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Post by Tiff on Mar 9, 2008 17:18:16 GMT -5
Hopefully I am posting this in the right area. Alright I was told by many people including my Dr. that as long as I breastfeed I am more then likely not going to get my period back, which means not as much pain from endo. I have been breastfeeding for over 3 months now and since day one been having pain from endo. Over the last few weeks it has been getting worse and now I am seeing a light pink in my discharge. I think I am about to start. I am so upset that I might be starting and am so confused. ???Lately we have had to give her more bottles so my husband can feed her while I am at class. Could I be possibly starting because I am not breastfeeding enough? And if so is it possible that if I do start my menstrual cycles again I could stop it if I start pumping more and producing more milk? I can really use some good advice here because I would do anything to keep my periods away as long as possible to avoid the pain.
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Post by ouchy on Mar 9, 2008 18:39:40 GMT -5
Hey, tiff!!! Definitely sounds like you might need to feed more. Are you pumping for the bottles you are giving her? Theoretically, if you get your prolactin level up more by making more milk, you should stop periods. I think I just ovulated, though. I have no idea. I'm really pissed bc we co-sleep and everything. I so hope I don't start! I say just feed as much as possible, and if you're not co-sleeping, start a.s.a.p. My girl nurses 3 or 4 times during the night! We both pretty much sleep through it, but the more you nurse, the less likely you are to have a period.
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Post by Tiff on Mar 9, 2008 18:58:38 GMT -5
yeah I am pumping the bottles I am giving her but I dont pump as much as she would drink from me. So when I pump i dont produce as much.
Do you think if I start my period and i produce more I can get it to stop again?
What is co-sleeping? My daughter sleeps throught the night so she does not need to be fed in the middle of the night unless i wake her. Should I be waking her?
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Post by ouchy on Mar 9, 2008 23:45:45 GMT -5
My friend started getting her period and then started pumping more and didn't get it again for like 7 months after that.
Co-sleeping is where the baby sleeps in bed with you. Breastfed babies who co-sleep don't sleep through the night until they're like 4 years old (or as long as you're producing milk)--they smell the milk and wake themselves (very lightly wake) to nurse several times through the night. It is possible that those night feedings are just the token to stop your periods?
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Post by Tiff on Mar 10, 2008 14:59:04 GMT -5
Oh my gosh i dont know if I could do that. My bed is for my husband and I.... I would be so worried about rolling over on top of her. Plus I am such a light sleeper I dont know if I would ever get any sleep doing that. I started pumping after every feeding in hopes it will make more production, and I also called my lactation consultant who said to not go any longer then 6 hours at night with out pumping or feeding. So after talking to my husband about co-sleeping..........and him being against it I guess I will set an alarm to get up in them middle of the night to pump.
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Post by Tiff on Mar 10, 2008 15:02:38 GMT -5
Ouchy, Your friend did stop her period by pumping more? I will def. start pumping more after and in between feedings to get my production up. especially after hearing that.
I was also told that you can still ovulate even with out a period while breastfeeding. My dr. told me that just because you are not having periods and breatfeeding does not mean you can't get pregnant. So obviously there must till be a chance of ovulation with out periods.... I guess.
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Post by ouchy on Mar 10, 2008 16:36:35 GMT -5
Nope. that is NOT how it works! You can ovulate and not get a period while breastfeeding, if you get PREGNANT during that cycle! Once you ovulate, you either have a period or get pregnant. I am hoping that is what your doctor meant--that you can ovulate and get pregnant on your first ovulatory cycle and wind up not having a period (because you would be pregnant). If not, he needs to go back to school! As for co-sleeping, if you are a light sleeper, you'd be a great co-sleeper! We were scared at first, but ecologically, babies are meant to co-sleep. Also, the composition of the milk is meant for co-sleeping (watery that breaks down quickly). All mammals co-sleep. We're also mammal animals. A lot of women actually find they sleep better when co-sleeping. I bet getting up to pump will get old. An easy way to ease in to it would be to bring her to bed with you in the early morning when you would get up to pump. Instead of pumping, try side-lying to nurse in bed. I bet you both fall easily asleep.
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Post by ouchy on Mar 10, 2008 16:38:10 GMT -5
WARNING, tiff! If your supply is great for her right now, it might be wise to avoid extra pumping if you can (My friend was working full-time when she upped the pumps.). You can run the risk of something we have gone through--oversupply and overactive letdown. It can make your baby actually quit nursing, have extreme gas, and green, watery/frothy stools!
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Post by anneny on Mar 10, 2008 17:08:41 GMT -5
I'm due in July and haven't decided whether to co-sleep, though I definitely want to breast feed. I have most of the usual worries--rolling onto the baby, not being able to snuggle with my husband as much, not having enough room in our bed, the baby getting tangled in the covers and suffocating--it rund the gamut from personal to doomsday.
Do you have any advice on how to overcome these fears? I figure that the baby will end up in our bed some nights anyway, and we don't put him in his own room for at least a year. What do you think about those baby beds that attach to your mattress so the baby is constantly within reach but has his own space? Seems like a good compromise to me, but I don't know.
Thanks! (And it's good to be back!)
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Post by Tiff on Mar 10, 2008 17:31:21 GMT -5
Yeah anneny I have all the same fears. I have put her in bed with me on mornings I am extra tiered to side nurse her, but not til after my husband has gotton out of bed and I can not sleep. Our bed is a little small and there really is not much room for an extra. One morning I put her in bed with me to nurse while he was still in bed and he was so uncomfortable he just got up, how do you get around that when you co-sleep? My husband and I are also worried that it will ruin our "private time" what do you do with that ouchy?
That might be what the dr. meant and I just misunderstood her. She told me not to use breastfeeding as a contraceptive so she was probably refering to getting pregnant before I relize I am ovulating again. Thanks for clearing that up ouchy. I dont need to worry about that too much any way because i went ahead and got the Para Guard IUD
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Post by ouchy on Mar 10, 2008 17:32:10 GMT -5
Congrats, anneny!!! And welcome back! We borrowed a friend's Arm's Reach Co-sleeper www.armsreach.com/ , but she wouldn't sleep in it, even though she was nearby. It could be because I did lots of skin-to-skin and wound up sleeping sitting upright with her on my chest for the first week (when she wouldn't sleep in the co-sleeper). We then bought a Snuggle Nest from BabiesRUs. She would sleep a little in it. It's a bed that goes between you and your husband so that she's in bed with you..but in her own bed? www.snugglenest.com/ She still preferred to sleep right next to me, though. I'd prop her up on my pillow w/ one arm under it, the other arn would be cuddling her, and i'd lock her in to place w/ my forehead resting on her cheek. She now just sleeps on my pillow next to me. My husband & i thought it would get old, but we actually love having her in bed w/ us. we love waking up to her smiles, & he never even knows when she wakes to feed. 1/2 the time I dob't, either! sorry for mistakes. i'm typing w/ 1 hand
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Post by ouchy on Mar 10, 2008 17:33:08 GMT -5
brb to type more. diaper change
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Post by Tiff on Mar 10, 2008 17:36:18 GMT -5
I dont think I am oversupplying because when i pump i am not getting nearly as much any more. And my milk seems to be getting kind of watery and not at white as it use to be. My daughter Emmi has an intolerance to protein in cows milk, so I was told that i can not eat dairy anymore so it does not get to her. But the lactation consultant told me that the fat in dairy is what puts fat in your breast milk. Do you have any suggestions to what else I could eat to help supplement.
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Post by ouchy on Mar 10, 2008 17:43:04 GMT -5
That is not true about dairy putting the fat in your milk! It's the amount of calories you eat that puts fat in your milk! NOt enough water= not enough milk (one of the reasons), not enough calories= not enough fat. I also can't eat dairy bc of the protein issue...and I still have fat. Basically, eat healthy, and you'll be okay fat-wise.
I was trying to say that if you get your supply up with a pump when you don't need to, you run the risk of oversupply and overactive letdown.
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Post by ouchy on Mar 10, 2008 17:46:35 GMT -5
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