skin around boob area although I've been pumping for so long. Maybe you can try put some Purelan etc etc? For your boob area, if you wanna put anything, try to put something that's safe to baby cos we will nurse baby or pump very frequent. Unless you remember to remove EACH time before you nurse or pump.

Mabel,

Hope it'll help prevent milk blisters la. We moms will swim in the deepest ocean for our babies (& our milk supplies, hehehehehe).

[islandgal 0]

hi mummies.. not sure if anyone encounter this problem before or not..

this 2 days.. my nipples felt like needle poking when i have let down...it's really painful..

[cindyclh 0]

hi mummy,

need some advise how to handle mil..my mil is taking care of my bb so i will take out the EBM to put inside the fridge to thaw it..each time i need to throw away the EBM cos my mil will use the fresh EBM instead the one that i take out from the freezer..cos every morning i will put 2 bottle of EBM inside the fridge...this is not the first time i need to throw away the EBM..i feel a bit sam tung to throw it away each time but i have no choice....every time i ask her to use she says she will use but in the end she didnt use and i need to throw it away...how to make her to use the EBM..pls advise..

[yvonne118 0]

cindyclh, where u put the fresh EBM? In the fridge as well? Easy lor, just put the fresh EBM to the freezer.. Transfer old EBM from freezer to fridge.. Then your mil will have no choice but to use the old one. Is she lazy to warm the old EBM? or She doesn't know how to warm it?

[cindyclh 0]

cindyclh, where u put the fresh EBM? In the fridge as well? Easy lor, just put the fresh EBM to the freezer.. Transfer old EBM from freezer to fridge.. Then your mil will have no choice but to use the old one. Is she lazy to warm the old EBM? or She doesn't know how to warm it?

yes i put the fresh EBM inside the fridge as well..oh yah..this is good idea to put the fresh EBM to the freezer so that she has no choice..she scared the EBM (freezer) it will harm bb for drinking it..so she doesn't wants to use...so she always use the fresh EBM...sigh..

[bunnyNwife 0]

cindyclh, where u put the fresh EBM? In the fridge as well? Easy lor, just put the fresh EBM to the freezer.. Transfer old EBM from freezer to fridge.. Then your mil will have no choice but to use the old one. Is she lazy to warm the old EBM? or She doesn't know how to warm it?

yes i put the fresh EBM inside the fridge as well..oh yah..this is good idea to put the fresh EBM to the freezer so that she has no choice..she scared the EBM (freezer) it will harm bb for drinking it..so she doesn't wants to use...so she always use the fresh EBM...sigh..

Frozen EBM actually has lower nutrients than fresh/chilled EBM. Perhaps you can feed your BB with fresh EBM and only freeze the additional EBM OR u feed 2/3 fresh EBM + 1/3 of frozen EBM.

[cindyclh 0]

cindyclh, where u put the fresh EBM? In the fridge as well? Easy lor, just put the fresh EBM to the freezer.. Transfer old EBM from freezer to fridge.. Then your mil will have no choice but to use the old one. Is she lazy to warm the old EBM? or She doesn't know how to warm it?

yes i put the fresh EBM inside the fridge as well..oh yah..this is good idea to put the fresh EBM to the freezer so that she has no choice..she scared the EBM (freezer) it will harm bb for drinking it..so she doesn't wants to use...so she always use the fresh EBM...sigh..

Frozen EBM actually has lower nutrients than fresh/chilled EBM. Perhaps you can feed your BB with fresh EBM and only freeze the additional EBM OR u feed 2/3 fresh EBM + 1/3 of frozen EBM.

actually im doing that now..i mix the fresh EBM and the frozen EBM..if i put both together inside the fridge my mil will only use the fresh EBM instead of the frozen EBM. normally i will leave 6 feeding of fresh EBM and 2 feeding of frozen EBM. she will keep aside the frozen EBM and wont use it..so in the end i have no choice to discard it.

[janicelly 0]

Islandgal,

Apart from the needle poking sensation, no other symptoms?

cindy,

I think your MIL feels frozen EBM is not good, thats why she refused to feed your bb. You can try to do this way - let's say you need to leave 15oz per day for bb while you are away, just leave 10oz fresh & 5oz frozen (thaw as usual). ANY extra EBM you have for the day, you freeze. This way, your MIL will have no choice but to feed the thawed milk cos it's baby's quota for the day. Unless she go to the freezer to take (which is same also :p). Can this way work?