I would cut way back on that for now because I think it's making you have an oversupply (that is normal but should go away) and also may be making you sorer than necessary.
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5-10 pumping or nursing??
One of my guys would not always nurse enough and he ended up getting bad poops from foremilk vs. hind milk so I'd try to nurse one side dry even if you have to put him on the other breast for a bit to keep it from being super hurty.
What I have found is right before I'm about to lose my mind because it's so sore/full that means it's about to get better. Hang in there, your body knows what it's doing. :)
First of all HUGE congrats on your son! My firstborn son is most definitely my BFF (shhh, don't tell the other kids lol)...:)
I agree with everyone that posted, great advice.
I am now breastfeeding my 4th child, I have done it with all 4 but not all as long as I would like to have and it was definitely my own fault. My babies did nurse on one side at a time in the beginning due to the same reasons (milk coma) and no matter what I did they would not wake, so next feed would be on the other breast. In the beginning it feels like you are always feeding it becomes very taxing and I personally did not run to pump I would hate for you to burn yourself out...
The fullness and soreness will subside after a few weeks. Baby Ava is now 4 1/2 months and is going strong(nothing but breast milk) despite me returning to work at 6 weeks postpartum. I pump on the way to work and driving home, Medela sells a car charger ( I am only out of the home 5 hours a day). I don't pump if I am home, I offer the breast always..
One mistake I have made for my previous babies is that if baby was fussy I automatically thought that they were still hungry and did not get enough milk from me and quickly give the hospital given samples of formula hence starts a downhill pattern..Less breast more formula less production.. babies are fussy for many other reasons, gas, tired etcc.. if they are peeing and pooping and of course gaining it should be fine.
It will get easier, even if feels like you are about to lose your mind (welcome to motherhood lol)!
Congrats again!
Thanks so much for all the advice everyone!! When I got pregnant and throughout the pregnancy I wasn't planning on BF. My husband though has been my biggest supporter and encourager. But I didn't find out as much as I should have beforehand because I wasn't planning on it and now I need to catch up!
Thanks for the info on the 3hrs - they told me in the hospital 2-3hrs to feed him. I do basically feed him whenever he wakes up or any rooting signs that I see. He rarely sleeps that long, but sometimes he does. I should wake him up sooner now, about every 2hrs. His first appt is Monday so we'll make sure he's gaining. His diapers have picked up and his poop is now yellow/seedy so I'm taking those as good signs too.
I feel like from here on out I'll hold off pumping unless necessary and just for sure make sure I rotate breasts every feeding. I'm just so afraid of blockage or mastitis or something.
Hoping that my breasts even out soon with supply. I can feel the tingling still and they're sore. So right now they're getting hard and tingly - I'm getting ready to wake the guy to eat, but I shouldn't jump up and pump the pressure out, correct? Because my breasts are going to even themselves out with his feeding, correct?!
Successful blue sway in May of 2016! Thanks so much Gender Dreaming! [emoji170]
Honestly, it's probably better to just learn as you go. When I nursed my first in 1991 they weren't as militant with the advice and while they did push the formula samples on me, at the same time there wasn't a lactation consultant standing over me going "no not like that you're doing it wrong" either. There is a learning curve for you and for the baby and every mom and baby pair is different. Sometimes I think the more they try to help you, the harder it is. Those yellow diapers are like gold haha!!
Don't be afraid of mastitis. It sounds awful and certainly isn't fun but does happen now and then (I never had it with my first though and I was horribly engorged OMG) and all you do is just nurse or pump more and then they can give you antibiotics if you need them. It isn't as scary as they make it sound.
If you're dying, then yeah pump a little out. I usually did it in the shower but that's cause I didn't have a pump haha. Just do enough so you're not totally miserable - you are trying to just relieve the pressure but not encourage your body to keep making more and more.
I think I just needed to hear that. It seems like there are so many rules and so many people saying do this or do that. We're just going to do what we can when we can and if it doesn't work out then we have it a try!
Successful blue sway in May of 2016! Thanks so much Gender Dreaming! [emoji170]
I tell ya, I could write a book about the weirdness of having my first baby in the early 90's and my last in the 2010's. They are better about some things but the redonk advice they suddenly start insisting on with each consecutive kid was rather amusing. With my first, they barely let me have him rooming in with me and insisted on rushing him off to bathe him, with my last they were yelling at me to do kangaroo care. I"m like "pick a lane guys".
You know what you're doing more than they (or you) think. Imagine trying to learn to walk or talk if someone was hovering over you, shouting instructions constantly and never giving you a chance to find out what worked for you. :) I have no doubt you are doing great and over time it's going to get easier and easier.
I used to worry about getting mastitis or getting sick and not being able to keep up with feeding (I had anxiety after DS1 was born so I had lots of worries!). I never got mastitis in my approx. 3.5 years worth of BFing so I worried over nothing. If I got sore spots I normally massaged downwards towards the nipple and it was fine.
I wouldn't wake him up unless he is having a really long day sleep (you want that long sleep to be at night!). Rule #1 never wake a sleeping baby :)
The main other thing to be aware of is that they go through several growth spurts where they suddenly start feeding really frequently. They normally only take a day or so and then it goes back to "normal". Growth spurts are them just building up your supply a bit more. I think 3 weeks and 6 weeks are common times for them. It is good to be aware they happen otherwise I think some women think they suddenly have no supply but it is just the growth spurt.
Sounds like you are doing great :)
Thanks!! I'm trying to relax a bit more about it. It still makes me nervous when I'm not around him or a pump (last night we went to a visitation and were there for 3hrs, then by the time we got home and everything it'd been close to 5hrs before I pumped!). He does seem to be eating from both sides more frequently now. I'm just going to do what I can now...and hope that I'm not screwing it up too badly! [emoji6]
Successful blue sway in May of 2016! Thanks so much Gender Dreaming! [emoji170]
Doing what you can and hoping you're not screwing up too bad is the key to parenting. :)