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| Another day, another nursing session (taken via iPhone) |
I am now a little over 3 months into breastfeeding and it is still going well. Here are some more things I have learned...
Milk Supply
What mother doesn't worry about their child getting enough to eat? Breastfeeding is hard because you can't physically see how much they are taking in, unless you express milk and put in a bottle. Thankfully, I have my trusty Baby Connect app on my iPhone - it has helped me track how long she nurses daily (in minutes), plus how many times she nurses a day so I can ensure she is getting what she needs. But I still fret about my supply!
On an average day, I feed Brighton 7 times which is every 2.5-3 hours starting from her morning feed between 8-9 am until she goes to bed around 10-11pm. I also pump once in the morning about one hour after that first feed. I read a great article about "the magic number" (via Ashley's blog, thank you!) and have tried to ensure that I am staying with my magic number of 8: 7 feedings and 1 pump session in order to maintain my milk supply.
Sadly, my supply has dropped. I left my pump at home when I went out of town last week. I tried to fit in another feeding during the day to make up for the lost pumping session - sometimes Brighton would nurse at that extra session, but most times she would just snack which reduced my supply. So pumping this week has been total crap - I used to get between 2-3 oz per pumping session, but am now only getting 1/2 an ounce. In order to increase my supply I am pumping twice a day and might even buy some of that fenugeek seed. Hopefully it will work!
Clogged Ducts
Ouch. I have had a clogged duct about every 2 weeks for the last 6 weeks - each time I get one, I massage it and apply heat. Most times it goes away in about 24 hours, but I had one that lasted 2 days and it was so painful!
Time Suckage
Good lord almighty nursing takes up SO MUCH TIME! As much as I love my daughter and love nursing her, I sometimes strongly dislike having to plan my day around her feeding schedule and the 15-20 minutes the whole process takes. I am constantly watching the clock and if we are out of the house, constantly looking for a place to nurse her. It gets annoying, but I know it's a tiny sacrifice that is worth it.
As I learn more about this whole process, I'll share in another post. If you have any tips or things you have learned, please feel free to share in the comments!
Thanks for sharing! I am on my second week of breast feeding and it's nice to get other perspectives!
ReplyDeleteHey kara! A little trick I learned as I had many a clogged duct: used a disposable diaper for your hot compress. Run under hot water. It retains heat and moisture and forms nicely to the breast. try it! It works wonders! Also I just finished the gdiaper review. I did a video blog and a written one. Wanna link!?
ReplyDeleteYou bet! I'll link it this week. Thanks Jessica!
DeleteThe time suckage is something I feel few mothers are willing to admit sucks sometimes. Thank you for saying it!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! We just made it to the one year of breastfeeding milestone. Looking back at those earlier times it was TOUGH but I am so glad we stayed with it. My body really responded well to fenugreek but I had to take 5 capsules 3 times a day. Mother's milk tea is also good. I put a little agave in mine to make it more palatable.
ReplyDeleteAre you chugging water? I have found when I drink 1-2liters (usually w/ a crystal lite flavor) the next day I have more supply. I get a 1L water aquafina and fill it up a second time.
ReplyDeleteNo I am terrible about drinking water but this reminded me to do it more. ;)
DeleteDon't worry - she'll get MUCH more efficient at it! Our daughter got down to 5 minutes per side by 6 months old.
ReplyDeletePumping isn't an effective way to determine your supply. Your baby is the only most powerful 'sucker' (literally) out of all the pumping systems that are made for extracting milk. You can pump out very little milk yet your baby can suck 6 oz out of your boob just like that.
ReplyDeleteMy suggestion to keep up the supply is to eat proteins (almond, nuts, etc along with your regular old meat), and drink plenty of water!
Your baby is still learning how to eat/suck effectively. By 6 months old, she should have it down to the T, and be fine. Some babies achieve this faster. Some are slower. Nothing wrong with that :)
I find the first 8 weeks of breastfeeding to be freaking hard for me. We are FINALLY getting a hang of it, and my little boy is 3 months old today.
Clogged ducts--they can be caused by pumping too! It causes your milk supply to increase and get all clogged up. I have that problem too. Fun. :)
Love your blog.
http://beautifullittlepieces.blogspot.com
she will get faster! eventually you will be amazed at how quick your sessions will be!
ReplyDeleteClogged ducts, yuck! I also suffered with these throughout my time breastfeeding. The best solution: hot shower, massage towards nipple, see white fleck, gently pick it out, watch milk fly, get out of shower. Really effective and immediate relief.
ReplyDeleteClogged ducts, yuck! I also suffered with these throughout my time breastfeeding. The best solution: hot shower, massage towards nipple, see white fleck, gently pick it out, watch milk fly, get out of shower. Really effective and immediate relief.
ReplyDeleteI have a very low milk supply & have to supplement with formula. I was super bummed about it at first, but now I feel better knowing Willow is getting what she needs. My lactation consultant thinks it's part genetics and part lack of nutrition...my mom's milk supply dried up when I was 3 months old, and I'm not eating or drinking enough during the day. I try, but my goodness this girl sucks up so much of my time that I forget to eat breakfast & lunch most days and rarely remember to drink anything. Drinking water is key to keeping milk supply up! I've heard fenugreek works for women, didn't help me, but if you're concerned about your supply it's worth a shot!
ReplyDeleteHot shower and massage are great for sore boobs! :)
ReplyDeleteAlso second everyone that suggestion upping your water intake. And more protein!
Thank you for this post! It's nice to know that there's other people that get frustrated with the amount of time breastfeeding takes. Although I would kill for feedings that only take 15-20 mins. My dd never learned to latch properly(due to misinformation, a nipple shield and no breastfeeding support). She would nurse for hours at a time and being screaming for food as soon as she was off the breast. Finally I figured out she wasn't latching properly(at 7 weeks!) and now we start at the breast to see if she'll latch(even my lactation consultant thinks it's a lost cause for her to latch properly), give her a bottle when she won't(which is every damn time) and then I pump. The whole process takes over an hour and I'm supposed to feed her every 2 hrs due to slow weight gain. We also have to supplement her with formula because I can't pump enough to give her only breastmilk.
ReplyDeleteI just started Fungeek with blessed thistle last night and have already notice a bit of an increase in my supply.