Breastfeeding Support Group

[baby_pooh]

Hi all,

I'm a new mummy and will like to seek advice from other mummy. Can I know why my BM supply drop even when I expressed after latching my 2 mths boy on? This situation is kind of worrying as I'm afraid that I may not be able to fulfill my 6mth BF task...pls help! Thanks alot...;(

 

[lilboymum]

wahh...this thread has been silent for so long, then suddenly..wham!!!

Lee Yan, Cuddles,
where are you huh?

Piglet,
How old is your bb?I didnt ebm until i returned to work, so not sure if i can help much. but i clearly remember having very painful and sore nipple on and off, even after three months of bfg. it is usually the problem with latch, but in your case, what is the brand of your pump? if you ebm totally, but need to get a very good electric double pump. It stimulates the breasts better.

Regarding the size. uh...not sure. think if it's purely aesthetic, then it should clear up once you stop bfg? not very sure. have not stopped bfg yet, so cant help.

Smurfygal,
Jia you ok!!! try to do it at your comfort level. FM can be sweeter, depending ont he brand, but bm definitely taste better. heeee...i tasted before..quite nice hor

Why not try mixing first, then see how. coz if stop now totally, quite wasted. just give your bb as much bm as possible.it's the best gift you can give your bb.

rgarding NIP (nursing in public)
USed to be very very very shy too. nowadays, dun care liao. i bf at the restaurants, airplane etc...even in the cab, with the taxi driver peering over to see why my bb so quiet. kekeke...

well, according to more experienced mummies, if a person finds your NIP objectionable, then they are peering too close liaoz. anyway, most places have nice nursing rooms. if there is really a need, use a nursing bib, shawl (think cuddles mentioend she made one) or sling...

Linda...
Hey, your problem is so textbook~!!! i read somewhere about ss dropping at around 3 mths or so....if i can find hte article, can email you.you PM me with you email?


Hey ladies,
My boy is 10mths old. i intend to let him self wean, so it might be long haul for me (unless he chooses to wean early, which i doubt).

Share share some nice nursing experience leh..just to encourage one another here

 

[oceans]

CY, to latch in public must have good nursing dress... I dun really like to wear those, so my first kid, i din latch on outside. It was 2 yrs ago and now, cant remember what i do previously... Think i got bring EBM out at times.... So now, thinking how other is doing as like to seek advice.

Btw, how long can the breastmilk kept outside? Is it 1 or 2 hrs after warming?

What about those stored in the fridge? 48 hours? Cant remember those facts liao!

Linda, ur supply dropped is it cos u expressed after u feed ur BB?

YL, do u wear those nursing dress/tops? I dun like usin those leh... Still prefer to wear those normal clothing... Hehee...

 

[ylyl]

Ocean
I dont wear nursing dress/tops. till now i cant find one tt i like. I only wear nursing bra n normal t-shrit/top. prefer t-shirt kind of material cos stretchable, easier to lift up to bf.

 

[crystallized]

Ocean
hope i can b some help here as i am still bfg my 11 mth old boy.

i instruct my caregivers to store warmed up EBM for max 45 mins only. aft which, its to b discarded if its not finished. i think books suggest 1 hr? IMO, 2 hr is way too long. BM is v nutritious, n warming up to 40 deg or so is v favourable for the bacteria to thrive. so i dun play play with this.

In books, some say chilled BM can b stored up to 8 days. But rem those r ang moh books, n other countries r probably cooler than SG so they can afford to keep up to 8 days. in local context, many bfg mummies practise storage up to 48 hrs only. some will go up to 3 days. personally, i follow the 48 hrs rule. but however, rem tt u muz still b on the lookout for foul smell or any chg in appearance b4 giving the EBM to ur baby even though the EBM is less than 48 hrs old.

Linda
do u empty ur boobs aft each latch? this will help to build up supply.

YLYL,
y dun u get nursing bibs instead? i think nursing tops v ugly (most r!) n at times when i hv to nurse w/o the comfort of a nursing rm, i will use my nursing bib. it helps when i need to nurse in the car as well.

 

[3asmum]

lilboymum..

wahpiang! no wonder these 2 days i sneeze and sneeze....u missed me har? here reporting to u liao!!! hahaha


smurfygal..

I suspect ur ebm turn bad cos u mentioned u freeze some and stored some in compartment..if ur fridge is just opened by u, and just for taking out the ebm, then shld be ok. BUT, if the compartment is those together with other food barangs...ur ebm may turn bad..unless u placed deep into the fridge..if near fridge door..no luck lah!

did u tasted your ebm? NOTE without proper storage, higher chance ebm may turned bad. i encountered 2x experiences whereby my girl and my boy (at different day), they rejected my ebm...i wonderd why and by chance tasted it, wahpiang!!!! sulk man...so besides smell fishy, try taste ur ebm.

by taking fengureek, yes it did affect but this is by theory caused i read from an article before. some bbs will put off by the smell and refuse the ebm...so there is a 'risk' to take this suppement lor..practically i didnt try fengureek though i have purchased but worried about those 'side-effect'..

in fact, try to drink more water before u bf, during and after bf also. do some close monitoring and u will be able to find out the root cause of why she reject ur ebm. dont give up unless u are pretty sure of the reason and no other ways to help in improving..DONT JUST LISTEN TO OTHERS ASK U STOP U STOP...ASK URSELF WHAT U WANT TO DO? DONT REGRET WHATAFTER U HAVE DECIDE, that means if continue, u need to be more hardworking...to stop..dont look back and said why i stopped so earlier..if i know bf can help in her health...blar blar..


piglet,

1. i started with latch on and ebm, after my boy self wean at 13mths, all ebm.

2. what pump are u using? suggest try to use hand to express once and see whether ur left side still hve muscles aching..but hor warn u, use hand to express at times maybe tiring but at least will telling to know whether the problem is the pump...or ur 'breast'???

3. if ur gal purely just latch on right, then u MUST pump ur left out to make them balanced. my breast was one big one small during my 1st bf experience..2nd x perfect cos i already well prepared liao!!!


linda,

is normal to drop ss once u switch from latch on to full pump..caused latching is the best way to 'extract' bm, next is by hand express, and last by pump..

try to stick on to the routine schedule, drink more water, stay with good diet, be happy relax and tell ur brain dont be lazy, work harder for more milk!!

 

[lilboymum]

Lee Yan,
Hahah...you were sneezing ah?

Ask you huh, when your boy was 13mths, how did you feed the ebm? cup izzit? or mix it with cheerios and other breakkie cereals?

mummies here...
Am trying to think of some recipe for ebm leh. any ideas?

So far only tried adding cheerios to the 'waterised' ebm cereal. my little CY likes it. not sure what other variety i can churn out.

 

[3asmum]

lilboymum,

u see i have this problem of nipple confusion during my girl's time, so for my boy, i applied 2 mthods for bf.

one is to latch on in a fixed schedule, that was in early morning, last nite feed and midnite. during the day, he was on ebm. so i have no problem with him on bottles at all.

when he was 17mths, i stopped my pumping totally. so i bought a cup with straw for him to drink his fm. quite smooth 'transition' from bottle to cup though bit struggle...haha..

 

[3asmum]

o by the way, lilboymum,

ymust u mix ebm with cereal etc leh? to me, i prefer just purely give them ebm, mixing to me machiam like diminish their quality in nutrients..

 

[lilboymum]

no lah, just for variety. cereal like cheerios and stuff. just wan him to have bm in different variety, coz so far not introducing FM...heee..i even added papaya to bm, machiam like the cantonese dessert. but my boy seems to like it...kekeke

I will most likely introduce whole milk when he hits one, but am still iffy about FM.

 

[william_c]

Hi CY & Lee Yan,

Thanks for your advice. Sorry for my late reply. Went to see a lactation nurse eventually on Monday coz my left breast was so painful and cant tahan it anymore...almost felt like giving up on nursing.

Apparently according to the nurse, I had infection on the left breast (thus the achiness) and a few milk blisters thus the engorgement. She cleared my blisters but my god, it's so painful. My milk and tears burst out!!! and I was literally screaming harder than in labour..haha..bb gal also cryg mayb coz she heard her mom cryg...

Now feelg better already..thanks thanks..but still struggling w breastfeeding...tried to latch her on again yesterday but we ended up feeding for 3 hrs (coz both of us wld fall asleep at some part of the time).

Now back to EBM again...but wil let her latch on once in a while, to stimulate. Hopefully i can persist. Anyway, its her 1 mth this weekend! So wanna at least to BF till 1 mth and access later!

THank you again for your help!

 

[smurfygal]

Hi Lee Yan,

I tried to get my bb to drink freshly expressed BM and she still resisted, so I doubt if the EBM turned bad after being in the fridge. It may have something to do with taste. Anyway, ever since I cut down the no. of times I express my milk, my milk supply has dwindled dramatically. Didn't know the rate of decrease is so fast. Maybe when I have my 2nd child next time (if I decide to have another bb), I'll try to have a good latch so that supply will be better and all these issues about storage and need for supplements like fenugreek will not arise.....

 

[cuddles]

hi L'LCY

me here liao, no wonder was sneezing as bad as lee yan, haha. Last few days too busy to log in.

Since i am mostly at home nowadays, I let D latch on, hardly express. And he is so attached to me now...

as i mentioned his intake has decreased, so after ev session, I dun feel empty. I should express but too lazy la.

I tried mixing rusk with EBM, D loves it..

Piglet,

do hang on.. bfg mommies have to cross many hurdles. Its will only get better, trust us.


Share a Story
============
I use to know someone who thinks lowly of bfg. She says its troublesome and disgusting to feed bb in public. She is a mother of 3 boys. When 7-8 yrs back, its not common to find nursing rooms, some mommies may use the toilet cubicles to bf, she keeps saying why choose to do something so tough and let bb eat in the toilet.

To this day, I feel very sorry for her. She will never understand and experience the greatness of what we do. What i mean is not choosing to bf is fine, to each her own, but not on such a notion and affecting others along the way.

I am so happy and proud that I have been bfg D for almost 11 mths and I only wish I had done longer for my older gal too.

By the way, my D has not fallen sick at all.

 

[william_c]

Hi Cuddles,

Thanks for yr encouragement. WIll try to persist on..anyway, its my bb gal's full mth tom! Yeah! So looking forward to it...coz it's also the day i say bye2 2 my confinement lady who's not very encouraging towards BFing... so hopefully i wil b able 2 let my bb latch on more when she's not ard....

 

[liztan]

hi ladies
just chance upon this thread n like to get some advice.

i'll be going back to work next mth n will like to continue bf. may i know how do you sterilise your pump? thot of using sterilization tablets, but dislike the smell.

think i'll be buying a fridge-to-go for storing my EBM, n have to find a cleaner toilet to pump. anybody has exp with fridge-to-go?

 

[lilboymum]

Hi Cuddles!
Is rusk very sweet? My fren commented it's very messy. havent tried it yet, maybe i should.

Piglet
Jia you jia you!!!!! Add more oil;!!!!!

Sorry, a little off tangent here...read this somewhere (whatever your religion is...) - bit tongue in cheek...

"Lord, make my breast like your Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey for Your little one"

I also think bfg helps a whole lot with bonding and what's more, i think it soothes the bbs too!!! There was this once the maid went against my instruction and went to clip CY's nails. made him bleed like mad. (anyway, that's another story)....he totally refused to be comforted and kept flinging away the compress we were giving him..in short he was gettign totally hysterical. out of desperation, i lathced him on..and immediately he went quiet and even dozed off...we could properly put his gauze for him after that....

lis,
i use FTG too. quite good. but dun think it can last for more htan 10hours leh...after a while, not so cold anymore.how old is your bb? i stop sterilising after 6mths (when i introduced solids). i sterilise once a day, the just use hot water for hte rest of the pumps...

 

[liztan]

hi lilboymum
tks for sharing! I'm looking at the FTG tt moms in mind is sellling, it says 10-12hrs of cooling effect, wondering is it true or not. Are u working? if so, how u cope with storing n transporting the milk?

my bb will be 3mths when i return to work after my maternity leave. Guess still need to sterilise rite? So, abit tricky here lor...

 

[lilboymum]

lis,
yes, im working part time, but am studying too. so schedule is crazy. means that my ftg is my faithful, constant companion. yes, can keep up to 10 hours, 12 hours ok, but no very cold liaoz. your company has a fridge? what you can do if you stay too long in office is to keep your ftg in the fridge, then remove to tspt milky home...What pump are you using? PIS? Ameda? Avent?

You can use sterilising tabs loh. seems your office is as bfg unfriendly as mine. must jia you ok. try to pump at same time everyday. if your office has hot water dispenser can use it to 'boil' after you sterilise with tabs to remove the smell. very troublesome. i have this big container with me (still have it in the office) which i sterilise my parts with.i lugged it around and everyone thought i was the cleaner heee...

 

[liztan]

hi lilboymum
tks for the encouragement, actually, i'm quite worried as to how long i can continue bf after the 3mths maternity leave. but must relax rite, more stress, less milk...sigh, what irony!

yes, my company has a fridge in the pantry, but very cramped, don't think can squeeze a FTG in. i saw in another thread, a mummy puts ice bricks in the FTG, maybe it helps?

i'm using Avent manual. but recently not very successful in pumping, less than 20ml from both breasts. Quite depressing. taking mim milk tea now, but don't think any improvement.

thanks for your advice on sterilising, very good suggestion!

aiyo, did so much to bf baby, but looking at my 2year old whom i bf for a year, she's closer to her father than to me now, n frown when i tease her to take my milk instead of her FM. sigh...

 

[lilboymum]

Hi lis,
think it's better to get double electric. think it is faster leh. else you press like mad, in the toilet somemore...

haiz...must be the daddy's girl thing. *_*

 

[cuddles]

l'lCY

Usually I will let him munch off abt half and feed him spoonful of milk to wash it down, then the rest I will dissolve in the reminding bit of milk and feed him like cereal. He loves it especially if its with my EBM. Can be breakfast or snack. Try it.

Lis

I used a container and after ev pump I will pour hot water and soak the pump parts for a while. I din use any sterilising tabs. Was using the medela mini pump. Then I store my milk in the freezer compartment of my office fridge. Till time to go, I will put them inside my cooler bag with a freezed ice pack. Takes me abt 1hr to reach home, and milk is still frozen. I was really thankful that I worked in a mama friendly environment. Was given an empty office room to pump, even if its in use, I could use the executive toilet which is very clean.

 

[liztan]

hi lilboymum
how to use electric pump in the toilet leh? even if there's a powerpoint, will be very weird to have the motor sound roaring with the toilet door shut...

hi cuddles
tks for sharing. my office fridge is cramp and not so clean...sadly, my office not so pro-family, guess some of my colleagues will be teasing behind my back when they know i'll be disappering at times to pump milk.

 

[gohwf]

Hi mummies

i have a 3 wks old bb, in the first wk i let my son latched on but then later my milk starts to come i started expressing it out, n fed him via bottle...so since 2rd wk, i oni let him latch on once in the morning, the rest will b on bottled breast milk..i expressed my milk twice a day...now my milk getting lesser n lesser, nt as much as last wk where one side i can hve one bottle full of milk...aso my son when latched on, he'll oni latched on for less than 10 mins on one side, then he will fall asleep and dun wan anything liao...then abt an hr later he started 2 ask 4 milk again..but when he is fed on bottled breast milk he can last longer...is tat normal? feel beri tiring 2 let him latched on whereby an hr later he wans milk again...rather expressed it out but then my milk seems 2 b lesser n lesser...wanted 2 feed him till he's 6 mths old..dunno izzit possible now..any mummies out there can advise? thanks.

 

[3asmum]

vivian...

for a start after delivered, is natural to have milk since you latch on and pump..but as day goes by...u have unintentionally sent a wrong signal to your brain that u dont need so much milk caused u only pump 2x per day..furthermore with ur bb 1x latch on and shorter time..this all mislead ur brain to produce more bm..

now is still not late, you still able to increase your supply. in order to do so, u need to increase the pump frequency from 2x to more..at least per day total 5x if u intend to store the ebm and also total breastfeed for long.

the increase will be gradual, wont be immediate so u need to be patience.

furthermore, u need to drink more water, before during and after pump. take proper meal, bf, lunch, dinner..

and ur newborn only 3weeks, is very natural he will suckle few mins doze off...u may wana tickle his cheek to see if he still wana drink. if he does suckle...let him stay on for another 5mins. if not, u slowly withdraw him and as long as he doesnt cry...u oso rest.

is normal to latch on for short while and stop, in fact that was my experience (and many mummies), to latch on newborn machiam like every hour or every moment they are on our breast..

so wat u need to do is during confinement, eat well, rest well...choose a good spot (usually on bed), lean back against wall in comfortable position (for me i will bend my legs), use a pillow (to save cost to buy nursing pillow) to let bb sleep on it and put on your thighs, make some adjustment so that bb can latch on. oso if have extras pillow, pile up and use as your arm rest.. so that in this way, ur arm will not feel tire keep carrying bb..

 

[oceans]

jRt, thanks for ur advice. I usually stick to the 1hr if BB not finished EBM, then throw the milk.

For those who dun latch bb directly, do u bring out the EBM or feed BB with formula when going out?

Vivian, understd abt ur bb latch on for few mins and then wan again in another hr. Mine too, tat's y i choose to express and only latch my gal at nite. Think is quite normal 4 bb to suck few mins n stopped as understd they can "drink" more as compared to pump out the milk

 

[lilboymum]

Hi lis,

i used the alternative battery source. yeah, i thought it was kinda weird too, but after a while, its ok... and yes, some do make comments. just play along. i tell my colleague that im on my 'daily dairy duty' whenever they ask..heeee..

 

[flower_kitten]

hi,

checking on behalf of my friend, she just delivered and have intention to breastfeed but her nipples are rather flat and she has problem latching her baby and there seems to be no breast milk when she pump with the electric pump..

she is rather dissapointed and sad with her condition..

anybody can advise her on what to do to solve the problem?

 

[gohwf]

Hi lee yan

thanks 4 yr advice, will try 2 pump more frequently, hopefully my milk supply will come back...

i'm aware tat latching on will better stimulate the milk supply but my son he himself will automatically withdraw frm my breast less than 10 mins n when i place my breast in front of his mouth again, he has no reaction, so i assume he must hve enough liao...as i noe BM doesn't last long in bb stomache, but din noe tat fast, after an hr, he ask 4 milk liao, really like wat u say machiam like every hour or every moment they are on our breast..so end up i hve no time 2 rest as i change him after every feed by the time i finish an hr almost up liao...aso nite time i take care of himself, beri tiring...

furthermore after his 1 mth, i'll b on my own looking after him, if let him latch on whereby every hrly he'll wan 2 b fed, then i can't do other things such as laundry n rest...if expressed the BM, do i hve the time 2 do tat when i'm alone with him? really no idea i can cope...sometimes feel like giving up BM but noe it's really gd 4 bb, so c any mummies here can share experiences....

btw, with BM bb will poo a lot izzit? cos most of time i change him less than 10 mins he poo again n sometimes little bit of poo oni, n sometimes while changing him he can poo on us, this happens quite often, sometimes making mi crazy...

Hi ocean

thanks 4 sharing...

instead i let my son latch on once in the morning, then nite time feed him formuale cos can last him longer...

 

[3asmum]

gohong..

i dont know it works but mayb ask ur gf to try...if she has a pump, ask her to use her pump 5mins..usually our nipples will due to the suction, will protrude....once protrude, let her bb latch on.

after delivered, dont expect milk flow like river leh...if pump out, we may only collect 10-30ml per session...this is already very good.
usually have more in our breast cos pump is not the best efficient way to withdraw our milk, bb latch on is the best follow by hand express then pump..

ask ur gf to drink a warm red dates tea, sit down comfortably, use a warm towel to cover her breasts and nipples then massage...afterwhich use hand to press her nipples, squeeze a bit for bm out...then either latch on or pump.


vivian,

if ur bb just suckle less then 10mins, u can let him rest and u pump out another 5mins..best is use hand to express. u can collect some more bm and also send signal to brain u wana more bm.

after 1mth, wen ur confinement lady is away...u try to concentrate just latch on, change diapers, etc to bb. bb rest u rest.

as for laundry, suggest u dont use cloth diapers (if u are now). use paper diapers changed and throw. i did work out the amount...buying cloth diapers+liners+diaper pant+pins+extras detergent to clean the poo poo+washing-water and electric+hang to dry (still has to see Mr Sun's face)...all these $$ and work are much more then cost of paper diapers. this will definitely ease ur workload if u are alone..

next is laundry...for me...haha...i fixed every sat wash bb clothes, sun mine and dh clothes. throw all in washing machine, bb clothes i use those laundry net to accumualte cos mittens and boots very small easily 'lost'. pour detergent, wash, and once done, either u or ur dh hang the clothings. if u are c-section, better ask ur dh to do so (haha good excuse). if u are normal delivery, if not tired, bb sleep u hang then rest.

actuallly the 1st month is very 'critical' for u, if u able to build up supply with scheduled routine, 2nd mth alone will be easier..

if u need to pump, and bb awakes, either put her on infant stroller or rocker, pump infront of her.

lastly, yes bb will poo very often, that is why u better change to paper diapers for easy maintenance and less stress.

new moms, first few months are always very stress and tired cos of all the bb's pattern, wound pain, new routines, bm amount...etc...whenever feel stress, take a deep breath and think of others moms..who is also working very hard to do all the same things now, before (like me...) and future..for the sake of our bbs, be happy always cos they can feel your emotion...and ur brain will also more relax to produce more bm for a happy mom..

 

[lilboymum]

vivian,
DUnno if this helps. have you tried nursing in a sling? you can do a bit of otehr stuff while he nurses away..can be quite useful. of course, not all bbs take to sling. and all bbs take sometime to get used to slings, but can give a try.

 

[flower_kitten]

Hi Lee Yan,

My friend has managed to pump out about 10ml of milk which is already a good start

Thanks for your advice..

 

[william_c]

Hi All,

Juz wanna check if EBM left outside can put for how long ah before need to throw away?

Then for those who mothers tat are expressing their BM, when you go out, do you bring EBM or juz use FM instead? IF use EBM, how do you heat up outside ah?

 

[william_c]

Hi,
I would like to check if anyone has tried the hands free kit and super shields fr mumsfairy? Anyone has comments abt it?

 

[3asmum]

hi piglet,

i ever tried brought along my ebm out for 4hours without using cooler bag..need to 'hide here hide there' to prevent heat cos ebm able to stay for max 4hours under 25degC...

 

[cuddles]

vivian

as Lee Yan says, its is perfectly normal at this stage that ur bb will nurse for 10 mins n doze off, then cry for milk in less than an hr. Been there done that, my bb is 11 mths now and I have my fair share of bfg experience liao. I felt like I spent my whole 3 mths of ML just sitting in bed, bfg... My frens still say I got 3 mths of holidays to sleep and do shopping. As if!

You really need to get through this first 2 mths cos there's a lot of getting use to for u n bb. U really should let bb suckle more. Not only does it stimulate to produce more milk, it will get ur bb use to the nipple and the routine.

Bfg is not easy but neither is it that tough. But defintely a great achievement.

Btw, I am still bfg my bb. I am so good at it now, my bb doesnt wan to take the bottle! But thats another challenge for me to face later.

 

[cuddles]

L'lCY

for my work place, the code word when i need to pump is "Mama pumping" hehehe.. thats what my colleague says when they looking for me

 

[oily]

i'm partial breastfeed now, can i still go for blood donation?

 

[gohwf]

Hi Lee Yan

Now my milk supply getting more liao..as wat u say after he latched on, express out the rest, so will signal the brain 2 produce moreaso I let him latched on more often n aso express it more frequent as wellbut I hve this problem, seems like my right breast has more milk than my left, so currently I try 2 latch my son on my left side longer 2 signal 2 produce moreizzit normal?

Hve 2 somehow or rather work things out when Im alone with my son.

Thanks 4 sharing n yr encouragement

Btw u mention tat u brought ebm out for 4 hrs but then the emb is freshly express one or stored in fridge, so if those stored in fridge one, can I bring these stored milk out when I bring the bb out n then let him drink when hes hungry? if can izzit still 4 hrs? cos is cold, so I just heat it up when wanna drink rite? Then those express milk, currently I kept it in normal fridge tat can last 48 hrs, if the time is almost up, can I move it to freezer so it can last longer cos is like suddenly move frm normal compartment 2 freezer, can the ebm get spoilt?

Hi lilboymum

Oh sling har..thanks, shall give it a try

Hi cuddles

Thanks 4 sharing..

..ya lor, ppl tot the 3 mths ML we beri shiokwow, impressive 11 mths of BFkeeping my fingers cross tat I could BF as long as I could

 

[3asmum]

vivian,

great to hear ur ss increased! hip hip hurray!!

for the ebm i brought out for max 4hours is freshly expressed. if u bring those stock up ebm, u may have to put in cooler box. cos with the cold, warm temp mixed, the ebm will easily turn bad.

after freshly expressed, if u think bb can drink up within 48hours, place them in chiller rather then the normal frigde compartment. and do note, if u have more members at home, place the ebm deep in cos by open and close the frige door, may also easily spolit the ebm.

make some plan, try to know your overall per day ebm amount and ur bb consumption and work out so that u limit the ebm from transferring here and there so frequent. observe and monitor ur bb consumption, u shld be able to catch his daily demand.

for me, once i build up my supply to about 1+ litre per day, i 'control' to this amount liao so that my boy and girl will drink fresh or chill ebm, no frozen..

chiller to freezer shld not be a problem.

 

[william_c]

Hi vivian,

I found this website abt breastfeeding storage guidelines that you might find it useful...

http://www.ameda.com/milkstorage/guidelines.aspx

 

[william_c]

Hi, I'm going back to work soon..juz wondering how do we extend our pumping schedule yet maintain a decent supply ah? I'm expressing abt 120ml every 2-3hrs..but hor, the amt remains abt the same even if its 5-7 hrs...alamak..how ah?

 

[marble]

piglet,

i pump 3x daily while at office - 10am, 2pm, 6pm thereabout. i think 3x at work is reasonably good to maintain ss.

i've also discover on days when i have a good lunch (big business lunch), i can pump more the next day! so eat well!

thanks for the website. becoz ameda recommends 8 days for fresh EBM, instead of the 48 hrs which local hospitals recommend, i leave my EBM pumped on Friday for 3 days in the fridge before letting my son consume on Monday. so far so good..

 

[william_c]

Hi Marble,

The thing is my company dun hv nursing rooms lor...all of the meetg rooms hv those semi-transparent lines..so cant bf there..the only place is the secretaries room which is only empty during their lunches and when they go home abt 6pm..tinking if i shld juz do it in the toilet?

Anyway, juz to check, which pump are you using ah? My current one is the medala PIS, thinkin of getting another one to put in the office instead of carryg it everyday(so heavy!) and dunno if i shld get another PIS (which is quite ex, mine was a 2nd hand one) or shld i take up the Ameda Lactince package offered by mums fairy, with the hands free kit...

now already 2 mths into breastfeeding...so if i buy another PIS..a bit heartpain if i only BF for another 4mths..but if i dun, scared i paiseh paiseh in the office, then in e end, everyday only pump at home..then supply drop...so dilemna..alamak

 

[giftfromgod]

hi all

My boy is 3 months plus and I am a FTWM, back at work now. It's really tiring to have to express milk at work and latch boy at home / wake up at night to pump.

Anyone manage to bf for 1 year? anyone bf and still travel with kid? i really wanna go travelling end of year but dunno how to manage while still bf my boy. Sometimes he refuses to latch and will only take bottle of EBM. (This happened after I returned to work)

Just coming in here to get some support here.

 

[3asmum]

piglet,

what u need to do now is from 2-3hours lengthen to 4 hours, and see whether can maintain at 120ml.

if can, pump for 1week on this 4hourly schedule to maintain..afterwhich, lengthen to 5hourly (if this is what u want after back to work) for 1 week, and see can maintain at 120ml.

u may drop slightly but with GRADUAL lengthen, somehow able to maintain abt 100ml range. dont expect much cos u length mean u reducing pumping session, so your brain need fair treatment mah...

lastly...i m selling my PIS hehe...keen pm me.

Hi Lin,

Breastfeeding will be tougher if we are not mentally and physically prepared to take up this 'job'.

u are doing great and do continue your effort, you will get pay off one of these days. u know, just like every am, i bring my 2kids to stadium jog, there is this old uncle every time see me will say...u will get rewarded..caused he can see that my kids are happily run under the sun, able to identify this and that, most important is to maintain healthy lifestyle.

For u, by breastfeeding ur darling, u are giving him the best gift in the world. so, even tire, when u picture his satisfactory smiles, healthily growth...what more do u want from ur darling, right?

Yes, i have TBF my boy for 7mts, partial till he 17mths. my elder gal partial bf throughout due to 1st time lack of bf experience, is a pain in the neck! so the reason why i am here to blar blar blar is hoping to ease all troubled great mommies with my past experiences.

but i didnt travel before after having kids. so this i am not able to advise u. but basically, ur are luckier cos ur boy now willing to take ebm then strictly latch on, this way will really helps when u are away on trips.

what u need to do is to ask some others to bottle feed him, caused u need to prepare him that u will not be at home for a while..

as for ebm...if u can, store as much as possible before u fly. if u cant, then better start introduce partial fm to him now so that he will get use to both ebm and fm. do try to stick to a routine as of which timing give ebm, which give fm..eg. am/pm ebm, evening onwards fm. still the same words...let him get used to the changes in advance before u fly..

 

[william_c]

Hi Lee Yan,

What i mean is hor, I thought if 3 hrs = 120ml, then 6hrs not 240ml meh? Not proportionate one ah..

Anyway, i've pm you already!

 

[lilboymum]

HI Lin,
Have been travelling with my boy. first time when he was 4.5mths old. Thought it is easy to travel since he is willing to latch on. NO worries over polluted water and so on.If your boy refused to latch on, then get one of those manual avent pump, pump then feed immediately?

alternatively, can start latching him on at night now, to see if can get him back to latching on. then things will be easier when you are travelling with him.

Nearly a year!!!
---------------------
My little boy is turning one soon!!!!! yeah, just end of this month!!!so happy!!! having a celebration for myself man!!! to think i;ve been bfg him for nearly a year now!!!

But i also realised i wouldnbt have come this far without the support of many who knows so much about bfg, include mummies in this forum!!

thanks a millionz!! Little CY says thanks too, for helping mummy get through those tough times, so he can have yummy milk everyday!!

 

[fishy11]

Hi,

I've a 4 week old baby gal and I've been TBF her by latching on since birth. She's always required 45mins to 1 hour of nursing and feeds from both breast. Normally after 5-10 mins at the breast, either she starts to be fussy or she falls asleep. I find that my let down is very slow. This has caused her fussiness or she ust simply stop sucking to wait for the next let down (which could be a few mins later). Is there any way to have a faster letdown?
I've tried breast compression, it seems to help a little, but I'm wondering if the breast compression would make the baby not working hard in suckling to simulate milk production?

For the past week, my gal has been waking up very frequently at night. While she has no problem during the day as she feeds every 2 hours (from end of last feed to start of next feed), during night time, she would be crying 30-45 mins after each feed. She's always rooting for my breast when she wakes up at night. I almost had no rest at night as she would at most be sleeping for 30-45 mins and starts to fuss. I thought it is something to do with my milk supply and I fed her formula last night, but she only took 40ml and fell asleep. 40 mins later she cries again and only calm down after putting to my breast. I wonder if she's really hungry or she just wants to suckle for comfort? Strangely this only happens during night time. I also wonder if she just wants someone to carry her coz she would also fuss after 30-45 mins nap during day time, but my maid would carry/pat her during day time and she would fall asleep again. This has caused a lot of frustration and I had almost no rest at night and quite helpless on what to do.

 

[marble]

did you burp her before letting her sleep? or try burping her every 20ml coz sometimes they refuse to drink anymore if there's air in the stomach, and not becoz they are full

 

[fishy11]

Hi marble,

I've tried to burp her from time to time during feed, but sometimes she doesn't burp. Especially when she is sleepy, she hardly burp at all. I've tried different burping position, but nothing seems to work. But her tummy does look big. Does this mean that there is a lot of gas in her tummy?