Extended nursing thread part 3

[inoella]

I'm proud to have nursed for 14 months and feel good about where we are now.

OK - "nursed my daughter"... lol!

[writelydivided]

Congratulations! 

(I smiled at the post. . . It took me a minute. . . but, ha!  )

I've been flirting with the cold turkey idea. . . AM/PM nursing still generally going well. . . . but the lure of the sippy grows . . . .

[roseola]

Congrats Jaci on 14 months! I am planning on dropping either the Am or Pm feed when DS turns 14 months but am having trouble deciding which. He really seems to enjoy the Am one and is so relaxed for it. The Pm feed can either be relaxing or stressful as sometimes he wants to sleep and get in his crib instead or may bite if he does fall asleep.

[Whatbit]

You know what's funny, Jaci.  I didn't even see that until you re-posted!  My smiley was for your success

[inoella]

My smiley was for your success

I know! It just hit me when I read just the one line.

[Vicku]

Well done for the 14 mos Jaci! Hope to see you around the boards

Is your sore a milk blister, Vicku? 

It is more like a cut from the razor sharp top tooth rubbing against the base of the nipple. Saying that, it is MUCH better now, almost healed I was searching for info on teeth and latch etc and found some that suggested holding your breast with the thumb on top and 2-4 fingers underneath, then press into the breast with the index finger to make the nipple point downwards. It worked a charm! Got the nipple away from the tooth and erally improved the latch to get more boob in her mouth She's also learning to adjust her latch herself now. It's harder doing lying down nursing, like we do for bedtime feeds and night feeds, so still working on that. Why sit when you can lie... LOL The biting is also much much better. She caught on quickly that biting wasn't accepted and today I've had none! Hope it continues like this.

[Whatbit]

That's great to hear, Vicku!!!  Hope you heal super fast and that her latch only continues to improve!!!

[shivi]

congrats on the 14 mths Jaci xxx

good news Vick! In almost 3 yrs total nursing I never learned how to feed lying down.

S x

[*Ali*]

We use to do lying down nursing in the early days but as I was usually in company it wasn't really practical to lie down a lot of the time.
Cadan has an upset tummy so is on 5x BFs a day (up from the 3 we had just dropped to) at the moment and eating very little solids. And he has started asking everytime by banging my chest and saying the "b" sounds.

[shivi]

Hugs on the illness Ali! Emma got a bug around the same age last winter and even her poops went back to infant-style bfed poops much to the amusement of my paed. I thought it was fairly normal to expect that to happen....hd a thread on it at the time xxx

vibes for Caden and hurray for mummy's milk - the best at times like this for toddlers too....if only my toddler would have taken it a BIT longer.

S x

[*Ali*]

Well his poops ARE back to a kind of chicken korma style.
He nursed loads today at around 7 different times and kept asking for it, even in the middle of his dinner. Poor thing. I am so glad I have something healthy and nutritious I can offer him when he is off all else. There is no way he is dehydrated even which the runs.

[gogomama]

Hope Cadan feels better soon Its great to still have BF when they are sick, you know that they are getting some nutrition in when they are not eating/drinking anything else.

Quick question..has anyone ever had a plugged duct before? I got one for the first time last week and it was such excruciating pain. Anyhow my question is since then I feel that my supply has gone way down..how long does it normally take to get back to normal? Its still pretty sore, but I thought it would bounce back quicker especially since DS is constantly wanting to nurse bc he's not getting much when he does.  Any experiences?

[Vicku]

In almost 3 yrs total nursing I never learned how to feed lying down.

I never did with Lois, but this time the nurses in hospital encouraged I had Sienna in bed with me ALL the time for the time I was there (good I think! And probably part of the culture as about 50% co-sleep here, so great to be taught a good and safe position in hospital for the bonding and the BF, so was taught some really good tricks and a great position to feed newborns lying down where you can't roll over in your sleep the midwives were soo nice and I got really good BF help here.

Btw it's nice that you still pop in here Shiv

Ali, I hope Cadan is getting better. Sienna is also ill, and suffering with her teeth, so hasn't been into her solids either. I totally agree with it being nice to have something else to offer when nothing else is wanted and S also BFed about 7 times the other day. I just fed whenever she asked as I like that she's getting both extra fluids and anti-bodies to help her fight the cold.

She has started 'asking' now I suppose. Moans and whinges if I sit down and when i pick her up she pulls my shirt If I ask if she wants 'milkies' she gets REALLY excited LOL Not so keen on the shirt pulling so I would like to teach her another way of asking. Not sure if she'll learn to say milkies for a while yet so maybe I should start signing 'milk'? anyone else do that? It would be so much more discreet when in public and better than shouting and shirt pulling

Quick question..has anyone ever had a plugged duct before? I got one for the first time last week and it was such excruciating pain. Anyhow my question is since then I feel that my supply has gone way down..how long does it normally take to get back to normal? Its still pretty sore, but I thought it would bounce back quicker especially since DS is constantly wanting to nurse bc he's not getting much when he does.  Any experiences?

I've had blocked ducts several times this time round. If it's still painful try always feeding on that side first for a day or so to ensure LO drains that breast as much as possible. Also because the baby milks the breast with his tongue, the area under his chin is drained most efficiently at each feed. So try feeding in a position where his chin point towards the blockage. Could mean you need to ba a bit inventive I once fed S with her lying on my bed and me in the all fours position over her LOL Worked though! Leaning forwards positions also help the milk flow faster so can help too. Also massage, warmth and pumping helps. I've found taking a hot shower and gently massaging my breast and then hand expressing a bit helps me when I get blocked ducts. HTH Do you feel the supply is less in just that breast, or both?

[*Ali*]

We do baby signs but not milk for some reason. Cadan bangs my chest (above the boobs) with one hand and says the "b" sound. Not that discrete either I guess but actually he rarely does it in public as he is usually too distracted.
I hope your soreness goes away soon. I think I had a blocked duct when on holiday back in June (never got it checked) and I found pushing on the sore area whilst feeding as well as massaging the breast before each feed helped. And warmth helps as Vicku said. I have these gel pad thingies from Mothercare than can be heated for just such occasions. They help with the blood supply I believe.

[Whatbit]

has anyone ever had a plugged duct before?

I have- and it got infected!  Blech!  I was on meds for over a month!  That being said, I kept nursing on that side a lot and actually found that after that I had (and still have) more milk from that breast than the other.  So I'm not sure how to really answer your question about what is "normal".  In general, the more your LO nurses or even suckles, the more your body should produce...  it might take a few days.  Lots of good advice about helpign to relieve pain and get the ducts unblocked here.  You coudl also try hand-expressing or pumping but I always foudn DS managed to get things unplugged the best- just had to try all kinds of positions.