Greenparent

Cleft lip & breastfeeding.

2013-04-08T16:00:34+01:00

Does anybody have any experience of feeding a little one with a cleft lip or palate? Looking fir a bit of reassurance and hope. We were recently told our little one will at the very least be born with a cleft lip. We are hoping it’s just that. But, it puts a huge dampener on my hopes to breastfeed again. I found it so rewarding in so many ways before and really want that closeness and to give the best I can again.

Breastfeeding, feeding EBM and surgery

2013-04-10T14:18:45+01:00

I breastfed DD1 until just after her 4th birthday at which point it got too painful as I was pregnant with Bump (and as it was only a quick 30seconds pre-bed it was easy enough to quit). Never intended to breastfeed for quite so long (was one of those at the start who thouht if I could make it to 6months then great and also with the opinion if baby has teeth/if baby can walk over to you/if baby can verbally ask….the goal posts forever moved for me lol ). Anyway, I’m planning on breastfeeding number 2 but I’m due to have orthognathic (jaw/facial) surgery at the end of this year/beginning of next which will involve at least 2 nights in hospital - the hospital being in Cardiff (so 100 miles from home). Depending on when baby decides to make his/her appearance and when the surgery is scheduled for, then baby will probably be between 5 and 9 months old and based on the only experience I have (DD1) then regardless of how old baby is, there will be very regular feeds.

If I’m in hospital for a couple of nights I’m not sure what’s best to do. I’m not concerned about general anaesthetic/pain meds in my milk as it mostly makes no difference, it’s the fact I won’t be their to feed baby. So I’m guessing the only way around it is making sure I’ve left enough EBM with DH so he can give her feeds via bottle or cup. Again, based on previous experience with DD1 I don’t have any difficulty expressing (assuming it turns out the same this time, no guarantees I know, but previously I could express 250ml/8oz with an electric breastpump in about 10/15mins) it’s just the idea of using a bottle or cup. Cup didn’t really work so well last time (more milk down the front than in the mouth) and the main problem was we tried bottles/EBM with DD1 as I ended up back doing my MSc when she was 8weeks and in work before she was 5months old and it really didn’t work out. Admittedly, it was all rather half hearted, I wasn’t willing to put up with her screaming refusal and in the end, when it came to it, I just sort of muddled along with the breastfeeding (if I was in uni for the day DH would turn up with DD1 during tea breaks and at lunch time for me to feed her so she never went more than a couple of hours. Then when I was in work she was in a nursery a few doors down so I just went in 2-3 times a day to feed her instead of taking a lunchbreak - in both cases, anything she missed out on during the day she made up for at night!! ).

There’s no way I’ll be able to ‘muddle’ through this time because I physically won’t be around for at least two nights (and additionally, I’ll be in a lot of pain and not able to eat properly for a while after the surgery - liquid diet - so it’ll be handy to have DH and/or family as backup support) so I’m guessing I’ll have to work something out with bottlefeeding EBM but I don’t know how best to go about it.

I was just wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience regarding a hospital stay etc while breastfeeding and how they worked around it? Or how you go about introducing bottles of expressed breast milk.

Help!

Urgent BF help please - Gloucester area

2013-04-04T10:26:53+01:00

Anyone know of a BF counsellor/supporter near Gloucester who could help a new mum having problems BF fololowing a c section? Friends on my local LLL FB group can’t find anyone.

Please get in touch if you can help

TIA x

pain & engorgement 6 months in?

2013-03-24T09:44:52+01:00

DD2 is 6 months old tomorrow and just this weekend I’ve suddenly been suffering from massive, painful engorgement and leaking. I noticed it yesterday for the first time, awful pain in the left breast that got worse and worse during the night. I normally switch sides during the night but because I was in too much pain, I just let her feed from what felt like the fuller side for most of the night. But today both sides are hurting and very full.

I haven’t noticed DD2 wanting to feed much more than usual, so I’m not sure why, without an increase in demand, my supply has suddenly increased so much—my breasts weren’t even this full when my milk first came in (either time)! I wondered if anyone else has experienced anything similar and if:

1) I should still alternate sides even when one side feels much more engorged? and
2) if there’s any reason to worry? Today the left breast seems quite sore even when it’s not clearly engorged (i.e. it’s soft, not hard, but still hurts).

supply

2013-03-15T07:28:01+01:00

My breasts rarely feel full anymore- I know my body is just adjusting to archies needs but my boobs felt fuller after feeding my daughter for 2 years! And he is feeding all night- latched on from about 11-5am. Wet nappies haven’t changed, he’s just feeding LOADS moore and I haven’t felt full in about a week. Still have this breast ache for those of you who know of it and going to the docs about it today. Any ideas on this one? Am I worrying unnecessarily?

deep burniing pain

2013-03-08T17:13:35+01:00

In my left breast. No lump or red patch or fever. But I’ve been getting burning shooting pain deep in my left breast. I’m in so much pain. I’m not engorged and he’s been feeding fine from that side. Any idea? Hot compress hasn’t helped x

Daytime weaning tips for toddler?

2013-03-05T16:09:32+01:00

Hiya, hoping for some help, I’m breastfeeding my 19 month old, and am wondering how easy it is to stop at this age? I’m guessing it’s not something he will lose interest in on his own until he is quite a bit bigger. I don’t mind keeping the night feed for some more months to come, I find breastfeeding him at bedtime fine, and lovely and soothing for him to get him sleepy and now he is sleeping in his own room I like the connection before bedtime, but I’m not really keen on the daytime anymore.

I know I shouldn’t really care what other people think but with him being quite tall for his age, I’m aware he looks quite old in some people’s eyes and I don’t like my top being scrabbled at and pulled up when we’re out and about! For the first time ever, I actually felt mildly embarrassed when I headed to a toddler group this morning, having never met anyone here before, and then he started getting anxious for a feed. I did feed him and was quite surprised at how I felt about it, as I was a bit nervous wondering what people thought about this seemingly huge child sprawled across my lap (nobody else there was breastfeeding, even the younger ones) - the girl I was chatting to didn’t say anything except that she only managed 5 months, and we were sat away from the main group. It’s not just about what other people think though, I just don’t really feel I have the time for it any more in the day, and I don’t mean physical time, I just don’t really like it in the day anymore, he is now very ‘gropey’ and fidgety and I feel like I’m being mauled some days, I also don’t like him just helping himself now he can pretty much get to them himself if I don’t stop him!

I should add he has a cup of full-fat goat’s milk in the morning with breakfast and at night-time before bed, drinks plenty of water and has a pretty good appetite for solids now too and eats a balanced vegetarian diet, so I don’t think he relies on it for calories anymore, which he really did up until 3 or 4 months ago, I think he would have lost weight then if the breastmilk was cut out as he really didn’t eat much else then, he was slow to solids. He has been steady at 91st percentile most of his life or just under.

Nursing cushions….

2013-02-25T12:23:48+01:00

Hi,

I’m after nursing cushion recommendations. I had a lovely c shaped cushion bought for me when I had my first baby, it saw me through the next one too but after that it had pretty much had it so I gave it to the dog lol. Anyway it was a present and I didn’t know the make of it, I’ve just had a look online to see if i can get another one and there were so many different types and reviews I don’t know where to start. I know they are not essential but I really liked my one before for using at home.
Any suggestions appreciated!

AJ x

Breastfeeding advice please

2013-02-18T22:55:53+01:00

I’m after some advice for a good friend of mine please, she has given me permission to ask. Her 3 1/2 year old son is regularly very poorly and hospitalised with respiratory problems (cause is still being investigated). He has not put on any weight in many months (I think she said he actually weighs less than 9 months ago). He does not eat much and the dieticians are working with her to try and increase his weight. He still breast feeds and she is starting to get comments about it now. She is very open to help from them, but is worried that the breastfeeding may become an issue and I wondered if any of you wise ladies could point me in the direction of any research into term breastfeeding, especially if there is anything related to chronic illness and/or weight gain. She is struggling with the repeated sudden-onset episodes of illness and is emotionally quite vulnerable and would just like some facts to back up her mamas instinct I think. She feels he would have lost even more weight were it not for the BFing.

A second, unrelated question, does anyone have any experience of this?: A mama who didn’t get the proper support and didn’t manage to BF her first baby who is now about one. She is pregnant with her second and would love to BF, she would also like to try and BF her older child who will be just over one when the baby arrives. Can anyone point me in the direction of some information on the practicalities of when and how to start trying? During pregnancy or wait until the new baby arrives? She is open to the possibility of expressing and giving her older child milk if he won’t latch as I think a big part of it for her is the benefits of him receiving her milk. I think he has been having special formula due to allergies up until now, although the mama is now vegan.

Thanks very much!

Do I need to worry about slight weight loss?

2013-01-06T23:50:50+01:00

Toby is 10 months old, and still exclusively breastfed, with some bites from raw fruit and vegs, and a tiny bit of bread; other than that, he’s not interested in food even though he’s got 8 teeth. The last few days, I noticed that he just seems a bit slimmer than usual, and my husband noticed the same. At the same time, he seemed to have grown in height. Is it that he doesn’t get enough from breastmilk milk anymore, and needs to start properly on solids or is it just related to the fact that he’s growing and also he’s being so mobile?

I agree with the mantra that food is just for fun until one or until they’re ready, and I heard other babies starting on solids around 1 years old and even 1 and a half. We don’t go to weigh him at the clinic; went once out of curiosity when he was around 6 months old, but haven’t been impressed with the experience. Whenever we meet our independent midwife while she’s visiting some of our friends, we weigh him, and other than that I use our home scales, and yeah, it seems he hasn’t put any weight on the last month or so.

I’m not too concerned as Toby seems to be himself, very lively and mobile for his age; he’s done his first steps alone the other week, and now just holds one of our fingers, and he’s got speed that hardly can keep up with him. What’s your experience? Should I worry and try to get more solids into him or just trust he’ll get interested in food whenever he’s ready?