Another Intro & Questions

Hi everyone! I've been lurking here for quite some time, and have a moment
to post an intro. I may be asking lots of questions! My name is Lissie,
and my DS was born on Sept. 7th. He was 8 pounds 4 ounces at birth - I had
a long/difficult labor, with some complications. I had hoped to have a
natural childbirth, but for various reasons that didn't happen (which I
really feel okay about). DS is 5 weeks today, and is exclusively bf so far.
We've had the usual challenges (at least everyone is telling me they're
typical!). I was extremely engorged for the first week, and the first four
weeks were incredibly painful. Not only did I have the cracked and
bleeding nipples, but my breasts themselves were incredibly sore/painful.
That seems to have eased up!

I also seemed to be having oversupply, particularly in the left breast,
which has never let down as easily as the right breast. I did the cabbage
leaves for a few hours, and now have much less supply in the left breast -
it seems to be feast or famine! About a week ago, I started pumping for one
feeding, and DH gives DS a bottle. He seems to be handling it well, though
I have some concerns. I also get very little out of the left breast with
the pump (Avent Isis), usually barely a half ounce. DS seems to be gaining
well (at his one month appt he was 9 pounds, 7 ounces) and certainly is
peeing and pooping with a vengence! He does get pretty fussy at times,
and is having more fussy times at the breast. He has also started doing the
pulling and shaking his head thing, which I figured was just him trying for
a letdown. I can't tell when it's happening, which is hard. He tends to
nurse a lot during the day, often having stretches where he wants to eat
every hour to hour and half.

I do have a couple of questions!

1) I've been nursing him on the left side to start with at every feeding,
trying to get more supply in that breast. Does this sound right?

2) DS doesn't really nurse for very long...if I can get him to go 5 minutes
on, I am happy. I am worried, particulary with feeling like the left side
isn't producing, that he might not be getting enough, or getting enough
hindmilk. The right side lets down REALLY fast (for the pump, the milk just
gushes). Can he be getting enough even with that short of a nursing period?

3) Lately he seems to be getting more frustrated with nursing - particularly
again on the left side. Could this be from the bottle? He'll nurse for a
bit on the left side, and then do the head-shaking thing, and then get
frustrated and scream, and I feel so awful for him. What should I be doing?

Anyway - hello to everyone, and thanks for being here!

- Lissie

Lissie wrote:

1) I've been nursing him on the left side to start with at every feeding,
trying to get more supply in that breast. Does this sound right?


That's what I did, and it worked, but the other side is
still more productive given half a chance.


2) DS doesn't really nurse for very long...if I can get him to go 5 minutes
on, I am happy. I am worried, particulary with feeling like the left side
isn't producing, that he might not be getting enough, or getting enough
hindmilk. The right side lets down REALLY fast (for the pump, the milk just
gushes). Can he be getting enough even with that short of a nursing period?

I think so. And if you're starting him on the same side
each time, he shouldn't be getting too much foremilk.
Caterpillar (now 4 months) has that same quick nurse every
hour or two pattern.


3) Lately he seems to be getting more frustrated with nursing - particularly
again on the left side. Could this be from the bottle? He'll nurse for a
bit on the left side, and then do the head-shaking thing, and then get
frustrated and scream, and I feel so awful for him. What should I be doing?

If you don't need to give a bottle, you might try cutting it
out for a week or so and see if he improves. When I was
worried I was going to lose all my supply on my slower side,
Caterpillar got very mad at always getting that side. I
finally started her out on that side, then switched when she
got frustrated. My supply still picked up fine, and she was
happier.

Phoebe
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

Lissie wibbled

Anyway - hello to everyone, and thanks for being here!

Hi Lissie! /me waves.

BTW you're currently listed as very overdue on m.k.p, I haven't liked
to post your DS's birth info to clear that up, without your permission,
but now you're here maybe you can do that? You are apparently 45 weeks
pregnant, otherwise! :-)

Not letting down so well for the pump on one side isn't unusual. If
you're also finding it's harder to let down normally on that side, then
that would make sense of his frustration. There are strategies to help,
and people here know more than I do (I've not encountered this myself,
so any advice I gave would be purely theoretical). Are you still having
issues with lumps, or did that ease when the pain did? Glad you're
still going and didn't give up! Are you enjoying it more now?

Jac

"Lissie" wrote in message
...
Hi everyone!

Hi Lissie!

I also seemed to be having oversupply, particularly in the left breast,
which has never let down as easily as the right breast. I did the cabbage
leaves for a few hours, and now have much less supply in the left breast -
it seems to be feast or famine!

I never did the cabbage leaf thing, but I just can't imagine that a few
hours altered your supply that drastically. Are you basing this assumption
on anything more than your faster letdown for the pump on the right side?

About a week ago, I started pumping for one
feeding, and DH gives DS a bottle. He seems to be handling it well,
though
I have some concerns. I also get very little out of the left breast with
the pump (Avent Isis), usually barely a half ounce.

Very common, especially depending on when you pump. How much do you get
from the right side? How often are you pumping and when you pump which side
did your DS nurse from last?

DS seems to be gaining
well (at his one month appt he was 9 pounds, 7 ounces) and certainly is
peeing and pooping with a vengence!

Thats at least 19 ounces in a month not counting for weight loss after
birth. Do you have any idea how much he lost?

He does get pretty fussy at times,
and is having more fussy times at the breast. He has also started doing
the
pulling and shaking his head thing, which I figured was just him trying
for
a letdown.

Again, is this a left breast thing? If he's clamping down at all it could
well be a "stop letdown" thing.

I can't tell when it's happening, which is hard. He tends to
nurse a lot during the day, often having stretches where he wants to eat
every hour to hour and half.

O. Boy was that way until, oh say 12 weeks. Nursed every hour to hour and a
half during the day for no more than five minutes. I too worried that it
couldn't be enough but the senses prevailed. If he's wetting and dirtying
diapers and gaining weight, its enough. BTW, that changed and now he nursed
for around ten minutes every two to two and a half hours at 16 weeks.

I do have a couple of questions!

Oops, we're just now getting to the questions? ;-)

1) I've been nursing him on the left side to start with at every feeding,
trying to get more supply in that breast. Does this sound right?

Sounds good, as long as there is a problem. Just make sure you keep using
the right side regularly, even if you don't start him there.

2) DS doesn't really nurse for very long...if I can get him to go 5
minutes
on, I am happy. I am worried, particulary with feeling like the left side
isn't producing, that he might not be getting enough, or getting enough
hindmilk. The right side lets down REALLY fast (for the pump, the milk
just
gushes). Can he be getting enough even with that short of a nursing
period?

Mostly answered above. As for the pump letdown I'm prone to think that
you're using the left more and that there just isn't as much in there when
you go to pump. I'd test it by giving him the right side for a good long
feed (as long as you can get him to keep relatching) and wait until close to
the next feed to pump. Theoretically it would be nurse left side at 7:00
a.m., right side at 8:30, pump left side at 10:00. Then feed left side
followed by right. See if you get any better results from the pump this
way.

3) Lately he seems to be getting more frustrated with nursing -
particularly
again on the left side. Could this be from the bottle? He'll nurse for a
bit on the left side, and then do the head-shaking thing, and then get
frustrated and scream, and I feel so awful for him. What should I be
doing?

That does sound like a "the milk isn't coming out and I'm frustrated" deal,
and could be because the milk is always coming out of the bottle. Are you
using newborn nipples with Avent bottles? Does he do this on the right
side?

--
Rhiannon
Mom to M. Girl and O. Boy

"Phoebe & Allyson" wrote in message
...

If you don't need to give a bottle, you might try cutting it
out for a week or so and see if he improves. When I was
worried I was going to lose all my supply on my slower side,
Caterpillar got very mad at always getting that side. I
finally started her out on that side, then switched when she
got frustrated. My supply still picked up fine, and she was
happier.

Thanks! We may try holding off on the bottle for a bit...but I really do
want him to be able to take one. We don't need it now, but if I am teaching
next semester, he'll need to take one then. I am glad to hear that your
supply picked up. BTW, we call DS the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and we have
a ton of the VHC clothes for him! I love them, they're SO cute!

- Lissie


Phoebe
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

"Jacqui" wrote in message
. 7...
Lissie wibbled

Anyway - hello to everyone, and thanks for being here!

Hi Lissie! /me waves.

Hey Jac!

BTW you're currently listed as very overdue on m.k.p, I haven't liked
to post your DS's birth info to clear that up, without your permission,
but now you're here maybe you can do that? You are apparently 45 weeks
pregnant, otherwise! :-)

Oh my, I'll pop over there and post a birth announcement! Thankfully I am
NOT 45 weeks pregnant!!

Not letting down so well for the pump on one side isn't unusual. If
you're also finding it's harder to let down normally on that side, then
that would make sense of his frustration. There are strategies to help,
and people here know more than I do (I've not encountered this myself,
so any advice I gave would be purely theoretical). Are you still having
issues with lumps, or did that ease when the pain did? Glad you're
still going and didn't give up! Are you enjoying it more now?

Jac

The lumps have eased up - they tend to show up at night when he goes longer
between feeds, but either nursing him or pumping mostly takes care of them!
I am still going, and definitely not giving up (even though I did want to at
times). I am enjoying it more, since it doesn't really hurt so much! My
nipples are healing well, and the breasts themselves are so much less
painful, so that's nice! I actually got a good letdown on the left side
with the pump this morning, so that felt reassuring. He is definitely
peeing and pooping a lot, so I am just assuming he's getting enough!

- Lissie

"She's A Goddess" wrote in message
. net...
Hi Lissie!

Hey Rhiannon!

I never did the cabbage leaf thing, but I just can't imagine that a few
hours altered your supply that drastically. Are you basing this
assumption
on anything more than your faster letdown for the pump on the right side?

I did wonder about that. I was assuming that both because I can't really
get much out of that breast with the pump and because I was becoming totally
engorged (big hard lumps, etc.) on that side, and now I don't feel like the
breast gets that full...

Very common, especially depending on when you pump. How much do you get
from the right side? How often are you pumping and when you pump which
side
did your DS nurse from last?

Let's see...I can get 2-3 ounces from the right side, usually closer to two.
I am pumping once a day, usually for the 4:30/5:00am feeding...I've been
feeding him on both sides, starting with the left. He is going longer
between feeds at night (could be 3 hours, could be 4.5-5 hours), though he's
not really on any schedule at this point.

Thats at least 19 ounces in a month not counting for weight loss after
birth. Do you have any idea how much he lost?

He did lose a little weight, but not too much. He was 7 pounds, 14 ounces
at day 4, so he gained up to 8 pounds 11 ounces (or whatever it was) in 2
weeks, and then up to 9 pounds 6 ounces at 4 weeks.

Again, is this a left breast thing? If he's clamping down at all it could
well be a "stop letdown" thing.

Hmm, he does it on both sides (the head shaking thing) - he'll latch on and
nurse well for a bit, and then when it feels like the breast is more empty
is usually when he starts doing the head shaking, kind of mouthing the
nipple. Sometimes he'll latch back on and eat some more, sometimes he just
seems to get upset/frustrated and howls.

O. Boy was that way until, oh say 12 weeks. Nursed every hour to hour and
a
half during the day for no more than five minutes. I too worried that it
couldn't be enough but the senses prevailed. If he's wetting and dirtying
diapers and gaining weight, its enough. BTW, that changed and now he
nursed
for around ten minutes every two to two and a half hours at 16 weeks.

That is really reassuring to hear! In thinking about it, since he is
peeing and pooping a lot, and so far has gained fine, I shouldn't
worry...but it just doesn't seem like it can be enough!! Though given how
quickly my right side lets down, who knows how much he's getting!

Oops, we're just now getting to the questions? ;-)

*heh*

Sounds good, as long as there is a problem. Just make sure you keep using
the right side regularly, even if you don't start him there.

I definitely do, since he doesn't seem to get full on just the one side...so
I figure I start him on the left side and let him go as long as he will (if
I can get him to do 5 minutes, that's awesome), and then move him to the
right side. I guess I was figuring that as long as that breast is getting
stimulated regularly, that's good.

Mostly answered above. As for the pump letdown I'm prone to think that
you're using the left more and that there just isn't as much in there when
you go to pump. I'd test it by giving him the right side for a good long
feed (as long as you can get him to keep relatching) and wait until close
to
the next feed to pump. Theoretically it would be nurse left side at 7:00
a.m., right side at 8:30, pump left side at 10:00. Then feed left side
followed by right. See if you get any better results from the pump this
way.

I'll definitely give that a try. I did get a better letdown on the left
side this morning, which was encouraging!

That does sound like a "the milk isn't coming out and I'm frustrated"
deal,
and could be because the milk is always coming out of the bottle. Are you
using newborn nipples with Avent bottles? Does he do this on the right
side?

We are using the newborn nipples. He does it some on the right side too,
though usually he is fuller at that time, so he seems less frantic all
around.

Thanks so much for your help, Rhiannon!!

- Lissie

--
Rhiannon
Mom to M. Girl and O. Boy

Lissie wrote:

BTW, we call DS the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and we have
a ton of the VHC clothes for him! I love them, they're SO cute!

The boy ones are a lot cuter than the girl ones, IMHO. They
focus more on the hungry aspects, which is, of course, the
important thing.

Phoebe
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

"Phoebe & Allyson" wrote in message

Lissie wrote:

BTW, we call DS the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and we have
a ton of the VHC clothes for him! I love them, they're SO cute!

The boy ones are a lot cuter than the girl ones, IMHO. They
focus more on the hungry aspects, which is, of course, the
important thing.

We have the yellow striped velour one . It says "And He Was Still Hungry"
across it. We find it very apt!

--
Em
mama to Lann, 9/21/03