Advise needed on breastfeeding

Hi,

Would like to know:

1. How do I clean my breasts b4 feeding?
2. Do I wait for baby to cry b4 offering milk or do I feed at regular intervals, whether he cries for milk or not.

thanks.

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1. warm damp towals
2. I was told to feed on demand, and if there is no demand, then at regular intervals, cos when started out, it's important to nurse every 2 to 3 hours to encourage supply.from the hospital staff, you will be able to know his feeding schedule. usually once every 3 hours around the clock. That is if on formula. If breastmilk, you can expect between 1.5hrs to 2.5hrs, your bb will be hungry.
 
Hi,
i agreed with cactus_79, it is important to feed on demand in the early days, supply=demand. The more you nurse, the more milk you will produce. YOu can expect your baby to nurse all the time, try to nurse once you noticed she/he is rooting. You can also drink more hot soup like chicken clear soup, fish soup, drink more hot milo, milk, it will increase your milk flow. All the best!
 
By the way, if your bb not born yet, you may not understand what "on demand" means.

Some babies are 'good' - they hardly make any noise, even when hungry. My baby just goes a bit quiet but when I hold her against me, she'll immediately turn to my Bs and open her mouth wide wide. So feed lor. If she doesn't do that, than I know she's not hungry yet and maybe just sleepy.

Sometimes, at night, she'll wake up, and I know that she hasn't fed for 3 hours, so it's feeding time even though she hasn't cried or anything else apart from waking up (which is usually a good signal that her tummy's empty! )

Then there are times when the previous feed wasn't long enough or I've been a bad forgetful mummy, then baby yells for "MILK!"
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All these are what the docs mean by "on demand" feeding.

Actually come to think of it, in the first 2 weeks, my baby was a sleepy head (partly because she had jaundice as well). At that time, even though there were no "demand" signals, I would offer/feed her. If she's asleep, I would let her sleep but not pass say 3 to 4 hours (again because of the jaundice) This was when she was less than 1 months old la. Nowadays, she wakes up when hungy and I'm trying to train her to sleep through the night.

parents are strange creatures to babies, always changing our minds
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my girl also had jaundice when she was afew days old and need to be hospitalised. i rented a room at kkh's mcdonald family room, and the nurse will call me every two/three hours when my girl is hungry, then i'll go to the ward to bf her. i can't feed her on demand that time coz she needs to be on phototherapy for at least 8 hours. so heartpain. how old is your girl now sunny?
 
Hi Xueyi
My girl is now 4 months and hmm, that's not quite correct. In 2 days time, she will be 5 months old! Time passes soooo fast! And baby grows up so quickly.
 
Hi sunny, my girl is 5mths & 4 days, our baby girls are October princesses! u working or stay at home mum?
 
yup and yup. 2 - 3 times a day cos i only get 3-4 ounces each time nowaday so must work hrder to be able to meet my darlings requirements
 
i also only pump 3 times a day during work, each time can only get 80-120ml. Once, my girl drank 6 bottles while i'm at work! i can only meet half her requirement! How do you maintain or increase your milk supply?
 
How much is your girl drinking per bottle?

1ounce=30ml so our production is more or less the same. My girl is drinking 5ounces/150ml per feed X 4 feeds when she's at infantcare = 20ounces/600ml per day. (3 hours between each feed). Like you,I express total about 12ounces at the office so always have a shortfall. So far, touch wood, have been able to supply the 20ounces every day by:

*pumping at night after she sleeps.
*if she doesn't wake up for a night feed, waking up and pumping anyway.
*pumping whenever she doesn't want to feed.
pumping in between feeds on weekends (haven't been v successful on this).

*drinking plenty of cow's milk and soy milk and the nursemaid tea (main ingredient:fenugreek)
*drinking plenty of water.
*eating plenty of fish and (trying to) eat well generally.
*drinking white fish+young papaya soup.

*getting as much rest as possible; and MOST IMPORTANTLY
*doing yoga and other exercises to relief stress cos I realise that whenever I'm stressed (including over my milk supply
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), my milk supply drops like a stone. Whatever works for you. (I dont like shopping so I exercise)
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If all the above fails, ask your gynae or your baby's paedi to prescribe 'domperidone' or similar medication (Domperidone encourages production of prolactin - this is the milk production hormone or enzyme). Not an over the counter drug in Singapore. Must have prescription.
 
Oh, I also told myself that if for any day/period I cannot meet the shortfall, that I won't stress over it. I've already talked it over with my hubby and we agreed that we will supplement one or two feeds a day with formula milk if we have to. Basically, we realise that it's not worth it to push my body too much. Makes it weaker and more susceptible to colds etc. If I fall ill, I won't be helping baby, myself or hubby. Already have a tin of formula ready in the cupboard. Great destresser for me. Baby will never go hungry. :D
 
My girl is feeding about 100ml per feed but she get hungry easily. she's 7.1kg now..

Pumping after she sleep = i tried to, but sometimes i'm too tired or i fell asleep while bfing her
Pumping in the middle of the night = i set my alarm but can't wake me up!
Pump after she feed = this, i can do it =)

I try to drink more milk (anmum), water & hot drinks like milo or hoclicks. I tried to eat well too, but plain or healthy food is always so boring.. i'm always in a dilemma whether to REST MORE or PUMP MORE, if i rest then no time to pump, if i pump then no time to rest haha.. i prefer to shop, exercise make me eat more and my girl is fussy when i feed her after exercising.

Now i'm using fenugreek to increase my milk supply again. used it previously, bm did increased, but due to insufficient pumping during work, it decreased alot. now i can only pump 10ml on my right breast. pathetic leh..
 
oh by the way, i got a small tin of infant formula milk in my cupboard too! So far i only supplement one feed which was a mth ago. For my previous tin, half tin of the milk powder all harden, so i have to throw it away.. wasted..
 
know what you mean about insufficient pumping during work. Waht to do, must work at it
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I forgot previously, try massaging your breasts for one or two minutes before you start to pump. I noticed that when I do this, the let down is faster and the quantity is more. I'm using Medela Freestyle pump which already has a "stimulation" mode but I find that if I massage manually before I attach the pump, the results are better.
 
Yours is double electric pump right? So you can pump more milk in less time.. i thought of buying it too, but too expensive for my budget =(

Now my milk decreased to 80ml per pumping session. Not more than 100ml like previously liao. If i can't meet my girl's demand, and if my freezer's frozen ebm are finished, i gonna supplement with FM le.. Really hope i can bf past 1 yr old. What about you? Planning to bf till?
 
Yes, mine is a double electric pump. How about looking for a secondhand double pump? Have you looked at the buy/sell/giveaway/spree section of this forum or e.g. ebay? Online is definitely cheaper. I bought my pump online brandnew for USD285 (abt SGD430). It's retailing at Robinsons for SGD988!

Compare costs this way: costs of formula (for the next 6 months) vs costs of a secondhand/online pump.

At the end of the day, if you have to supplement or stop BM, go ahead and supplement lor. Dont feel guilty about it. You have already given your girl a great start in life. YOu should be proud of yourself!

I have no idea when I am going to BF until. I guess, it's up to my supply and her demand, or until one year, or until she gets her first teeth :D
 
Good for you sunny! I hope i can be like you too, bf until our bm dried up =) I don't dare to buy 2nd hand breast pump, scare got problem, somemore no warranty one. I bought my medela swing pump for $289 at First few years, price b4 discount is $329. Now economic is so bad, can't afford to anyhow spend. U think papaya soya milk/ papaya milk can increase milk supply? =)
 
i bought papaya and soya milk liao, gonna blend my DIY papaya iced blended soya milk! Wisk me luck for producing tons of bm! =)
 
initially when my bm isnt a lot, i pumped before i sleep. now my baby drinkin every 2-3hrs, and i have become too lazy to pump. but i felt that if i feed directly and pump the remaining, my bm supply will increase. but really tooo tired to do it. being sahm, still have to do other chores, not only tend to baby.. hehe..

papaya soya milk sounds yummy
 
may i know if one chooses to breastfeed, does she need to get any milk bottles, steriliser or food warmer? or r they solely for bottle feeding?
 
may i know if one chooses to breastfeed, does she need to get any milk bottles, steriliser or food warmer? or r they solely for bottle feeding?
 
prob dont need all that equipment in the first 1-2 months if you are purely bfing. Only equipment is clean towel to clean your Bs and the Bs
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The only thing is that you really really have to be there 24-7 for baby.

So, if you want more flexibility either during the 1st 2 months or after that, e.g. so that you can leave baby with hubby or your mum/inlaws, while you go for a break, spa, exercise whatever or if returning to work, then you may want to get bottles, steriliser (and probably a pump). This way, baby still gets the goodness of BM while you get a few hours 'off-duty'. Basicaly, you express and store and whoever is looking after baby can warm up the milk and feed baby in your absence.
For warmer, dont really need a fancy warmer, can just place feed bottle in a mug of warm/hot water to 'heat'.

For steriliser, can boil (leave items in boiling water for at least 5-10 minutes) in any clean pot. For me, I always forget and leave the stove fire on, so I got a steriliser - safer since I'm so forgetful.

Later when baby starts solids and other fluids (water/juices), you will also need bottle.
 
short answer - get at least one bottle and teat so you have the choice of taking a break.

Steriliser/warmer/pump and so on - nice to have but if you have kitchen and are using it, you'd probably have the 'equipment' that can substitute.
 
so when reheat the breastmilk taken fr the fridge, how many degress celcuis to reheat it? food warmer can set temperature?

how does a steriliser work? emit steam?

sorry may sound stupid to ask those qtn, i am a new mom who is in 5th months.
 
Why dont you go to Robinsons or one of the baby shops - Kiddy Palace/Mothercare and take a look at the bottle Warmers and sterilisers. Ask the salesman to show you and maybe explain how they work. Better than anyone here trying to explain in writing.

For the newer models of bottle warmer, I believe that you can set the temperature, but you need to take out immediately when you hear the bell or see the light go off, otherwise, the bottle and milk may still get too hot. Really, they work the same way as putting the bottle in a mug of hot water. For the temperature, there's no fixed temp. So long as the milk is not scalding hot and will not burn baby's mouth. After warming for a while, drop some drops onto the back of your hand to test the heat. Please do not boil or microwave the milk to heat it up. 1) all the nutrients in the milk will be destroyed and 2) baby may get burnt!

Steriliser - uses steam. Nowadays, you can find portable 'microwaveable steriliser bags' - (Munchkin or Medela brands) which you can use in microwaves (e.g. if you express at office and want to sterilise) Works by adding water to the bag. The microwave heats the water to steam - same concept as the steriliser. Only thing is that each bag is only used for 20 times.

Suggest you go to your nearest library. At the children's section, there is usually also a baby's section with a lot of helpful easy to read books on how to care for newborns, what equipment you may want to get etc. also have step by step pictures on how to bathe baby , how to breastfeed and so on.

Dont worry about asking questions. It's a good thing to ask if you dont know. The more you know, the better prepared you will be. Just a warning - dont take everything that you hear/read as absolute truth. Always, always be brave and dont worry about saying "No". Think for yourself and your baby.
 
>reheating bm<
I assumed your milk is from the fridge not freezer.
What my family did was, get a cup of really hot water (not full, a quarter or half the cup depending how big is the cup), pour out the milk into the milk bottle, and prop the milk into the cup of hot water and wait for it to warm up. Usually it take some minutes. Ideal temperature should be tested on forehand, slightly warm or room temperature will be good.

>how does a steriliser work? emit steam?<
Sterilisers usually use steam to sterilse. Older generation of serilising will be pratically cooking the stuff to be sterilised, or soaking in boiling water. I heard of sterilising things in cold water but, have to put sterlising pill.

>sorry may sound stupid to ask those qtn, i am a new mom who is in 5th months.<
There's no question too stupid, even a mother of 3 like me, have a lot of questions too.
That's the way to learn.
 
yup, sterilising in cold water if you have no access to stove or steriliser machine or microwave/microwave bag. take big pail/tupperwave, soak everything inside with a tablet. - tablets also available at robinsons, etc etc.
 
hi,

does anyone know how long will it tk for a frozen emb to b warmed in a bottle warmer at 70 deg celcius?

when pumping out breastmilk, do u stop only when no more milk comes out?

do u breastfeed bb on demand or by routine?

do we need to burp a breastfed bb?
 
Hi jan jan,
I don't have any idea how long will it take to warm frozen emb because I take it out of the freezer hours prior to using it.
Based on experience, I stop pumping when no milk comes out. I breastfeed baby on demand but before my baby starts to cry. And yes, you need to burp baby whether breastfed or bottle fed.
 
Hi Jan Jan
pumping - can I suggest you be a bit flexible. See how your body performs.

e.g. if you want to stimulate production in the early days or sometimes if supply drops during the period you're bfing (ss may go up and down, all v normal), you may want to pump a bit longer even if milk has stopped flowing that time.

Alternatively, if you want to regulate production or oversupply, then you may want to just pump for say 15 mins then stop even though milk is coming out.

For me, max time I pumped is usually about 15 mins.

This helps you avoid mastitis/clogged breast as well when you're weaning baby off the breast, You slowing reduce the pumping time/and increase the intervals between pumps.

Feeding - initially by demand but you will see that the 'demand' comes at quite regular intervals and you can (err may be able to) establish 'routine' after a while. Again, be flexible.
 
hihi, i have questions to ask about giving the baby EBM, hope someone can help.

After i pump out, i stored the EBM in the freezer, if in the event i need to use the EBM, how should i go about defrozing and heating up the milk? currently, i will take out the frozen milk and leave outside to thaw (when i am going out and know will miss a feeding of baby). but problem is, the milk is taking too long to thaw and by the time baby wakes and start crying, the milk is still partial frozen.

can i check how do you go about feeding the baby the frozen EBM? what do you use to heat up and to what temperature as well?

also, i understand that EBM stored in freezer can last 2 mths, in fridge is 24 hours. so, when i return to work, i should take out the EBM from the freezer and leave inside the fridge to thaw? den next day, the MIL just need to take out from the fridge to heat up? Can i check when does the 24 hours of the milk in fridge start counting from? the moment i take out from freezer and place into the fridge?

sorry ah, i am absolutely blur abt this! hope someone can help!

thank you very much
 
Hi Ting

There are many ways you can do this.

After you pump out, if you know you are going out for the day or the next day, you can just put in the fridge (i.e. dont freeze). EBM lasts longer this way. If you freeze, then thaw, you can't refreeze and you should use up within 24-36 hours. [Same concept as with 'Freshly chilled'/Frozen meat ya].

Try not to thaw outside the fridge if possible.
Especially if the day is hot/humid. Cos bacteria grows quickly in milk and the longer you leave it out in the heat, the more bacteria may grow.

PLAN AHEAD. Example, if you're going out in the morning, take out enough milk for the morning's feed from the freezer to the fridge the night before.

If for any reason you didn't thaw enough, you can either use the commercial bottle warmer or just pour hot (not boiling) water into a container and do a quick defrost that way. You can also put the frozen milk bottle in the steriliser (if you have) and let the hot steam do the defrosting and warming up. You'll lose some of the milk nutrients this way but better than leaving it to defrost slowly on the kitchen table for hours.

Yes, time starts running from the time you take it out of the freezer. By the way, do not put the defrosting/chilled milk in the panels on the fridge door ya. The books all recommend that you put the bottle in the fridge itself (supposedly to avoid changes in temperature etc if you open the fridge door for too long).

Feeding Temperature - just test at the back of your hand.

See my (11 Feb) and other mothers' posts in the attached thread re storage/delivery of EBM when you start work.
http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/cgi-bin/forumboard/show.cgi?2052338/2055329
 
Posting this in a couple of threads cos I'm quite pleased with this recent find.

I found that fenugreek tabs and nursing teas helped increase my milk but are really quite expensive. Found a shop at North Bridge Rd (722 North Bridge Rd) which sells the herb in its natural state - first time I bought, it was only $2 for 50 grams. Good for quite a few cups of tea. Owner (Encik Wahab HP97341700) is very helpful and will teach you how to brew the tea.

I just bought a second round from him today. He also recommended "black seed" to me, also to increase nursing amongst other benefits. I will try it and post results here for all.
 
Hi just to follow up on my 15 Dec post.

Fenugreek and black seed tea seems to work for me. I've posted some fuller results in other threads.
Cheers to all
 

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