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Well, as of the middle of last week, Sproglet just doesn't want boobs any more. This could get awkward when he gets a girlfriend.
Dr has suggested we give him 60 mLs of top up after each feed, since he is supposed to take about 120 mLs each feed, so that we are supplementing rather than replacing breast milk altogether. This sounds good. Only problem is, someone refused to suck for longer than 10 seconds without screaming. Now try this for 10/15 minutes at a time, 8 times a day.... After a few days, I started trying to express to keep up. However, I don't know if I have whinged about this before, but the expressing thingy sucked arse. Now, some of you will say that if it's sucking arse, I am doing it wrong! *grin* True... But anyway, problems with the medela one:
1) Two hands
2) Cramping fingers
3) Cramping shoulders, back, and sometimes chest
4) Sometimes, it hurts
5) Two hands
6) Not terribly efficient for how long I was spending doing it.
So, anyway, I couldn't really express for very long anyway without taking a lot of drugs. However, we had a bit of a cycle going, he would get the EBM first, and then the 60mLs top up. This would have been fine, if I'd been able to express 60 mls at a time, however depending on the moon, the tide, the star alignment, and whatever, I was getting between 20 - 40 mLs. So, on Sunday we decided we'd actually give him 120mLs of formula, and if he drank that much then he drank that much.
So, for a few days there, any routine I had with expressing and feeding went out the window. Trying to get John to help was funny, but not a working option. And besides, one breast does not seem to like the expressing thing. It just doesn't want to express into it. I can hand express, but not with the medela hand thingy.
So, yesterday, I went to a second hand baby shit shop and bought a mobile, and a small portable electric pump. Things on my mind now:
1) I think I will have to build up my supply again because we've been so ambivalent for the past week
2) I mght be able to hurt myself with it. I will need to remember the pattern.
3) How much milk should I aim to produce? I think it's unlikely he is ever going to suckle again, although we do try occasionally, especially if I am somewhere and have forgotten the equipment.
4) It is very handy to be able to use formula as needed. I am very lucky to have a baby who doesn't hate everything.
5) Time is not usually a concern - this is why I am a full time mum after all.
6) I got 50 mL this morning after a hot shower and no expressing since 11pm last night. I'm pretty happy with that. Plus, the breast that doesn't like to express produced about half of that. Plus, it only took 20 minutes. I wasn't paying too much attention to the time though.
7) This pump has a cute little rubber thing that fits inside the trumpet which "simulates" the baby's stimulation of the breast. When I first trialled it, it did indeed feel like a let down/baby on nipple type sensation, which I found weird. :-)
8) Attempts to keep a routine are ... mostly working. It's not like I can time everything into 3 hour slots, or anything like that, but ... well, we are trying. And learning.
9) Oh, and I'm drinking a Guiness a night. However, they only had the strong dark ale stuff that tastes even more like vegemite. :-) And making sure I drink enough water.
We go and see the Dr tomorrow. I know he is going to say that Vincent has put on weight - his face has filled out, and other parts of his body are starting to fill out too. Yay!
Oh, and some good news - last night Vincent slept from 11 through until 6. And he only woke up at 6 because I went in there and started taking all his clothes off. Surprisingly enough, he had NOT weed his entire basinette, nappy, clothing, and eyebrows. Like he has done before. I woke up at 1:30, 2:30, 4:00, and 6:00. :-) At 4, I wheeled him into his room, I was thinking of waking him and feeding him then in the hope he would then sleep for three more hours or so, but then I wasn't sure so I went and asked John and John suggested we leave him for now. So we did, and he slept until 6! I hope this becomes a habit!
Dr has suggested we give him 60 mLs of top up after each feed, since he is supposed to take about 120 mLs each feed, so that we are supplementing rather than replacing breast milk altogether. This sounds good. Only problem is, someone refused to suck for longer than 10 seconds without screaming. Now try this for 10/15 minutes at a time, 8 times a day.... After a few days, I started trying to express to keep up. However, I don't know if I have whinged about this before, but the expressing thingy sucked arse. Now, some of you will say that if it's sucking arse, I am doing it wrong! *grin* True... But anyway, problems with the medela one:
1) Two hands
2) Cramping fingers
3) Cramping shoulders, back, and sometimes chest
4) Sometimes, it hurts
5) Two hands
6) Not terribly efficient for how long I was spending doing it.
So, anyway, I couldn't really express for very long anyway without taking a lot of drugs. However, we had a bit of a cycle going, he would get the EBM first, and then the 60mLs top up. This would have been fine, if I'd been able to express 60 mls at a time, however depending on the moon, the tide, the star alignment, and whatever, I was getting between 20 - 40 mLs. So, on Sunday we decided we'd actually give him 120mLs of formula, and if he drank that much then he drank that much.
So, for a few days there, any routine I had with expressing and feeding went out the window. Trying to get John to help was funny, but not a working option. And besides, one breast does not seem to like the expressing thing. It just doesn't want to express into it. I can hand express, but not with the medela hand thingy.
So, yesterday, I went to a second hand baby shit shop and bought a mobile, and a small portable electric pump. Things on my mind now:
1) I think I will have to build up my supply again because we've been so ambivalent for the past week
2) I mght be able to hurt myself with it. I will need to remember the pattern.
3) How much milk should I aim to produce? I think it's unlikely he is ever going to suckle again, although we do try occasionally, especially if I am somewhere and have forgotten the equipment.
4) It is very handy to be able to use formula as needed. I am very lucky to have a baby who doesn't hate everything.
5) Time is not usually a concern - this is why I am a full time mum after all.
6) I got 50 mL this morning after a hot shower and no expressing since 11pm last night. I'm pretty happy with that. Plus, the breast that doesn't like to express produced about half of that. Plus, it only took 20 minutes. I wasn't paying too much attention to the time though.
7) This pump has a cute little rubber thing that fits inside the trumpet which "simulates" the baby's stimulation of the breast. When I first trialled it, it did indeed feel like a let down/baby on nipple type sensation, which I found weird. :-)
8) Attempts to keep a routine are ... mostly working. It's not like I can time everything into 3 hour slots, or anything like that, but ... well, we are trying. And learning.
9) Oh, and I'm drinking a Guiness a night. However, they only had the strong dark ale stuff that tastes even more like vegemite. :-) And making sure I drink enough water.
We go and see the Dr tomorrow. I know he is going to say that Vincent has put on weight - his face has filled out, and other parts of his body are starting to fill out too. Yay!
Oh, and some good news - last night Vincent slept from 11 through until 6. And he only woke up at 6 because I went in there and started taking all his clothes off. Surprisingly enough, he had NOT weed his entire basinette, nappy, clothing, and eyebrows. Like he has done before. I woke up at 1:30, 2:30, 4:00, and 6:00. :-) At 4, I wheeled him into his room, I was thinking of waking him and feeding him then in the hope he would then sleep for three more hours or so, but then I wasn't sure so I went and asked John and John suggested we leave him for now. So we did, and he slept until 6! I hope this becomes a habit!
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no subject
Date: 2005-10-11 01:27 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2005-10-11 02:03 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2005-10-11 06:36 am (UTC)From:I have thought about that. As it is, someone needs to breed some geek girls, otherwise I'll be hoping he's gay so he has *some* sex life....
:-)
I should have made a recommendation earlier...
Date: 2005-10-11 03:36 am (UTC)From: (Anonymous)I luurrve mine. Beg, borrow or steal an Avent Isis and see if it makes a difference.
--Heidi who normally lurks.
Re: I should have made a recommendation earlier...
Date: 2005-10-11 06:08 am (UTC)From:The Avent Isis is the only one I used (I didn't end up doing a lot of expressing) and I found it sort of ok to use, but I could never get more than about 40mls - and that would take me about half an hour or more from both breasts:-( (And I would have to be using two hands the whole time - one on the pump and the other applying preassure on different parts of the breast).
Re: I should have made a recommendation earlier...
Date: 2005-10-11 06:35 am (UTC)From:One girl had an electric machine which she would turn on, wait for her milk to startpumping, and then turn it off and wait until the flow stopped, and then do it again. We both remembered the double pump at the hospital fondly.
:-)
I got another 40 mL with this Pigeon one, so I'm still happy with it at this point. When I explained all this to the nurse this morning, she seemed surprised at my dedication. Am I unusual then?
:-)
--> Much happier today. Yesterday was NOT a good day.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-12 11:44 am (UTC)From:poor you, this feeding thing sounds much harder than it ought to be. Good on you for doing everything you can to make it work. Good to hear that he is putting on weight and is healthy.