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#11
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Breastfeeding challenges
cjra wrote: Let me see my chart... Since 4:30 pm yesterday (it's now 7:09 pm, so almost 27 hours), she's had 10 stool diapers (and pretty messy ones at that) and 4 wet diapers. Bear in mind that a lot of those stool diapers may also have urine in them. In the beginning, it was rare for my daughter to have any diapers that were *just* wet (and it usually meant we'd jumped the gun in changing her!) I'm pretty sure the wisdom at this age is that as long as the number of all diapers together is within an acceptable range, you should be fine. She couldn't poop if she weren't getting milk, and if she's getting enough milk to produce poop that often on what is essentially a liquid diet, I don't see how she could be dehydrated. It's not like she's eating pretzels. I wouldn't worry if I were you. Of course, if you're prone to worry anyhow, keep your eye on whether she has a slobbery mouth (good!) or lethargy and sunken fontanelles (bad!) In general, if she looks and acts healthy... she probably is. You're doing great |
#12
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Breastfeeding challenges
"cjra" ) writes:
Let me see my chart... Since 4:30 pm yesterday (it's now 7:09 pm, so almost 27 hours), she's had 10 stool diapers (and pretty messy ones at that) and 4 wet diapers. Sounds OK to me (I'm not an expert here) as long as the wet ones are not just a tiny bit wet. You can hold them and see how heavy they are compared to a dry diaper. |
#13
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Breastfeeding challenges
Andrea Phillips wrote: cjra wrote: Let me see my chart... Since 4:30 pm yesterday (it's now 7:09 pm, so almost 27 hours), she's had 10 stool diapers (and pretty messy ones at that) and 4 wet diapers. Bear in mind that a lot of those stool diapers may also have urine in them. In the beginning, it was rare for my daughter to have any diapers that were *just* wet (and it usually meant we'd jumped the gun in changing her, I wondered about that - how many were both, since we're still using paper diapers right now and they wick away the wetness so she doesn't fuss much - whereas she goes nuts as soon as she poops. I'm pretty sure the wisdom at this age is that as long as the number of all diapers together is within an acceptable range, you should be fine. She couldn't poop if she weren't getting milk, and if she's getting enough milk to produce poop that often on what is essentially a liquid diet, I don't see how she could be dehydrated. It's not like she's eating pretzels. I wouldn't worry if I were you. Her poopy diapers have been pretty wet and mucousy, and she had 2 this morning which were sort of green/brown rather than yellow, but now it's back to yellow. She basically poops every time she nurses - during, and in the 20 mins or so after. Given she's nursing every 1.5-2hrs max, she poops a lot. Of course, if you're prone to worry anyhow, keep your eye on whether she has a slobbery mouth (good!) or lethargy and sunken fontanelles (bad!) In general, if she looks and acts healthy... she probably is. So far so good on that account. We have a pedi appt for Monday, and that will have been 4-days post-discharge so we will be able to see if there's real progress. I *am* worried she's not latching on well, as my nipples hurt like hell, but she *is* getting milk because I can hear her swallow. I tend to help the nursing by using my fingers close to her mouth/on the breast to stimulate flow. You're doing great Thanks. |
#14
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Breastfeeding challenges
Beth Kevles wrote: Hi -- First, DO wake your baby during the day, since that's when you want her to get most of her feeding in. Check with her dr. about how long you can let her sleep at night. You may need to wake her every 4 hours, or you may be able to let her go 6 at a stretch, or even longer. We see the pedi on Monday, so we'll discuss this, among many other things! THe rule of thumb is 6-8 soaking wet or poopy diaper/24 hours. The poops should be very wet themselves at this stage, and yellow-ish. Only 6-8? I think she's at double that easily since she poops during and after each meal. If your baby is sometimes refusing to nurse, consider using some of the EBM to trickle down the outside of your breast, or even rig up an SNS (supplemental nursing system), in preference to using a bottle. For the time being, your goal should be to NOT use bottles at all. Your baby will get used to nursing, and the SNS will help ensure that she doesn't get dehydrated. I stuck with just the syringe feed last night and early this morning, because she was trying to nurse but just not latching on. I'm getting to where I can tell if she's getting much based on how the breasts feel when she gives up. In the first 6-8-ish weeks of life, you and your baby are working out your nursing partnership. This means that sometimes your baby will nurse without cease, That's kind of what she's doing now. Makes me a little nervous that she's nursing so much because she's not getting enough in each session. She seems to go frequently for a few hours (like 10 mins on, 10 off, 10 on, 10 off...), then she finally gets her fill and konks out. and other times you'll be engorged while your recently-fed baby sleeps soundly. But over time you and your baby will establish a routine of sorts, and your milk supply will regulate itself accordingly. There may be times when you get stuck with nursing "marathons" again, but that just mean that your baby's appetite is increasing (it's called a "growth spurt") and she's nursing a lot to help you increase her supply. I hope that's the case now. She'll be 3 weeks Monday, so it is time for a growth spurt. I just hope it's that and not that she isn't getting decent amounts. I try to get her to latch properly, but there are times it seems she's just knawing at the nipple. I hope this makes sense. It does, thanks! COngratulations on your baby's arrival! Thank you. I think we'll be celebrating 2 birthdays for her - the day she was born and the day she came home! |
#15
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Breastfeeding challenges
I wondered about that - how many were both, since we're still using paper diapers right now and they wick away the wetness so she doesn't fuss much - whereas she goes nuts as soon as she poops. I think that rather depends on the baby than the diaper, although the wet is wicked away, it also mixes with granules to make a gel, my DS in particular did not react at all well to this, but was fine with a real nappy. Also if you find a liner that suits, some of them to protect a certain amount from the damp, so you get the same effect with a real nappy, but without the chemicals. If real nappies become too wet it's a sign to move to the next size (if you are using sized ones) or to start using a booster. Sometimes even a booster is not quite enough, Ada is going to bed at night wearing 2 nappies. Anne |
#16
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Breastfeeding challenges
In article .com,
"cjra" wrote: I use my hand to stimulate milk flow and I know she's getting it. She'll feed 15 mins on one side, konk out totally for 15 mins or so, then is hungry again but will only spend maybe 5 mins on the other side at most. That's quite normal. That top-up after 15 minutes is due to a hormone related to fat digestion. She's also looking like a fast feeder, like mine were. She will feed every 1.5 hrs, max 2hrs. That's also fine. Tiring, but typical of a newborn. It is also obvious that she wants to sleep a longer stretch at night, which is a good thing! Any suggestions to improve the night time feeding? I haven't mastered the knack of laying on my side to feed, but will practice that. A two-week-old doesn't have good head control. You'll find it much easier in a few weeks. -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled." Kerry Cue |
#17
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Breastfeeding challenges
In article om,
"cjra" wrote: I *am* worried she's not latching on well, as my nipples hurt like hell, but she *is* getting milk because I can hear her swallow. I tend to help the nursing by using my fingers close to her mouth/on the breast to stimulate flow. OK, that is something to work on. Firstly, keep your fingers well back from the nipple. If you are massaging your breast to stimulate flow, you need to be massaging the milk glands. These are the oval lumps you will feel when engorged. If your hand is too close to the nipple, you will only be massaging the ducts, and you run the risk of distorting your breast slightly, which might be causing the painful latch. If you can see that you are pulling on your skin, you are definitely too close! As much as possible, leave your boobs where they are -- bring the baby to the breast, not the breast to the baby. The baby's chin should be leading into the breast, not the nose -- ie, her head and trunk straight, or head a little bit back, if anything. If she is bending her head forward to eat, she will have difficulty (try it yourself). DD should have a good mouthful of breast. Her little gums should be well back from the base of your nipple, out on the areola somewhere. To give you an idea, the end of your nipple should be against her soft palate (if your nipple comes out looking squashed, she's not taking it in enough and is mashing it against her hard palate). Those are your most likely causes of pain -- what do you think? -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled." Kerry Cue |
#18
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Breastfeeding challenges
"cjra" wrote and I snipped:
In the first 6-8-ish weeks of life, you and your baby are working out your nursing partnership. This means that sometimes your baby will nurse without cease, That's kind of what she's doing now. Makes me a little nervous that she's nursing so much because she's not getting enough in each session. She seems to go frequently for a few hours (like 10 mins on, 10 off, 10 on, 10 off...), then she finally gets her fill and konks out. This sounds completely normal. Nursing a newborn in the first 6 to 8 weeks can make you feel like you have nothing else going on in your life. Frequent nursing all day long with lots of little naps can be normal. She's new and won't have more than nursing, pooping, and sleeping, most likely all while being held, in her life until she comes out of this phase. Take care, -Patty, mom of 1+2 |
#19
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Breastfeeding challenges
PattyMomVA wrote: "cjra" wrote and I snipped: I wondered about that - how many were both, since we're still using paper diapers right now and they wick away the wetness so she doesn't fuss much - whereas she goes nuts as soon as she poops. Try wetting a clean diaper with water and watch how it completely absorbs it. If you only put a couple of ounces in it, you might not even be able to tell it's wet. I'm getting better at telling now - she's had quite a few diapers which were mixed. I *am* worried she's not latching on well, as my nipples hurt like hell, but she *is* getting milk because I can hear her swallow. I tend to help the nursing by using my fingers close to her mouth/on the breast to stimulate flow. This doesn't sound like how I'd describe breast compression, so you may be doing something wrong. You need to compress the breast from back near the chest wall and forward. Check out the videos down the center column for good positioning and latch: http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_video.html I probably described it poorly. I massage the breast from the back forward. I also use the "c" or "U' position described in LLL's book. She seems to have improved her latch in the last day or so. |
#20
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Breastfeeding challenges
Chookie wrote: In article om, "cjra" wrote: I *am* worried she's not latching on well, as my nipples hurt like hell, but she *is* getting milk because I can hear her swallow. I tend to help the nursing by using my fingers close to her mouth/on the breast to stimulate flow. OK, that is something to work on. Firstly, keep your fingers well back from the nipple. If you are massaging your breast to stimulate flow, you need to be massaging the milk glands. These are the oval lumps you will feel when engorged. If your hand is too close to the nipple, you will only be massaging the ducts, and you run the risk of distorting your breast slightly, which might be causing the painful latch. If you can see that you are pulling on your skin, you are definitely too close! Ok, I think I am actually doing this right. I guess my fingers aren't so close to her mouth, they're holding the boob underneath. As much as possible, leave your boobs where they are -- bring the baby to the breast, not the breast to the baby. The baby's chin should be leading into the breast, not the nose -- ie, her head and trunk straight, or head a little bit back, if anything. Hmm, I will work on this one. If she is bending her head forward to eat, she will have difficulty (try it yourself). DD should have a good mouthful of breast. Her little gums should be well back from the base of your nipple, out on the areola somewhere. To give you an idea, the end of your nipple should be against her soft palate (if your nipple comes out looking squashed, she's not taking it in enough and is mashing it against her hard palate). My nipples come out standing more erect than I everr thought possible! Definitely not mashed. So maybe that's a good sign but I have a hard time seeing her bottom lip when she's at the breast. Thanks for the tips! |
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