Calling Belle!

[Tacori E-ring]

Well, my biggest problem is I am still using the shield. I know *tisk tisk*. My mom says not to worry since she is thriving and it has been 4 months already. Should I try to stop now? I can never get her latch right and I guess the shield is a mind thing too. I am afraid of damage (like I had in the past). Also I have been pumping more (we are leaving her for a few days with my MIL) so would that make me more sore? They feel very chapped. Part of it is she is "playing around more" Delatching to look at me which is sweet in theory but when it happens 5, 10 times in a row...it takes its toll (and makes feeding longer). I have also had SO many clogged ducts. Could that be from the shield? Also (aren''t you sorry you asked!) I can pump 4-5 oz is that normal for 4 months? TIA!

 

[belle]

Date: 3/10/2008 11:13:28 PM
Author:Tacori E-ring
Well, my biggest problem is I am still using the shield. I know *tisk tisk*. My mom says not to worry since she is thriving and it has been 4 months already. Should I try to stop now? I can never get her latch right and I guess the shield is a mind thing too. I am afraid of damage (like I had in the past). Also I have been pumping more (we are leaving her for a few days with my MIL) so would that make me more sore? They feel very chapped. Part of it is she is ''playing around more'' Delatching to look at me which is sweet in theory but when it happens 5, 10 times in a row...it takes its toll (and makes feeding longer). I have also had SO many clogged ducts. Could that be from the shield? Also (aren''t you sorry you asked!) I can pump 4-5 oz is that normal for 4 months? TIA!

tacori, first of all....forgive me, i don''t know all of your history but can you tell me why you started using a shield?
pumping will make you sore but you shouldn''t be painfully sore, just momentarilly...as in ''ouch the machine on my boob is uncomfortable'' kind of hurt. the soreness would come from the pumping action (different from effective and efficient baby suckling)
when she is unlatching, is your milk already let down or is she just playing and waiting?
it''s hard to give an amount that is ''normal''. supply and demand, as well as pumping efficiency will have a big effect. has she taken a bottle yet?

 

[Demelza]

Obviously Belle is the expert here, but I thought I would chime in on the pumping question. Based on my own experience and other women I've talked to, the amount a woman is able to pump is no indication of her actual supply. I don't know if you're concerned that it's not enough, but 4-5 oz seems pretty good to me, espeically if that's after a feed. I once pumped 5 oz out of one breast and was so excited I wanted to take a picture of it! I know some women who can pump 10 oz out of one side and some who can barely get 2 oz total. I once tried to build up a freezer supply, but I'm such a lousy pumper, that I gave up. Good luck!

PS Do you have a goal in mind for how much milk you need to have stashed away before you leave on your trip?

ETA I don't know much about nipple shields (tried it once and it didn't work for me), but I know that some women have better luck getting their babies to latch on as their babies get bigger. I know you mentioned that Tessa has always been quite small (my daughter is as well...barely in the 5th percentile), so perhaps that could account for her difficulty latching on and now that she's older and a bit bigger, perhaps she'll have an easier time. I know this is especially true for women with small babies and large breasts (don't know if that applies to you). Just a thought -- maybe Belle can comment on whether any of that is even accurate.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Dem, the 4-5 oz pumping replaces a feeding (DH feeds her a bottle). Since she has had formula already (I had to b/c she was demanding to be fed every 1-2 hours in the first few months and I could not keep up). Some weeks she has none. It all depends. I don''t really have a goal on how many. We will be gone for 4 days and I would like at least HALF the feedings to be BF. She prefers BM over formula and I don''t want it to be a shock to her system. Tessa is small. Maybe once she gets larger it will get easier but who knows. My goal is to make it to 6 months and then figure out what to do. I feel like since I am almost there I should just continue to use the shield.

Belle, I started the shield b/c the LC said I had "shorter" nipples. Now I feel like they have changed (as does everything with having a baby eh?) but she is used to the shield and would get frustrated when I would try it w/o. Also I tend to still get engorged and there is no way she can latch onto that. I have a pumping question. Is it normal for my nipple to be purple afterwards? It turns normal quickly but that always freaks me out. I have it on the lowest setting....

 

[MrsVirginia]

Sorry to butt in, but I just had to tell you (Tacori) that I started out with a nipple shield for the same reasons as you (short/flatish nipples..who knew?) and for the first 4 months used it all of the time. Everyone kept telling me the baby would get addicted to it and it would be impossible to nurse without...yada, yada, yada. Well, I just figured how much harm could it do? Worst case, you always use it. No biggie right? Well at about 4.5 months my little one just one random day unlatched, pulled off the shield and resumed nursing without it. It was very odd, but since then he has been doing it all by himself. Several times I have tried to put it back on (for my comfort) and he does the same thing. Just pulls it off! He is now almost 7 months and things are going quite well and he never used it anymore. So, I guess all I wanted to say is to do what is right for you. I think little Tessa will let you know if she doesnt need it anymore.

Hope that helps!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Thanks for chiming in MrsV! That is so funny about you son. Maybe Tessa will do that too!

 

[belle]

tacori,
first of all....gosh, i wish i could just pop over to your house and help you out! it is hard to try and get an idea of what is going on just via typed words!

one thing i was wondering though...i just noticed in your avatar pic that tessa looks like her top lip is a little red. does she get a little red line over her top lip when she is nursing? meaning...does her lip curl up/fold up when she is nursing and does it cause her to get a line of color up there?

as far as the shield goes, you absolutely have to do what is best for you and tessa. if you think you need the shield, then use it. you need to have confidence when nursing. if you don''t have any confidence and you are constantly worried about how/why/when/what during the process, neither of you will be able to relax. that said, it is my opinion, that you should keep trying to go without it. don''t do it when you are engorged and don''t do it when she is fussy. take one of those opportunities when she is doing happy smiley look up at you times and sneak the shield off. let her try a few times while she is still in that happy state. take advantage of it. if she starts getting frustrated, put it back on. it is reeeeaaaalllly important that she is latched on correctly though or you will have a never ending cycle of chapped, cracked, bleeding, aching. her upper lip should be rolled back up by her nose. and you need to make sure she is drawing in more than just the tip. top lip to nose, bottom lip to chin.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Thanks so much Belle! I never really looked if she had a line when she was done nursing. I will now! That is a good idea to sneak it off when she stops to look at me. It is funny b/c I used to ALWAYS talk on the phone when I was nursing (only time I knew for sure she would be quiet

) and it started during an animated conversation. Every time I laughed she would stop and smile back at me. I imagined she was thinking "I know you! I know that sound." but who really knows.

What about being purple after I pump. Is that normal????