Thinking ahead...

[chicken]

It's amazing how much you forget from one child to the next.  I can't remember anything from when Ella was a new born

Just a quick, and probably silly question...but how long do you nurse on demand?  At what point do you start to do EASY and move to 3 hour feedings?

Just trying to refresh my memory before the baby comes and I have an onslaught of questions.

TIA

[GraceKellysmom]

I am so going to send you books girl!  You still have a couple weeks!

[CaedensMama]

I would say nurse on demand at least until your milk is in good and baby is eating well.
Most babies will settle into a routine of some sort and you can help tweak it accordingly - but maybe go for a 1 1/2 hour or 2 hour "easy" for awhile -
as hard as it is - and I am so guilty of this - try to lay the baby down awake and not hold or rock him to sleep - I really think the earlier you do this the easier EASY is down the road - I am eager for another one to try this thought out! 
And having another child at home too will help as well - not as much time to just sit and cuddle as with the first one!

[teezee]

i fed on demand for the first couple months but dd was preterm and pretty small at that.  health nurses kept telling even after she had started gaining well and thriving to still feed on demand for the next few months  thank god i was reading the baby whisperer (a suggestion from a very helpful nurse when i took dd to the hospital when her reflux was diagnosed) and decided to put her on a three hr routine - although she pretty much had put herself on a 3 hr routine at that point.

[Erin M]

I nursed on demand for about the first 6 weeks, but then Katie kind of settled herself into a 3 hour routine - I've heard that some babies take longer to settle into a 3 hour routine - some need 2 for awhile - I would definitely say to make sure he's feeding every 2-3 hour during the day though, even if he demands it less, so he'll give you a longer stretch at night (those magic 4 hour stretches we all dream of in the beginning!).

[chicken]

I am so going to send you books girl!  You still have a couple weeks!

Do I sound that pathetic

The thing is I think Ella, although a very difficult baby, transitioned very easily into a nice feeding schedule.  I remember feeding several, SEVERAL times at night in the beginning (still have my nursing log of the first two weeks...I'm keeping it to hold over her head someday and make her feel really bad for doing that to Mommy ).  And I remember cluster feeding her from 2 pm on.  But, the thing is, when she started to sleep longer stretches in the night, my milk supply diminished very quickly.  I struggled from 4 to 6 months when I stopped nursing because the stress it put on me and the fact that I really didn't have much of anything left to even try with.  So, I guess I am trying to get an idea of what to do this time to prevent it.  I want to sleep longer stretches in the night, but I really hate to think of having to stop nursing at 5 or 6 months like last time   It just broke my heart

So any recommendations, books, etc. would be great

Oh and YES to the putting him down awake...what a mistake I made with Ella...she is still a touchy sleeper because of it and I am still, at over 3 1/2 years, paying the price for it    

[GraceKellysmom]

Hey don't kick yourself for the sleep thing. One thing I have learned is that babies are very different. Some babies (like Grace) are going to scream themselves to sleep no matter what we do. Some babies (like Max) are going to resist independent sleep but when they give in they are so much happier. Some babies are very angelic (so few!) and yes you can put them down awake. This is your (maybe) last baby hon so enjoy him!!!!

Crash course. Nurse on demand for the first couple weeks. Get your milk supply good and established. About every 1.5-2 hrs for the first three weeks. After the three week growth spurt, he may even out to every 2-3 hrs during the day, and a little longer at night. Try to nap when you can and go to bed early when you can. It helps to deal with two during the day if you can cat nap too.

If you do find yourself with a lower supply at anytime, we can help you get it back. Frequent nursing or a pumping session or two will return that milk supply to where it should be - that is what growth spurts are, increasing your supply. Taking good care of yourself, sleep, 100 oz of water a day, eating enough calories/fat, that is what maintains that supply. It makes me so sad because so many people tell me they weaned because they didn't have enough milk ... but now we know that for most women, it can be helped and fixed.

My favorite book is by Jack Newman and I think my sis still has it. I have "Nursing Mother's Companion" which is very good too and I will mail it to you if you send me your address sweet Cara!!

Make sure to get help after your c-section getting him latched on and with better positioning that won't hurt your incision as bad. Don't feel bad taking the pain meds because they will help with pain and help you get along better with nursing. You won't be as able to feel a bad latch on them, so make sure to bring him TO your breast with lots of pillows/support to ensure a good latch.

We'll be here rooting you on!

[chicken]

One thing I can say about Ella and nursing her was that in the beginning it was a dream.  I had some complications with my c-sect and I had to go under the gas, so I didn't even hold her until  like 12 hours later, but when they brought her to me it was amazing how well she latched!!!   The nurse said she never saw a baby that good at it   And she nursed for like an hour, stopped and started again 10 minutes later...poor baby was probably so hungry after trying to be cup fed for 12 hours   So latch, God willing won't be an issue with this little guy either (fingers crossed).

But supply was a big issue   The thing was, and again when I say this it makes it sound like Ella was a dream baby which was not the case, but she did start long stretches of sleep at night very early on.  I think she was only 2 or 3 weeks when she moved to 6 hours at night.  Unfortunatelyy the 6 hours was from 7 to 1.  It was summer, we lived in the city, and I would try to go to sleep at 7 pm in a brightly lite sunny house just to stay on track with her, but as exhausted as I was...it was still hard.   

So, if no one minds another question...what do you do when they start to take these longer stretches of sleep?  Looking back on it, I think I should have pumped a little more in the beginning, right around when she would sleep longer.  But my thinking at the time was that my body would adjust to her schedule...I really don't think this was the case.  Should I have started to pump more at this  point to keep things coming along?

One more question...before my m/c and this pregnancy, I was an avid runner.  I soooooooo look forward to getting back into that as it was great for me physically and mentally.  With the c-sect I will have to wait a good 6 to 8 weeks anyway, but has anyone found that exercise limits their milk production?

Thanks Stacy, if you like that other book best, I'm going to look for it in the library first and if I can't find it I will take you up on your offer and ask you to send me the other one.  Your so sweet for offering!!!

And TIA everyone for taking the time to answer my questions    

[First Time Mom]

I fed on demand for dd's first 4 weeks (then discovered BW!). The DAY I read the book and implemented the strategies I saw improvements w/ dd's sleeping, crying, feeding, etc. When I first implemented 3 hour easy the feeds varied 2-3 hours, if she woke early I would feed her, if she slept heavy I would wake her at the 3 hour mark. From the start she always had one 5 hour stretch of sleep and I never pumped- I slept! Milk supply comes in a few days later than norm from a c-section. I found the "football" hold most comfortable (no pressure on the abdomen).

As for the running, I've read in sooo many places that exercise can impact milk quality and supply but just the other day at my doctor's office I read an article that a study was done in 2002 and it was confirmed that exercise does NOT impact supply/quality. To be on the safe side, I would start out slow (you'll need to anyways w/ a c) and monitor your supply- if you see a decrease, cut back the exercise and feed/pump more often to increase supply.

If you are very uncomfortable/in pain w/ c-section and bfing (I was, it hurt even to pick dd up, dh had to bring her to me), just remember that it is short lived- take one day/week at a time and before you know it you'll find bfing easy and enjoyable. Also, as a previous post mentioned- take the meds, it will really help.

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

I'll comment on the exercise.  As with everything, you want to avoid getting overtired yourself or limiting your calorie and fluid intake because THAT can definitely affect your milk production.   But exercise itself won't (within reason of course!).  My sister is an exercise freak (does triathlons and marathons, is thinking of training for an Ironman) and was running and exercising regularly - and fairly early on (about 2 months post delivery) and had no trouble with supply.  Another friend did a mini-triathlon while breastfeeding and was fine - she actually had to wear a couple of bras under her bathing suit, though, because she got rather engorged by the end of the run and needed the extra support...