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Offline deenz

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hunger cues?
« on: October 19, 2005, 07:47:20 am »
Can rooting and desperately trying to get on to the breast mean something other than hunger?  I seem to recall an LC saying that a baby can be desperate to suckle if they're in pain for example.   My dd (nearly 4wks) is doing a lot of this, and then will bob on and off the breast (when the milk is flowing) and act annoyed, and sometimes cry etc.  But she is desperate to latch back on if you move her a bit away.  However often if you sit her straight up she'll just start looking very sleepy (droopy eyes).  So I wonder if she wants to suck for comfort to go to sleep, and is in fact tired...  Or is she not coping with the flow of milk?  (This behaviour is happening more and more now).  I single side feed.

I was also wondering whether my tandem feeding may be interfering with the milk supply.  Sometimes (often) I have forgotten/not had the opportunity to feed dd#1 (only once per day) so maybe there is too much milk then, which causes the fast flow of milk??  I have been trying to get dd#1 to feed off the same breast that dd#2 last fed off, and then maybe just a little off the second breast if she wants it.  Is this the right thing to do (not wanting dd#1 to drink all the milk!)?  I don't really know what I'm doing!!
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Offline GraceKellysmom

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hunger cues?
« Reply #1 on: October 19, 2005, 18:05:54 pm »
From what I've know from tandem nursers, they just let the first child feed after the second. Your body will make more milk for the second child should she want to eat again in a little while.

The quick let down, yes that can be a problem for the first 6-8 weeks, but baby should adjust. And hunger cues are really tough at 4 weeks. Does she take a paci for sleep? That sucking can help distinguish that it is time to sleep and not eat. I always said "I wish I could just turn off the milk and let them suckle" but it just doesn't work that way.  :wink:

4 weeks! Time has flown!
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Offline Eden's Mum

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hunger cues?
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2005, 20:41:46 pm »
I thought that the milkk you pproduce changed in quality as the child gets older so as to provide for different needs. ( I may be wrong about this) this was one of the reasons that the milk bank won't accept breasst millk fromm motheers for donation after the baby reaaches 6 months or tats weaning. If this is correct could this be anything to do with it if you are trying to tandum nurse? just a thought. i could be talking rubbish.
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annamum

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hunger cues?
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2005, 21:16:57 pm »
When you tandem nurse, your body produces milk according to a new baby needs not an older sibling needs. So that means dd#2 gets nutritionally what she needs to.

I would agree that she probably wants to suck to sleep and a milk flowing into her throat is not what she wants when she is getting drowsy. Some babies just don't want to go to sleep on their own and look for a comfort of breast to calm down and zonk out.
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Offline deenz

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hunger cues?
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2005, 08:14:08 am »
I realise that the milk is being tailor-made for dd2.  And I aim to nurse dd1 after dd2's first feed of the day, but it just doesn't happen that way very often... (taking time to put dd2 down, or going out somewhere etc etc).  So sometimes we skip a day.  So that's why I was wondering whether my breasts then make too much milk for the days when I don't nurse dd1.  I think things will get better, and less disorganised though, so hopefully this issue will resolve itself.  And I also worry that if I nurse dd1 shortly before dd2, then there will not be enough milk for dd2 (hence trying to keep her to the breast that dd2 last fed off).

Anyways, today has been much better in terms of dd2 pulling off the breast.  And her sleeping has been much better too...
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annamum

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hunger cues?
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2005, 16:13:00 pm »
I think you shouldn't feed dd#1 just before dd#2, as far as I researched it should  be the other way round. But, don't worry if you miss feeding her in a day, that shouldn't affect your supply so much. Women who tandem nurse, usually nurse their older children many times a day and it is also not on schedule so they breastfeed 8 times one day and 3 the other. And they still manage to do fine with nursing their youngest nurslings.

There is a good book on that, if you have time to read it, I recommend it. It is"The Adventures in Tandem Nursing", if you would like it, I will find an author  :lol:.

Good luck,
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Offline deenz

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hunger cues?
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2005, 01:57:49 am »
thanks.  I have just been reading about tandem nursing on kellymom.com.  Things seem to be settling down now in terms of feeding dd1 at an appropriate time.  I have put a limit to once per day for her, although now dd2 is here she does ask for it more often sometimes (than when I was pregnant or before that - she rarely asked for it herself then - I always just offered).
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