success and more questions

[Guest guest]

Thank you for all of your support the last couple of weeks. I stuck

with it, and Emma (three weeks old today) has been nursing

exclusively from me since saturday morning. We had been finger

feeding using EBM before, to supplement Emma's attempts at the

breast. We have been following her lead for feeding times and

lengths. Sometimes she will sleep for 3-4 hrs and then wake and BF

off and on for the next hour. I have plenty of milk which flows

easily whenever she wants it. She has at least 8 wet daipers a day

and seems content.

Here's my question. After she has fed for a while (20+ minutes). she

will fall asleep at the breast. I will try to move her to lay

between me and DH, and she will awake and begin rooting and moving

her arms. When I put her back on the breast, she falls back asleep.

When she does this, I've held her and rocked her a couple of times to

soothe her and she will fall asleep. I can't do the side-lying

feeding yet -- it's too complicated for the two of us, especially

with my large breasts. Do you think she's getting enough food, or

does she just want to suck to soothe her to sleep? Are the signals

different between wanting to feed and wanting to suck to fall asleep?

Thanks,

Mandy

[Guest guest]

Mandy,

It sounds like she is getting plenty from the diaper count. If she is

falling back to sleep on the breast she is probably just looking to soothe.

Sounds like you are doing a great job. You might want to put a folded

blanket under her to raise her to your nipple, that might help with side

lying.

Wendi

http://www.lactivist.com

" When individuals have been born gently, welcomed kindly into the

community,

breastfed for many years, they do not become greedy people. They come

from a place of fullness and balance with all our relations. "

Jeannine Parvati Baker

success and more questions

Thank you for all of your support the last couple of weeks. I stuck

with it, and Emma (three weeks old today) has been nursing

exclusively from me since saturday morning. We had been finger

feeding using EBM before, to supplement Emma's attempts at the

breast. We have been following her lead for feeding times and

lengths. Sometimes she will sleep for 3-4 hrs and then wake and BF

off and on for the next hour. I have plenty of milk which flows

easily whenever she wants it. She has at least 8 wet daipers a day

and seems content.

Here's my question. After she has fed for a while (20+ minutes). she

will fall asleep at the breast. I will try to move her to lay

between me and DH, and she will awake and begin rooting and moving

her arms. When I put her back on the breast, she falls back asleep.

When she does this, I've held her and rocked her a couple of times to

soothe her and she will fall asleep. I can't do the side-lying

feeding yet -- it's too complicated for the two of us, especially

with my large breasts. Do you think she's getting enough food, or

does she just want to suck to soothe her to sleep? Are the signals

different between wanting to feed and wanting to suck to fall asleep?

Thanks,

Mandy

Give the Gift of Life Breastfeed!

http://www.lactivist.com

[Guest guest]

Mandy,

Congratulations on breastfeeding! You will save a lot of time this way (you

know that already! LOL) as you become more experienced.

In my experience, there is little or no difference for a 3 week old between

wanting to suck and wanting to eat. Frequently babies experience growth

spurts at 3 and 6 weeks and 3 and 6 months of age. During growth spurts, a

baby will either 1. nurse more frequently for lesser durations, 2. nurse

same frequency for longer durations, or 3. nurse more frequently and for

longer durations, with the goal of more total time at breast to stimulate

more milk.

In your and Emma's case, you haven't been giving bottles or pacifiers, so

Emma's essentially been suck-starved. Now as she gets better at sucking,

she is going to want to do it a lot. You may feel like a human pacifier for

a while, but I'd encourage you to stick it out, and not offer a pacifier

until after Emma is 6 or 8 weeks old to avoid nipple confusion/preference.

> When she does this, I've held her and rocked her a couple of times to

> soothe her and she will fall asleep. I can't do the side-lying

> feeding yet -- it's too complicated for the two of us, especially

> with my large breasts.

It really sounds like she is getting enough to eat but wants to suck more.

It took me a lot of practice to nurse lying down, but it was worth it. Most

nights now, I will fall asleep with lying on my chest, and we will

end up rolling to the side, so that she nurses on the (downside) breast

beside me. I don't like to nurse sitting up at night anymore! Keep

practicing and you'll get the hang of it.

Amy Lynn

mother to 1-25-98 and 2-10-00

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