re: Breastfeeding tips! & Top 10 BF problems solved!

Quoting Love Wedge +2:" He'll nurse for 10 minutes on the first side and then start becoming fussy. I was burping him but was ... [snip!] ... the breast unless he could swallow each time he sucked. I feel like my supply is going away and that he's hungry all the time."

I guess I am just as confused. If he is only eating 5-6 times a day that isn't really often enough. And then you say he seems hungry all the time, but how can he seem hungry all the time if he is going 4-5 hrs between feeds, which is what 5-6 times per day would come out to?

Orangy poop is not really an issue, but green can indicate too much foremilk. Is he getting curds in his poop? In case you don't know the whole deal, please forgive me for vomiting info here in hopes of bringing clarity....

Between feedings breast store up some milk (at least when you have a young baby they do) so you get that slightly (or very) "full feeling" before a feed. the milk setting in the ducts is called your foremilk...or first milk. As that milk sets, teh fats & such will settle out to some degree & deposit themselves on the lining of the ducts. So as baby starts to nurse, that milk is relatively low in fats & has a more watery consistency. When letdown happens, the ducts actually have a contraction which pushes milk out fast of course, but it also helps to push the extra fats off the walls of the ducts, so the milk that comes after is called hindmilk. If too much foremilk is ingested two things happen. Firstly it's lower in fats & calories, so baby isn't going to gain as well, but the other thing is gastric issues. The milk that is lower in fat is passed from the tummy to intestines too fast. The tummy has lots of lactase, the digestive enzyme needed to break down milk sugars. The intestine does NOT. So when high sugar milk gets passed to the intestines, the baby gets pain as if baby is lactose intolerant. Thisis usually characterized by pulling up knees & crying after feeds, being hard ot console and then often green and/or foamy pooping often without curds. This can be overcome by single side block feeds or by pumping before nursing, so that foremilk is removed from the equation & baby is only getting hindmilk. When switching sides too rapidly, baby can keep getting more & more foremilk & less & less hindmilk.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Love Wedge +2:</b>" He'll nurse for 10 minutes on the first side and then start becoming fussy. I was burping him but was ... [snip!] ... the breast unless he could swallow each time he sucked. I feel like my supply is going away and that he's hungry all the time."</blockquote>



My daughter switch back and forth several times during a feed during growth spurts.
How old is baby? Have you been very busy during the day that would make it harder to nurse frequently? If I was concerned about supply I would take a nursing vacation and lay in bed for a couple days snuggling skin to skin.

Quoting justanothamotha:" I guess I am just as confused. If he is only eating 5-6 times a day that isn't really often enough. ... [snip!] ... hindmilk. When switching sides too rapidly, baby can keep getting more & more foremilk & less & less hindmilk."

At his 7 AM feeding he was done with the breast after around 12 minutes. Instead of letting him go to the other one like I usually would I stuck with the left side. After a few minutes he started pulling off every few seconds so I gave him a soother and he settled into sleep. Sometimes instead of just going to sleep he'll fight it while at the breast so I mistake it for hunger or fussiness.

Anyway, at his 10 AM feeding I put him on the right side, which was super full by that time, and he stayed on for a good 20 minutes before burping and then was done. He spit up a little bit and so far has been fine.

Best part? He took a huge poop and it was orange! Never thought I'd be excited about the colour of his poo, but I am lol.

So I guess this just proves that he was in fact getting too much foremilk.

So.. what do I do when he's still hungry after he's "drained" the first breast?

Quoting Kara-lynn:" <blockquote><b>Quoting Love Wedge +2:</b>" He'll nurse for 10 minutes on the first ... [snip!] ... If I was concerned about supply I would take a nursing vacation and lay in bed for a couple days snuggling skin to skin."

He's 4 months old, 3 months adjusted. We were super busy with the Christmas holidays so I think that had a lot to do with it.

I actually got scolded by his doctor yesterday. She said "baby is number one priority, you need to feed him first before you do anything else"

Made me feel like smurf, when I feel bad enough already.

The rest of the week we'll be at home doing nothing (save for Thursday, I need to get some painting done at my new apartment) so hopefully it'll pick back up.

Quoting Love Wedge +2:" At his 7 AM feeding he was done with the breast after around 12 minutes. Instead of letting him go to ... [snip!] ... that he was in fact getting too much foremilk. So.. what do I do when he's still hungry after he's "drained" the first breast?"

Your breast still makes milk after it's drained, just slower. You are never actually "empty". If you keep offering it, they get used to it slowing down & don't get upset by that. At first you may get a little crabbing as they adjust to the new pattern. Don't get him too upset though, just try extending how long he's on the one breast & then offer the other if he's still acting real hungry. Eventually you can just never need to switch sides...but there may be some working back & forth as he gets used to the new pattern - so just work with it. It also makes NIP soooo much simpler.

Quoting justanothamotha:" Your breast still makes milk after it's drained, just slower. You are never actually "empty". If you ... [snip!] ... some working back & forth as he gets used to the new pattern - so just work with it. It also makes NIP soooo much simpler."

Today he's been nursing every 2 hours or so, rarely over 3, so I think he's less hungry because he'll only be on for 5 - 10 minutes.

I don't mind NIP honestly, even if I flash someone lol. Most of the places I go to have nursing rooms.

My son is 13 months old and for the past month he keeps wanting to switch breasts every few seconds or minutes and throws a huge fit if i don't let him. He pulls my shirt up or down and everything. How do i get him to quit doing that?

Quoting *Audree*:" Quick question: ds is 9 weeks, and today was his first full day at day care. I nursed him at 7a before ... [snip!] ... in the morning and 4oz in the afternoon. Does that sound normal? I just don't want him to be hungry while at day care.  "

As long as he is having at least 6 wet/dirty diapers in 24hrs. Some babies reverse cycle (eat less often during the day while mom is away, and eat more often at night with mom) that is okay just means they probably won't sleep through the night for a while. ;) Also with this being his first day he may just be getting used to things. It took my DD 2 weeks to eat more than 2 oz in the 6 hrs I was away at work. Then 4 months later she reversed cycled and now she won't eat more than an 1oz when I am at work....thankfully I only work 4 hours a day. ;) She is 10 months old, and still wakes up every 2-3 hours at night.

Quoting B&R + J:" My son is 13 months old and for the past month he keeps wanting to switch breasts every few seconds or ... [snip!] ... and throws a huge fit if i don't let him. He pulls my shirt up or down and everything. How do i get him to quit doing that?"

Unwanted behaviors can sometimes be a phase (like during growth spurts) and other times can turn into a pattern. If you think he is developing a pattern that is unlivable for you then you treat it like biting & disengage nursing for a few minutes after an unwanted behavior with the idea that *usually* the child learns that the behavior leads to not getting boobies. When possible tell him what you do want, like when he pull sat your shirt, show him a sign or say a word for what you want him to say to be polite to ask to nurse. Sometimes too they are really just playing & not hungry, so they are just doing antics because they want to & in that case, you are better off then to find another way to help them be entertained if what they are doing is irritating. At that age ther ei sno harm in him switching back & forth as he's getting lots of other foods & foremilk/hindmilk isn't an issue anymore by this age BUT if it's irritating & may lead you to have a negative feeling when it comes time to set down & nurse, then it is worth trying to discourage it. My first had an obsession with trying to twiddle my "unused" nipple & it drove me so crazy I came very close to weaning several times. Once we did nursing manners & learned signs & words & that boobies went away when we weren't cooperative, things got MUCH better & I continued to nurse him to 3 1/2 yrs old. If it hadn't been for nursing manners I have NO doubt I would have been far too fed up before he ever got to 2. It was 18 months when I was really contemplating weaning every.single.day & long before then that I had started to think I wasn't going to make it to 2yrs.

Quoting Love Wedge +2:" We see his pedi next week so I'm going to ask her as well. She knows more about his case because she ... [snip!] ... to say that's what it is. He's not in any discomfort, he's just spits up way too much. Sometimes on and off for a couple hours."

some babies just spit up a lot. If it's not bothering him and he is gaining weight normally, then just get some burp cloths and bibs and wait a few more months. you can also try shortening your nursing session. IDK how long you nurse now, but if it's normally 15min (for example), cut it back to 10 or 12 min. Then unlatch. If he's upset or roots for more, relatch him. If he seems fine, then stop for that feeding. He might just be getting over full.

Quoting Love Wedge +2:" Do you guys switch breasts multiple times per feedings, sometimes? This current feeding we've switched 4 times in 20 minutes  "

no, i give one boob per feeding.

Quoting Love Wedge +2:" At his 7 AM feeding he was done with the breast after around 12 minutes. Instead of letting him go to ... [snip!] ... that he was in fact getting too much foremilk. So.. what do I do when he's still hungry after he's "drained" the first breast?"

that sounds better. =D

if he's still hungry after a good session on one side, you can still offer the other side.

also, are you scheduling his feeding times or just "nursing on demand"?

Quoting B&R + J:" My son is 13 months old and for the past month he keeps wanting to switch breasts every few seconds or ... [snip!] ... and throws a huge fit if i don't let him. He pulls my shirt up or down and everything. How do i get him to quit doing that?"

sounds like he's not really hungry when he's doing that.
or he could be teething or have some other discomfort.

Quoting dream:" that sounds better. =D if he's still hungry after a good session on one side, you can still offer the other side. also, are you scheduling his feeding times or just "nursing on demand"?"

He's still on demand. I'd be too worried about over or under feeding him by making my own schedule just yet.

Quoting Love Wedge +2:" He's still on demand. I'd be too worried about over or under feeding him by making my own schedule just yet."

ok good. just wanted to check.

on demand is almost always the best way to do it. =D