(2006/09) SEPTEMBER 2006 MTB

[joon]

Hi Sasha!

The Ikea changing table is great! Really saved my back... bending over the cot to change the diaper was really killing it. How's Sarah doing? I'm glad Der Nen's growth spurt is over... phew... those few days were tiring for me man... really felt like a cow.

Domesticgoddess,
Wanted to tell u that Marcus is qqqqqute! He must be really lookg forward to meeting the new bb

Know what? I've been stuffing my face with mooncakes too...

... there goes plan to get back into shape! But I tell myself, mooncakes only come once a year, so better eat now!

 

[joon]

All this talk about losing weight... anyone here gained weight during confinement??? Am I the only one???

Aiyoh, MIL, mother, grandmother and hb ALL asking me to "eat, eat, eat" otherwise "no milk" and they stand around and watch me eat. To shut them all up, I eat!

In fact, my MIL actually wanted me to eat 6 times a day. Wah lao. Too much.

I'm eating more now than during my pregnancy!!

Rainyhood,
Personally, I don't think eating fish will increase BM. I mean, what do the women in the desert eat? They sure as hell don't have fish! And my Korean aunt didn't eat a single fish after giving birth. She only ate kim chi and she breastfed just fine! One of my books - "What To Expect The First Year" - even said that there's no food that can increase BM.

However, I have been taking Fenugreek capsules for 1 week and although I'm not gushing like Niagara Falls (damn!), my BM has increased!

Maybe u can try that if u're worried abt ur milk supply?

 

[ic_69]

hi mummies

anybody using Mini Medela Electric Pump?

I am helping me friend to find out the amphere indicate at white transformer of Medela Mini Electric pump cos her adapter is not functioning, need to get a adapter urgently.

thanks

 

[veryhappy]

Ladies,
i'm no expert but i'm thinking all these worries about not having enough BM is having an impact to your bodies. i have read so many conflicting stories about supplementation and its effect to the breast milk. some said it will lessen supply of BM, some said it won't be affected. i guess they could all be true b'cos every mothers are different. i am a first time mother and i am clueless to begin with. my LC was with me witnessing my delivery and once my bb is out, she taught me how to latch the baby and how to tell if she's sucking properly. i guess my bb is being cooperative too b'cos she give me no problem. after that i have no idea that i didn't have milk until the 3rd day. i opted for total breastfeeding oblivious to the fact that the nurse will wheel my bb back to me whenever she needs feeding so i'm learning the hard way that i can say bye bye to uninterrupted, good night sleep, still i was positive about BF-ing the bb. until now, i got so used to the breastfeeding, I didn't even think that my bb didn't have enough milk and it never occured to me to supplement her with FM just in case she appears like she don't have enough milk. whenever she's showing signs that she needs more, i simply give her the other breast till she releases it and fell into deep sleep. it has been working for me so far. so i am attributing it to the fact that i think positively about breastfeeding. i don't think it should be a problem since this is a natural phenomena for mothers. our bodies should be able to make enough milk for our human babies. that's what i've been thinking most of the time. i guess its' mind over matter.

so that brings me about my insecurity about not being able to pump enough. i read that it's normal though. but i'll worry about that later when i have to return to work soon. just my 2 cents thought lah. my bb can't sleep. hehe.

 

[sasha4real]

DG,
Thats good to hear. Guess baby is mighty comfy in you but can understand the discomfort you are going thru!

Yes, am TBF Saarah. Actually just wanted to partial BF cause i thought i might not manage but so far seems alright!

Joon,
Good to hear that changing table is useful for you! Saarah is doing pretty well actually, getting chubby by the day & demanding frequent feeds in the day. She seems to sleep for a longer stretch at night, max 4hrs so not complaining!

 

[domesticgoddess]

melissa, wow! It is great that your TBF is going well, and since you are TBF, you WILL definitely produce enough milk for bb. I totally agree that worrying may take a toll on the body. Having a positive attitude towards TBF certainly helps. I read (from Oct_MTB) thread that crytallized is doing really well at TBF too and she attributed it to her positive attitude and shutting out all negative thoughts.

When are you returning to work?

 

[domesticgoddess]

Joon, thanks. He is our little precious! I don't think he fully understands that his lil bro is coming out soon, though when I told him that doc will be taking bb bro out of mummy's tummy, he seems to understand.

I have been stuffing my face with mooncakes too! the ones that I got from the bulk purchase from Are were simply so divinely delicious and I told myself they are only available once a year, so what the heck!

I can understand what you mean about your family watching you eat. LOL! Actually it is OK to eat more during this initial BF period as we do burn lots of calories producing BM. Just follow your body's cues.. if hungry, eat!

 

[riushiki]

Hi
Anyone of u having problem with BB's sleeping style ? My boy is making so much noise in his sleep at nite that I can't sleep at all :x He will stretch and stretch and make a lot a lot of very loud noise :x

Thinking of buying a "white noise" cd to help him to sleep better :x

 

[emmasharapova]

riushiki.. enzo makes a lot of noise too in his zzz too... its good that babies stretch.. my mom says when they stretch, they grow.. hehe... so muz bear with the noise.. me got used to it.. unless enzo is crying, i can still zzz....

my engorgement is finally better.... but my right nipple is sore cos i wanted to let enzo latch on to empty the breast, but he bit me!!! sigh.. notti boi boi...

we brought enzo out yesterday!!! went to IMM.. me carry him walk ard for 1 hr i give up alr... arms ache, neck ache.. i need to learn to use the sling!!!!! help!!!

was watching the news yesterday.. they say that FM and BM doesnt realli differ in their nutritious level..

does that mean that those who are feeding ebm can take a break alr??? hehe.. those latching on muz still cont cos it builds up ur bond with ur bb..

 

[vivian_phoebe]

Riushiki,

Finally, i know I am not the only one who has a bb having problematic sleeping style.
My Rhys also making a lot of noise and keep stretching and stretching until he wake up and cry more... i also dun know what to do... sometimes, cannot even pacify him... so afraid that he is not feeling well or colic...
These few days he dun seems to sleep very well... keep crying on and off... and wanting milk less than 2 hrs... so worried...

 

[joon]

Mummieofrhys,
How old is Rhys? If he's abt 3 wks old, it could be a growth spurt. And drinking every 2hrs or so is perfectly normal!

Growth spurts happen at 3, 6 and 9 wks. Damn tiring for us cows man... phew...

Riushiki,
I think all those stretching noises are normal. My bb does it too. At night I can't hear them coz I sleep like a pig. (house fall down also I don't know) Sometimes I don't even hear him cry, even though he sleeps in between us!

Sasha,
Saarah's sleeping 4 hours at a stretch? Wow, that's good! U mean 4 hours from start of a feed?

Domesticgoddess,
I got mooncakes from a BP too! hee hee... but my favourite so far are the ones from Xin Cuisine Restaurant at Holiday Inn... white lotus paste with fig! YUMMMMSSSSS...!

 

[littlepony]

Riushiki,
Mine too.. Stretch and stretch... and make lots of noise.. sometimes, he will cry when he stretch and go back to sleep again. And yes, my mil also says that if bb stretch, they will grow.. so let them do their stretching exercises!!

 

[melody999]

Hi ladies,

Do you tink I'm having depression? Been crying whenever i saw my BM keep on dropping from 60ml to 50ml now down to 30ml.... really feel like a lousy mummy can't even feed my bb

Michelle

Really admire u for the persistant. On the 3rd day of discharge, bb keep crying at hm, at first dun wan to give FM but confinement lady keep saying she's hungry in the end give up, now she can't seem to latch properly. Always fall asleep a/f 5 mins sucking. Should I call a lactation consultant for help?

Joon
A/f the massage wit mona me only manage to lose 2inches on the tummy & tigh. Maybe due to eating too much. I'm eating more than during pregnancy. Always seem to be hungry dun have the feelin of full....

 

[sepsurprise]

melody
my experience exactly the same as u lor. mom kept saying bb hungry so i oso gave FM in the end. mine even worse, on the 1st nite at hospital oredi give FM liao

anyway dun feel so stressed out abt BM. for me, b4 bb was born, i was very determined to let bb latch on direct. but i realised tat after i intro the bottle to feed him FM , after tat he dun want to latch on direct anymore.i was also very sad and felt so depressed. hwever i told myself that even if he dun latch on, the very least i can do is express for him and feed thro bottle lor. in this way i dun put so much stress on myself and less depressed and perhaps tat's y milk supply has been increasing the last few wks

ur mood really does affect BM supply so cheer up ok? anyway u hv carried him fr 9 mths in your tummy and given birth to a healthy bb and that oredi makes u a great mommy!

 

[puppylove]

hi! thanks for all ur advice on the Genting trip w bb. Ya, I agree tat it's not wise to go. Imagine for every 2 hrs, I've to direct feed her for an hour! Also afraid tat she'll still continue to scream every time I diaper change her... hahaha... think the trip will be more stressful than relaxing! Itz juz tat my hubby n sis-in-law (who has 3 kids) think itz manageable, so tat made me wonder if I'm a spoil-sport for not wanting to go...

<font color="119911">edksd</font>
ur experience w ur mum and MIL asking u to supplement w FM is similar to mine! My in-laws visited me at TMC the morning after I delivered and my MIL was shocked we "not feeding" bb! Trinity was on Total BF and at that time, I only had colostrum. MIL insisted bb shld be given FM and water. She couldn't believe tat bb has 3 days of reserve. Sorry to say we relented in giving bb glucose water... Then initial couple of days at home, my MIL stayed over and same thing, kept insisting tat we give bb glucose when she couldn't stop crying at night. Luckily my milk did come in on the 4th day.

Same thing too, bb's weight dropped further during PD's visit on Day 5. By then, hubby &amp; I were alone at home so we did what we felt best - continue direct BF w/out supplements. Our efforts paid off one wk later when bb gained over 500g.

<font color="0000ff">rainyhood</font>
I feed on demand, but make sure every feed is full or else bb will wake up in less than an hr crying for more. So will try to wake bb up if she falls asleep during a feed, but sometimes really cannot, then I let her sleep.

I wake my sleepy bb by cleaning her face w a cool washcloth. Tat irritates her a lot!! kekeke... Works every time!

But as I said, I only wake her up if she falls asleep during a feed. If bb is due for feeding and is still sleeping, I usually let her sleep.

I posted a question earlier, but think u all may hv missed it

<font color="aa00aa">where do u apply nappy rash cream? is it on all parts of skin tatz in contact w the diaper? i.e. frontside, backside, upper thighs?</font>

 

[riushiki]

I also felt very bad initially when I had to give my bb FM but now I'm okie

A typical day for him is BM from 7am to 8pm. Then after that will use FM for the night time

He is drinking 130 ML per feed now so I am trying to pump every 4 hours or so. I will accumulate the BM and feed him.

So far he is happy and I am happy too ha ha

Ya. My mum also told me that BM and FM actually made no difference in bb's brain development. Was on yesterday news hee

I got another problem now

My discharge was already over but suddenly got fresh flow again

Dunno whether izzit menses coming back. Checked with my gynae's nurse and she said it's possible to have menses even with breastfeeding :x

And as regards to bb's stretching exercises at nite, I mean my baby is REALLY LOUD. I can hear him in the kitchen when he is in the room doing his exercises :x It's like a lion roaring and like a little bear :x

 

[rainyhood]

hi gals,
thank u very much for all yr advice..
i learnt a lot from this website...
i must say "thumb up" for those who are TBF. It hard for me to do so.. dat's y i mention eariler on that family support is important, even my hb is not supportive of TBF..
Guess they want me to rest and at the same time worry bb is not having enuff, so want to give FM..
melody, i am same as u, lost 2inches on tummy after massage wif mona... I ate a lot now, as i find it is important to "pui" our body during this one month...

 

[paulnelaine]

hi Emma,
u misread e news la... they r actually reporting tat research shows BF babies r not neccesary cleverer than babies drinking FM. SO we should still continue BF cos wat we want is healthier babies

hi melody,
dont give up BF.... my boy is on TBF now, i was very keen on TBF so nv want to give him any FM during e hospital stay but nv expect he was warded for jaundice with is quite high during e 5th day and PD ask me to stop BF him for 1 day n prescribed FM for him. I was quite sad cos i never expect PD to ask me to stop BF. anyway i stopped latching my boy since then n start expressing for him cos I start to think tat his jaundice is cos by insufficient intake of MILK

feeding him EBM last till after he is 1 month old... I start finding expressing troublesome n also my mum keep asking me to latch him on. so i tried... n tried..... finally..... he managed to latch on!!!! now i only express during friday n saturday to prepare him for sunday outing (so tat dont have to stress to look for nursing room halfway shopping.) IF u really find problem latching her, call e lactation consultant for help... they can ask ur qns through phone

 

[ilovebabies]

gals

really v tiring to feed EBM. now i seldom latch my gal reason being she dozes off v easily and when my breast feels engorged, I really need to pump it out rather than waiting for her to wake up.

Yest I had blocked ducts again .. can feel the lump on my left breast and sure enough, I had slight fever.

this is the 2nd time already.

luckily for me, i latched my gal and she clear the block ducts almost immediately, however fever did not subside until last nite.

domesticgoddess,
tks for the advice on FBM. what you said is true, FBM stored > 6 weeks may not be sufficient for our growing bb.

 

[sepsurprise]

congrats elaine on managing to get yr bb back to latch on! i oso hope i can do the same but i think i need to get the help of LC - think i'll do so after his 1 mth lah

puppylove
i put the diaper cream everywhere that contacts the diaper

on the thighs, under his 'balls', etc.. so long as i see got bit red red, i put the cream liao. haha rather be more kiasu than sorry!

riushiki
yes it is possible to hv mensus even tho we are BF-ing. some lucky pple dun hv it tho but even if dun hv doesnt mean cannot get pregnant, so better be careful unless u ladies want to get preggies again w/o a break! hee hee

my son oso makes lots of loud noise whe i lay him in his cot by himself. its not crying but like trying to get our attn one. and once we pick him up he will kee quiet and look very happy ... so in the end we just let him lie there and make those noises lor unless he realy cry until very jia lat lah then of course we'll pick him up

 

[joon]

Hi Melody,
Cheer up!

It could be a mild case of Post Natal Depression. I know what you mean coz I felt really really down during wk 2-3. I was hot and sweaty all the time and couldn't bathe, couldn't drink a cold drink, had to eat fish every day, latching on was painful, I was sleepy all the time, couldn't sleep for more than 2 hours at night, baby was crying all the time... one day, I just poured it all out to my hb and cried and cried and cried.

Don't worry okay? It WILL and it DOES get better! Poor out to your hb or a friend or here at the forum! You will feel better. The last thing you should do is bottle it all up inside okay? You need to take care of your mental health and relax so that your milk will come in. RELAXxxxx... the more you think abt ur milk supply, the worse it will get... really!

And <u>don't feel guilty</u> abt not being able to BF ur bb. If FM is not good enough, it would be banned by now right? The fact that u're trying so hard to BF ur bb already shows what a wonderful mother you are!!!

 

[joon]

Hi puppylove,
I apply diaper cream around the poot-poot hole and at the uppermost sides of his thighs, on both sides of his balls. BTW, how do u use colours in ur post?

What diaper cream are u guys using? I'm using the Johnsons' one given by the hospital, but that's running out. Noticed that Drapolene is not as creamy as the Johnsons one. Anyone using Desitin? Is that any good? Thinking of changing.

 

[emmasharapova]

joon.. desitin is the best.. hehe.. but if you're using nappy cream as a shield, drapolene is good enough...

 

[sepsurprise]

i'm using desitin too! i think it great but of course i hvnt trie any other brands lah

my fren bot me a tube of pureen brand tho - anyone tried? is it gd?

 

[joon]

ahhh... i see! thanx emma

 

[domesticgoddess]

BM vs FM
mummies, though i didn't watch the news, but i would seriously doubt the news if it says BM is the same nutritionally as FM, provided nursing mums have good diets. But BF bb may/may not be smarter than FM fed bb as it again depends on the level of DHA passed from to bb via BM, which again is dependent on mummy's diet. So I agree with Elaine that our motive is to have healthy bb, so where possible, we should still do our best and BF, whether TBF or PBF for as long as possible.


Melody, most new mothers have difficulty BF, especially in the beginning. The fact that you are trying so hard to BF, despite the difficulties prove you are a wonderful and dedicated mummy already. Cheer up, okie, as babies are super-sensitive and they can pick up all the happy/unhappy vibes we mummies are experiencing. For your own sake and for your darling, take each day as it comes and just do your best..

YOU CAN DO IT!!

 

[domesticgoddess]

Anyone using Kodomo bb wipes? Watson is having sale for it. $1.95 for a pack of 70 pieces and buy 10 packs, get 1 pack free.

 

[domesticgoddess]

diaper cream
i find Desitin the best too. But use diaper cream sparingly as very thick layer of cream will actually create dampness instead of acting as a barrier cream.

 

[puppylove]

<font color="0000ff">michelle, joon</font>
thanks! juz wanted to make sure i apply diaper cream correctly. But sometimes my girl cries so hard during the change, i either skip or quickly smear a bit here n there and quickly wrap her up! kekeke...

<font color="0000ff">joon</font>
To add colours to ur text, juz type "\", "blue", "{ur text}". Type these without spacings in between and without my inverted commas. Colour can be blue, purple, orange, red, green... (refer to the Help in this forum for complete list).

I use Desitin Creamy. I've colleagues who swear by it. So far so good for me, but then, only used for 3wks lah.. heheh... There's also Desitin Original but heard it's v. thick and hard to apply. There's always BP going on in this forum, so do check it out!

<font color="0000ff">domesticgoddess</font>
oh, good point! didn't think tat too much cream would lead to dampness! Noted!

 

[emmasharapova]

DG.. i have a small pack given by tmc.. not bad... that watsons deal sounds v good lehz... 11 packs of 70 for 19.50!!! that's a good deal!!! maybe should go stock up...

been advised not to use nappy cream everyday... only use it when necessary (when there's rashes)... cos baby skin v delicate... less chemical is best!

 

[vivian_phoebe]

Joon,
Rhys is 3 weeks old now. So if it is a growth spurt, what should I do har? feed him everytime he wants milk even though it is less than 2 hrs?
We cannot increase his intake per feed coz he always have this bad habit of not finishing his milk and yet keep asking for milk before 2hrs is up.
My CL keep feeding him water when that happens and I dun know whether it is good or not...
I heard feed too much water not good, is it true?

 

[edksdid]

hi elaine, what was the level of ur bb's jaundice when admitted? which FM did ur PD prescribe?

 

[edksdid]

hi mummie of rhys,

my PD says no nd to feed bb w water.

its oso stated in the booklet from spore bb's and child's clinic.

ive a friend who fed her bb w water and then duno why suddenly the bb like having difficulty breathing so they rushed him to kkh. the doc told them bb's capacity is v small, just milk will do, no nd for water.

 

[edksdid]

are u all using pampers premium?

how do u find nepia? (if u've tried it before)

there're many brands which do not come w urine indicator... why huh? i tot they shld implement it too.. quite useful...

 

[ilovebabies]

edksd

how do u read the urine indicator ??

 

[emmasharapova]

ilovebabies...

think so far, i've only seen the urine indicator on pampers premium... there's a long yellow line running through the middle of the pampers.. when the whole line turns blue, means its all wet and its time for a change..

 

[puppylove]

i use pampers premium too. Haven't tried other brands. Hv bought Drypers S for when bb is bigger.

So far, pampers premium leaked when i lie bb on her side in bed to BF. Wet my bed twice already!! Now i put a changing mat under her. GUess I didn't secure the diaper tight enough??

<font color="aa00aa">got a question to those on direct BF.</font> BB will take in more milk as they grow right? So does tat mean they'll latch on for longer and longer? Eg. 20min on one breast becomes 30min or longer? Or does bb drink faster??

For me, Trinity used to suckle for 10min b4 she needs a break, then continue for another 10min b4 switching sides. Now, she can go 20min straight w/out pausing! Juz now I fed her 30min on each side... plus burping, took me more than an hour!

 

[edksdid]

yes, tts right when the yellow lines turn blue, it means bb has urinated.

so far the other brand tt has urine indicator is nepia.

tts why im considering getting nepia.

 

[emoments]

anybody still having massage with Mona? I am trying to contact her these 2 days, but no response. I need to change my schedule with her.... dunno wat happen leh...

 

[rainnie1]

emoments, why not sms her?

 

[emoments]

I did... no reply. Call also no answer...

 

[crystallized]

domestic goddess
thks 4 helping me to "advertise" my BFG is v successful. hahaha

yah, its true leh. hav to shut off all -ve thots and think tt ur baby is born wif a natural gift to suckle. immed aft i delivered, bb was brought to me but i only latched him on aft he was cleaned. he can suckle immed. it was so fun &amp; ticklish 4 the 1st time. i was actually laffing.

its like all these mths of dreaming the day tt i can BF my baby has finally become a reality.

and now tt i recall, during my entire stay in hospital and even now i am at home, there was nvr a moment i start to wonder if my baby can suckle anot. it all comes naturally.

i had mild depression the initial few days and was stressed when my bb was admitted for jaundice but amazingly, it has not decreased my milk supply a sgl bit. in fact when i brought EBM to my baby last nite, the nurses were all surprised at my gd supply. (i pumped 220ml in 20 mins fr 2 breasts) this quantity last him for almost 4 feeds!

so as long as u hv faith in urself, BFG will def work!

 

[emmasharapova]

emomoents.. me got appt w her tmr evening... u try call her again? cos she called me yesterday...

 

[emoments]

I agree with crytallized. Must be positive. My boy did not want to latch on after discharge.. so I can only pump for him to drink. Somemore, my CL wants to feed him FM at nite.. I'm ok with it. My supply has been quite good and sufficient.. but since CL is taking care of baby, I try not to stress too much on BM.

So far my boy has been gaining weight and is eating well... tt's most impt.

 

[emoments]

Hi Emma
OK I'll try to call her again.. thanks.

 

[crystallized]

Joon!
u r not the only pig... oink oink! heee... me too!!!! i eat so much tt my hb was so shocked but i told him tt TBF mummies r like tt. we need a lot of food intake and water.

wah u stressed lah, how can they stare at u and asked u to eat so got milk? tsk tsk...

boy am i glad to read tt i am not the only one suffering fr mild depression! i thot i was weird when i cried on the day i was home fr hospital. i was talking halfway when i suddenly felt like crying.

puppylove
i read somewhere tt as babies grows older, they r better at emptying our breasts in the same amt of time they use when they r newborns. so for the same 15 mins, they r actually getting enuff. so not to worry.

 

[crystallized]

btw ladies
can i noe how long did it take 4 ur lochia to stop? i delivered last fri and now my lochia flow is minimal. wondering issit normal 4 it to end so soon. my CL did buy the chinese pills 4 me to clear my lochia oso.

 

[emoments]

btw, mummies, some of you are still in confinement, rite? How come you all can still log on and dun have to lie in bed all the time? I can only log on when nobody is around.. else they will keep nagging at me.... sigh...

Also, can we eat bread during confinement?

 

[angeline12]

stretching and making noise during sleep -
seems like my mother has a different theory on this. Earlier this week, Trinity started to stretch alot during her sleep, so we decided to not swaddle her and let her arms and legs go free during the sleep. Then somehow, she began to make more sounds when she sleeps and at times startle a little and wimps. She also started to cry occasionally during the sleep and wakes up. When my mum noticed that, she started to swaddle Trinity again for sleeping time and Trinity resumed to sleeping more soundly again. Her theory is that baby feels more secure when they are swaddled thus can sleep better. It seems to work for me, so I'll continue to swaddle her arms for sleeping time till she's a little older.

******************

Emma, glad to hear that your engorgement is better now.

******************
Melody,
Don't be upset, you are not alone in this situation. I was also crying in the hospital and when I first got home cos I was so disappointed at myself for not being able to TBF. Family was initially supportive, but when baby started to cry for milk every hour, they started to give me pressure me to supplement
- how can you BF for an hour or more. Should be done in less than half an hour
- how come baby is always hungry (cries for milk every 1 - 2 hours), must be you not enough milk, otherwise baby won't be crying all the time
- your breast so small, sure not enough milk, better to give FM.
- how can you let baby suckle for so long, you will spoil her, in future she will only want to use you as pacifier

the worse was the insult
- how can you be so selfish as a mother, willing to let your already small sized baby starve just for your own stubborness to TBF.
- etc......

So by the night of Day 3, I gave in and supplemented with FM for the night feeding so baby can get a good night's sleep and things started to go downhill from there on. I lost confidence in myself and really doubted my ability to BF, so started to supplement more frequently with FM as it did seem to satisfy baby more and she was sleeping more soundly than before. I only latched her on 3 - 4 times a day. I was so upset with myself as I have been looking forward and planning for the BF experience long before I even got married.

Due to the lack of BF, I had a bad case of blocked ducts and engorgement when the milk came in on Day 5. I got a LC to come help me clear the ducts and teach me how to latch baby on correctly. On this day, I started to regain a little more confidence as I saw for myself that i did have milk and can now BF my baby properly.

However, I got engorged again that evening and applied cold cabbage leave to soothe the pain. Unfortunately, I had the leaves on for too long and by breasts just shrank and the milk supply really slowed down alot as compared to earlier in the day. The following day, my supply was not enough to keep up with the demand of my baby and once again I have to supplement with FM. Again I got very upset with myself as this was definately my own doing. If only I could have beared the pain of the engorgement.

Luckily, I got lots of support from this forum and persisted not to give up. What is important is that I provide the best that I can to Trinity, so if the best that I can do now is half BF and half FM, so be it. I am trying to stay positive and now work hard at attempts to increase milk supply again.

This is what I am doing to try to increase my milk production :
1. take lots of fish and papaya

2. take 2 capsules of Fenugreek 3 times a day

3. take a can of Guiness Stout 2 nights a week

4. pump breast milk out 3 hourly during the day and 4 hourly during the night (not diligent enought to wake up 2 times in the night)

5. let Trinity latch on and direct breast feed her(even if it's just comfort feed)when she happens to be hungry and I happen to feel not so 'empty'. Apparently, DBF is the best stimulation for milk production, so as long as she is willing to latch on, I will let her spend some time on the breast. However, if she is still hungry after 30 minutes on each breast, I will supplement her with some FM.

I only started pumping diligently for the last 3 - 4 days. When I first started, I got only about 40mls / session, today I managed to get 60 - 80mls / session. This visible gradual increase in the 'output' is also one of my motivation factor.

Trinity now drinks 80mls - 100mls each feed. So I am still trying hard to catch up with her demands. But I try to set myself small targets to reach to keep myself motivated.

My first target was to be able to squeeze out enough in 2 pump session for 1 of her feed.

Now my target is to provide her with at least 50% EBM as compared to FM each day. So if she has a meal of EBM and the next meal of FM, I am happy.

My next target is the catch up with her demand and squeeze out enough to provide to her total EBM.

And finally, if I can really get the milk production going, I would like to be able to express more than her demand so that I can schedule to store some up to continue to give her EBM when I resume work in 3 months time.

As for the bonding factor when direct breast feeding, since I am not DBFing so often now, I try to carry her around in a sling so we can still have alot of cuddling time and on some nights, I will have her in my arms when we sleep. I think this should more than make up for the time that we missed out when not DBFing.

Sorry to be so long winded,just wanted to share with you and let you know that you are not alone out there, we are all here to help and give support. Please try not to give up. Don't give yourself too much pressure and take one small step at a time. No need to feel guilty, as long as you are already doing the best that you can, it is good enough.

Do come on to the forum for support. I am sure that I would have gone crazy last week if not for all the support that I got from here.

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Puppylove,
I like your trick with the cold towel. I am going to try that tonite, cos my Trinity always suck vigorously for less then 5 minutes and then will sleep and suckle only and get hungry very quickly again.

 

[crystallized]

emoments
come in here to take a breather mah!

lying in bed all the time when weather so hot? so frustrating.

how come no bread? i alrdy ate wholemeal bread all these while leh.