A million BF questions

I am having major anxiety over BF. Each night I dream up a million questions. If you can answer any I would greatly appreciate it.

1. When baby is first born how do you know how much they are eating? Will I actually feel the milk coming out as baby eats? I am really worried about baby not eating enough.

2. Did you supplement with formula right away until your full supply came in?

3.Each time you nurse, do you nurse on both sides? If so, for how long on each side?

4. At what point do you start pumping? Is this from day one, or do you wait a while?

5. I have read about horrible breast infections. What is the best way to avoid these?

I know I have more questions, but this is what woke me up in the middle of the night. Thanks for your help.

Re: A million BF questions

It will be even more overwhelming when the baby arrives, so don't even stress yourself out with it now!!

1. When baby is first born how do you know how much they are eating? My DD wasn't getting enough because my milk supply hadn't come in yet. She wasn't latching properly either so OUCH that hurt. But we figured it out with help from the nurses. You just have to make sure you are dedicated because the first few weeks are very hard and overwhelming, then it become very easy.

2. Did you supplement with formula right away until your full supply came in? I would the next time. I didn't want to this time and she ended up getting jaundice because she wasn't getting enough from me so I had to give her formula the day we left and she had to keep getting jaundice tests to check her levels. I continued to supplement at home for sanity purposes!

3.Each time you nurse, do you nurse on both sides? They say 15 minutes on each side. My ped told me they get what they need the first 5 minutes and the rest is additional nutrients or just comfort and hanging out. I'm sure each baby is different. I found that my left breast produced more so I ended up primarily feeding from that side.

4. At what point do you start pumping? I started to pump rather quickly. I'd say after maybe 2 weeks or so...some ladies don't produce much, I did. Make sure you drink a lot of water. Don't worry about your food diet, eat what you have time to eat and when you have time and energy to eat. But do drink plenty of fluids, that helps produce milk.

5. I have read about horrible breast infections. I think best way is to make sure your child latches on properly. I'm not sure of other ways to avoid it.

Most importantly, try try try not to stress. Because stress can diminish your milk supply. And if it doesn't work out, you are NOT a bad mommy! Good luck!

Re: A million BF questions

1. When baby is first born how do you know how much they are eating?
In the beginning, you will have no idea how much the baby is really eating. The baby will eat as much as he/she needs. You should feed on demand. When you think the baby is crying due to hunger, you'll feed. That could be every hour, every 2 hours, or whenever.
Will I actually feel the milk coming out as baby eats?
In the beginning, I didn't always feel the let down of my milk but I did after a while. People describe it as a gush type of feeling.

2. Did you supplement with formula right away until your full supply came in?
I didn't supplement with formula. I just fed the baby often. The more you feed the better milk production you will have. Of course you can give formula to supplement if you want but if you do you should pump so that your body doesn't think that you don't need that feeding. Your body will work on the supply and demand principle.

3.Each time you nurse, do you nurse on both sides? If so, for how long on each side?
I was always told to BF on both sides but my DD lost interest if I switched. She used to feed for about 25 minutes (only on one breast). I probably had to feed more often as a result. If you can do both, probably 15-20 minutes on each side. I wouldn't switch breasts until the baby unlatches from the first breast. The real nutritious milk is at the very end of a feeding. They call it the hind milk. You want the baby to get to that point. If you switch mid-feed the baby may never get the benefit of that milk.

4. At what point do you start pumping? Is this from day one, or do you wait a while?
You can pump to release pressure if you need. If you are going to do some bottle feedings you can pump. I wouldn't introduce the bottle until after a month b/c the baby can get confused with the different nipples. If you aren't planning to bottle feed early on, I really wouldn't pump. You just want to nurse and have the baby get all the milk.

5. I have read about horrible breast infections. What is the best way to avoid these?
Make sure you don;t go too long between feedings so that you don't get engorged. Let your nipples dry after a feeding before covering them up with clothes. Make sure the baby has a good latch (it shouldn't be excruciating pain!).

Ask more questions as needed!!!

Re: A million BF questions

1. When baby is first born how do you know how much they are eating? Will I actually feel the milk coming out as baby eats? I am really worried about baby not eating enough.if the baby is gaining weight then you are feeding enough. If the baby seems satisfied you are feeding enough.

2. Did you supplement with formula right away until your full supply came in?I didnt suppliment persay but both Lucas and Jeremy got 1-2oz of formula in the hospital since my milk took a little longer to come in and they were hungry.

3.Each time you nurse, do you nurse on both sides? If so, for how long on each side? I usually do one side a feeding then switch to the next at the next feeding

4. At what point do you start pumping? Is this from day one, or do you wait a while?never had to pump, sorry

5. I have read about horrible breast infections. What is the best way to avoid these?Ive had mastitis,,, best way to avoid it is to nurse often and empty each breast

Re: A million BF questions

1. When baby is first born how do you know how much they are eating? Listen to your baby. They will let you know when they are hungry. My biggest problem was getting DD to stay awake long enough to feed. Will I actually feel the milk coming out as baby eats? I'm not sure I ever really felt it coming out. I think I did feel the letdown sometimes.

2. Did you supplement with formula right away until your full supply came in? I supplemented in the hospital right away because I ended up with a c-section with some complications at the end. I was really weak and not up to trying BFing right away. But we started pretty soon after that. Luckily DD did really well latching. We did supplement a little bit when we needed to.

3.Each time you nurse, do you nurse on both sides? If so, for how long on each side? Both sides didn't seem to be the best for us. I would do one side for 20 minutes- half an hour and then do the same with the other side at the next feeding. That worked well for us.

4. At what point do you start pumping? Is this from day one, or do you wait a while? I HATED pumping. It was so much work for me. It seemed like double the effort - pump it into the bottle, pour it into a bag or another bottle that DD could drink from, clean all of the pumping equipment, feed her from the bottle. I just felt it was easier to just feed her the boob. Sometimes I did pump to get a small supply so DH could feed her.

5. I have read about horrible breast infections. What is the best way to avoid these? I never got any, so I have no advice there.

Re: A million BF questions

You are all so helpful! Thank you so much for the responses. I am so thankful!

Re: A million BF questions

1. When baby is first born how do you know how much they are eating? Will I actually feel the milk coming out as baby eats? I am really worried about baby not eating enough. I never worried that he was getting enough...till he started losing weight. Then I rented a pump, and bottle fed him. Still no interest in eating. About a week later, he finally started staying awake to eat.

2. Did you supplement with formula right away until your full supply came in?

never a drop of formula. I gave birth in a very pro-BFing atmosphere. They never even suggested supplementing. My full supply did not come in until 4 days after he was born

3.Each time you nurse, do you nurse on both sides? If so, for how long on each side? Mine has always been a 5-8 minute eater. So I only do one side at a time. Also, I hand express into his cereal and bottles...the more full my breast is, the better.

4. At what point do you start pumping? Is this from day one, or do you wait a while?

I pumped day four at the hospital. I became soooooo engorged on left side. The baby would rather sleep then eat, so the milk just kept coming in. I rented a pump and used it for 3 weeks.


5. I have read about horrible breast infections. What is the best way to avoid these?

engorgement, don't wait till its too late. Pump, hand express, whatever you have to do. look in the mirror at the two of them, if one is looking bigger by a lot, get in a hot shower and start massaging it. I only had it in the beginning.

Masitis...I got that on laundry day.

I always had to sleep in a bra to keep nursing pads in place. Well, I put on an old bra(tight with underwire) I woke up the next morning, the underwire slid up on my boob. It was on fire instantly. They said I blocked the supply from coming in.

Re: A million BF questions

1. When baby is first born how do you know how much they are eating? Will I actually feel the milk coming out as baby eats? I am really worried about baby not eating enough.

You know by counting wet/dirty diapers that your baby is eating enough and of course they are gaining weight. Your baby will let you know if they are still hungry, most babies get milk drunk and fall asleep right after they eat. When your milk comes in, you do feel let down-it's a tingling sensation, it doesn't hurt and you can't feel anything else after that.

2. Did you supplement with formula right away until your full supply came in?

There's no need to supplement, at least in my case, colustrum-the first milk, should be good enough for baby until your milk comes in. I didn't supplement at all.

3.Each time you nurse, do you nurse on both sides? If so, for how long on each side?

It depends, bf'ing is done on demand, so if baby was still hungry i put her to the other breast, if not, i let her be and started on the other side next feeding. There's no time limit for baby to eat, sometimes she would eat for 5-10min, sometimes for 40. As baby gets bigger they get better at draining the breast.
My dd hardly ever took both breasts at a feeding.

4. At what point do you start pumping? Is this from day one, or do you wait a while?

I hated pumping...I tried it at 2 weeks PP cause I had a nip infection.
You should try to establish your milk supply before pumping and get into a groove with nursing. Most books and LC's say to start at 4 weeks.

5. I have read about horrible breast infections. What is the best way to avoid these?

Best way to avoid these-find a good LC who will show you the correct way to feed and latch your baby on so you don't get infected nips. Don't wear an underwire bra-can clog your ducts and cause infections. Mastistis/infections can happen, def know what to look out for and how to get treated. Don't panic though-i don't know any nursing moms who didn't have some sort of infection at one time or another.

Try not to stress, BF'ing is a bit challenging in the beginning, you have to teach the baby how to nurse and a mommy needs to learn too. If you really want to do it, everything will work out.

I def recommend finding a Lactation consultant in your area..try www.lalecheleague.org, www.kellymom.com is good website too.

I def rec the Nursing Mothers Companion-great book too!

We're here for you! It will work out!

Re: A million BF questions

1. When baby is first born how do you know how much they are eating? Will I actually feel the milk coming out as baby eats? I am really worried about baby not eating enough.

You never know how much they eat. At 8 months I'm still at a loss even with giving BM in a bottle. Some people can feel it some can't. I really can't tell. You know if it's enough if they're making wet and poopy diapers and gaining enough weight.

2. Did you supplement with formula right away until your full supply came in?

I did for the first couple weeks (starting day 2) because my milk was a little slow to come in. Total less than 10 ounces his whole life.

3.Each time you nurse, do you nurse on both sides? If so, for how long on each side?

Usually both sides now. In the beginning sometimes it was both times 3 in a row he ate so much. When I didn't it was because I pumped the other side. I did this alot the few weeks before I went back to work (at 7 weeks). It really built my supply and gave me such a reserve that at 8 months old I still have 55 feedings worth of milk in the deep freezer.

4. At what point do you start pumping? Is this from day one, or do you wait a while?

I started pumping a little when my milk came in because it hurt. Then I didn't do much and just nursed. Then at 4 weeks I started the pump one feed the other simultaneously thing for a few weeks. I think that was the key for my body to learn pumping. Now I usually pump when I'm not with him every 4-7 hours and after feedings if my supply is taking a nosedive.

5. I have read about horrible breast infections. What is the best way to avoid these?

Empty the milk often in the beginning and if you supplement make sure to pump instead. If you drop a nursing or pumping session, do it gradually not cold turkey.

With the engorgement what also helped was a warm bath and then pumping or feeding.

ETA: BFing seems so hard in the beginning but it will get SOOOO much easier. Hang in there and don't be afraid to ask for help or support! I had a lot of Q's in the beginning and got frustrated but now it's sooo easy.

Message edited 9/2/2007 3:57:50 PM.

Re: A million BF questions

1. When baby is first born how do you know how much they are eating? Will I actually feel the milk coming out as baby eats? I am really worried about baby not eating enough.

I did not know. You will know when the baby is being checked at the Ped's office. I was worried. I thought DS was not eating enough. He had gained 1 Lbs in 2 weeks when he was born

2. Did you supplement with formula right away until your full supply came in?

No. I refused to do it unless he HAD to. DS lost 6 oz in the first 3 days in the hospital. They can lose about 10% of their birth body weight and that's normal. Since he gained back 1 oz on the 4th day, I did not have to. I producted milk (a lot!!!) at 3 days PP.

3.Each time you nurse, do you nurse on both sides? If so, for how long on each side?

I did in the beginning. At least 10 minutes at the beginning. But DS was a sleepy baby (I tried all the tricks!!) and he would not eat more than 15 minutes tops on both breasts. They (nurses!) really wanted him to eat about 10-15 minutes per breast.

4. At what point do you start pumping? Is this from day one, or do you wait a while?

I started pumping at 4.5 weeks. BF was too demanding on it's own. DS was a sleepy baby. It was taking for hours. Then, he had a growth spurt at 2.5 weeks that lasted a LONG time. He would eat every hour. Pumping was the most efficient way for me to increase my supply and feed DS. I found it to be better for me. I know what he eats. It's more "scheduled". He does eat as much when he is on the breast. I get more milk out when I pump.

5. I have read about horrible breast infections. What is the best way to avoid these?

Pump/feed often (2-3 hours in the beginning). Don't wait hours between feedings. Don't wear underwire bras.

I had a plugged milk duct a couple of times. That's painful! I did LOTS of massaging. BF a lot more on that side. Warm shower on it. It lasted about 1-2 days each time.

Re: A million BF questions

1. When baby is first born how do you know how much they are eating? Will I actually feel the milk coming out as baby eats? I am really worried about baby not eating enough. The number of diapers is what I was told. It should be one dirty diaper the first day, two on day two, and so forth. Breastfeeding is somewhat a leap of faith and you have to keep in mind a baby's stomach is very small, they only need a very little bit when they are first born.

2. Did you supplement with formula right away until your full supply came in? No, I took a breastfeeding class and worked with lactation consultants. I really wanted to just give her BM and EBF.

3.Each time you nurse, do you nurse on both sides? If so, for how long on each side? It varies. At first it was about 15min, one side and went up to 35 on one side. Now she can do 20 minutes each, although lately I think that is decreasing, she may be getting more efficient.

4. At what point do you start pumping? Is this from day one, or do you wait a while? I pumped between feedings in the hospital to get my supply going and relieve my breasts.

5. I have read about horrible breast infections. What is the best way to avoid these? Pumping for me works. I empty my breasts at least every 4 hours if not more often.

If you have more questions find a lactation consultant! They are awesome and will help you power through the hard days. Only 14% of women make it to 6 mos, 75% start out BFing, a lactation consultant may be able to help you get over hurdles.

Re: A million BF questions

I can't speak from experience because I haven't had the baby yet but I did want to say that maybe you should take a breastfeeding class.

I took one at my hospital & it really was very informative. I learned a lot & the lac consultant gave us charts to keep track of things like wet diapers & how often you nursed for.

It put my mind at ease & made me feel more prepared.

Re: A million BF questions

everyone answered great, i just wanted to reassure you that your child only needs whats in the colostrum at first (before your milk comes in)....dont worry!! all BFing moms worry about their child and if they are able to give them enough- DD was born on a thursday, and my milk came in late saturday nite (i know, thats pretty fast- they say it takes 5 days, so i was SO surprised to see white stuff (milk!!) coming out so soon!!)...but think about it- DD only had colostrum for 2 days!! but bc she suckled so much (i was so worried about supply), that whenever she was coherent, i would make her suckle....

and if i didnt have my cousin to warn me about what BFing felt like, i probly wouldve given up....so, here it is!!! - IT HURTS!!! for a couple weeks....my cousin told me to use a loofah and toughen up my nipples in the shwoer (which def helped- but still hurt)....so just be ready for a little pain, at first....latching on is hard, but the hospital has consultants there for u, and theyll come in and HELP U and watch what u are doing....before long, ull be a pro- feeding DC while ur laying down, and itll be a pleasure....and u will feel let down, eventually- and it feels nice! like the chills or something....

anyway, we are here for u....and stick with it!!!

Re: A million BF questions

Re: A million BF questions

Do you know if you are having a boy? I read a ton of books about BF'ing and I so wanted to do it. However, none of the books explained that after a circumsion the baby would be so sleepy and that BF'ing would be challenging

Re: A million BF questions

A baby's stomach is the size of a marble when it's born - colostrum is MORE THAN ENOUGH for a baby. My DD would nurse for an hour on my breast in the hospital. She only got food for maybe 10 minutes - the rest was just suckling.

It does hurt in the beginning - when they latch on. But mine never hurt too badly after say the first 3 weeks. Feeding never hurt - the initial latch hurt.

Never got an infection or engorged.

I supplemented with formula right away - baby is 4 months and switches easily from breast to bottle.