Breastfeeding Advice

T.,
Keep sticking him on the boob anyway. Even if you've just pumped, it's all about supply and demand. If there is a demand, there will be a supply. At 2 mo old, he won't have much of a firm schedule yet, and he's going to have growth spurts and teeth starting to move in his little jaw, and other things that will make him nurse more.

Lots of babies snooze while nursing. There are things to do, like run your hand up and down his spine, talk to him, sing, play with his hands, wipe his forehead with a cool cloth, etc. to keep him on task a little longer.

It can be hard, but try to go with the flow of nursing him. He may nurse in clusters closer together while he is so little or during times when he is growing and building your supply up with more frequent feedings.

There are great books on breast feeding out there and la leche is a good support. Nursing frequently is totally and completely exhausting. Make sure you nap and eat well. If you can let your baby set your pace, he will get all that he needs. Good job mama! Having him latch and nurse after a nicu stay is no small thing.

P.

I'm a Babywise, sheduling mom myself...however I would completely erase any kind of schedule for right now and just demand feed that little guy until you are both comfortable with your milk supply. It could take a couple of days or a couple of weeks, but the important thing right now is to establish a good breastfeeding routine and get comfortable with each other. Breastfeeding is so important and wonderful, but soooo much harder than anyone ever tells you. I breastfed my 3 babies for one year each and it took AT LEAST 3 months for us to get the hang of it each time. I just started the whole scheduling thing (eat/play/sleep) around 3 months or so, when I felt like breastfeeding was under control. La Leche is a great resource, as is a good lactation consultant (the hospital you delivered will have names). Good luck and hang in there...it's so worth it!

All the advice I've seen so far for you says the same thing - drop the schedule. And I agree with it entirely. Both of my boys went through phases where they wanted to eat every 45 minutes! But here's what I might add - PLEASE don't get discouraged. They don't always want to eat like that. Eventually it's every couple of hours, and once they start on cereal (you can mix that with all that breastmilk you've been pumping, so stick it in the freezer and keep it!) and vegetables, they'll only want to nurse every four hours. And you don't want to miss that, trust me! I've heard from so many moms that they just couldn't breastfeed because their baby was always hungry, and their babies just liked bottles and formula better. I think the biggest problem is that they believe that every time their baby it hungry, they have to drop what their doing, run and sit in the right chair in the nursery, and start watching the clock. I thought the same think with my first! The problem is, once you establish that as a routine, they will expect it. Babies are really WAAAY less picky than that. Your baby is young enough that you haven't established that pattern yet, so take care not to. Right now, if you working on papers at your kitchen table, and your baby is hungry, scoot back in your chair, and feed him while your keep working on your papers! If you're up and around doing something, put him in a sling and keep right on doing it while he eats. Breastfeeding is CONVENIENT, make it work around your schedule. Then, instead of thinking "Wow, he JUST ate! He's hungry AGAIN!" you'll be thinking you feel sorry for all those mom's that are having to boil and wash bottles and make formula!
I couldn't use a sling with my first baby, I didn't try it until he was already about 5 months old, and he HATED it.
If you start a sling young enough, they'll get very comfy in it, and then your're hands-free most of the time. I always had to use one hand to support his head while feeding, but we got so comfy with it that I could take my two year old to the zoo, and not worry if my baby was going to be hungry while we were there. And no one has any idea what's going on! (If you decide to use a sling, get the instruction video! They are terrible to try to figure out on your own. Seems like a pretty simple concept, but trust me! It's only simple after it's been explained!)
Once your son is older and only wants to nurse every 3-4 hours, THEN take the time to sit in the nursery and enjoy the mommy baby bonding time. By then they'll be busing playing and you'll REALLY cherish the extra time you have with them. Most of all ENJOY you son! And good luck!
(Sorry about the length of my response! ;)
B. S

My son is a couple weeks old, and he nurses for hours at a time. I find that I just have to plop myself on the couch and expect to nurse for hours at night before he goes to sleep, I think he is storying up for the night...lol! I would just be patient and feed on demand because it sounds like he is trying to build up his milk supply, which is what he is supposed to do.

I agree with the previous posts, since you just got him home everything is new. Don't worry about schedules, mine is 4 mos. and we don't have a consistent schedule yet. I breastfeed on demand, sometimes he will go 3-4 hours, sometimes he will go only 2. With your little guy being so little still, I would definitely breastfeed on demand until you establish good breastfeeding routines. Mine also was extremely sleepy at the breast. I tried everything, one of the nurses in the hospital even had us wipe cold wipes on his feet. Even now at 4 1/2 mos. he gets sleepy at the breast, so I just let him eat what he wants and feed him again when he is hungry. Strictly breastfeeding will increase your supply more than pumping. Babies are more effective at getting milk out. Let your breastfeeding come first and then worry about a routine. It maybe hard to live without a schedule for a while, but it will help in the long run. Good luck!

I've had four preemies and nursed as well. Not sure if it will help, but I can tell you what I did at least. Nursing takes a lot of energy and burns calories in the tiny ones. I did what I could then followed up with a bottle later. After the third one, I ditched the schedule and nursed/ bottled more frequently until they got the hang of everything. With a preemie, you never want them to "wait" until their next scheduled feeding. It might mean more time on your part, but it only lasts a little while in the big scheme of things.

I am breastfeeding my son. When he was that old, that's all the more he would drink also. It is fine and he should be eating every 2 hours, and probably will only eat a few ounces. His stomach is still small. Pumping will only make you have a greater milk supply, and you will be uncomfortable. If you can just pump until you are comfortable instead of pumping until you are empty, it will help.

Tori, yea your baby is home!!! What a releaf, in some areas. I've been their, my second was in the NICU & we had the same issues after she came home. I would say that he's trying to build up more milk from you, he's at the 2 month mark and that's time for a growth spirt and he'll want to eat more. Breastfeeding is awesome b/c baby get's what baby wants and not any more & it's always available. But on the other hand we have no idea how much our baby's getting. So when I brought my daughter home, she'd nurse for a little bit then fall asleep and 'camp out' at the breast. I'd go to put her down and she'd wake and want to nurse, then the same thing happened. So what I started doing was, let her nurse, then put her in the bouncy chair while I warmed her bottle, and I'd have her take the bottle so I knew she was getting more. Slowly I was able to wean her from the bottle onto just the breast, but I think she was probably about 3.5 months old or so. Mine was a 36 weeker & my OBGYN said that breastfeeding wouldn't take off until she was about 12 weeks old-yup, magic number for her. So I guess if you can, nurse him, then pump & give him that - or if you have a bit of a reserve in the freezer give him one of those first (use oldest first) and put what you pump in the freezer. My daughter and I also had to use one of Medela's nipple shields (you can buy at Target) to get her to learn that she had to go 'deeper' when she latched on to get more milk, she wouldn't take the entire areola in her mouth when she nursed, and the nipple shield helped. Hope you help, and if you need anything, just ask. You've come so far already and the next couple months are only going to get easier! Congratulations mama!

EDIT: I just thought of one more thing. They always tell you to nurse on one side for 10 min and then move to side two-DO NOT DO THIS, please let him nurse as long as he wants on the first side, and if still hungry offer side 2. I did the first with my second child (preemie) & she stayed tiny. My third child now 6 months only eats on one side each feeding and then if still hungry (rare) I move her to side 2 & she's a chunk! This is because she's getting the fore & hind milk. It's the hind milk that has all the fat in it to keep them full and that's what puts the weight on. the Foremilk is to quench their thurst. Hope that helps and sorry this was so long.

T.,
Congratulations!
Wow, so many things come to mind as I read your post! Where do I start?

I really recommend that you read a good book about breastfeeding. There really is a lot to know. Here are a few good ones:
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, La Leche League
The Breastfeeding Book, Sears

I also recommend La Leche League. If you go to a meeting, most groups have lending libraries you can borrow books from. Also, you will learn a TON at the meetings. You can call their help line to speak to an accredited leader in your area:
###-###-####
www.lllofaz.org

Breastfeeding and bottle feeding are so different. From the way a baby has to suck to what you can expect from your baby, it is all different.

What you are experiencing is normal. If you have been pumping while he has been in the ICU (8-10 times per day), and he is willing/able to breastfeed, then you will be able to cut the bottles out very quickly.

When it comes to breastmilk, there is no "right amount" in terms of ounces or feedings. Every baby has different needs, every mother has a different milk composition, and each meal is different in terms of composition and quantity. It is impossible to say (with accuracy) that a baby needs x number of ounces x number of times per day. This is why the AAP, the World Health Organization, Dr. Sears, La Leche League, and a huge number of other agencies stress the importance of feeding on demand and not a schedule.

Chances are good that a 4 hour schedule for your 2 month old was not an appropriate schedule. Most babies nurse much more frequently. Human babies are supposed to.

Your baby will let you know when he needs to nurse, and if you let him nurse when he wants to, and you put away the pump and the bottles, you will both be fine. It may take a few days for your supply to meet his demands, but he will not go hungry. He will just nurse more frequently.

Here is some helpful research that I love! The research was documented by Dr. Nils Bergman. I have heard him speak and he is wonderful!

Biology gives us a whole body of research on human milk composition which shows us that out of all mammal species, human milk has the lowest amount of fat and protein when compared to other mammal species, here is what that says:

Cache care - These animals must hid their babies and only feed them every 12 hours. They have the highest amount of fat and protien in thier milk. Rabbits, mice

Nest care - These animals leave their babies in a nest for short periods of time, have less fat and protien and feed their babies every 4 hours or so. dog, cat

Follow care - These animals have even less fat and protien than cache and nest animals. Their babies follow them around and they feed every 2 hours or so. Zebra, cow, elk.

Carry care - These animals carry their babies all the time and have the lowest amount of fat and protien. They feed their infants every 30 to 90 minutes. Primates.

Humans have the lowest amount of fat and protien! This is why feeding on demand is so important. When a baby indicates that he is hungry, he is.

I am not telling you to feed your baby every 30 minutes, but please consider it more normal for your baby to feed every hour or two than to feed every 4 hours.

Try to relax and let nature take its course. Watch this wonderful video on the ameda web site which shows a baby's natural instinct to nurse! It is great!
http://www.ameda.com/breastfeeding/elibrary/videos.aspx

Blessings to you and your baby!

I hate to tell you this, but many breast-fed babies don't just easily conform to our schedules. Breast-milk goes through the system much faster than formula, as the proteins in formula are so much larger and hard for their little bodies to digest. That's why formula fed babies can go longer. I would try feeding him naked (with a diaper) or something to try to keep him awake, but the older he gets, the more he will eat and the less he will sleep. Sounds like maybe you need to re-think your expectations of him and just let go. Let him eat when he is hungry, as only he knows when he is. I always ask moms, when you are hungry, what do you do? They say eat, not look at the watch to see if it's on their schedule ;). As he ages, you can gently start trying to get a schedule, but now I'd go for more of a flexible routine.

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T020100.asp
http://www.ezzo.info/babywise.htm
http://www.nospank.net/granju2.htm

T., you are so lucky that the baby latches on well in spite of having gotten used to bottles. I would suggest that you forget about schedules for the time being and nurse as often as he wishes. Remember that the more you nurse, the more milk you'll have. Then you can cut down on pumping...You can get great support from local La Leche League people if you want to turn to them; or to a lactation consultant...C.

Congrats on breast feeding your baby! My daughter was a preemie, and and our breastfeeding did not fare so well, which I think was a big factor in her developing reflux. So, I just want to offer my full-hearted support for your breastfeeding! I see you've gotten lots of good advice. I would also suggest you get with a lactation specialist or really experienced mom for some one-on-one support and advice. The presence of a confident, relaxed, supportive coach is an amazing resource. A good breast pump is indispensable, and the other moms are right - the more you nurse, the more you pump, the more you'll have. As much as you can, really relax about all of this. Stress was a huge factor in my situation, and I think it was the major reason my milk never "came in". Get as much help and support as you can, and enjoy your gorgeous baby!

I agree with the previous post, I just wanted to add that I thought my daughter was not getting enough to eat when she was four months old and it ended up she was. We went to a lactation consultant who weighed her before we breastfed and then after and sure enough she had eaten the four ounces. This might be something to look into, just to make sure he is getting enough. You might just be producing more than his little body can take and your breastmilk will adjust the longer you feed him. I would not pump that 'extra' milk out because he really needs the nutrition from it. He could just be getting the foremilk and not the hindmilk, which in turn will not give him all of the nutrition he needs.

Hi T.. My first ate every 2 hours until he was 9 months old. (Breastfed for the first 7...but he started having formula from others around 6 months as well). I didn't read any baby books until around 3 months and everything is to be taken with a grain of salt. Find one thing from this one, one from that, etc. It's your life, your son, your family, so you have to do what feels right to you. After reading the one book that I felt made the most sense for my life, I started single sided feeding. My son refused to eat more than 7 minutes. I was going to breastfeeding mothers' groups and meeting with a lactation consultant and we realized that he was getting plenty. But, by only feeding on one side at a time, he was getting all the good stuff and not just the thinner less nutrient rich milk and I always knew that my other side would be ready for him if he needed to eat sooner rather than later.

Also, I saw that you are in Peoria. There is an awesome place that you can go called the BestFed store on 51st AVE and Thunderbird. They have lactation consultants there that can help...and I don't know where you delivered, but at Thunderbird they have nursing mothers' groups...I think anyone can go regardless of where you delivered (you can find it on the hospital's website). I would highly recommend it - I think I learned the most just listening and knowing that other moms were going through similar, or worse, situations and I was able to get a better grip on our issues!!!

Good luck...E.

When I had my twins, they were 6lb2oz(son) and 5lb8oz(daughter). Well my son nursed fine and started gaining weight, my daughter however would fall asleep while nursing and started losing weight. My kids' pediatrician had me nurse my daughter and then follow up w/ an oz. of formula in a dropper. She was basically wearing herself out eating and not taking enought in. This worked and she started gaining weight and seemed more satisfied. Also, I didn't have to do the dropper thing for long.Of course her brother took up the extra that she wasn't taking at the time. Your body will adjust to what your little guy eats. You might get some additional advice from a lactation specialist or your pediatrician. Let us know how things are going. Best wishes.

Hi T.,
Congratulations, it looks like there is a lot of good advice here. I just wanted to add that you could look into getting the Medela Supplemental nursing system, any lactation consultant could tell you about it, but it is like a bottle that you hang around your neck that you can fill with expressed breastmilk or formula (if your Dr recommends the extra calories right now), then there are two tubes that hang down from the bottle and you tape them next to your nipples so that when your son nurses he is getting breast milk and also the supplemented milk or formula. It is really used to help moms build up their supply and it allows little ones the ability to nurse but not work so hard at it initially since the tubes allow the milk to flow a little faster. Our first son was in the NICU for two weeks after birth and I tried to breast feed but he was not able to latch because of a cleft palate. I tried the Supplemental system and it would have worked great except for my sons problems with creating the latch and suction needed to breastfeed. So I ended up pumping for three months and supplementing with formula mixed for the extra calories. We also threw out the hospital schedule that my son had been on because we felt that he was going to long between feedings so we began feeding him every two hours or when hungry instead of a huge amount of formula every four hours. Good luck and do what works best for your family right now!
C.

Hi,
I think a lactation nurse would be the best thing for you.
From what you wrote, I see a mix up of information with regard to the way you bottle feed and the way you breast feed.

When you bottle feed you can go 3-4 hours in between feedings. Formula has weight to it and allows a child to go for longer periods of time.

Breast-feeding is child led. To be successful, especially in the beginning, you need to let the child latch on and feed as often as he wants. When he falls asleep you can undress him or tickle his feet.
A La Leche person will REALLY help. You will get a lot of advice from many sources on this topic. Listen to your instincts and get real information from women trained in this topic.
Good luck and enjoy this precious time.
The Mommie Mentor

This may sound crazy but... why not let him eat every hour? I let both of my boys nurse whenever, where ever they wanted. They eventually got enough & went longer in between. I know alot of women & experts preach "the schedule" however if you don't really have one now why not? Good luck & know that it is always changing. Just when you think you have it figured out something will change... But go with the flow & all will be good:) Congratulations & have fun!

Nursing is actually a very comforting thing for a lot of babies. Pump when you need to, give formula when you need to and don't worry about how little or how much he's getting directly from the breast. I had difficulty nursing with my daughters, but my son was just fine. Just enjoy the time you can nurse, you'd be surprised how sometimes, even getting 1 or 2 oz from the breast can make a vast differance as opposed to formula. A little is better than none and the bonding that occurs is so precious. Just relax and enjoy that he will actually latch on and be comforted by the action. :)

Hi,
My son ALWAYS fell asleep while feeding. I tried all the tricks (massages, moving arms, etc) to try to get him to stay away. It made our nursing sessions very long but I couldnt keep him awake. Breastmilk goes through them a lot faster and he will be hungry sooner then if you give him a bottle. My son ate every 2 hours on the nose until he was about 4 months old (unless he had a bottle - he would go 3 hours). YOu can try pumping and giving him the breastmilk from the bottle, but he will still be hungry sooner. I've heard its okay to mix formula and breastmilk. Check out La Leche league's website, there's lots of info there and you can call them if you need to.

Best thing to do is contact the lactation nurse at the hospital you had him for advice. Both my sons breast fed and did not take more than 2 oz at that age. That is one of the reasons breastfed babies tend to not be over weight as children, they know when to stop. If you want to sleep long, stick with the formula, but if you want the benefits of breastfeeding for your child, stick it out. The benefits far outweigh the inconvenience. Also, don't worry about him not taking enough. Breastfeeding is all based on supply and demand. At his age, when he demands it from you, your body will produce it. If my son fed an hour after the first feeding, my milk would still let down. Try to let him develop his own schedule, with your guidance. Good luck. Call that lactation consultant or La Leche League consultant.

I would suggest not pumping after he's done eating and go ahead and let him eat in an hour when he wants too. His schedule will even out once the two of you have a hang of it. He just needs to get used to the consistincy of breast milk as opposed to the thicker formula. You are doing a great job! Keep it up.

I can understand. My son is almost three months old. He pretty much eats al lthe time. He may go an hour between feedings. It is rare though. I just feed him at the breast as long as he wants it. If he falls asleep eating I let him sleep and when he wakes up I feed him again. He eats about 2 oz of formula a day and that is all. it is hard because I feel like I feed him all the time and I don't have time for anything else. But I would rather feed him than have him upset or getting more formula.

First off, congrats and breastfeeding is the best for your baby! Please get rid of the schedule! I know Babywise by Ezzo really started the schedule thing, but soon after The American Academy of Pediatrics put out a press release stating: "Newborns should be nursed whenever they show signs of hunger, such as increased alertness or activity, mouthing, or rooting. Crying is a late indicator of hunger. Newborns should be nursed approximately eight to 12 times every 24 hours until satiety ... In the early weeks after birth, nondemanding babies should be aroused to feed if 4 hours have elapsed since the last nursing."

I know it seems weird to feed him so much, but he needs it. He can't go three hours between feedings! And you really do not know how much he is getting ounce-wise from your breastmilk - how much you can pump is NOT indicative of how much your baby gets at the breast. I can't pump a lot but I have a plump purely breastfed baby so I know she is getting all that she needs!
So yeah, an hour later do stick him back on the boob. It is what he wants and needs.
For a lot of good breastfeeding information, go to www.mothering.com and go to the "discuss" tab. there you will find the the forums. Scroll down and you will find a few forums dedicated just to breastfeeding. Congrats!

T., My son was also in the NICU but he turned out to be a great eater. My first advice is find a local lactation consultant. Many hospitals have a new moms/breastfeeding group. They useually have a consultant that runs them. My consultant told us that if he was falling asleep and not eating to undress him, if they are warm they sleep, and to vigurasly (hard then I thought) to rub them awake and place them back on. I found that useing a baby scale to my meetings was helpful to figure out how much he was actually getting. I would weight him with a dry diaper only then feed him adn weigh him again. By the time he was a couple months old he was drink about 9-10 oz. Good luck and just keep at. He'll get the hang of.

Without reading all the other answers, I would say
1. babies do nurse while dozing, so he might be getting more than you think.
2. It's very hard to guess how much he's getting from you.
3. Babies take more from a bottle b/c it's so dang easy and requires much less work than nursing.
4. A baby home from the NICU probably needs to nurse as much as possible. My healthy babes would not go three hours between feedings.
5. Throw the schedules out for now. Nurse as much as he will to up your supply, give him the best food for his health and establish a strong, healthy nursing relationship.

Keep it up. You are doing great!

I went through almost exactly the same thing, except that when I brought my daughter home, she would latch on but then let go. I persisted trying to get her to breast feed and after about a month she took to it, but kept taking a little and then falling asleep when I tried at night, so I had to pump several times during the night. When she got a little older (maybe 2 months) she stopped doing this and took a full meal at night. Until then I had to supplement breast feedings with bottles of pump-expressed breast milk (for some reason she didn't usually fall asleep with the bottle). I think the breast had a calming, sedative effect on her, and sometimes she wasn't really that hungry but just wanted comfort. I base that on the fact that if I waited until she was really crying for food, rather than just fussing a little, she was much less likely to fall asleep nursing. I hope this helps.

I breastfed all three of my sons on demand (no schedule) so I felt like I was sometimes feeding every hour on the hour but it was worth it - they are healthy and strong and the time when they were babies seems like forever ago - so my advice is to enjoy every second of closeness because it doesn't last - once they are grown up you will hardly ever have any chances for it.