Block feeding and 3-4h EASY

[trimbler]

Hi, firstly thanks again for your really helpful advice on green stools a couple of months ago, to my shame I can't remember who it was but you know who you are!

So, since then DD has had a tongue tie snipped, I've been block feeding (as advised by LC - 2 feeds on one side before swapping to next) and laying back feeding whenever practical, and stools have been mostly yellow, DD putting on weight ok following 25th percentile

Until a few days ago when we dropped the 4th nap, making the 4th and 5th feeds closer together since they're in the same A time. So we were doing something like:

7.30 L
10.45 L (first two feeds fixed to fit around preschool runs)
2.15ish R
5-5.30ish R
7-7.30ish L (usually at least 2h from previous feed)
11.30 L (df)

Then because the last two feeds got closer together she didn't want so much for the last feed so I thought I'd better do them on the same side as she was only getting lots of fore milk at the BT feed which also seemed to result in more leaked (overfull) night time nappies! So I started doing:

7.30 L
10.45 L
2.15ish R
5.30ish L
6.30-7ish L (time depending on length of previous nap but now aiming to bring them closer together to eventually combine into one)
11.30 R (df)

I've also been pumping during the evening from the df side to take the edge off it and in the hope that it would be fattier for the df.

Anyway, we've been getting lots of green stools again so I'm after some advice? Today she didn't nap well so we had short last A time with feed - BT routine - top up, she takes about half an hour for a full feed but less for the top up, we had perhaps a 20-30min gap between the two feeds, both from the same side as the third feed, in the hope that that might help the green stools. Then I pumped from the other side in preparation for the df.

So my questions are firstly, does this seem a sensible approach which might possibly work, or would you suggest something different? And secondly, if pumping before the df might help, when do you reckon would be the best time and how much? Should I pump as much as I can get? I've been avoiding doing that as I don't want to increase my oversupply. But I have been easily doing 3-4oz before I've really realised how much I've got. I've been doing it soon after BT to allow plenty of time to 'fill up' again afterwards, but in the hope that the milk at the df would still be fattier for having pumped 3-4h earlier, rather than 9-12h earlier. Any ideas?

TIA 

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Tbh I never pumped much and then only first thing in the morning for a couple months but I did block feed DD2 for a time...except we were partially on formula so the bedtime feed was that and she still had 2 nf's plus a df so I fed from one side in the day and the other at night as she did not like to feed from the left so it worked best at night!

[trimbler]

Thanks Heidi, interesting!

So the last few days we've been doing something like:

7.30 L
10.45 L
2.15/2.30 R
5.30/6.30 (depending how napping went!) R
~1h later R
Then pump 3-4oz from L
11.30 (df) L

Wondering whether teething might be affecting her appetite, not convinced it's that but she went a whole day with no stools and less urine than usual but didn't seem bloated. Then had a couple of BMs today, one of which leaked - which never happens, she usually does several small ones in a day. Yellow/brown and thicker than usual... So do you think I should stick to what I'm currently doing?

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

DD3 was my only lo who was ebf at that age and she was a once a week pooper, which is within the realm of normal. Personally I would be keeping more of an eye on the pee output. Teething for sure could be a factor but at her age a bit early, might make me wonder if she is starting to come down with something. As for the block feeding if the green poos are gone I would stick with what you are doing!

[trimbler]

ok thanks I guess I just wanted to know whether it was 'normal' as I didn't have to do anything like that with DS. Think she fed better yesterday, nappies wetter again which is encouraging. I don't think she's actually cutting teeth yet but suspect they may be niggling as she's chewing a lot, slightly congested and has red cheeks, also rubbing her lip and tongue over her bottom gum in a funny way when swaddled!

[becj86]

Hi, I had my blocks really really long, like 12hr each so you can do that provided you're not getting blocked ducts. I think at that stage, L had a NF around 1 and another around 4, so the day looked like this:
6 Eat L
8 nap
10 eat L
12 nap
2 eat R
4 nap
5:30 eat R
6:45 BT BF R
7 Asleep
1 NF R
4 NF L

For NFs, I used the bottle I'd to catch the 2oz or so that would let down from the breast he wasn't feeding from and I'd also hand express while DH did the nappy change and brought him to me. That way he wasn't getting that squirting quite so much in the MOTN when my OALD was worst and the flow is strongest at these night feeds for everyone, as that's when they've been resting.

It doesn't have to stay that long, and if you are seeing improvement with just the two feeds each side I'd stick with that, TBH. I found the 12hr blocks good for just after a GS to settle my supply down a bit til we got back to normal. I did find the green poos came back after GS til I worked out what was going on and increased the length of e blocks when the GS finished.

[trimbler]

Thanks Bec that's really helpful, actually I noticed green stools again after the 4mo GS (which was a bit early, although DD was a week OD so maybe that's normal), during the GS she didn't seem satisfied with one side so I offered both for some feeds, once the green stools came back I went back to my 2 feed per side pattern.

So did you keep 12h blocks until he stopped bf? It does seem strange to me that I'm having to do this as I never had to with DS, but maybe I just have more milk glands now after 2 pregnancies and she just doesn't need that much?! She's smaller than DS was at this age, but maybe that's just her?

She doesn't have any nfs after the df now and I haven't always been to bed before the df or if so not for long, so don't have such an OALD then, but then I have been pumping before anyway. I often leak in the mornings though, or before the first feed of the day with the second side, but I'm usually wearing breast pads by then and it's not so excessive. Should I be watching out for blocked ducts then? It hadn't occurred to me that that might be a problem, but I guess it's obvious! Any steps I should take to prevent this happening?

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

My middle DD was the only one of my kids to have issues with OALD and I for sure had it with all three. DD1 was generally a sngle side feeder except for gs and DD3 always fed from both sides.

[becj86]

No, I did feed with shorter blocks during GS and once he was only feeding 3-4 times a day,  I just let him choose. I guess the 12hr blocks were just something I used whilst I had to, to keep my supply under control.  I did shorter blocks in summer too, as we were in a very hot climate and he needed the extra 'water' so while some mums were giving their BF babies water, I was just shortening the blocks. I guess he stopped gagging at every feed by around 9 months but he still did struggle with morning feeds even at 18 months, just on some days.

When he got older, he would occasionally have a taste on one side and ask for the other one :p I did BF til he was 2.5 though, so definitely different feeding at that stage than in babyhood.

WRT blocked ducts, just a massage  in the shower each day stopped any for me, only near the chest wall, not on the areola, you don't want to stimulate more production

[trimbler]

No, I did feed with shorter blocks during GS and once he was only feeding 3-4 times a day,  I just let him choose.

How did he choose? Or is that what you referred to below re tasting one side and asking for the other? Interesting that he knew which one he wanted! I only bf'd DS until 2yo when he said 'no mummy milk' a few nights in a row, he was only having the BT feed then anyway so I stopped offering after a few nights as I probably wouldn't have had any to give him anyway! But he never opted for one side over the other.

[becj86]

Got to the point he'd just undress the side he wanted when I put him on my lap for a feed :p

He's an opinionated little thing and I didn't mind giving him control over that once it wasn't a matter of keeping his gut healthy.

He did favour one over the other but he switched his favouritism every week or two and still fed from the less favourite side if there wasn't much left in the other.

[trimbler]

Wow I wonder how he knew?!

I didn't pump last night as we had visitors - no problem with let down (think that's calmed down already and was never too spectacular in the first place), but we had a leaked nappy That's only happened when either the df or BT top up was a first feed from one side, as I don't change her after either of those. Seems the df was too watery last night so too much wee for the nappy! Guess I'll continue the pumping then...

[becj86]

I wonder how he knows a lot of things