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Kunzite

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LV - Step away from the scale mama! Even though O was weighed daily in the hospital they made it a point to tell us that each weight didn't matter but the overall trend. Weight is something to be looked at in context of the bigger picture which is probably why your pedi isn't worried since he sees her in larger chunks of time. Logan has a good point, one big meal or poo can throw the whole thing off when you're watching so closely.
 

Loves Vintage

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LS - Yes, they use the WHO charts. I never really looked into how those are different than the prior charts. I would bet my pedi uses the old charts. He is fairly old-school, which I love because he is super-reasonable, and I am, uhm, not most of the time. They still use a mechanical scale!! Anyway, yes, she is tall too -- 22 inches at birth, not sure what she is up to now, but we've been noticing recently how l-o-n-g she seems! The thing is, I think 50th percentile is great. She looks very healthy! That was the pedi's point -- look at the whole child. I think the LC's would say the same thing, in general, but when they are looking for clues to explain the bf'g difficulty, they come up with all kinds of ideas, many of which drive me batty. I'm thinking I should probably stop going at some point!!! That's good that your doctor gave you suggestions. I'm getting off topic, but what would you put olive oil in? With veggies? Do they usually not recommend olive oil/other fats for one year olds? I have no idea . . . I don't think that far ahead!!

Allie - Do you think it's a bottle issue at daycare? Do you feed by bottle at home at all? Does he eat more at home on the weekend during those same hours that he's at daycare during the week? He does look like a very healthy little boy, so I think we have to keep all of this chart stuff in perspective.

Kunzite - Haha, you are so right about the stepping away from the scale. I wanted to buy one of those scales for home, but my husband was like, uh, let's not, okay? He knows me!! But, really, the LC's made me crazy. They were telling me to get her to eat 30 oz per day, when she was having like 23-25. So, when I would come back and say that despite trying to feed her all.the.time, she would still only eat 23-25, they were like, oh, well, just offer her more often. Hello!!!!!!! She won't eat more than that!!!!!!!!!!
 

AllieLuv83

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It is definitely a daycare issue. He has like 5 different people that try to feed him during the day, he is such a finicky bottle feeder to begin with. On the day that he is fed by a teacher that he has bonded with he will eat at most 2 3oz bottles. We do bottle feed at home. Once a day DH gives Charlie a bottle before taking him to DC. When I am away for the day and Charlie is home with DH, he eats fine for him. I don't know what it is. Right now our schedule is:
Nurse at 6am
Breakfast at 7am
Bottle at 8am - 3oz (on a good day)
Bottle at 11am -3oz (on a good day)
Bottle at 2pm - 3oz (on a good day)
Nurse at 5pm
Dinner at 6pm
Nurse at 8pm
Dream Feed at 10pm
Nurse at 2-3am]

Yes he does not look skinny but he definitely is skinnier than some babies. He is only 18lbs.
AF returned this week but knock on wood my supply is holding steady. I still pump my usual 10-12oz during the school day.
 

Puppmom

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Allie, I'm wondering if you're offering that second bottle too early after C nurses and eats breakfast. N started pushing his morning bottle later when we integrated breakfast. Based on my experience with N, I bet if you skip that 8 am feeding, C will take the whole bottle at 11. If you're worried he's not getting enough milk, I might skip the breakfast solids. In a two hour span, he's eating 3 times which probably explains his disinterest.

On the weekends, does C nurse at 6, eat at 7 and nurse at 8?
 

AllieLuv83

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On the weekends I would say he nurses the second time a bit closer to 9am. He actually goes down for his first nap at that time and he eats right before sleep, we have only recently started solids and by eating breakfast I mean he takes 4-5 bites of whatever I make him. But I am sure that still takes away his appetite. I usually also leave by 7:45 and depending of how he nursed at 6am by 7:45 he is usually whining for more. He will take a bottle of 2-3oz for Paul and then is off to DC. For instance this morning he ate pretty well at 6am but was still hungry at 8am but only ate 1oz. It is almost like he eats enough to take the edge off the hunger. It is so weird.
 

Puppmom

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Sounds like you have a snacker on your hands! Based on the schedule you wrote out, C seems to eat about the same overall as N - minus the MOTN feeding. Maybe you can try to slowly drop that to help his daytime appetite if you want. Every now and then, N will eat in the MOTN and then turn away the boob before I go to work or barely nurse.

I wouldn't worry too much about C's weight. N's a chunker - he's climbed the percentiles but I'm guessing between now and 1 year, he won't gain much. My nephew, like N, was close to 25lbs at 9 mos. Now, he's 16 months and weighs 27lbs. Mobility plays a big part and C seems like he'll be on the move soon. Hopefully, my kid will get moving soon and start burning some calories! It's so clear from your pics that Charlie is thriving. He looks sturdy and engaged and so happy. You guys are doing an awesome job!
 

AllieLuv83

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Should I try to cut the middle of the night or the early morning feed? He still wakes up hungry and will eat just not a ton. I know that early morning it is more of a comfort thing. Middle of the night he eats on one side and then slows down A LOT. Usually I have to switch sides or do breast compressions to keep him eating. How do I go about cutting a feeding? In the morning I am sure if I engage him in play and then feed him his breakfast he wont be screaming for it. On the weekends I usually bring him into bed around 5:30 and he will eat and then sleep for another 1-2 hours. Should I cut the dreamfeed? Maybe that will make him eat more at the 2-3 feeding. I only introduced the dream feed when he reverted to waking at 12am after going down at 8pm.
 

Skippy123

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Hi Mommas! This thread is awesome!!! I had my babies a month ago and they are in the NICU; I pump 9 -10 times a day to keep up with my 2 boys needs. I am EPing for them. I overheard someone talking about producing the hindmilk for their baby. How do you know when your hindmilk comes in and anyone have tips for increasing their hindmilk? or any advice; thanks so much
 

Kunzite

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LV - I just saw your post.... 30 oz!!! I'm sorry, but your LC must be a little looney. Until about 2 weeks ago O would never take more than 24 oz (and that was a really high day), he was usually around 20. Sure, some babies can down 30 oz, but some don't. Whatever her "normal" is should be fine. I honestly didn't think O could squeeze 30 oz into his little body until these last few weeks when a switch flipped and he's getting around 28. It must be a crazy growth spurt! He's starting to slow back down now and eating closer to 22 again.

Skippy!! So happy to see you mama!! I want to hear all about your LOs when you have some time. I've been in your shoes (minus the second baby, lol!) so I know how hard all of that pumping is! RE: hindmilk, you don't really switch from foremilk to hindmilk, it's just a gradual increase in the fat content. As far as I know you can't increase it. I remember asking my doctor if I could decrease the "fattiness" of my milk because it seemed to be the cause of my clogged ducts and he said you can't. He said what you make is what you make.

This is a really good article: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/foremilk-hindmilk.html
 

random_thought

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I just saw this thread and thought I would join in :) We originally tried breastfeeding, nipple shield, everything. It just wasn't working for us and took forever! Now that I'm EPing I can get 3-4 bottles worth in the time it took to BF!! Plus the LO likes getting his milk faster and seems more content afterwards :) Anyways, just wanted to say hi! :wavey:
 

Logan Sapphire

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Kunzite|1305952819|2927080 said:
LV - I just saw your post.... 30 oz!!! I'm sorry, but your LC must be a little looney. Until about 2 weeks ago O would never take more than 24 oz (and that was a really high day), he was usually around 20. Sure, some babies can down 30 oz, but some don't. Whatever her "normal" is should be fine. I honestly didn't think O could squeeze 30 oz into his little body until these last few weeks when a switch flipped and he's getting around 28. It must be a crazy growth spurt! He's starting to slow back down now and eating closer to 22 again.

Skippy!! So happy to see you mama!! I want to hear all about your LOs when you have some time. I've been in your shoes (minus the second baby, lol!) so I know how hard all of that pumping is! RE: hindmilk, you don't really switch from foremilk to hindmilk, it's just a gradual increase in the fat content. As far as I know you can't increase it. I remember asking my doctor if I could decrease the "fattiness" of my milk because it seemed to be the cause of my clogged ducts and he said you can't. He said what you make is what you make.

This is a really good article: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/foremilk-hindmilk.html

Kunzite, you can definitely take lecithin to help "thin" out your milk some, which should decrease the number of clogs you get. I used to get clogs several times a week and taking lecithin really helped. http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/lecithin.html.. Also, some people say that if you have excess lipase (as I did), lecithin can help with that too.

As to normal amts of milk drank, I hated Kelly Mom for their rule of thumb. My son drank a lot- regularly 8 oz bottles, sometimes 10, and one time 12! He usually had about 32 oz a day, but has had up to 40 depending on whether he's going through a growth spurt. Reading Kelly Mom and hearing breastfeeding moms tell me that was impossible made me feel bad and doubt myself, wondering if I was overfeeding him. So LV has people telling her she's not feeding her LO enough and I have people telling me I'm feeding DS too much! :roll:
 

Logan Sapphire

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random_thought|1305955071|2927097 said:
I just saw this thread and thought I would join in :) We originally tried breastfeeding, nipple shield, everything. It just wasn't working for us and took forever! Now that I'm EPing I can get 3-4 bottles worth in the time it took to BF!! Plus the LO likes getting his milk faster and seems more content afterwards :) Anyways, just wanted to say hi! :wavey:

Welcome Random Thought! :wavey: How old is your son?
 

Kunzite

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Hi LS :wavey: I do take Lecithin to help with the clogged ducts. It seems to work wonders although it doesn't seem to keep the milk blisters away. I'm sporting a nasty one right now..... ;( I totally agree that there shouldn't be a set "normal" amount for EBF babies. Considering how widely the composition of BM varies from mom to mom, it just doesn't make sense! Whatever your baby eats (assuming healthy grow of course) is what they need. I think the fact that O drinks so little is evidence of my super fatty milk :cheeky:
 

random_thought

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Messages
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Logan Sapphire|1305972415|2927149 said:
random_thought|1305955071|2927097 said:
I just saw this thread and thought I would join in :) We originally tried breastfeeding, nipple shield, everything. It just wasn't working for us and took forever! Now that I'm EPing I can get 3-4 bottles worth in the time it took to BF!! Plus the LO likes getting his milk faster and seems more content afterwards :) Anyways, just wanted to say hi! :wavey:

Welcome Random Thought! :wavey: How old is your son?

He will hit the 2 week mark tomorrow :)
 

tiffanytwisted

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Messages
792
Kunzite|1305983315|2927193 said:
Hi LS :wavey: I do take Lecithin to help with the clogged ducts. It seems to work wonders although it doesn't seem to keep the milk blisters away. I'm sporting a nasty one right now..... ;( I totally agree that there shouldn't be a set "normal" amount for EBF babies. Considering how widely the composition of BM varies from mom to mom, it just doesn't make sense! Whatever your baby eats (assuming healthy grow of course) is what they need. I think the fact that O drinks so little is evidence of my super fatty milk :cheeky:

What are milk blisters?
 

Puppmom

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Allie, did you end up making any changes to C's feeding schedule? Just after I posted bragging that N doesn't eat in the MOTN, he went on a tear of eating overnight for like two weeks in a row! :lol: I'm definitely noticing that he's slowing down a bit. Some days he'll only take 3 ounces while I'm at work! He still nurses often when we're together so maybe he's just partial to the boob.

Skippy, congrats on the twins! I hope you get to bring them home soon. I think the others are right about hindmilk. I think the foremilk/hindmilk balance just changes over time. When you pump into a bottle a leave it sit for a little, you'll notice the fatty stuff will float to the top. That was very weird to me at first because it makes it look like sour milk.

Tiffany, I *think* a milk blister and a clogged duct are the same thing. Someone set me straight if I'm wrong.

RT, if nursing is important to you don't give up just yet. The first few weeks are really hard for most of us. Right now it might seem like pumping takes less time than nursing. N used to nurse for like an hour and now he takes less than 10 minutes! Exclusive pumping is hard work. If you end up EPing - lots of ladies here can give you pointers. Good luck!

So I'm thinking we're going to go past a year here. I can't believe N is going to be 1 in two months! I'm not seeing any reason to cut him off so I'll probably transition him to cow's milk during the day and stop pumping at work (HALLELUJAH!) and nurse morning and night.
 

AllieLuv83

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A milk blister is an actual blister filled with milk on the skin of the areola. A clogged duct is inside the breast. I am pretty sure of this. The milk blisters as any other blister should not be popped but many ladies do pop them just to relieve the pain.

Charlie is just all over the place, he has been so sick for the last 4 months that every time I think we are breaking through with schedules he changes it up again. He is eating better at daycare, he will usually eat anywhere between 6-8oz and a solid meal. He will wake up at 5:30 and depending on how tired I am and how tired he is, he usually comfort nurses a bit and falls back asleep, depending on how he eats at that point will influence whether or not he will take a bottle for DH before going to daycare.

He has been waking up from congestion/coughing and a paci just won't do, he wants mommy and he wants boobies. So...some nights we are up 3-4 times GAH! I remember complaining that he was waking up one time and not sleeping through the night. Man I would love those 1 time wakeup nights now.

ETA: Pupp did you know that if you still nurse him 2-3 times a day he does not need to drink cows milk at all. Water is sufficient with meals and nursing morning, after work and night is enough to get them the nutrients they need. However, my guy seems like he will need a bottle of milk during the daytime so I will transition him as well. I just thought it was interesting that I read that.
 

Skippy123

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Thank you so much for the info on the foremilk/hindmilk. :wavey: Thank you for the welcome too. I am glad I am pumping but I am a bit frustrated because their feed volumes increase and I feel like I can't keep up. I only collect 650 mls (21 ozs a day).

Tiffany are you pumping for your twins? any tips?

Kunzite, aw I saw that pic of your lo on page one, you are such a good momma. I am glad your lo is home and doing well. Oh I wish we could be in touch; I read your lo was born at 31 weeks. My boys were born at 30 wks and 3 days.

Pupp, thanks; I hope they can come home soon too. that is awesome you have been bfing for almost a year; happy bday soon to your lo

thanks for this thread; it is a great support and wonderful to read through your tips
 

Skippy123

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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Loves Vintage|1303846881|2905542 said:
Ohhhhhhhhh, one more thing. Has anyone else noticed an issue with the measurement labels on the medela bottles? I pump into the plastic bottles, then pour into playtex drop-ins. The numbers are always OFF! If I pump 6 oz, then pour into the drop-ins, the drop-ins label will say 7 oz! So, last night I measured 4 oz in a regular kitchen liquid measuring cup, and poured into the medela bottle, which read 3 oz. :o So, that means I've been pumping more all along than I thought I was, which also means my baby has been eating more than I thought, which is further troubling because she has not been gaining on any consistent curve. :confused: It's very very confusing!!

LV, I noticed this too. I have the medela bottles and noticed that too.
 

Kunzite

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Milk blisters are clogged nipple pores, they look like a blister on your nipple but with milk behind them. I get a least one (sometimes more than one) every few weeks. I usually pull it off but that always leads to bloody milk. This time I sat on my hands and let it be but it still bled once it started separating on its own. I guess you can't win!

Ladies who've had thrush. I need your opinions, I can be a bit of a hypochondriac... I read that multiple milk blisters can be a sign of thrush. Surely I couldn't have had thrush for the past 6 months and not know it, right? I'm getting a little paranoid. I do have shooting pains when I get them but once the blister clears up so does the pain. Thrush doesn't clear on its own, right?

Skippy - I would love for you to get in contact with me if you ever have the time, I'm sure the admins could put us in touch. I remember very vividly how O's feeds just kept increasing right when I would get comfortable with his amounts. It was really hard near the end when we were always striving for that 80% mark so it would be considered a "full feed." So crushing when he didn't reach it just because his amount had just been upped.
 

Skippy123

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Logan Sapphire

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I always pulled my bleb off with tweezers, which I know you're not supposed to do. I couldn't take it though! Pumping didn't really seem to help so they always had to be manually removed. Fortunately I only ever had that immediate bottle with blood, so I would just chuck that one. I know they say it's ok to feed LO b/c if you were breastfeeding, you'd never know, but looking at the amt of blood in a bottle, I just couldn't do it. Gross!
 

Loves Vintage

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Kunzite - Yes, I agree with your assessment. They are a little looney! They really made me and my DH CRAZY trying to get this baby to eat more. My pediatrician also thinks they are nuts and told me to stop going there. I had already stopped going there when he gave me that direct bit of advice, however. I scheduled a special visit to discuss "her weight" with my pedi after my last LC visit, where the focus of our conversation was again "her weight". My pedi was angry for me at how they treated me and were making me feel like there was something wrong with her. According to his scale and the old charts, she's at the 65th percentile for weight, so he was truly baffled at why they were messing me with me. So, yeah, no longer hoping she will magically start bf'g now, and I am so much more RELAXED for it!! With that said, I did truly think the pediatrician at the lactation practice was AWESOME. She is very well researched, so informative and very supportive; however, she has a bunch of lc's who are, well, not her.

Skippy - Have you checked this link re: using your hands to get more milk: http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html Regarding hindmilk vs. foremilk, the pedi I referenced above advised that using your hands will help get out the much creamier milk because the cream hangs back, it's sticky and clings to the lining of the little ducts, and when you use your hands on the breasts, it breaks it up, loosens the little fat globules, so you don't have to wait until the end to get that creamy milk. I always use my hands, at every pump, and several times each pump. I've always done this because I get more milk this way, and theoretically produce more milk by emptying the breasts as completely as possible. It is also useful to massage as far back as you can. Often, really creamy milk will come out at the end of a pumping session if I massage and hold far back. You are doing a great job pumping for your LOs. I'd love to hear more about them too!

LS - It's like I said in the veggie thread, moms are easy targets. I think as long as our little ones are eating however much they want, then they are eating exactly how much they should. With that said, for quite a few months I was troubled that S was not eating enough. It is so hard to stay logical, when experts are telling you the opposite. In my case, feed the baby more, just offer her more, just offer her more often, which advice holds with it the implication that I am somehow not doing what was suggested, that I was not feeding my baby enough (talk about GUILT), that I do not offer enough, even though we were constantly (and I mean, ALWAYS) offering. When I would explain this, they would say, well, how about after a nap, do you offer then? I really felt like I was in some sort of twilight zone and wanted to bang my head against the wall because no matter what I would say, they kept asking me if I fed her at this time or that time, and yet, I kept going to see them!! So, yeah, everyone has an opinion, and they aren't always right! In fact, they can't always be right, because often, as you pointed out above, one person's advice is exactly the opposite of another person's advice!! :twirl:
 

charbie

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Hi :wavey:
I plan on BFing once this LO pops out, so I know this thread will be helping tremendously in the next few months. I will pump once I return to work (assuming all goes well on the BFing side of things). I was talking with a BTDT mommy today who is having her own LO next week (scheduled c/s) about my own plans to nurse, and she mentioned going to a La Leche League meeting before the birth of the LO. i of course looked up LLLI meetings and saw there are only 3 more meetings in my area before my EDD . :o !
She said they can be a bit "crunchy" but I wanted to see if any of you ladies have gone to a meeting or suggest this before birth?
 

tiffanytwisted

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Skippy- HI! I am pumping for my twins-a combination of nursing and pumping. I never posted my birth story as I was just two busy, I had a pretty uneventful c section, was breastfeeding although they did have some latch issues in the beginning and lost too much weight so we had to supplement formula (although not very much). At 11 days post partum I suffered post partum hemorrhage, required two surgeries (although luckily not a hysterectomy thanks to my fabulous doctor) but I lost a LOT of blood and my milk production pretty much tanked. At that point I just pumped every 2-3 hours, rented a hospital grade pump for home, started taking More Milk Plus ( a combo of fenugreek, blessed thistle, and a few other things that are supposed to increase production). The LC at the hospital thought I would lose supply completely due to how sick I was, but I've been able to build it back up and now they are getting about 4-8 oz/day of formula and the rest is breast milk. I do nurse them also- when the supply was so low they would just get frustrated and mad at the breast, which was very frustrating for me and one or both (or all three) of us would end up in tears. That was the worst part for me, was not being able to effectively nurse them. After lots of research and discussion with the LC, I did end up getting domperidome and that has helped immensely with the supply- I'm now able to nurse without all of the frustrations we were having. Usually I nurse one and give the other a bottle of pumped milk, then after I nurse I pump again. I'm still not totally thrilled with having to supplement with formula, but it is what it is; I've finally come to terms wth it for the most part- enjoying my babies is more important than dwelling over it!
How is pumping going for you, and how are the babies??
 

Puppmom

Ideal_Rock
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Charbie, I personally find the LLL ladies to be a bit intimidating - in my area anyway. Our hospital offered a really thorough breastfeeding class that was a HUGE help to me. They also had an LC on staff 24 hours per day.
 

tiffanytwisted

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puppmom|1306330811|2929834 said:
Charbie, I personally find the LLL ladies to be a bit intimidating - in my area anyway. Our hospital offered a really thorough breastfeeding class that was a HUGE help to me. They also had an LC on staff 24 hours per day.


I agree about the LLL in my area, I also find them a little intimidating. We took a breastfeeding class, which I was a little disappointed in bit the LC at the hospital has been fabulous! I also found the post partum nurses to be very helpful.
 

Skippy123

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TIFFANY your boys are so beautiful, go momma! You are doing great! How old are they now? thanks for the info. My doc won't prescribe it, only reglan. I don't want to take reglan for the weird side effects and the lawsuit that happened.

LV, wow, I wish I saw that video when I was learning to pump. I pump and use my hands. I think all NICU moms should see the video on day one. It does make a difference using your hands, I agree. I love your profile pic of your lo; she is beautiful!!!

KUNZITE, I hope to hear from you. hugs to your adorable lo.

My breasts are starting to hurt, they are a bit red; I have been trying to use lanolin more often, I am hoping they get better soon. anyone else have this issue? Yay for all the pumping mommas!
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
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Hi Skippy,

Yes, on and off, I also have intense soreness and discomfort. I find these to be very helpful: http://www.amazon.com/Soothies%C2%AE-Lansinoh%C2%AE-Gel-Pads-Pair/dp/B00005BTKP/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1306778062&sr=1-2.. Medela also makes a similar product, which I like slightly less. These are really very healing when you have sore, cracked nipples from a poor latch, but I have also found them helpful/healing now that I am EP'g. The only downside to these are that you have to rinse well after you take them off, which only adds another step to the pump process. I've also tried Motherlove nipple cream, which is very soothing, but didn't really help with healing. In other words, the soreness was not lessened the next time I pumped, but it was soothing to use after a pump.

Another thing you could try is the next size up shield. Sometimes switching up the shields lessens discomfort. I've heard people will switch every pump or every few pumps.

There is also a ton of useful information here: http://forums.ivillage.com/t5/Roll-...-p/116687945/message-uid/116687945#U116687945 They suggest using olive oil just before pumping.

Hope that helps! :wavey:
 

drk

Brilliant_Rock
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I'm afraid the only thing that made my nipples less sore was cutting down the number of times a day I was pumping. Apart from that, the girls were red and sore for months, with a blood blister on one which just wouldn't heal.
I finally finished pumping about a month ago. I waited till K hit 12 months, then cut back to once a day (after tapering my domperidone), then to once every two days, and then I waited 3 days to pump and figured I'd wait until things felt full again after that. I never felt particularly full again. I had a couple lumpy spots that I'd hand express a little bit out of after that for comfort, but that was it. It was certainly bittersweet. Now I've still got a few bags of frozen BM to mix with milk to help her transition to whole milk (worked great, though I was worried it wouldn't), but other than that we're done with breastfeeding. That was by far the hardest part of the first year of K's life. I don't know if I could do it again if we ever have a second.
 
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