New Mommy Breastfeeding - Help

Discussion in 'Post Pregnancy Care' started by BeingSoulful, Mar 15, 2019.

  1. BeingSoulful

    BeingSoulful Silver IL'ite

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    My angel was born 5days ago, nothing has ever made me feel so empowered & happier. With this comes all the other factors associated with child birth, i was sore first two days with no BM. Hospital provided formula milk and she was doing fine. Day 3 i was able to see my BM, i tried feeding her & she just doesnt want to latch. With so much crying, DH & MIL insisted on giving formula milk to soothe her. I am pumping BM, providing in bottle plus providing formula to satisfy her hunger. On our first pediatric appointment (Day 3 after birth), everything looked fine, her weight & number of wet diapers.

    I still try to put her on the breast first in every feed, make her cry as much & then give up to provide the bottle. My body is still recovering, i am spending time pumping, trying to feed her, feed her when she is up, diaper changes, soothe her back to sleep. I am not able rest at all. I have DH helping, MIL cooks & provides minimal help on baby.

    As a first time mom, i am still learning what works for me & my little girl. I am getting worried she will get comfortable with bottle & not come to me for milk. Any advice/input from all you mommies is great help. I want to hear any similar experiences & stories. I am also working with lactation to make things better. Please pour in some motivation my dear ilites.
     
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  2. GeetaKashyap

    GeetaKashyap IL Hall of Fame

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    Congratulations!

    Motherhood is all about trials and errors. Many old practices are no longer popular. Maybe some new mom can share with you the modern trends and myths!

    Grab some rest as and when you can, slowly you will settle down in your new role. Ensure to look at every experience with wonderment and enjoy it thoroughly. Take plenty of photographs in all conditions. All the best to your lo and you.
     
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  3. DDream

    DDream Platinum IL'ite

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    Congratulations.
    Yeah its lot of work. I am sure you know that breast milk wont set in the first week. It take more than 1-2 weeks for it to sets in. Its such a dramatic change. ( it was for me at least). I have gone through the latching issues and other things you mentioned. I took more than 1 month to properly get the latch (second time its was smooth). Some times it was fast, other times, took more than 10-15 minutes to get latch. As you and baby are new into this :), it take time. The shape of the nipple also change with Bf, that make it easier. But I suggest you to try latching and feeding as much as you can. Also every 2-3 hours to improve supply. It help your milk production, if there is no demand, there wont be any supply. So do that first.

    Also create schedules like every 2-3 hours. I used to write down, every thing like diaper change, feeding time etc.. That helped me to form a schedule of feeding plus sleep. Its not good to give formula full time as it can create nipple confusion. My son had this issue. People suggest that to prevent baby from crying, but if you dont latch your body dont get the message to supply more. Please dont give up. In that case milk production will reduce. IMO first two weeks are important. Good that you are also trying B pumping, that also helped me.

    In my case I have supplemented using liquid formula in the first two weeks, especially nights,one or two times per day only, rest of the time went for BF. It was done to get some sleep as my body was so weak & sore.

    Slowly you can fix that time and dh can help to feed baby while you take rest. But keep on trying latching and feeding, only then supply increase to the needed amount. For latching , hold your baby in different positions with each breast. Soon both of you find the right way. Always sit and give milk. Use proper support. Lying down and feeding is not good at this stage (chocking hazard). One more thing, as long as you feed your baby full time your period wont come back ( may be after 6 month -1 yr or more depends on people). But if period starts again your bm supply will come down.

    Try to sleep whenever your baby sleeps (yes! you can do it). Or ask some one to take care of baby for two hours while you sleep. It helps. you will receive lot of suggestions from dh , MIL & others, but listen to your body and take efforts to latch and feed. Close your bed room door, if that make it easy. Try to eat well, drink lot of water and sleep as much as you can. Continue taking your prenatal vitamins as long as you bf . You can do it. By trial and error and experience you will become an expert soon. Enjoy those precious moments. No formula can give those precious moments during BF. Its so unique. You will enjoy more when your baby starts smiling at you (usually by 3 months). Keep on trying and feeding dear OP. Take care
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2019
  4. Emarald

    Emarald Silver IL'ite

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    My mother used to give kheer with cracked wheat, soaked funegreek seeds, jaggery, dryfruits etc. Funegreek really helps producing more breast milk. It's lot of struggle first week. Keep trying baby and pump also. There are some organizations who help voluntarily to new moms for this specific reason. Try to Google for that.
     
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  5. Ammu2886

    Ammu2886 Gold IL'ite

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    Congratulations ☺️

    It's just a week after your delivery.Do not worry if you are not able to produce enough BM at this stage.
    It may even take a month.All you can do is keep on latching as the more you latch the more the possibility of milk secretion.

    Your baby does not want to latch - She is also learning to latch..keep trying..
    When you feed her try feeding from both
    Do Not stick on to one at a time...make sure you have a good back support.
    For initial days make the feeding more regular .You keep Breast feeding her..First let her latch well..And after 15 miNutes if you feel she is not able to the go for bottle feed...When she is as sleep keep pumping so that you can provide her for the next feed.
    Also,you need to feed the baby for minimum 20 minutes.

    1.You can chew some ajwainseeds if not boil in water and drink water.
    Jeera water is also good in producing BM.
    Avoid tea or cofee for atleast 2 months.

    2. include drumstick/drumstick leaves in your diet.

    3. Methi seeds is the best to consume in any form.As it is bitter you may try a dessert with Methi seeds+rice+jaggery+ coconut+elachi .

    4.Apples and Oats are good.

    5.More than anything sleep when your baby sleeps.

    6.If i ask you not to take stress I feel it comes as a package for a new mom. but avoid stress as much as possible.The more the stress you take the it can affect your BM.

    7.Take Hot showers with a good massage.This will definetly increase the supply.

    8.Have almonds in any form.

    9.Garlic is good for milk production.You can have 2 to 3 cooked in coconut milk or roasted in ghee.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2019
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  6. Paripoorna

    Paripoorna Gold IL'ite

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    Dear OP,
    Congratulations.




    As a first time mom, i am still learning what works for me & my little girl. I am getting worried she will get comfortable with bottle & not come to me for milk.[/QUOTE]
    This could be true in some cases. My collegue faced a similar issue and had to pump the BM for 1 year.
    What you are doing right now is good. Help your kid to latch. Try try and try on every feed. If you have to pump the BM it is going to be really tough. Check your nipple . Hold it and help your little one. Unless you practice this in the first few days it becomes tough after 10 15 days as baby would get used to bottle. Dont worry that baby cries. But make the effort.
     
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  7. Kabinah

    Kabinah New IL'ite

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    Dear soul
    My doc advised was avoid stress and take adequate rest.
    Drink atleast 2 litres of water everyday.
    Two glasses of milk morning and night.
    Continuethe same diet u took during pregnancy.
    Carrots,potato,dates and protein rich foods worked for me.methi and jeera helps but it induced diarrhoea for me.so check it out for yourself.
    Try ur best to provide her breast milk.
    My first son was both breast and bottle fed but he preferred breastfeeding and I did not have enough breastmilk.Each baby is different.u will get to know her better. Don't get stressed .
     
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  8. BeingSoulful

    BeingSoulful Silver IL'ite

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    Thank you! I wish i could enjoy this time as much i wanted to, with feeding issues it has just been overwhelming.
     
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  9. Brevity

    Brevity Gold IL'ite

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    For latching trouble try to latch when baby is not completely frustrated with hunger. Do it when she is 45 min to an hr after a 2 ounce feed of expressed milk or formula. A lactation consultant can surely help. But here is what helped me. Try to flatten breast to make nipple more accessible to the baby. Also touch the sides of the baby's mouth to get it wide open before offering the breast. Wide open mouth is needed for a good latch.
    Skin on skin time will also improve your baby's latching reflexes especially during these early days.

    Try when both you and baby are relaxed. Enroll your husband's support. See videos and read articles with him that stresses on breastfeeding.

    In the end, try your best. A happy new mom is more important than a stressed and feeling guilty new mom.
     
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  10. YoGirl

    YoGirl Gold IL'ite

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    Congrats OP! First time mom can be challenging. Following worked for me( for second baby):

    1. Drinking 2 glasses of milk per day
    2. Soaking fenugreek overnight and mixing them with food or eating it just like that.
    3. Garlic roasted and mixed in rice
    4. Stress free( very hard.. but should try)
    5. Comotomo bottle in USA .. this totally avoids nipple confusion.
    6. Only few spoonful of milk is enough for a week baby. Realise this. Your boby knows how much and what time to produce milk.
    7. ‘Breastfeeding support group for indian mothers’ FB grp. This was a life saver. Cleared soo many myths that our parents and grandparents force on us during this time.
     
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