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MSE Newborn to 1 year (& beyond!) baby club 3

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  • Crabapple
    Crabapple Posts: 1,573 Forumite
    Hi Vicky. Well done on feeding in public! It's a bit nervewracking to start with.

    Also well done on 4 weeks. It honestly does get easier after 6-8 weeks, your little one should sleep longer and feed quicker.

    The issue at the moment is in order to build your milk supply properly she needs to feed at night, it stimulates the right hormones. Even the 'comfort sucking' isn't always about comfort, it's about stimulating your body to increase supplies.

    For that reason I don't think dummies are recommended for bf babies at this stage.

    I do know how hard it is, I have also been there crying at 3am desperate for the baby to stop feeding so I can sleep. But I also do know it gets better.

    I think expressing is a great idea though, even if on the occasional night your other half can help with one feed it will make you feel more human! Expressing is not as effective as the baby feeding direct though so as fran-o says you will probably find you don't get a lot to start with.

    Try and express in the morning at a similar time each day. Start for small periods (the pump feels weird and can hurt your nips if you have it on for too long). Eat loads of oats to increase supplies - can be like magic and flapjacks are lovely :-)

    And do ask in your bf group if you are going, there will be other mums who've been where you are and it helps to know that, plus will have their own experiences of expressing. I wouldn't suggest asking the HV unless you have a rare one who actually knows about bf!
    :heartpuls Daughter born January 2012 :heartpuls Son born February 2014 :heartpuls

    Slimming World ~ trying to get back on the wagon...
  • fran-o
    fran-o Posts: 807 Forumite
    Had a great but tiring week. A day up in London, lunch with buddies, freebie weaning talk at health centre, baby sensory play group, baby's first swim... Thankfully baby has been sleeping better so I could keep up with him! He had been going to bed 11.30pm or later for a few weeks but has gone off at 10pm most nights this week and had two long sleeps eg to
    6am. Lovely!

    Quieter week ahead but hubby's birthday on Sunday (and Father's Day too) so I have pressies and visits to organise.

    Welcome newbies and congrats, my little one just hit four months. It all gets easier! X
    fran-o
  • lobey
    lobey Posts: 277 Forumite
    Hi all, have been lurking for ages but not much to report here... Hubby has just sat a big exam so we are back to being a two parent family!

    Welcome to all the newbies, hope you're not too knackered! I remember those early days well and the fog of it all.

    Put down our deposit for nursery and have my start date set for September. Starting to feel nervous now but there's no going back now my contract is signed. Will be doing 3 days a week so it feels like a good compromise knowing I'll be with LO for the majority of the week.

    We're off for our first family holiday this week. Can't wait but haven't started packing and know I'll forget something! Those of you who have been to a hot country, did you buy a parasol/sun tent before of just put LO in the shade/under an umbrella on the beach?

    Been following the car seat discussion as A is definitely too big for hers now but we rarely use the car, just another thing to buy!
  • BeNiceToMySelf
    BeNiceToMySelf Posts: 659 Forumite
    edited 7 June 2014 at 11:03PM
    Hi Vickyvic

    I'm training to be a breastfeeding support volunteer and you've asked a lot of questions! I would say the best answers I got were from lactation consultants at baby cafes. The best moral support were from breastfeeding groups. Also kellymom.com has tonnes of information! Your breastfeeding experience and lifestyle is unique so it's never gonna be a one size fits all solution too.
    VickyVics wrote: »
    Breast feeding is going really well and have even started breast feeding in public so now feel a lot better about getting out and about with LO.

    Congratulations!
    VickyVics wrote: »
    The only thing I am now struggling with are the night feeds. I am finding that she is tending to feed for 10-15 minutes then fall asleep for another 10 minutes, wake up and want to feed again. This cycle can literally go on from anywhere between 1 to 2 hours and happens approximately 3 times a night (more if she is restless). I am exhausted and come 3 in the morning getting quite emotional with it (poor DH).

    I did co-sleeping so I could nap in side-lying in-between feeds and bubs would fall asleep on my boob. You don't wake yourself up as much as when you're fetching baby in and out of a cot. OH slept in another bed so I had plenty of room and I had a lamp by the side of the bed so I could see what I was doing. Co-sleeping helps a lot of breastfeeding mums stay sane! Here are the co-sleeping safety guidelines from la leche league: http://www.llli.org/faq/cosleep.html . A lactation consultant can show you how to breastfeed lying down. Breastfeeds in the hours between 12 and 6am are really important for keeping milk supply up. BTW formula does not mean baby sleeps through the night just so you know, Bangton's LO is formula fed and still woke up through the night!
    VickyVics wrote: »
    The advice I am looking for is what is the best way to approach starting to express? I have no idea whether to express the opposite breast to the one I have offered LO or to express the breast she has fed on after she has finished or is there another way? Is there a specific time of day that I should be expressing? Should I try to get a full feeds worth in one go or should I get little bits as I go along? Or is there something I should be doing to get her into the habit of taking all of her milk in one go?

    kellymom.com has lots of info on expressing. My baby cafe and some sure start centres let you hire good quality double pumps for free - it's quicker to double pump. You can express at a set time - sometimes morning is good as you ten to have loads of milk then. Some talented women can express on one boob whilst feeding baby on the other! Kellymom also suggest another way: keeping the apparatus somewhere you'll pass frequently so you can pump for 5 mins at a time.

    You can wind baby or change nappy to keep baby awake during a feed too. A lot of mums tried their best to get as much milk into baby during the day so baby wouldn't wake as much in the night. I was a worried about my baby's weight so I offered him breast very frequently - pretty much hourly at times

    Crabapple is right that dummies can intefere with milk production as comfort sucking is a way babies tell you to make more milk.

    Sorry that's a lot of information! Lactation is such a big topic and I did a LOT of reading about it as I worked as hard as I could to make sure my baby had enough milk and so I could exclusively breastfeed. It sounds like there's a lot of knowledgeable people on this thread too!
  • Saffagal
    Saffagal Posts: 684 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    I second learning to feed in side-lying... It was my lifesaver!

    Babies have a suck reflex you can stimulate by tickling the palm of the hand or the sole of the foot if baby is becoming drowsy whilst feeding.

    Re expressing, try to express at the same time each day and if OH gives a feed express the missed feed to maintain your supply especially this early.
    Breastfeeding is hard at the beginning but it gets easier at 6 weeks, and easier still from 10 weeks.
  • *Nutella*
    *Nutella* Posts: 2,406 Forumite
    lobey wrote: »
    Those of you who have been to a hot country, did you buy a parasol/sun tent before of just put LO in the shade/under an umbrella on the beach?

    When we went last year we just used the beach parasols that were provided and it was fine. I'd say it depends on where you're going and how developed and touristy it is (as in - will there be parasols and buildings creating shade), and whether your LO is young enough to stay in one place for longer than 10 seconds. Sun tents probably work best for very young ones who will stay where you put them or slightly older ones who might enjoy having their own special place. My busy toddler doesn't fit into either of those categories at the moment :o
  • Rummer
    Rummer Posts: 6,550 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    lobey wrote: »
    We're off for our first family holiday this week. Can't wait but haven't started packing and know I'll forget something! Those of you who have been to a hot country, did you buy a parasol/sun tent before of just put LO in the shade/under an umbrella on the beach?

    We took our DD on a beach holiday when she was 9 months and a sun protection tent was a total life saver for us. Filled with toys she had a great time, in fact we have just bought one for our DS and he spent time in yesterday while we gardened. I figure as well it will be a great play toy when he is a bit older :D
    Taking responsibility one penny at a time!
  • fran-o glad life with LO is much better and you are getting more sleep. It's amazing the difference a bit of sleep does.

    lobey I feel the same about nursery for 3 days. It means I get to spend most of the week with bubs. Hope LO enjoys the extra daddy time.

    My LO seems to be going to sleep later and later and later! I'm gonna start giving breakfast again now he's pooing ok. He needs to wake up about 7/ 7:30 to have time to eat breakfast to so hopefully he'll go to bed earlier.
  • Bangton
    Bangton Posts: 1,053 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    vicky - I was about to say I formula fed and little one didn't sleep through the night but benice beat me to it : ) we actually had a very similar problem with him feeding/ dropping off/ being put down and waking about 15 minutes later when he realised he was still hungry. There was a lot of tickling his feet/lightly blowing on his face early on to wake him and ensure he'd had enough. Then he'd drop off again and the cycle would repeat. It wasn't as bad as your situation sounds as he was able to sleep 5hrs straight at 5 weeks but it took an hour or so to fully feed him and get him down for the night and then again in the night it was hard to fully feed him and get him back down.

    He doesn't sleep through now at 8 months. (Sometimes be does but tends to want a bottle although I'm not surprised as weaning is going !!!! here!)

    I have a friend who gave a night bottle only and her baby did sleep through though.

    it sounds like you want to continue bf anyway but I thought I'd just share our experience as I think there's a misconception that formula helps babies sleep.

    Having said all that I've been happy with formula feeding. babies bond with their parents during feeding and I like that OH has had that experience too. plus the night feeding helps!

    Benice - Thanks for posting about the HV sickness opinion. We think we've sussed it (aside from the early days he's never been fed solely on puree and coped perfectly at the beginning). Now he has too little nashers with two coming down at the top too and I've noticed these little teeth bite off bigger chunks than when he was just gumming his food.

    fingers crossed it's getting better aside from him not really eating much. He's still bigger than most his age but he's not really gaining weight which is fine at the moment especially as he's moving loads.

    We were meant to be going to Thomas land today with my family as it's the anniversary of my dad's death. We've decided we can't really justify the spend while I'm on my last and final month of no pay! so my family has gone and I'm finding it difficult not to sulk. thinking a trip to mamas and papas for a stair gate instead..Joy of joys.

    Have a good day all xx
  • lobey
    lobey Posts: 277 Forumite
    We're going to Italy so it'll be a bit hot. Any recommendations on specific tents that will fit in our limited luggage? We are off on thurs so need to order quick!

    Bangton hats off to you with LO not sleeping through; after 4 months of at least 10-7 we have been on 4/5 am wake ups twice this week and I'm knackered! Hope you have a nice day in spite of missing Thomas world :)
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