We're down to one feeding a day. As of 2 weeks ago, I cut out the pre-bedtime bedtime since I was feeling very run down with a virus and pre-holiday preparations. I figured I'll replace that feeding with a cup of regular milk and see what happens. It worked surprisingly well.
I gave Sam his drinking bottle (popup sports water bottle filled with milk) and held him as he drank it. We walked around the house, talking and winding down while he consumed the milk. Then we came to his bedroom where I sang him a short lullaby and kissed him. I lengthened his bedtime ritual since I didn't want him to lose out on the physical and emotional bonding and comfort which nursing provided until now. After that I lay him down in his crib and he went to sleep.
It worked out so well, thankfully. And I got a chance to wind down myself. Nursing is quite relaxing - and I'll be the first to admit it - but I find the experience draining at the end of the day (and almost falling asleep myself, which wouldn't be safe given the position we're in). I feel more relaxed this way and Sam doesn't mind, so we'll stick with it.
I do nurse him in the early morning, before the real wake up time. Sam usually wakes up crying at around 6:30-7am but isn't really ready to wake up then. So that's when I feed him. It's a quality feeding since he's mostly asleep and undistracted. I put him back into bed afterwards and we both go to sleep. He'll usually sleep until around 7:45-8:15, which is way more convenient for me! I can't do early wake-ups.
What does a mom's milk supply look like when she is breastfeeding just once per day? It doesn't feel that different from the days I nursed Sam more often. I never felt "fuller" (which I believe is a myth in many cases - to me, everything feels the same!) the first few times we skipped that feeding. I don't feel emptier now.
One thing I do want to point out is that you can still nurse whenever you want, even though you're scheduled to only nurse once that day. There is still milk inside you! The other night we were traveling home from the city and Sam woke up from his sleep and kept on crying on and off for 20 minutes. Eventually I thought of nursing him (I think he was thirsty because he had a cold and was breathing through his mouth a lot) since I did not have his drinking bottle handy. I nursed him and he was blissfully sleeping in no time.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
Tongue ties and dental issues
I once read a fascinating article on the web about tongue ties and related dental issues. I cannot for the life of me find that article again and sadly I never bookmarked it anywhere. At least I remember what it's about. If anyone finds the article I'm discussing, I'd love it if you posted a link to it in the comments so I can properly quote the author.
A lactation consultant was writing about her epiphany that occurred during her middle aged years. For years she's suffered from severe tooth decay and was constantly required to get her various teeth problems treated. What she didn't know (until later) was that it was all due to an uncorrected tongue tie!
How did this happen? Think of what happens after you eat popcorn. Or salad. You know how you wiggle and flick your tongue all around your teeth to clean them? Think of how amazing your tongue can be when you lack a toothpick. It's awesome the way your tongue can reach so many areas of your mouth to clean away leftover food particles after a meal. But what's if your tongue just can't get into all those nooks and crannies? What's if you have a tongue tie and your tongue can't reach so far?
All that can lead to tooth decay and other dental problems. It's easy to see why. If food remains for long periods of time, it wears away the enamel and starts to break down the tooth, resulting in cavities. If those don't get dealt with right away, a root canal treatment may be next in line.
This lactation consultant only realized the connection between tongue ties and tooth decay when she began to diagnose babies with tongue tie. Lately this condition is much more well known than it ever was. Maybe more people have them these days (since there is a genetic component involved).
So if you ever wonder if a tongue tie should be corrected or not, this may be one more factor to consider.
A lactation consultant was writing about her epiphany that occurred during her middle aged years. For years she's suffered from severe tooth decay and was constantly required to get her various teeth problems treated. What she didn't know (until later) was that it was all due to an uncorrected tongue tie!
How did this happen? Think of what happens after you eat popcorn. Or salad. You know how you wiggle and flick your tongue all around your teeth to clean them? Think of how amazing your tongue can be when you lack a toothpick. It's awesome the way your tongue can reach so many areas of your mouth to clean away leftover food particles after a meal. But what's if your tongue just can't get into all those nooks and crannies? What's if you have a tongue tie and your tongue can't reach so far?
All that can lead to tooth decay and other dental problems. It's easy to see why. If food remains for long periods of time, it wears away the enamel and starts to break down the tooth, resulting in cavities. If those don't get dealt with right away, a root canal treatment may be next in line.
This lactation consultant only realized the connection between tongue ties and tooth decay when she began to diagnose babies with tongue tie. Lately this condition is much more well known than it ever was. Maybe more people have them these days (since there is a genetic component involved).
So if you ever wonder if a tongue tie should be corrected or not, this may be one more factor to consider.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Ouch! Biting and Breastfeeding
Was I in for a surprise! Sam suddenly began biting me out of nowhere! Breastfeeding was going fine for many months. No biting ever (except one day when he got a tooth). Then about two weeks ago he began to bite me occasionally when nursing, either during latching on, or when he's finished feeding. Then it progressed into much more biting. So much so that I just give up latching him on since he was biting me several times even before nursing. The only mostly-unaffected feeding was the one at 5-6 am. Since he was mostly asleep then, he didn't bite, only at the end (to signal "feeding time over" I guess?).
Anyway, I don't believe he is teething anymore as he's gotten whatever teeth should be in at this point. The two year molars area doesn't look inflamed or anything. He got the other molars already.
Weirdly enough, Sam didn't seem to mind not nursing at all. It bothered me more than it bothered him! He's not a demandy type of kid so he never really asks me to nurse. It's just part of the routine and he's happy to nurse. If I removed him, he was totally cool with that. Also, at the bedtime feeding he isn't very hungry, nor is he at the wake-up feeding. Those were mainly for enjoyment reasons (on both our parts).
Those few nights he went to bed without nursing beforehand, nursed well in the early AM, and then took a few sips in the AM when waking up for real.
Also it didn't help that this all happened during the part of the month where it takes me longer to get a letdown (ovulation time). I know I can stimulate to get a letdown and only then attempt to latch him on, but I didn't even bother.
It didn't look like he really needed the feedings either and frankly, it would be easier to not nurse to sleep. And it was really great to see him enjoying way more solid foods. But honestly it did bother me knowing I'll no longer be able to keep breastfeeding in my arsenal of illness-prevention/fighting.
I thought at the time: Is this just my baby's method of weaning? Or will he "come back"? I'm not making myself crazy to get him back and all that, especially since this is a decent time to wean, but it would be nice if it did.
What did I do? The first few times he bit me, I yelled at him and gave his hand a little pinch. That just scared him off for the next few feedings - he was too frightened to even latch on, poor thing! Bad association. Classical conditioning gone wrong. Then I decided to pretend I was injected with a numbing agent. I did not flinch, I did not smile back at him when he grinned after a chomp well done. I looked as relaxed as I normally look while enjoying ice cream. That must have been what did it. My lack of reaction seemed to make biting a "boring" thing - yay!
I'm glad to report that after a few days of this nonsense, Sam went back to nursing normally (and thus eating less solids).
Anyway, I don't believe he is teething anymore as he's gotten whatever teeth should be in at this point. The two year molars area doesn't look inflamed or anything. He got the other molars already.
Weirdly enough, Sam didn't seem to mind not nursing at all. It bothered me more than it bothered him! He's not a demandy type of kid so he never really asks me to nurse. It's just part of the routine and he's happy to nurse. If I removed him, he was totally cool with that. Also, at the bedtime feeding he isn't very hungry, nor is he at the wake-up feeding. Those were mainly for enjoyment reasons (on both our parts).
Those few nights he went to bed without nursing beforehand, nursed well in the early AM, and then took a few sips in the AM when waking up for real.
Also it didn't help that this all happened during the part of the month where it takes me longer to get a letdown (ovulation time). I know I can stimulate to get a letdown and only then attempt to latch him on, but I didn't even bother.
It didn't look like he really needed the feedings either and frankly, it would be easier to not nurse to sleep. And it was really great to see him enjoying way more solid foods. But honestly it did bother me knowing I'll no longer be able to keep breastfeeding in my arsenal of illness-prevention/fighting.
I thought at the time: Is this just my baby's method of weaning? Or will he "come back"? I'm not making myself crazy to get him back and all that, especially since this is a decent time to wean, but it would be nice if it did.
What did I do? The first few times he bit me, I yelled at him and gave his hand a little pinch. That just scared him off for the next few feedings - he was too frightened to even latch on, poor thing! Bad association. Classical conditioning gone wrong. Then I decided to pretend I was injected with a numbing agent. I did not flinch, I did not smile back at him when he grinned after a chomp well done. I looked as relaxed as I normally look while enjoying ice cream. That must have been what did it. My lack of reaction seemed to make biting a "boring" thing - yay!
I'm glad to report that after a few days of this nonsense, Sam went back to nursing normally (and thus eating less solids).
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Nursing for fun!
It's just so much fun to nurse for fun. That is, to breastfeed when you don't really have to. This week is the holiday of Passover and that means lots of vacation days to spend with my family. Not working plus eating lots of good food is a great breastfeeding recipe, I've found. Sam is with me all day, and we spend a lot of the time with family.
A germophobe like me realizes all the nasty scenarios like kids drooling on each others' toys and stuff, a sick cousin, a sneezing nephew, etc. I figured, lemme load Sam up with protective ammo to fight off whatever he may be exposed to. So I gladly filled our days with a few nursing sessions. It's so relieving and stress-free to just nurse when you really don't have to, since Sam eats regular meals and has snacks and drinks and all that. So he technically doesn't need to nurse at all during the day. But why shouldn't he, when it's that easy for me and my boy? We both enjoyed the experience immensely.
At first I was kind of worried that these extra feedings would result in an uncomfortable increase in my supply, but it hasn't done that at all. I actually got my period a day before Passover (and our vacation) began and as you may recall from an earlier post, my milk supply jumps up during my period, after being kind of faulty from ovulation onward. So this was a perfect time to max out since my milk was flowing nicely. I had plenty, even during the day (not that I felt full or anything, just I did have availability as long as Sam sucked). Today I am back at work and don't feel uncomfortable at all - I feel like I normally do.
Speaking of sickness protection from breastfeeding, two weeks ago I came down with an awful case of strep throat. I don't know where I caught it, but it's been about 20 years since my last case of it and now it was back. I began to feel sick on a Friday but thought it was just another virus so I didn't go to the doctor. Over the weekend I felt worse and worse (with fevers, chills, aches, knife-scraping throat-ache, sore muscles... the works!) but didn't get a chance to see a doctor until Sunday. That's when I got medication and began to feel better. Now, all weekend before I took the meds I was most certainly contagious. But you know what? I was able to personally deliver the proper antibodies to Sam via our breastfeeding and that must be why he didn't contract my infection!
A germophobe like me realizes all the nasty scenarios like kids drooling on each others' toys and stuff, a sick cousin, a sneezing nephew, etc. I figured, lemme load Sam up with protective ammo to fight off whatever he may be exposed to. So I gladly filled our days with a few nursing sessions. It's so relieving and stress-free to just nurse when you really don't have to, since Sam eats regular meals and has snacks and drinks and all that. So he technically doesn't need to nurse at all during the day. But why shouldn't he, when it's that easy for me and my boy? We both enjoyed the experience immensely.
At first I was kind of worried that these extra feedings would result in an uncomfortable increase in my supply, but it hasn't done that at all. I actually got my period a day before Passover (and our vacation) began and as you may recall from an earlier post, my milk supply jumps up during my period, after being kind of faulty from ovulation onward. So this was a perfect time to max out since my milk was flowing nicely. I had plenty, even during the day (not that I felt full or anything, just I did have availability as long as Sam sucked). Today I am back at work and don't feel uncomfortable at all - I feel like I normally do.
Speaking of sickness protection from breastfeeding, two weeks ago I came down with an awful case of strep throat. I don't know where I caught it, but it's been about 20 years since my last case of it and now it was back. I began to feel sick on a Friday but thought it was just another virus so I didn't go to the doctor. Over the weekend I felt worse and worse (with fevers, chills, aches, knife-scraping throat-ache, sore muscles... the works!) but didn't get a chance to see a doctor until Sunday. That's when I got medication and began to feel better. Now, all weekend before I took the meds I was most certainly contagious. But you know what? I was able to personally deliver the proper antibodies to Sam via our breastfeeding and that must be why he didn't contract my infection!
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Sam's latest feeding schedule - 16-17 months
By now Sam is nursing just 3 times in 24 hours. His weaning process seems to be gradual and I don't mind that at all. I enjoy nursing more now because it's enjoyable to go to bed and wake up with nursing and the feeding in the early AM hours isn't all that bad (though I hope that's the first of the three he drops!).
7:45-8:15 AM: I nurse Sam whenever he wakes up or shortly thereafter.
9:00-9:15 AM: Breakfast time. Sam eats a bowl of "adult" cereal. Either Cheerios, corn flakes, Corn Chex, or something similar. Nothing sugary, but something tasty nonetheless. Then Sam eats cut up fruits (strawberries, plums, melon - whatever's in season) and often takes a swig of my fruit smoothie as well.
12:00 PM: After his nap, Sam gets a yogurt and some milk (cow's). He doesn't go for drinking all that much so we have to sneak it in.
3:00 PM: Sometime before his second nap (if applicable, since some days he just naps once), he has some bites of a peanut butter sandwich, or pureed fruit/veggie jar (he started liking them after a long break of not touching those jars). Also between naps, Sam gets a snack (pretzels, chips, fruits) and we try to get him to drink some more milk.
5:30 PM: Sam gets a light snack (usually fruit) if he's very hungry and supper isn't ready yet.
6:00-6:30 PM: Suppertime. Sam usually eats what I make for supper. Otherwise I defrost some soup with chicken (which I freeze in single-size portions for him), or he has bread and cheese.
7:45-8:00 PM: Bath and then bedtime nursing.
5:00-6:00 AM: Some time in this range Sam wakes up for a feeding. I don't mind because by then I've already had a good solid chunk of sleep so I don't feel that tired anymore.
7:45-8:15 AM: I nurse Sam whenever he wakes up or shortly thereafter.
9:00-9:15 AM: Breakfast time. Sam eats a bowl of "adult" cereal. Either Cheerios, corn flakes, Corn Chex, or something similar. Nothing sugary, but something tasty nonetheless. Then Sam eats cut up fruits (strawberries, plums, melon - whatever's in season) and often takes a swig of my fruit smoothie as well.
12:00 PM: After his nap, Sam gets a yogurt and some milk (cow's). He doesn't go for drinking all that much so we have to sneak it in.
3:00 PM: Sometime before his second nap (if applicable, since some days he just naps once), he has some bites of a peanut butter sandwich, or pureed fruit/veggie jar (he started liking them after a long break of not touching those jars). Also between naps, Sam gets a snack (pretzels, chips, fruits) and we try to get him to drink some more milk.
5:30 PM: Sam gets a light snack (usually fruit) if he's very hungry and supper isn't ready yet.
6:00-6:30 PM: Suppertime. Sam usually eats what I make for supper. Otherwise I defrost some soup with chicken (which I freeze in single-size portions for him), or he has bread and cheese.
7:45-8:00 PM: Bath and then bedtime nursing.
5:00-6:00 AM: Some time in this range Sam wakes up for a feeding. I don't mind because by then I've already had a good solid chunk of sleep so I don't feel that tired anymore.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Survey on Lactation Support in Hospitals following Childbirth
If you are on my blog, you are interested in breastfeeding, right? Great, now please help me out for a minute as I try to learn more about the lactation support given to moms after having a baby.
I composed a very short survey (it should take you no more than 3-5 minutes to complete) that focuses on the support received in the hospital after you had your baby, if you got any help, that is. I read lots online about "bad" LCs and nurses who think they know how to consult a new mom but offer pathetic, unhelpful advice and I am curious to know how often this is happening. Other moms say that their hospital LCs were so amazing that if not for them, they wouldn't have breastfed longer than a day. So let's see.
Here is a link to the survey.
Some questions we'll consider:
Some questions we'll consider:
- Do mothers receive lactation support in the hospital after childbirth?
- Do mothers receive help from IBCLCs or non-certified lactation consultants?
- How knowledgeable is that consultant?
- How effective is that help?
- Do mothers receive all the help they need at the hospital or do they require follow-up later on?
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)