EDD Jan 2012 Mummies

Shiawase

Member
Hi Shiawase,

Thank you for sharing. Jiayou, mummy! Indeed it's not as easy as what I had thought.
I have just started taking fenugreek supplements and the milk flow has improved.
Increased pumping to 5 or 6 times a day. Recently, my Philips Avent single electric pump is getting cranky! It tends to stop rather often during my pumping... the power just goes off and I have to try to turn it on again and again and again...
This morning, I am so happy I managed to hit a record high of 160ml in a single pumping session... but after that, the flow went down to 80 / 90ml during next few sessions... Sigh... warming the milk up is also a guess game. Some times I warm it up in anticipation that baby will be hungry but he isn't... actually it's not good to warm it up a 2nd time but to throw the breastmilk away is such a waste!! Some times too slow to warm up & baby is crying... so give baby a little bit to soothe him first while waiting for the rest to be warmed...

How often do you sterilise your breastpump? I am using Philips Avent steriliser for the teats, bottles & breastpump... but as I have 4 bottles for baby, i only sterilise the breastpump after i use it twice, within 4 hours or so. is it ok? or shld i be sterilising it after every use? I read from a website that direct latch on is best as some good things are lost as they are stuck onto the breastpump & bottles... but expressed breast milk is 2nd best to direct breastfeeding...

Some breastmilk is better than none, right? So we should persevere and jiayou for the sakes of our babies! :D
Best wishes to all mummies!
Hi Excited Mummy,

Glad to hear that your supply is increasing! Just keep on maintaining the pumping sessions and supplements, hope your supply can be stabilised soon.. for me, sometimes the volume will go cranky too... on certain days, it will be low then suddenly it will be about the usual amount again... i also have no idea why... you can keep record of your daily pump volume to better monitor... think its more effective than comparing every single session...

I have a fren who is using the same pump as you and hers broke down 3 times already... do you still have the warranty? i think its better to bring down to get the problem resolved asap so that it does not disturb your pumping sessions...

Try to learn the signs of hunger that your baby gives... if you see your baby's mouth moving and turning his head from side to side, he is probably hungry... ^^ at night i try to anticipate when he is hungry too, if not he will cry so loud and disturb everyone's sleep... :s

Last time i used to sterilise after each pump which is super tiring... i read from the instruction manual that only need to boil for the first time usage and i stop to sterilise it... read somewhere that breastmilk is supposed to have antimicrobial properties so we actually no need to sterilise so often...
 

Shiawase

Member
Hi to all Jan mummies! I hope you and your little ones are healthy and happy!

My EDD is on May 1st and would appreciate some advice from you ladies.. thanks!

Regarding epidural, I read that it might slow down the labour progress or make it harder to push. Baby might also be sleepy and have difficulty latching on after that.

For mummies who have used epi, what is your opinion on this? I'm a first timer and hope to hear from you. :)
I had epidural and i am glad that i used it!! the contractions were too painful for me to bear... but i would recommend that you dont put too much so that you can still feel a little pain... it will be very helpful for you to know when to push... if you have too much epidural, you cannot feel at all and will need the nurses to help you push instead... as for sleepy babies, i am not sure... my baby was premature and premature babies are usually sleepy so i cannot comment on it...

i experienced side effects of shivering soon after the injection... i could not control the shivering at all but i prefer shiver to pain lar... :p also, i was very hungry after the delivery... was warned by nurses that i could vomit from the epidural but still go ahead and eat... end up i vomit the dinner out... haha
 

hoppie

New Member
i am a daddy, my baby is now 1.5mths old, he came out on the 24th Jan @Thomson Medical Center weighing 4.085kg :)
My wife is also sad that my baby refuse to latch on, he is kind of impatient type so when my wife milk flow is slow he kept crying, so no choice we use EBM till today, only lately the milk supply increase and we are able to do 90% breastmilk.

My baby kept crying at night after the confinement nanny went off 1 week back :( damn sian dont know what he wants sometime, see him cry like that also heartpain. Anyone else has this problem?

My baby was delivered naturally with epidural, without epidural is hell really. My wife cannot tahan went for Epi, the lady in the next delivery suite did not use epi, we hear her scream like no
tomorrow! damn scary! seriously, better use epidural if not really trauma!

Oh my baby is now 5.5kg, big baby, he drinks about 120ml per feed, we do 7feeds for him per day, lucky after last feed at about 12, he goes to sleep and only wakes about 6am.
 
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Gracecwz

Member
i am a daddy, my baby is now 1.5mths old, he came out on the 24th Jan @Thomson Medical Center weighing 4.085kg :)
My wife is also sad that my baby refuse to latch on, he is kind of impatient type so when my wife milk flow is slow he kept crying, so no choice we use EBM till today, only lately the milk supply increase and we are able to do 90% breastmilk.

My baby kept crying at night after the confinement nanny went off 1 week back :( damn sian dont know what he wants sometime, see him cry like that also heartpain. Anyone else has this problem?

My baby was delivered naturally with epidural, without epidural is hell really. My wife cannot tahan went for Epi, the lady in the next delivery suite did not use epi, we hear her scream like no
tomorrow! damn scary! seriously, better use epidural if not really trauma!

Oh my baby is now 5.5kg, big baby, he drinks about 120ml per feed, we do 7feeds for him per day, lucky after last feed at about 12, he goes to sleep and only wakes about 6am.
Hey hey, don't worry. Parents all over the world experience this. U might want to YouTube Priscilla Dunstan or 5 words babies use. I hope it works.
 

Suhaidah

Member
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Hi Excited Mummy,

Glad to hear that your supply is increasing! Just keep on maintaining the pumping sessions and supplements, hope your supply can be stabilised soon.. for me, sometimes the volume will go cranky too... on certain days, it will be low then suddenly it will be about the usual amount again... i also have no idea why... you can keep record of your daily pump volume to better monitor... think its more effective than comparing every single session...

I have a fren who is using the same pump as you and hers broke down 3 times already... do you still have the warranty? i think its better to bring down to get the problem resolved asap so that it does not disturb your pumping sessions...

Try to learn the signs of hunger that your baby gives... if you see your baby's mouth moving and turning his head from side to side, he is probably hungry... ^^ at night i try to anticipate when he is hungry too, if not he will cry so loud and disturb everyone's sleep... :s

Last time i used to sterilise after each pump which is super tiring... i read from the instruction manual that only need to boil for the first time usage and i stop to sterilise it... read somewhere that breastmilk is supposed to have antimicrobial properties so we actually no need to sterilise so often...
Yes, I've brought the Philips electric pump to get it fixed. When I was there, there were 3 others with the same problem!
In fact hubby bought it in Jan and the problem surfaced in early March. 1 couple said theirs cant be used the very next day!

My supply has increased and is more stable now. I pump 5 times a day. Each day, I get about 500+ml in total. Had tried pumping 6 times before but really tiring & nipples could be sore. Plus, I will be back working after the 16 weeks of maternity leave. When I go back to work, I think I will not be able to pump as many times. Baby is 2+ mth & weighs 5.6kg. So for the other feeds (esp night feeds), baby gets formula feeds. For formula feeds, I gv baby 120ml. As for EBM, it depends on how much I can pump per session, usually btw 90-120ml. Baby gets hungrier faster with EBM since digested more easily.

One plus point about having EBM/formula feeds is that hubby & my FDW can help to feed baby while I get some rest. But of course, it loses the bonding when baby is latching on... missed the warm fuzzy feeling when I was trying to get baby to latch on in the hospital.

I have also read about breast milk's microbial properties, so I actually don't sterilize every time when I need to use. Usually sterilize 3 times a day. Some times, I use hot water to rinse the breast pump. I do try to anticipate baby's hunger signs as well as look at the timings. Now getting better in doing this... :D
 

valenjo82

New Member
Hi excited mummy

My Phillips single pump also has prob... Pumping is not smooth n the pattern will go haywire
its been barely 2 months since I use it n already got prob.. How to survive for the remaining mths

Wonder when u go fix the pump.. Did u bring the whole unit or just the motor..will they test the unit n will they replace with a new one immediately?

Any mummies out there has spotting problems.. It getting annoying as I do not know when it will come or stop...any advise?
 

Shiawase

Member
Hi excited mummy

My Phillips single pump also has prob... Pumping is not smooth n the pattern will go haywire
its been barely 2 months since I use it n already got prob.. How to survive for the remaining mths

Wonder when u go fix the pump.. Did u bring the whole unit or just the motor..will they test the unit n will they replace with a new one immediately?

Any mummies out there has spotting problems.. It getting annoying as I do not know when it will come or stop...any advise?
Hi Valenjo82,

when did you deliver? i delivered 4 Jan.. at first the bleeding stopped and i thought its over but the spotting suddenly came... it kinda came and stopped twice... you might wanna use panty liner and see how it goes...
 
Hi excited mummy

My Phillips single pump also has prob... Pumping is not smooth n the pattern will go haywire
its been barely 2 months since I use it n already got prob.. How to survive for the remaining mths

Wonder when u go fix the pump.. Did u bring the whole unit or just the motor..will they test the unit n will they replace with a new one immediately?

Any mummies out there has spotting problems.. It getting annoying as I do not know when it will come or stop...any advise?
Hi valenjo82,

Bring the Philips pump down to the Philips Consumer Care at Toa Payoh (check opening hours & map at url: Service Center & Information - Royal Philips).

You only need to bring the pump & the charger/AC adapter. I brought the entire set but left out the crucial charger/AC adapter!!
Hubby had to make a 2nd trip home to get it. Please bring your receipt to show proof of purchase too!
They will get it fixed on the spot. Don't think they actually do 1-to-1 exchange despite what it says on the manual.

I had some spotting issue initially. Think it was due to me not expressing frequently enough. Had 1 episode of period in Feb after the lochia ended too.
 

pmcheng

Member
Hi mummies Valenjo82 and Shiawse, my Gynae told me that spotting would be quite a common outcome for mummies who BF as hormonal levels will not go back to pre-pregnancy/delivery so soon. Spotting would also be erratic (for some, spotting may come after increases activity levels like more walking, or just suddenly come even without changes to activity level) and not as predictable as menstrual cycles. Don't have to worry unless it's excessive bleeding; where you would then have to see Gynae.
 

pmcheng

Member
I'm also having very irregular and relatively low milk supply.. Very sian when I see the volume after each pump (which is after I feed bb). I just tell myself that's becos I've just fed bb so naturally low volume (though deep inside me I wish I'm like mummies who have excess milk supply and can pump loads even after nursing).. I tried tandem nursing and pumping, but find it logistically challenging (so hard to hold bb and breastshield together), and I always offer bb both breasts when nursing.. So I'm not as diligent in pumping.

Does pumping really increase supply? I'm starting to plan how to build up milk bank in prep that I'm going back to work in mid May. Haha, am I very kiasu to plan so early? Would milk supply change at 4mths just before I go back to work?

So many questions on my mind..
 
I'm also having very irregular and relatively low milk supply.. Very sian when I see the volume after each pump (which is after I feed bb). I just tell myself that's becos I've just fed bb so naturally low volume (though deep inside me I wish I'm like mummies who have excess milk supply and can pump loads even after nursing).. I tried tandem nursing and pumping, but find it logistically challenging (so hard to hold bb and breastshield together), and I always offer bb both breasts when nursing.. So I'm not as diligent in pumping.

So many questions on my mind..

Baby's sucking motion is the best pump in the world! According to the book on Guide to Breastfeeding by Mrs Wong Boh Boi (page 22), endocrine & autocrine controls are responsible for the supply versus demand in milk production. Baby's sucking stimulates the production of prolactin hormones from the pituitary - endocrine control. After 3 months, the prolactin level decreases. Milk production is then maintained through efficient suckling and/or milk removal - known as autocrine control. More milk is removed, move milk is produced.

You can try taking fenugreek if you want to increase your milk supply. My gynae, Dr Benjamin Tham, recommended me to get it.
 
Hi Jan 2012 mummies,

How have your babies been? Just brought my baby for his vaccination at the PD again...
So many jabs that baby needs to get, unlike our time. Paid $200+ for the jab & consultation. Expensive.
But as baby is only abt 3 mths old, hubby thinks it's better to see PD. Some times, the waiting time is long, despite having appointments due to "emergency walk-ins". Thank goodness we only had to wait for 15min today.
Last mth, we waited for 3hrs on a Sat!! Asked to have lunch first. Appt was 11.30am but only managed to see PD only at 2+pm...

Wonder if how many of you will go for the optional jabs too, like rotavirus? Not sure if we shld let baby take it....
rem MOH had some concerns about it earlier. It's compulsory in US, not in Spore.
 

pmcheng

Member
Hi Excited Mummy, did Benjamin Tham say how long we should take fenugreek? I've been taking it everyday together with vitamins. But I've been decreasing dosage hoping to test whether my body can maintain supply without fenugreek. Cos I'm not sure if there are effects from prolonged consumption of fenugreek.. Take for as long as I'm breastfeeding meh?
 
Hi Excited Mummy, did Benjamin Tham say how long we should take fenugreek? I've been taking it everyday together with vitamins. But I've been decreasing dosage hoping to test whether my body can maintain supply without fenugreek. Cos I'm not sure if there are effects from prolonged consumption of fenugreek.. Take for as long as I'm breastfeeding meh?
Hi pmcheng,
I didnt ask him. After the day I delivered, he told me to take fenugreek (2 tablets / 3 times a day).
I have been taking them (initially I asked him to prescribe motilum to me & finished the course eventually. stated but stopped coz hubby worried that not gd for baby, but I took them again w/o telling him subsequently to increase milk supply).
Now I take fenugreek... finished 2 bottles, started on 3rd one. I used to take 6 tabs initially, but now decrease to 4...
Think I will eventually decrease to 2 as I will pump fewer times when I go back to work after maternity leave.
Maybe I shld ask him when I see him in 2 weeks' time for my pap smear.
Think probably can decrease or even stop when supply is established? Seems that some websites say so...
 

pmcheng

Member
Haha! Nevermind lah. Thanks for trying to help ask though! :) :) think I'll just continue taking it as if it's a herbal supplement :p
 
Haha! Nevermind lah. Thanks for trying to help ask though! :) :) think I'll just continue taking it as if it's a herbal supplement :p
Managed to check afterall! he said adjust the dosage according to your needs. If you need more milk, then take more. If you are ok with the supply, then maintain or stop the supplement. :D

I'm going back to work, so reducing my pumping frequency.
 

allele

Member
Hi mommies! Glad to see you all giving birth to your precious babies!
Im actually a first time mom and my EDD is on last week of Nov. Im still in the process of looking for a confinement lady. It seems that many good CL has been taken up :( Hope to get some good recommendations from you all. Thank u!
 
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