Breastfeeding Support Group

hi ladies,
can I check how do you gals transport the breastmilk back from work? I saw some cool gel packs recently - wondering if I am supposed to freeze them at home in the morning and then bring them to the office to transport the ebm back in the evening.. will the packs remain cold for so long?
 


Samval,
yr 3 mth old bb drinks 120ml and then sleeps thru the night?? My girl is only 2 mths old and when i give her 120ml FM to drink, she only sleeps for 2-3 hours max.

anyway, i know what u mean by u bf for 20 hours. It happened to me and would still happen for me if not for the fact that i now supplement 2 feeds with FM at night while i express!! Actually i was wondering why my baby need to feed so frequently or so many hours... wonder if its becos my ss is low and probably letdown is only 1-2 sprays rather than those pple with many sprays.
 
Tuffy,
I bring my ice brick to work and freeze in the the office fridge. Will bring back at the end of the day with my EBM.
 
Hi Poohy/Serrich/Zyp,

all of u on this thread too? Juz happen to see this.

Hi YL,

First of all, don't worry so much. Whether or not you have BM supply depends on the frequency of your bb's feeding. The more you latch him on, the more your supply is. Remember to ask the doc/nurse to latch the baby on asap after you deliver, so that you can establish an early milk supply.

My milk supply didn't kick in till 4 or 5 days after delivery. In the hospital, the nurse brings in my baby when its feeding time. I would latch him on though there is no supply, only few miserable drops of colostrum. Nipples became very very painful and sore. My son didn't urine and nurse said they had to give him formula if he still don't urine by late afternoon.

Hungry bbs suction is really strong and it doesn't help when you are feeling so painful n sore (remember to standby lanolin). Must endure ok.. Bo bian, he was crying for milk hungrily even after I latched him on. Had to give him formula, so he was cup feed. BUT I asked that the bb be given to me to latch on first when he is hungry before feeding with FM. Was discharged on 2nd day and had to quickly get FM cos milk ss haven't arrived. Milk ss came on 4th or 5th day, once the ss came, I no longer feel sore n painful. I would feed bb directly first on one side and pump the remaining after that. Try to let your baby drain one breast before moving onto the other side so that he gets the essential hindmilk. In this way, your body gets the signal to produce sufficient quantity for your bb's demand. Oh, also, if your bb finishes one side, try offering the other side too.

If you need to formula feed, use cup feed rather than bottle becos the sucking method is different from breast feeding. Before your bb establishes correct bfg method, try not to introduce the bottle, it will cause confusion and ur bb may end up rejecting your breasts. This is one reason why bfg mummies dun wanna give formula..

Hope this helps. Happy bfg!

Hi Tuffy,

Get those blue ice blocks, they are better and are able to withstand longer hours. Always keep them in the freezer when you are not using them. You have freezer in office? Keep in freezer when you are at work.
 
thanks! I must go find out if I have a freezer in the office. so the gel packs are no good hah? where can I get the ice blocks?
 
Hi, tuffy!
I got the ice bricks fr Coleman. When u going back to work?
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hi sp,
I am going back to work next year!
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me kiasu.. wanna find out what equipment I need so that I can buy them during sales now. how are things with you?
 
Hi, tuffy!
Next yr? Wow, so good!!! Taking no-pay leave after yr ML?
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I'm ok lor, but getting lazy abt pumping. Need increasingly longer time to pump out less, so a bit sianz lor. Can't stop yet though becoz my bb still wakes up a few times to mum-mum at nite, direct bf still more convenient
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Just managed to read sunday's papers.

Saw one letter in the INBOX section.
Let me post it here.

"nursing mom needn't be shy"
I refer to the letter "breastfeed but not on trains" by Madam Wendy bla bla
Mdm Lee takes exception to mothers nursing their babies on MRt trains and says that other passengers have no choice but to ogle. She also suggests that nursing mothers feed their babies b4 leaving the house

As nursing mothers who have bf our children everywhere with no problems (yes, even on MRT trains and buses), we would like to share our views.

Today despite greater awareness that breast milk is a far superior source of infants nutrition, there still remains some public discomfort when it comes to bf-ing in public.

Breasts are no longer understood for their primary role - as mammary glands providing nourishment for babies.
Instead breasts have been sexualised in the mass media.

Why is it that no one bats an eyelid when women appear in skimpy, cleavage-bearing tops in public but ppl take exception to mothers nursing bbies inpublic?
 
Hi YL, are u still reading this thread?
If u are, just wanted to tell u that i have no milk for the first 4-5 days after I delivered my baby and she wasn't supplemented with FM and I managed to TBF her for 6-6.5 mths.

Now still BF but partial
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Good luck ... wish u success and dun give up too easily!
 
Thanks Qdee,

I know our milk will come till on the initial days n that our colostrum is enough for bb. But hubby nt convince n wanted to feed FM. so I now searching for more information on such matter.

I'll be attending workshops organised by BMSG, hope they'll be able to clear our doubts abt breastfeeding n providing FM.

When u mentioned u partial BF, does it mean u're giving FM or EBM?
 
Hi YL,

Its a very very small cup which I got from KKH, disposable ones. Its also ok to use spoon.

I already started leaking colostrum in the later stage of pregnancy. In fact, I don't have as much colostrum as compared to my other colleague after bb was delivered. Hence had to give him 2 days of formula..

Hi Tuffy,

Have you gotten your breast pumps? Gotta get a container that is heat and microwave safe so that you need to sterilise your pumps at work. Can sterilise either using hot water/microwave or sterilising tablets, the later is more convenient but I don't like cos there is a smell. What I did was I bought extra funnels to save time from having to wash.. Yes, gotta have a bottle of bottle washing detergent.

During sales, lookout for breast pads cos you would need lots of that esp in the first few mths. Other things that you need to have are storage for milk (bottles/BM bags), cooler bags and ice packs.

My son is already 5 mths and still on total bfg. Starting to wean off slowly hence not pumping as much as before. What about yourself?
 
hi tsp,
my gal is now 3 months. doing tbf as well. I will be going back to work when she is close to 6 months.
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Guess by then I will have a better idea how much milk i still have. I have been various gel packs in the shopping centres but don't recall seeing ice bricks... hope I can find it as i hear from most pple that that is better. how often do you pump now? re breast pads - you mean I won't be needing these in the later months?

hi sp
hee hee, I know what you mean. I also starting to get lazy. then I kena a blocked duct yesterday and am forced to be diligent once again...
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Hi Tuffy,
I know you can get the ice blocks in a lot of places... offhand I know CK Tang, Carrefour have them. They are not located at the nursery dept in case you think it is. It is at the same place as coolerbags, those blue colour coleman ones.

You should pump at the same time of your bb's feed. During ur 3 mths ML, ur body shd be well adjusted to your bb's feeding hrs hence u shd experience a letdown feeling when its her feeding time, do you? If you are serious in breastfeeding for long, must be hardworking in expressing. Many mummies I know faces reduction in milk supply when they return to work. If you don't continue pumping regularly, your milk ss will be badly affected. For me, in the first 3 mths, I have lots of letdowns hence I need to change pads regularly, now not as much liao.

When I first return to work, it was something like 7am(before leaving hse), 11am, 2pm and 5pm.
 
Hey can check with you are my BB used to drink about 100ml when my CL feed him with EBM, after CL left last Wed I got a hard time convincing him to finish it and normally he just take about 70 to 80ml after 30min of feeding... Is it ok? I afraid he is not taking enough milk...
 
hi tsp,
thanks for the tip!
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I started pumping at the same time of the feed and you are right - the flow is much better. Previously I do have difficulty achieving letdown with direct latching and recently, that problem is no longer there.
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how badly affected was your ms when you went back to work?
 
hi YL,

Now partial BF, only direct latch twice or 3 times a day after work. During working hours, she's given FM and of coz solid meals.

Hi Tuffy, i kaypoh hehe, so i reply u ah..

My ss was badly affected on the first wk of work.
No let down and some more coz doing in toilet, so uncomfy and not a very nice smell and anxious etc. . so the milk drip bit by bit and only managed to get abt 50ml. Miserable right?
The thing is, by that stage, my girl is refusing any FM and I dun have that many frozen stock at home.

So she din drink until i came back home from work. I almost given up hope of BF-ing but then how to give up when bb dun even want to drink FM? Actually, she also din like frozen milk and will puke out everything if i gave her frozen EBM. SO every day i damn stress, must produce enough EBM for the next day since she only drank fresh supply.
 
Wow, Qdee, yr gal very discerning, only likes yr fresh milk, keke...
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tuffy,
I started practising my back-to-work routine which is "stop latching for many hrs during the day & only express once during the day" 2 weeks before I returned to work. Started giving 2 feeds of fm everyday also, so u can imagine what happened to my ss... My ss reduced drastically even before I started work!

By the time I started work, I already lost so much ss & I know I'll never be able to recover my ss back or return to tbf. A bit sad abt it but what to do, my brs can't store much milk & the only way to get more out of them is to pump more often which I can't do at work.
 
Hi,

Am thinking of weaning my bb from breast to bottle. Any good advise on how long it takes as I would like to start the process soon to reduce the trauma on bb.
 
moonriver,
Err, actually very hard to say how long yr bb will take to accept bottle becoz every bb is different.

My bb was bottle-fed fm for the 1st 3 days of his life, thereafter I was required to bottle-feed him water every day and fm at least once a week. Luckily, he's still willing to latch on, so still managed to bf him.
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sp,

You can still get back your normal supply. You just have to be very diligent. Express more often and let bb latch on once you are with your bb.I ever come across one mummy who stop bf for one month and after that on tbf. You really need a lot of determination. Use a dual pump to save time if your work requires you to be there all the time. As dual pump will only requires 10 min of your time. Just take it as your break time. Or do it just before lunch. I strongly encourage you to bf your bb as long as possible. BM is always the best for bb. I have been bf my ds for 13 mths now and I still enjoy bfing him. It's really so convenient and it's really the best for him.
 
Hi mommies,
Recently my 3.5mths old gal started to reject my breasts totally.. So she is on total ebm now. I have tried on a few occasions to latch her on but she just refused to latch on.. She started to cry and fuss when i tried to latch her on. It seems that she has started to self wean. Have any of u encountered such an experience?
 
heh Moon river - indeed it was traumatic haha.
My gal screamed and howled when given the bottle and i no heart to hear her scream so will take her and feed direct.

But when it's closer to the end of my ML, my mom banished me out of the house when she wanted to bottle feed the gal.
Anyway, she still reject. Only started to take bottle after i started work coz no choice.
But she will torture me big time when i came home. She'll drink and drink and drink - every hour to make up for the lack of it in the day time.
 
Hi,

Am new to this thread. Think i got problems with BF as a new mummy.


samval,

My baby is like yours. I think u have good perseverence. I give my BB (3weeks old) FM at night (feed by CL). Day time, i try to latch him on and supplement with FM if my EBM not sufficient.


tsp,

I've been latching BB on when he demands for milk. Usually he will fall asleep after latching on for 15-30mins (sometimes 1hr) and i cant latch him on the other breasts. Even if i managed to latch him on both sides, he will still demand for milk. (cos my ss pathetic) and we will feed him with FM.

My breasts will usually feel full in the morning and i will pump it and will get about 80ml. But if i pump at other times, only miserably 10ml. I dont know when to pump, though i try to maintain a 2hr interval. But everytime i want to pump, my boy wakes up and i have to latch him on. And the intervals got all mix up. (maybe i stupid la)

Reading your advice to YL, so we have to pump immediately after latching? What if BB felt asleep after latching on first breasts? do we wake him up to latch him on the other side? I tried to but he sleeps so comfortably. so we didnt wake him up. Can i pump that side's milk in this case?

So far, my boy still ok with my breasts although sometimes he struggles when i try to latch him.


I've seen this Breastfeeding Mothers' Support Group website. Wondering if anyone has sign up as their member. i intend to. any feedback?
 
Hi Tuffy,

Was expressing 150ml on each side before going back to work till ard 120ml per side. Cos we dun latch bbs on in the day hence production not so good lor.


Hi Qdee,
Is the frozen milk properly warmed up? My maid din warm up frozen milk properly and my son threw up too. Gotta 'shake' a little to make sure the milk is 'even'.

Hi sp,
you can still get back more supply. Latch your bb on as much as possible cos their suction helps a lot, even better than pumping. Of cos, cannot neglect pumping la. Don't get stressed up cos that affects milk ss too.

Hi Serrich,
I had the same problem before, in fact a few times. Bo bian, I tried to wait till he v hungry n latch him but failed. So gotta use EBM. It lasts 1 to 2 wks before he is willing to latch on again. Whenever he sees my breast, he wails out loud. I tot he self-wean but ok again leh.. prolly its what they call milk tantrums. As long as she is still drinking milk (EBM), shd not be alarming. Just hv to be hardworking to pump to maintain milk ss.

Hi SSL,
Congrats on ur newborn!
Its ok for bb to fall asleep after feeding on one side. You can then pump the other side or both sides immediately after feed. Our BM ss is on a demand and supply 'mechanism'. The more you feed, the more you have. When your body produces depends on when you need. Thats why when you time your pumping to the feeding time, your body gets the signal that you need it then.

Just like we adults, we feel our hunger pangs during breakfast, lunch and dinner. Why? cos we take our meals regularly at these times hence we are 'informed' when time is up.

If you pump before feed, you might end up not having enough for your bb to feed directly. If you are scare your baby is not drinking enough cos they fall asleep easily when latched on, you can express the milk after latching on and feed him through bottle. This is what I do.

How is your diet? Don't cut down too much on foods with rich carbo and protein cos these are essentials for bfg mummies

Hope this helps.
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tsp

Thanks
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whow thats a fast reply

Will try this new method, hopefully can get better results.

So if BB falls asleep after latching on one side, its ok? sometimes try to wake him up but he refused to. We usually wait for him to cry for demand after latching then we feed him with FM or EBM. If he doesnt, we put him back to the cot. is this ok?

I eat alot of rice and fish. every meal got fish. two days in a week will drink the papaya soup (not alot though). Cant eat egg cos me went through caesarean delivery so can only eat next week.

I intend to only take calcium drink after my confinement. Do you think thinking those milk powder for BF mummies help? or multi-vits better?
 
hi qdee,
wah! your bb can tahan not eating until you come home.
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There was a time my bb rejected the bottle too - I was v stressed thinking I have to latch her on all the time. My milk supply then was quite bad. But after 2 days, she is back to normal again. sigh..

hi sp,
it's a pity that your office is not conducive for expressing... don't worry too much, just do what you can yah? try to latch him on more often in the weekend - maybe that would help.

hi tsp
Wow - both sides are quite even yah? mine is lopsided. one side can only produce 1/3 of the other. my supply drop these few days - not sure why. Could be because I am falling sick. Also I started latching her on directly more frequently and not pump at the end of the feed. getting lazy...
 
Hi SSL,

Ha! I jut happened to check thread mah.

Its ok to let your bb continue with his beauty sleep. He will be sleeping a lot still in the next few weeks. When he cries, latch him on. Unless if really really very hungry and your ss runs out, try not to give him formula cos this really affects your supply. If he fell asleep and stop sucking, put him back to cot. Sometimes, he is only sucking for comfort not bcos of his hunger pang. Pull him out when he does this otherwise he will be glued to you for next few mths.

I do take Anmum 2, not sure if it helps. Eat lots of protein rich food is good too. Anyway, I am a vegetarian hence I don't take fish. Don't have any problem with milk supply. My MIL and her relatives weren't optimistic about my milk ss from beginning and now their worries are disputed liao.

Hi Tuffy,
no la, also lopsided lor, difference of 10-20ml. One big one small too. haha Your milk ss will drop when u are sick. Must be diligent when u r bfg if you wan to maintain ss. Better drain your breast else the ss will still dwindle..
 
Wow JLim, u r really good, can bf so long & still going strong!
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My office is not bf friendly, nobody ebm in office. My colleagues don't take breaks other than a really quick one to get a drink or go toilet. No one smokes so there isn't even a smoking break. Ebm in toilet is out becoz not clean so I can only ebm during lunch hr by locking door & hiding under table becoz rooms are like fish tank.

Thanks for yr encouragement! I'll definately continue partial bf as long as I still hv ss. Hope partial bf is still better than no bf.

<font size="-2">Share with u all, my mil/ mum &amp; other relatives did not bf for long, maybe 2 weeks to 1 mth. And they practised scheduled latching with time limit followed by topping up each feed with fm. Concepts such as tbf, feeding on demand, no time limit is "new" to them.

My MIL has been very kind to allow me to try tbf for abt 6 weeks and did not force me to adhere to the "feed on schedule, must top up with fm" rules. And she took very good care of me during my confinement. For that, I'm very grateful to her.</font>
 
hi tsp,
ok - must jia you!
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hi sp
good to hear that your MIL is understanding. Sometimes it is hard for them to appreciate tbf, afterall, they are always afraid we would starve their grandkids.
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but I agree with you loh - partial bf is still better than no bf. jia you!!
 
How i envy u mommies.. At least bb reject bottles instead of ur breasts. I was really down and dejected for a few days when my bb rejected my breasts totally.. She's on total ebm now... Hopefully she will want to latch on again soon!

tsp,
Thanks for ur encouragement. I will keep pumping to keep or increase my ss.. Eh, dunno y this am my left breast so lumpy, onli managed to get 30ml after 40mins of pumping!! I tried to massage firmly and push out the milk but onli got so little.. I think gotto look for Mrs Wong again liao.
 
serrich

u been to Mrs Wong consultation before? Do u feel better or more confident after seeing her?

I'm a new mummy and have problems with BM ss and BF. Called up the other day and was told that i should see her asap and not wait cos once habits are formed, not easy to change.

mind if i ask u if u are seeing for engorgement or BF problems? For me, intend to let her see if my latching on and BF techniques are ok. So far, i only tried clutch hold. intend to try football hold when BB gets bigger. But dont really know how to do it hands on.

Not sure if seeking Mrs Wong's consultation will help. her charges is $40 for 45mins hor
 
Hi Serrich,

Lumpy means you nvr drain the breast lor. Try taking a hot hot shower &amp; massage your breast, Or put hot compress on your breast before expressing. When I had clogs/lump, its very difficult to express. I find using hot compress, massage then squeeze very effective. I very pai seh to see doc to squeeze my breast so do it myself or ask hb to help
 
Hi

do u encounter such situation? my bb suckle but prob did not swallow last few mouths so at the end of each session, there will be milk spilling out of his mouth. does tis mean he is too full or he will cry to suckle?

btw wen do u start expressing out for milk to be stored wen u go to work? do u all still latch and pump? Tks.
 
Hi breastfeeding mummies,

Having some problems here.. My baby is 8 weeks old and I'm latching her on directly. Since week 3, she has been demanding to be fed every 2 hours, sometimes shorter than that.

Seems that she's not drinking much per feed, hence I end up feeding her so frequently. And when I pump out, the volume is pathetic.. How do I make her drink more per feed?

I'm also having problems achieving let down when pumping cos I'm so used to her feeding direct. There was once I pumped for an hour just to get letdown. Anyone had the same problem and managed to overcome?
 
hi raisintan,
I find that dual pump works better for me in achieiving letdown. what pump are you using now?

it's not uncommon for bb so young to feed so often - no worries, that phase will pass. For me, my gal also fed v often at the beginning but lately she is getting more efficient at the breast. She is now 3 months.
 
SSL,
It depends on what kind of sucking. If its for comfort, say 4 to 5 sucks and pause, then continue with 4 to 5 sucks.. You shd unlatch him or it wld turn into a habit. If bb is indeed sucking for milk, let him continue..
 
raisintan

My boy is in his 6th week,he is also one of the frq feeding bbs, tend to drink every 1hr.. i'm now trying to pump out and feed him every two hrs.. seems more happy for him i think :p
 
Hi Tuffy,
I'm using Avent manual pump. When she was hospitalised for jaundice, I didnt have any problems pumping. But now it seems that my body is so used to her suckling to achieve letdown that I cant seem to be able to do so with pumping. Getting worried.. dunno how when I'm back to work
sad.gif


Hi Fun,
How did you manage to stretch his feeding schedule when he cries for milk?
 
Hi, inc!
Yr bb same like mine! Mine is treating me as his pacifier where he sucks then doesn't swallow &amp; goes to sleep. So when I unlatch him the milk spills out of his mouth, lol.
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My ss is low so don't hv any ebm to store b4 returning to work. Sigh. Tried pumping after latching can only get < 5ml so gave up. Dare not pump b4 latch becoz scared bb not enough to eat.
 
Hi, SSL,
Err, sad to say, I think bm is the supplement as he's on mostly fm after I started work, sigh.
sad.gif


My bb also does a lot of comfort sucking but I let him be becoz he seems to be waiting for my super slow subsequent letdowns. He'll suck-suck-suck and wait... if nothing happens after a few minutes he'll suck-suck-suck and wait again... repeat until finally the letdown comes and he'll drink-drink-drink. Sometimes he waits until he snores... poor bb...
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sp

how old is your BB? So u didnt pump in office? i think i will also be giving my bb FM if i return to workforce.

Can u actually sense letdown? may i know how does that feel? i can only see the spray when i'm pumping. :p
 
Hi sp

find it difficult to unlatch the min i try to pull out, he suckles again...

ya, m also seeing how to lengthen the interval for milk so that we can be less tired.. pls share ur tips tks.
 
Hi, SSL,
My bb is 12 weeks old. I pump only once in office during lunch hr.

The 1st &amp; 2nd letdown can feel a bit of pain at the nipples, followed by milk dripping out. Subsequent ones no pain &amp; no milk dripping, I feel a sudden sleepiness/ drowsiness.
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