How Long? Which Side?

[gsmum]

My beautiful baby daughter Poppy is six days old today!

She is gorgeous and I could not be more happier.

However at the hospital they told me to rotate for each feed until the breast was drained to prevent mastitis however did not tell me how long this should go for - breastfeeding is becoming a problem and I am concerned its affecting how much she is getting.

Last night Poppy did not settle between two feeds and therefore was awake and crying for 3 hours and had very bad wind, that would just not come up and then had gotten herself in such a state she could not settle down - it was very distressing for me and her - so needless to say her first night home from hospital was not fun!

What have other mums done now their milk is through - my husband's mum suggests expressing the other side - or ten minutes on each side and thats all - is that enough? - its very confusing.

Have other first time mums experienced this and also experienced their new babes in such discomfort so early?

Thanks :confused:

[sam's mum]

Hi. :hugs: It is hard when you are trying to get the hang of it all. My son had a lot of trouble and seemed to be always feeding, but still screaming. He actually got better when I fed him less, but for longer. (if that makes sense). I got him into a rhythm where he would go about 20 minutes on the first side and ten minutes on the second. He is now doing about 10 minutes on the first and 5 minutes on the second. At the start this meant stretching him a bit so that he would be hungrier to eat for longer. Talk to your child health nurse, breastfeeding association or doctor. I still alternate which side I start with now.

[Bearskin]

Congratulations on the birth of you bub!

It's hard in those first few weeks to understand what is going on with you bub. My DD suffered terribly with wind; after weeks of trying all different options I spent a bit of time on the Australian Breastfeeding Assoc. website and also rang a counsellor and understood what was going on.

With my DD, she was drinking from one side and falling asleep before getting to the hindmilk; I would wake her by swapping side and she would get nothing but foremilk again before falling asleep for 1 hour max then wake up hungry again and very windy. The excess of foremilk ferments in their tummies and can give then terrible pain. Signs of this can include green frothy explosive poos (and we had plenty!).

To solve this I started swapping sides maybe 4 times during a feed so she definietly got the hindmilk (and keep her awake) which filled her up and helped her gain weight. I also would let her determine when she was finished feeding, then squeeze a few drops of milk out; if it was watery and opaque then she hadn't got the hindmilk and would reattach. If the milk was white and heavier/creamier looking (hindmilk), I would know she had finished that side.

The best advice I did receive was, if DD was unsettled after a feed, feed her again. That top up feed will be all hindmilk and fill her tummy better and counteract the excess of foremilk. And let bubs tell you when she is finished; if she finishes one side and is awake and content, you can offer the other side but the one breast may have been enough; offer the other breast next feed.

Once DD and I got this sorted out, she stopped have awful crying fits in the evenings, her nappies were normal and she slept much better. She also started putting on 1kg a month, as opposed to 150gm a month.

Ring an ABA counsellor and have a chat; they are lovely ladies and have a fountain of knowledge!

HTH

[gsmum]

THANK YOU!!!! I also called my home theraputics consultant who told me that last night she was cluster feeding, my poor bub was hungry but we were both in such a state she did not feed for long - wish me luck for tonight! :hugs: