Breastfeeding Support Group

Ariselim

Do we have to "empty" our breast after feeding if the milk flow is more than my gal demand? Cos i feel so full before the next feeding.
 


jasmine,
better to empty the brs after feeding. if still left milk behind body will take it tat ur baby dun need so much milk and hence ss will decrease. if after first feed u still feel ur brs got milk, then brs still not empty after subsequent feedings body will get the signal dun have to produce so much milk. if u have so much milk n ur girl is drinking well, then can choose not to pump out the remaining n then let body get used to the demand.

coca,
it is not a bad thing to give fm n somemore only give 1 feed a day. but how many meals of solid is ur girl taking and how many milk feeds per day? my boy is 15mths already. i m still bfg him as i dunno how to wean him off. i only latch him on in the evening n at night. in the day he will be taking solids n fm. i tbf him till he was 1yr old as he rejected fm. tat time my ss was quite low so no choice he had to make do with lesser milk. so glad he takes gain IQ well as it is sweet n taste much better compared to follow-on fm.
 
Jasmine,
if i feel full n didn't pump out even aft bb nurse, my milk ducts will be blocked aft a few feeds. So usually i pump out a bit to relieve engorgement n prevent blocked ducts.
 
Hi mini,

Ya i agree to that. At 1st very reluntant to give fm cos thinking of tbf her for at least 1 yr. But ss went down so no choice, maybe is time to let her get use to fm. Now she take 1 meal of cereal (abt 2 tablespoon)and 6 to 7 milk feed/day (abt 5 oz each).
Guess at her age, milk feed still very impt so only give her 1 meal solid per day. Moreover she can't eat much, will try to vomit out if too full.
If you have no reason to wean your boy off, it is better to bf him as long as possible. I will try to wean my gal off when she's around 1yr old, cos may be changing job and not good to express milk at work place.
 
Hi mummies,
I'll be going back to work next week and I plan to express milk in office. So far, I've only seen KKH selling cooler bags and ice packs. Where else can I buy these from? Do Kiddy Palace or Metro sell them?
 
Hi zyp,

I gt mine fm MIM, the coleman cooler bag & 2 ice-bricks that can act like a fridge (EBM can be kept in there for @ least 12 hrs) if u hv no fridge in office.
 
hi ladies,
for t hose mommies on total breastfeeding..when starting to introduce bottles to babies, did bb reject bottles? mine quite fussy over which nipples to use..been trying out a few even NUK but so far he only drinks a bit from pigeon perislatic teat.. now going to try B'free feeding nipple..wanted to get playtex nipples but can't find it. Any idea where to get playtex products?
 
kristen, yes... my baby rejected bottle too... it's normal... i dunno where to get playtex teats... but why do u want to keep changing teats? stick to one type so ur baby will get used to it... to me, all teats are the same...
 
jen jen,
dunno ler..my hubby colleague said she changed a lot of teats..told him must find one bb likes the best...so we followed lor..u know lar..being first time mum..eveyrthing also gong gong..people said what we also follow...actually quite true shld just let bb stick to one teat...previously he took avent teats...
 
my gal using avent teats... at first also dun like... then use nuk was ok for a while... but later realised leak a lot... back to avent ok... but throughout all got bottle rejection all the way till now... finally starting solids... SPOON rejection (if cereal, water is ok)!! rather take bottle... wahaha... very funny...
 
jenjen, haha...got spoon rejection one ar? so now she takes solid using bottle? i use pigeon peristatic teat on him..he will take even from me...this morning i tried he took 100ml then happy and smiled already..but i dunno why the infant care centre said he din like..so far we din haf problem wif the teat...so the infant care centre bought a new b ottle and teat for hima n said he prefers that..but if i see the record of milk intake..i think he took all the milk most probably coz he is starving...dunno whether i shld insist to let him take the pigeon peristatic teat but scared he will starve there..then again if try so many he will be more confused right?

jasmine, doc said no need..last time i never burped bb coz he took so long to burp..onli when he 2 mths or so he burped more easily then i start to burp him after every feed unless it's night time. Din want to risk waking him up..but now even if i dun go burp him..he will burp by himself...
 
Hi ladies,
Can I join this thread?
Need some help here. My boy was born prematurely at 34 weeks. He didn't know how to use his jaw muscle when he was born, so we got to rely on the hospital staffs to train him using milk bottle. Now he master the technique, he refused to suckle my breast. I tried training him and finally gave up last week. I only gave him the expressed breast milk. I wasn't sure if it is my imagination, but I notice the milk supply decreased (from more than 100ml each time to less than 40ml today)
Any tips from you ladies on how can I increase the expressed milk supply? I'm still trying to pump every 3 hours.
Thanks
 
Hi pageup, don't give up. Pumping regularly at 3 hour intervals is good. Milk supply takes about 4-6 weeks to be established, so just persevere. Get more rest, relax, drink lotsa water. Did U check if your pump is working properly? Perhaps on that day, your pump is not working well, and that's why there is a sudden drop. Helps to massage your breast also.
 
Hi pageup, maybe u wanna to try the pigeon peristaltic nipple. I think it will help to train him not to be lazy when suckling. Pumping regularly is not bad already but you nee dto drink more water and rest more too. As LN said, check that you pump is working ok.
 
Hi...
Any experienced BF mothers who had inverted nipples & BF successfully? Can u pls share if it's a hinderance to BF? How to overcome the inverted nipple prob?

Does it mean that if your breast does not increase very much in size during pregnancy, you will hv lesser BM? Bcos can tell that Zoe Tay's breast has increased at least 2-cup size and she has over supply of BM aft birth.
 
Hi,

pageup, pumping not the same as bf. key to pump is having gd letdowns. do u have problem with letdown? u can try looking at yr baby's photo to simulate letdown. u can also try checking with yr lactation consultant (they specialise on bf & r experienced) for appointment to latch on yr baby correctly or contact breastfeeding mother support gp for help.

pinkcitron, u should contact yr lactation consultant at the hospital a few mths before delivery for help. they have an apparatus... i forgot what name to "draw" out the nipple. not to worry so much... when milk comes in, the breasts will become bigger esp when they r full. u can ask yr lactation consultant if u r in doubt abt bf.
 
Hi,
I'm new in this thread. So good that most of you can get so much from expressing BM.My baby is going 2mths, first 6weeks (70% BF, the rest FM) now total breastfeeding but just enough for the day. During day time will pump out the BM, about 4-5oz(40mins at least) so only enough for 1 feed. As i m going back work in 2 weeks time, still have not stored any, please kindly advise what should i do to increase the milk flow? i now pump 3hourly since 3weeks ago...
Really need you gals advise coz dun want to stop & hope baby can have BM when i back to work...
Thank you
 
hi Star2,

may I know whether the expressed milk will be consumed during the day? if it is not, u can try to freeze it. If u store 4oz perday, you will have 14x4oz, I think enough for 2-3 day time feeding. When u are back at work, u can express in the office for the next day's feeding...
 
Hi mummies,
I am new to this thread.. Have just given birth to my gal on 30 June and am aiming for TBF for at least 6 mths.. Currently I am coping well cos I do have sufficient supply for my gal.

I do have a question regarding the "lifespan" of EBM. Some said that frozen EBM can be kept for as long as 2-3 months. When i asked the nurses from the nursery, they told me that frozen EBM can only be stored up to a max of 2 weeks. Some magazines state 2 months, some others state 2 weeks. So which is true??
 
serrich, congrats on ur achievement so far... some reports even say FEBM can store up to 6 months... but in "deep freezer" hor... i store up to 2 months... but depends on baby cos thawed FEBM has a metalic smell and taste and some babies dun like... my bb dun like anything more than 1.5 months... so i thrown away many packs...
 
Jen,
It must have been hard on u.. Having to express so much in access and ended up throwing it away cos bb dun like the taste. Anyway, thanks for the advice. I will keep a look out how my gal reacts to FEBM that has been stored for quite sometime.
 
serrich, yah... i'm sure i threw more than 50 packs of 180ml oredi... haha... i more sim tia the milk bags... hehe...
 
Hi ladies,

Thanks for your suggestions. I finally found the problem. It is the electric pump (I shouldn't mention the brand) which is dying. I have switch to a manual pump now, it is tiring for my poor hand but the flow is much better.

I still haven't succeed in making him suckle, he is just too lazy. The longest he ever stay latching on is 10 mins, afterwhich he will start crying pitifully until we give in and give him the bottle.
 
star2, you may like to try the following to increase yr supply 1) latching on your baby to direct bf. 2) dual pumping 3) massage before pump to encourage let down 4) drinking hot milo before you pump
 
Hi mummies,

Need some help ...
I am new to this thread.. had given birth to my boy on 24 June and so far unsucessful in latching or electric pump. I've no milk and engorgement todate. Is there help for me?
 
beanbox, difficult to advice u over the net... best advise i can give is go and see the lactation consultant at the hospital u delivered in...
 
Hi MH,
Can't freeze any yet coz once pump baby will drink it. Just wondering how come some of you your flow so much?

Hi sarah,
I let baby latch on during the nite feeding & pump during the day & feed him bottle. Now using medela single pump. ya, got massage & even during pumping. You mean drink hot milo will help with the flow?
 
star2: u are not feeding baby directly? for me, I will feed my baby directly from one side and will pump the other side. If u really want to increase supply fast, direct latching is the best way. You can see the result in 2 to 3 days.
 
star2, try MH's method (tandem pumping). I find it very effective. I used this method to incr ss for my gal after I started working.
 
Hi MH & Giggler,
Wat you mean by tandem pumping-(Feed one side & pump the other)?
But baby dun seems to get enough if i feed one side. I have tried b4 feed one side & pump the other, the flow like alittle only.
So sad, my flow decrease again, dun know what happen...
 
Hi star2,
The best way to increase supply is to increase demand eg. through more suckling or pumping. Direct latching is the best way coz we dun regard pump & baby in the same way. We can let down better through direct latching than pumping.

Some say food also help eg. hot milo, papaya fish soup. But it doesn't work for everyone.

Can also ask yr lactation consultant for advice.

Hi beanbox,
Agree with Jen. Do ask yr lactation consultant for advice asap.
 
MH,
when doing tandem pumping, need to pump both side ? or 1 side will do ?

I hv been direct latching all these while, but ss still the same
sad.gif
 
star2, I find that stress is a factor to cause reduction in ss leh. So try to relax ok?

shane, tandem pumping means you pump one side at the same time while u feed bb at the other side.
 
for me, I pump the other side after feeding the baby.

Shane: no need to worry, maybe ur baby is a small drinker that's why ur breasts has been conditioned to produce that much? My girl also small drinker, she drank at most 120ml of the EBM at one session even when she is 6 months old. The troublesome part is they need more frequent drinking.
 
thks gals.
think i need to rephrase my qn. I mean after feeding 1 side and pumping the other, do i need to switch sides ?

sarah,
my baby is 3 weeks old.

MH,
i don't think she is a small drinker ley. Infact the opposite. at 1 week old, she can drink 90ml of FM after being latched on for 40 mins. Even PD also say, quite alot for her.

giggler
how soon did u see the increase in ss after starting on tandem pumping ?
 
shane, if u switch bb, then switch sides lor... if not, u can alternate sides per session... eg now latch left, pump right... next feed in 2 hours latch right, pump left... like that then will kind of "balance" out...
 
shane, I cant remember leh. But at least tandem pumping helped me to ensure that I got enuf milk for my gal for the next day. My ss dropped after I started working and it got worse when my menses came.
happy.gif


Jen, do u still bf your bb? Me trying to wean off liao cos I afraid that it may get harder to wean as my gal grows older.
 
giggler, yes... i'm still BF... my gal is only 7 months... i dunno how long i can hold out now cos my ss seems to have drop...
sad.gif
 
Jen,
thks... i doing the 'balancing' act now, bb always fall asleep after 1 side. Btw, last time so u hv 2 bf ur bb for as long as 1 hr ?

u v gd liow, 7 mths... i wonder i can tahan so long or not ...

Giggler,
Thks. i seem to get more from tandem pumping as well. the let down is better.

gals,
any way 2 trigger let down ? i can only achieve thru tandem pump. If i just pmp normally. it's v hard 2 get the flow coming.
 
shane, u may want to try bf first, then pump at every of yr baby's feed for at least 6 times per day (so something like 3 hrly). u can try dual pumping which is more effective than single pump, massage & hot milo. my friend uses this mtd to increase her supply.
 
Jen, 7mths is very good liao.
happy.gif


shane, I find that I can achieve let-down if I think of my gal. Also, tandem pumping will def get let-down lah.
 
sarah,
thks...I pump out very little if i bf my bb first than pump. tt y i tandem pump then i can get some out from 1 side.

Giggler,
I also try to look at my bb or think of her but no success yet. Will keep trying. Yup, tandem pump easily got let down. More encouraging for me.
 
shane, starting is like that... last time i tandem also more... if single only can't even get 60ml... it will be better after ur ss establish around 6~8 weeks... so hang in there...
happy.gif
 
Hi mommies,

I'm new to this thread
happy.gif
I thought I'd share my excitement at discovering fenugreek.

The story goes that I've always had a good supply and stashed away about 200 bags of frozen milk already until my freezer was full. I was even contemplating throwing the old ones out. Then suddenly last month my baby (4 mths old) had a flu. She had a fever for 1 wk. It developed into bronchitis and she was hospitalised for 4 days. During which I also caught the flu from her. Baby being sick didn't have much appetite hence she sucked much less and my supply dropped drastically. Coupled with my stress and illness my supply never recovered. At times I massaged and squeeze both breasts so hard I can only collect 2oz in total. In a brief period of 2 wks more than half my freezer stash is gone, left with less than 100 bags. I was haggard, worn out, and lost 3kgs.

Well, in desperation I bought a can of fenugreek and took 3 caps last nite. This morning I collect 7 oz from just one side while tandam nursing my baby on the other. This is my supply before (my baby drinks abt 1000cc per day). I'm soooo relieved, feel so much better in knowing I still have milk and dun have to stop BF
happy.gif
The first day in a month I've a good reason to smile
happy.gif


So, moral of story:
1. Don't throw away your freezer stash. If u've too much use the old ones and freeze new ones. You NEVER know when a rainy day comes.

2. Have medical insurance to cover your kid. My baby's hospital bill came up to $3K.

3. Try fenugreek if your supply drops. I've been taking a nursing break constantly nursing baby but supply did not go up much. I've tried pumping very often still no avail. Have also been drinking lotsa milo and eating oatmeal still nothing. You can say fenugreek saved me!
 

Jen,
ok...hanging in there...just hope i don't hang myself first ... ha ha .... will try my best lah. But it's a tough journey man ...
 

Back
Top