Bf directly or pump out

[Rukia]

Do you pump out or latch baby directly?

I am trying very hard to bf baby but hubby not very supportive. Cos baby always cry within an hr or two compared to using formula milk (~4h). As i latch baby directly, i hv no idea hw much baby has drunk. He will kick up a fuss cos he says baby is not full.

He thinks fm is better cos alot vit and minerals.

I tot of keeping my ebm in the fridge but its all full of uncooked food stored by my mil. Even the small space i set aside previously has been taken up

Sorry for ranting here but i am trying so hard to bf but no support. Feel like giving up.

Now at day 12, i tried a few times to pump out. Sometimes can get 30-70ml. Is it too little? What can i do?

 

[dumbocarebear]

me got the same prob as you before..

my family member wasn't too supportive about bf as well. and bcoz baby was having jaundice, so he will keep fall asleep. when i tried to latch him on, i could take up to an hour.. and then maybe 30 mins to an hour later, he will cry again. and end up i felt very frustrated as well. bcoz family keep ask me to feed him with fm, which i rejected. but they will secretly do that when i tried to pump in my room. i even went to the extend of hiding the fm in my room... haha..

go to kellymom website and show your partner that breastmilk is the best thing that we mothers could give to our baby.. it contains all the nutrients that they need...

if latching on is frustrating to you, i suggest that you pump your milk. if no place to keep, go get a fridge to go or similar stuff, so that you can pump and keep in it, provided if your supply isn't toooo much. at least better than nothing. becoz keep on feeling frustrated and stress will affect your supply as well.

i know alot of mummies will encourage you to latch on instead of pump. but i guess it really depends on individual...

to increasse your supply, try to drink more warm water, esp before you pump and after. you can try take fenugreek as well.
most importantly, relax !

though i'm expressing out instead of latch on, but at least my baby is still having breastmilk and not fully on fm...

jia you k !

 

[milkshake]

Hi Rukia

I know it's not easy. I had comments like that as well initially from my CL but I was adamant on bf. I also had sore nipples so much so I once cried in the middle of the night cos it was painful and I kinda shudder when it was feeding time and I felt a lot of guilt.

For me, I now latch and pump. On day 12 if u get around 30-70ml it's not too bad. I would recommend drinking hot soup or drink prior to bfeeding and also applying hot compress will help to regulate milk flow.

Don't give up. Nobody said it was easy but we must persevere. Taking formula is like taking an easy way out. As for storing ebm, my freezer is also filled to the brim with meat n what not. It was never like that before I delivered but my CL is just stocking up on food. What I did after reading some other forums is to buy a big air right tupperware (eg the one with 4 locks around the box) and store my EBM in there. That way the meat smell doesn't get into the milk.

 

[RamblingMummy]

Hi Rukia, do keep bfeeding ur baby. As mentioned, latching helps wif the milk supply. Pumping out ur milk does not truly reflect how much milk u hv as ur breast needs to get used to the pump. U wil pump out more as time goes by. At most, the pump can only pump out 70percent of wat's in ur breast.

Like u, i faced a lot if resistance frm family members too wen i first wanted to go for full bfeeding. My hubby, mother, mil n relatives were not supportive. Whenever bby cries, they always make comments and said that bby does not get enuf milk frm me. Plus i took a long time to bf coz bby was sleepy n had difficulty latching on. It was truly a stressful n challenging period of time. However, i persevered n carried on bfeeding wif the support i get frm mothers frm diz forum.

The first person to hv a complete turn of heart was hubby. He finally saw tht bby was putting on weight fine n also save money frm buying formula... Hehe... Next was mum, followed by aunts and finally mil. It took a long time but it was truly worth it. Now my girl is 2 n i hv a newborn whom im also bfeeding.

Dun give up. Juz remember tht u r giving ur child the best

 

[zc31]

When on 100% bf, usually baby feeding internal will be more frequent because it's tiring for bb to latch as it requires alot of muscle movement. If you express into bottle, you'll realise the interval is about same as formular.

Both is fluid....only main diff is quantity. Nutrients wise of course bf wins hands down.

 

[notabigdeal]

My baby also cried a lot for milk when he was 1 to 2 months old. I just assumed that he's going through a growth spurt every time he seems to be hungry all the time. I also told my parents my assumption and they seemed to accept it so it made things a lot easier.

Since your baby is still so young, you should really persist in fully breast feeding. Do pump for another 15minutes to help stimulate more milk production after breastfeeding. You can keep the expressed milk for bottle feeding next time.

As for the fridge, you can consider investing in a chest freezer especially if you are going back to work next time. It costs about 200+ to 300+ but it's worth it considering how expensive fm can be.

 

[magdalenechoo]

actually i find bfing more exp compared to fm.
taking these into consideration:

- fish & food
- supplement to boost/maintain supply eg. fenugreek, nursing tea etc
- calcium, iron, fish oil supplements
- breastpumps
- replacement of breastpump's parts such as valves, membranes, tubings etc
- breastpads
- nursing wear, nursing bra
- cooler bag, ice pack
- storage bags, bottles
- priceless time to freeze, thaw, heat & feed

but, ability to bf is GOD's GIFT!

strive on, Mummies!

 

[lyra]

Try not to mix breast milk and formula, try not to pump out to check how much and try not to supplement formula. Simply tell yourself, "I have enough milk for my baby". You will see your baby grow, put on weight and be very healthy! My baby didn't get sick even though I did and I'm breastfeeding him all the time. He didn't grow up to be very big and heavy and fat like most formula fed babies, but he's healthy, and that's enough for me. Yes, try to persevere and not give up. You will see the people who initially keep putting you down and asking you to give up suddenly become supportive of breastfeeding because breastfeeding gets easier and easier as baby gets older and it saves a lot of money, and hassle bringing lots of stuff out whenever you bring baby out. Try to latch baby often even if you pump out milk to store supply when you are going back to work because your baby still needs to get used to latching. Read up a lot about breastfeeding so that you get good and correct info to combat those negative things or myths about breastfeeding that people around you are telling you about. Many mummies I know gave up bf because of the negative comments and they eventually convinced themselves that what these people say were true, they really have no milk, so they keeping giving formula and when there's no demand, there's no supply, so of course eventually, they have no milk. Btw, its not true formula is better even though it may have more vitamins and minerals because breast milk is tailor made for human babies to consume... giving more proteins and minerals than what is naturally meant for human babies may not be healthy, don't you think so? Moreover, formula milk is trying its best to duplicate human milk. so of course human milk is the best!

 

[wondershine]

So far I latch my baby on as far as possible.. Only sometimes I express out to allow hubby & my mom to feed him.. I hv a small supply of ebm in my fridge, and if I use it to feed baby I will still pump so that there are no "missed feedings" to avoid loss of supply. Now I'm thinking of slowly building up a freezer stash so that I can have enough milk for baby should I have to be away from him for short while. Any tips on building up a freezer supply? Is it really necessary to wake up in the middle of the night to pump coz I find that physically unimaginable?

 

[Rukia]

Just finished bf my baby. She seems to fuss alot while bf-ing. She will "spit out" the nipple and then get frustrated cos she cant find where to suckle, and when i try to put her in the right direction, she will take some time before she can recognize and continue sucking. Anyone has any idea why?

Getting abit frustrated with my mil. Every time i bf my baby, she will come and knock on my door. Just now, she seems not very happy, even mentioned why is there a need for me to bf for so long, when I came out with baby. I bf for about an hour. Cos baby seems not full as she keeps crying. Sianzzz...I appreciate her help during confinement, but sometimes she also gets on my nerve by insisting on her way of doing things/ her ideas.

I am wondering, how long do you all take to bf?

 

[milkshake]

I bf until bb unlatches herself which averages 20-30 mins now b4 she falls asleep

 

[Rukia]

If i pump first then bf about 30min later, will there be lesser milk available for my baby? I read online that milk is continuously being produced. But i am just wondering if there is really enough for my baby.

 

[malibu]

Hi mummy Rukia,
for my first month, my breast milk flow are low, same with all mummies. Only by ending of the 2nd month then slowly increase.
I will always breast feed her first, if she still hungry after half an hour, then i will give her 30ml of formula milk, not enough then another 30ml, mostly during night time.

Every breast feeding i'll place warm towel over the whole breast then follow by massaging my breast.
Using the whole plam going around the whole breast in circles from the outside of the breast to the inside, especially near the armpit where the lymph node are, then the breast milk will start coming in.

Brush baby's mouth from top lip to lower lip with your nipple to encourage baby to open her mouth. Once she opens her mouth wide with her tongue sticking out, quickly bring baby to the breast. Baby mouth should open wide and cover almost the whole of the areola and her chin pressed against the breast.

Hope my sharing help you out somewhere, don't worry so much as i think every mummies facing the same or other problem.

 

[Hakida]

Hi Rukia,I reckon u are staying with ur MIL...Are you on good relationship with her?You may want to tell her that you are bf and will appreciate that she doesnt disturb you until u are done.Or you may tell her that you want to sleep with your BB so need some private time with her.
Othewise hang a Do NoT Disturb Signage on the door.

 

[xiaodaisy]

i'm latching on to my girl , sometimes gonna latch for a longer time to get the hind milk so baby would be more full cos fore milk might be not as thick so wont be full enough =)

fm got something like preservatives which is not good either , tell ur hubby to think more on every side not just the good but forget abt the bad of fm .. =)

jiayou !

 

[elaine01]

Do you pump out or latch baby directly?

I am trying very hard to bf baby but hubby not very supportive. Cos baby always cry within an hr or two compared to using formula milk (~4h). As i latch baby directly, i have no idea hw much baby has drunk. He will kick up a fuss cos he says baby is not full.

He thinks fm is better cos alot vit and minerals.

I thought of keeping my ebm in the fridge but its all full of uncooked food stored by my mother in law. Even the small space i set aside previously has been taken up

Sorry for ranting here but i am trying so hard to bf but no support. Feel like giving up.

Now at day 12, i tried a few times to pump out. Sometimes can get 30-70ml. Is it too little? What can i do?

Rukia,

The amount of milk expressed can vary significantly from woman to woman. One woman might regularly express eight or more ounces at a time, while another might only get an ounce or two. These women can both have babies that are absolutely thriving on their milk. The woman who expresses the larger amount of milk may find it easier to let-down when pumping, or she may be a larger milk producer. The woman expressing smaller amounts may have a quite adequate or even abundant milk supply. Or she may just not be as comfortable expressing her milk. Perhaps her breasts produce less milk than the other woman (and her baby just nurses more frequently.) There are wide variations in what is considered to be normal.

I do think the amount of milk you're able to express fall within the normal range.

Breastmilk is always FAR BETTER than formula, at any stage. Yes, the breastmilk composition will change, to suit the needs of a growing child, but this is also one of the amazing things about breast milk is that your milk is specially formulated to have the right composition for your baby, and to contain exactly the right amounts of nutrients.

Bottle-fed babies receive the exact same nutrients every time they eat. Breast milk, on the other hand, continually changes in composition so that your baby gets what he or she needs at any age. So a formula company may claim that their milk is "fortifed" with certain nutrients but this is just a "make-believe" by the formula companies. And sad to say, some healthcare providers are also led into believing that.

Let's put it this way: Breast milk contains more than 100 ingredients that the formula industry simply can't duplicate. For example, breast milk is full of antibodies that protect babies from illness and help them develop their own immune systems. Some other key differences between the ingredients in breast milk and formula include the following:

Formula has a higher protein content than human milk. This may seem attractive BUT the protein in breast milk is more easily and completely digested by babies.

Breast milk has a higher carbohydrate content than formula and has large amounts of lactose, a sugar found in lower amounts in cow's milk. Research shows that animals whose milk contains higher amounts of lactose experience larger brain development.

Minerals such as iron are present in lower quantities in breast milk than in formula. However, the minerals in breast milk are more completely absorbed by the baby. In formula-fed babies, the unabsorbed portions of minerals can change the balance of bacteria in the gut, which gives harmful bacteria a chance to grow. This is one reason why bottle-fed babies generally have harder and more odorous stools than breastfed babies.

Formula and breast milk look very different; formula seems creamier and looks richer than breast milk. This may lead you to believe that formula is more nutritious for your baby, but that's not the case. Formula is not even HALF AS CLOSE to breast milk, but it has been perceived that it is the next best alternative to breast milk.


The more milk you remove from the breasts through breastfeeding or milk expression the more milk you will make. This is the concept of supply and demand. Most women find that 8-12 breastfeedings in a 24-hour period usually produce an ample supply of milk.5 However, when you delay or skip breastfeedings or limit the length of breastfeedings you often make less milk.

Some babies breastfeed often enough (8-12 times a day) and long enough (10-20 minutes) but gain little weight. Most often the cause is ineffective breastfeeding due to poor positioning. Correct positioning of the baby on the breast is the key to milk removal. When your baby is positioned well his:

head and chest should face the breast,
nose, cheeks, and chin should touch the breast,
mouth should open wide like a yawn, and
lips should turn out like a fish!

Know the Signs of Milk Removal
If you know the signs of milk removal, you can be sure that your baby is getting enough to eat? look and listen. Listen for suckling and swallowing. Look for wet and soiled diapers. Remember, nothing comes out the bottom unless something goes in the top! A baby that is well-fed:

suckles and swallows while breastfeeding.
has at least 3 stools and 3 wet diapers a day during the first 3 days and at least 4 stools and 6 wet diapers a day during the next 4 weeks.
loses less than 7% of his birth weight the first 5-7 days.
is back to his birth weight by 14 days.
gains 4-8 ounces a week after the first week.
is active and alert between breastfeedings.
is content after breastfeedings.

Watch Your Baby Not the Clock
Every baby is different! Some babies will breastfeed every 2-3 hours, while others will breastfeed every hour for 3-5 feedings then sleep for 3-4 hours. Some babies will breastfeed 10-15 minutes on each breast, some will breastfeed 30-45 minutes on each breast, and others will breastfeed 15-30 minutes on one breast only.

During the first 4 weeks, if your baby does not wake to eat at least 8-12 times in 24 hours, you will need to watch for early signs of hunger or light sleep such as wiggling, finger-sucking, lip-smacking, coughing, or yawning and offer the breast at those times.

Breastfeed as long as the baby wishes on the first breast before offering the second breast. Watch your baby, not the clock. When the baby stops suckling and swallowing or falls asleep at the first breast, break the suction, burp him, wake him, and offer the second breast. If the baby breastfeeds poorly on the first breast and shows no sign of suckling and swallowing offer the first breast again. Make sure your baby breastfeeds well on the first breast before you offer the second breast.

Offer both breasts at every feeding but do not be concerned if the baby seems satisfied with one breast. Each breast can provide a full meal! If necessary, hand express or pump the second breast to relieve the fullness. Avoid water or formula supplements during the first 4 weeks. Supplements can confuse your baby?s suckling pattern and limit your breastmilk production.

Last but not least, take care of yourself and your baby! Drink to satisfy your thirst. Eat a healthy diet. Get plenty of rest. Nap when the baby naps. Should problems occur, get help from someone you trust (doctor, nurse, or lactation consultant).

While breastfeeding may not seem the right choice for every parent, it is the best choice for every baby.

Is my baby getting enough
Breastfeeding mothers frequently ask how to know their babies are getting enough milk. The breast is not the bottle, and it is not possible to hold the breast up to the light to see how many ounces or millilitres of milk the baby drank. Our number obsessed society makes it difficult for some mothers to accept not seeing exactly how much milk the baby receives. However, there are ways of knowing that the baby is getting enough. In the long run, weight gain is the best indication whether the baby is getting enough, but rules about weight gain appropriate for bottle fed babies may not be appropriate for breastfed babies.

 

[EFW]

Hi mummies,

What is baby's normal weight if fully breastfed? I was mixed feeding my baby in the beginning, but the breastmilk supply always more than formula..then I reduced it until now I could fully breastfed my baby..

But, my mum kept asking me to giv baby the formula 1-2 times per day..what she concerned is baby not full at all n not chubby look..then, my mood oso getting influenced aft listen tis..I starting worried about baby weight lo..baby gained 0.1kg only aft a week..then I so confusing now..i should giv formula o nt..haiz~~

 

[sharonthia]

Baby should be gaining around 200gram per week.

 

[Hakida]

I just tell whoever( my granny ,aunties ) says I should supplement with formula milk that I know what is best for my own child.So whatever other ppl says u just acknowledge with a smile ,just listen from one ear and come out from the other ear.
My gal is 6 months next Friday and her weight is 7.5 kg,Not too fat like michelin ,but still chubby.Everyone wonders now that actually breastfed baby can be chubby too.

 

[xiaodaisy]

Hi mummies,

What is baby's normal weight if fully breastfed? I was mixed feeding my baby in the beginning, but the breastmilk supply always more than formula..then I reduced it until now I could fully breastfed my baby..

But, my mum kept asking me to giv baby the formula 1-2 times per day..what she concerned is baby not full at all n not chubby look..then, my mood oso getting influenced aft listen tis..I starting worried about baby weight lo..baby gained 0.1kg only aft a week..then I so confusing now..i should giv formula o nt..haiz~~

i guess maybe due to genes too ? my baby is not chubby at all either , everyone keep telling that i eat not good enuff thus baby not having enuff and ask me feed fm instead but i nvr give in , i told them i like how my baby look like .. lol she only gain 1kg for 2mths