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Post by ouchy on Oct 24, 2008 0:25:11 GMT -5
LMAO! Yah. There will be no "...it's better than mangoes" here. LOL! One of the big benefits I'm seeing are no ear infections. I learned about this in my audiology classes, and so far *knocks on wood*, we haven't had a single ear infection! She's also never been sick *knocks on wood again*. She had/has reflux, but that is due to a weak stomach muscle. Yayyy for breastmilk! Plus, if she has a scratch or anything, I just put a dab on her, and it's gone in no time. Works on infant acne as well!
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Post by ouchy on Oct 24, 2008 1:06:45 GMT -5
i think 1 is a good age to wean them off. obviously its easy for you to make that decsion as you dont have to work and mums that need to go back before 12 months have no choice than to do it sooner. Plenty of working moms continue to breastfeed. You can pump and then nurse when you come home from work or before you go in the morning. My friend just finished doing it for 2 years. Where there's a will, there's a way. ETA: In most states, it's law that your work has to let you take pumping breaks if you want them. They even have to provide you a private room!
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Post by anneny on Dec 18, 2008 13:08:17 GMT -5
HELP!!!
My little one is just barely 5 months old, and I'm starting to lose my milk. I've been exclusively breastfeeding until about a week ago, when he wasn't sleeping for more than 30 minutes, even at night, and so I added rice cereal by spoon before bed. This didn't decrease the amount of nursing at all.
We're headed out of town for Christmas on Saturday, so I wanted to pump a little in case he needs to eat when we're on the highway and there aren't any rest stops nearby. I pumped for 15 minutes and only got TWO OUNCES!!!! 8-O Back in October, I could pump for 10 minutes and get nearly 10 ounces.
Another problem is that I'm 10 pounds underweight, despite eating as much as I can and doing no formal exercise (just housework and taking a walk with the baby for some fresh air). Because of the baby's poor sleep habits at night, I've hardly been getting any rest at all. I'm lucky if I get 4 total hours per day, and even luckier if I get a full hour uninterrupted.
To top it all off, I have a paper for grad school that has to be substantially revised and submitted by the 23rd. If it isn't good enough, I get kicked out of the program. Very stressful, especially since I haven't been able to find time to work on it.
Christmas shopping and planning for a week away from home with a baby probably hasn't helped, either.
What should I do?
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Post by anneny on Dec 18, 2008 13:35:21 GMT -5
Oh, and by the way, my son is 17 pounds 4 ounces as of two weeks ago, so he has quite an appetite.
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Post by sequin on Dec 18, 2008 14:39:46 GMT -5
anneny, is your son hungry at all? It sounds like he's at a pretty healthy weight. If you're able to nurse your son exclusively and he's content, I don't think you're losing your milk.
The problem might be with pumping. I've found that the amount I'm able to pump varies wildly. Earlier this month I once pumped for 15 minutes and got half an ounce; this morning I pumped for 5 minutes and got two ounces. I've read that pumping has an emotional element to it, so perhaps your stress level is affecting it? Or, if you're adding an additional pumping into your day, it could just take a few days for your body to adjust to the extra pumping.
I'm not sure what kind of pump you have, but I had excellent luck with the Medela Harmony hand pump while traveling. We got stuck in a traffic jam for 5 hours on the freeway, and a couple of times I had to pump in the car while moving 5 miles an hour, and then give her a bottle. It was a pretty horrible situation, but it worked out. And, it's only about $30 or so.
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Post by anneny on Dec 18, 2008 15:58:00 GMT -5
Thanks for your response. It's a huge relief to know that you get different amounts of milk at different times.
He doesn't seem hungry, and he's been filling his diapers as usual. I think I just freaked out when so little milk came when I pumped. I have a Medela Pump in Style electric pump, and it's pretty effective. I also learned how to hand-express, and I've done that several times, though mostly to relieve engorgement or get a little milk for rice cereal.
I'm just going to renew my efforts to eat more, buy a little Guiness (my LC suggested it when I was still pregnant), and try to relax.
Thanks again for your help and support!
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Post by ouchy on Dec 19, 2008 0:13:00 GMT -5
I have oversupply/overactive letdown STILL, and I can't pump to save my a*s! I have a Medela electric Swing. I pumped for 3 days to get 3 oz! I sometimes can't even get an ounce during a 20-minute session! In the beginning, I could pump 4 oz in 10 min! You'll be excited to know that pumping is NOT an indicator of supply. Kellymom, La Leche League, any of the breastfeeding sites will echo this. I was scared when my supply "dropped" but realized she was still choking and always getting some. The only reliable indicator of supply is wet diapers. You're doing great! Keep up the good work!
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Post by ouchy on Dec 19, 2008 0:14:48 GMT -5
Oh. LOL...and I pumped those 3 ounces for baby ouchy while we went to my husband's Christmas party for work last night. We left baby with my best friend. LOL...allllllllll my hard work and an entire hour of pumping (cumulatively), and baby ouchy slapped the bottle out of my friend's hand, wanting nothing to do with my milk while I was gone!
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Post by ouchy on May 25, 2009 22:49:36 GMT -5
Well, we're here at 1 year, 7 months, and 2 days. She shows NO sign of wanting to stop. Fights with me over it, in fact. I tell her to wait until the sun comes up, "Noooooo, nooooooo!" in a sad little voice. Haha! I asked her if she has a little brother if she will share her "aah-uh" with him. She says she will....but I dunno! I asked her if she is going to nurse forever, and she said, "Uh-huh!"
When she has a meltdown/temper tantrum, it's the only thing that can calm her down. She likes to nurse while she is read to, and she turns the pages. She brings friends to the party and frequently nurses with a giant Winnie the Pooh, giant stuffed dog, and a tiny teddy from Andy Pandy. Babies in books nurse with her, and she has offered the other one to me to try, too. Haha!
The World Health Organization recommends nursing until 2. That was my original goal. Will I continue past 2? That's up to Baby Ouchy. I still am not sure on my feelings of nursing past 3. I am pretty sure I am against going past 4. Obviously, I won't be nursing a 3-yr-old in public. Will it feel weird at home, though? I guess only time will tell. It all seems weird until it is YOUR baby. It's just different.
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Post by cass on May 25, 2009 23:45:12 GMT -5
Have you tried her on the bottle?
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Post by ouchy on May 26, 2009 0:51:27 GMT -5
She hasn't had a bottle in a very long time. I don't need to give her a bottle, since I have it fresh-from-the-tap. Actually, last time she had a bottle, she wanted nothing to do with it, even though it had my milk. I'm only trying to nightwean. I'm not trying to completely wean her. Like I said, my original goal was 2 years, and I'm almost there. I'll let her decide when she's finished.
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Post by ouchy on May 26, 2009 1:35:02 GMT -5
I'm also happy about nursing (except at night). This was supposed to be a happy update.
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Post by cass on May 26, 2009 8:40:40 GMT -5
i dont see where it turned unhappy? im happy that you are happy that you are nursing i think id want my boobs back (ah hem... mosquite bites back) before the kid was 1... but i dont wanna newborn i just want to be able to have a toddler... if only it were that easy.
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Post by ouchy on May 26, 2009 9:46:21 GMT -5
Ah. Sorry. I know you're against nursing past one year, and when you suggested "Have you tried her on the bottle?" I thought you figured that would be a good way to wean her. Sorry.
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Post by ouchy on Jul 23, 2009 16:25:45 GMT -5
Cripes! Today is 1.75 years! 3 more months to go before my original, 2-yr goal, which doesn't matter so much to me anymore. She can just wean whenever she wants, but doesn't look like she's ready to stop anytime soon!
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