When Does Breastfeeding Stop "Sucking" ?

[thanka2]

speaking of nurseries. with my first born, i refused to place him in the nursery. insisted he roomed in and had my husband carry him to me for breastfeeding. well i had a c sec and body was still in shock. and i had followed all the books say, to bring him to me every 2 hours (even if he's sleeping!!!) blood drew from my nipples but i told myself i must go on, heavens forbid. (what was i thinking?!?) this must be a big clue from heavens ha, cos for months, breastfeeding my son was difficult, painful and i was a wreck. even with lactation consultants. it only became better, when my sister came over and helped me by showing me how!

now with my second. ha. i wised up. we let her stay in the nursery and specifically told the nurses she is exclusively breastfed. to bring her to me when she is hungry. the 3 days in hospital, both husband and i rested so well, that by the time we got home, we were strong together, to go through with a super gassy baby and a super clingy preschooler.

EXACTLY! This is my reasoning because breastfeeding really does "take it out of you" and after you've been through birth you need rest as well. If you're exhausted it's even more difficult to breastfeed. Good on you for using your wisdom (through experience) to help you get a better start!

 

[Violet A]

I breastfed my first child for around 9 months. I found it really painful and uncomfortable for about 2 months but after that it got so much better and I was sad to stop it as I was returning back to work full time.
This time around, I am also finding it very hard - my son is now a week old and I now have cracked nipples, bleeding, engorgement and it's very painful to breastfeed on demand. I have started to express though which helps.
I am going to hang in there for a little bit longer as I really did enjoy it the first time around eventually and hope to enjoy it again soon hopefully.

 

[Koan]

Along those lines, I felt I should mention here that on this forum there are women who do pump breastmilk and have excess that they are willing to donate as well as there is a Facebook group called Eats on Feets that facilitates milk sharing/donation here in Hong Kong. So, for those women who are open to this possibility, there is supply available here in HK.

FYI Eats on Feets GLOBAL changed its name in March to Human Milk 4 Human Babies. Here's the link for the HK chapter page;

http://www.facebook.com/HM4HBHongKong

:smile:

 

[kacoak]

I breastfed my firstborn for 10 months. I'd say it stopped "sucking" after 1 month. I think the Lansinoh lanolin cream I applied religiously helped a lot with the cracked and sore nipples. Also, I made sure to unlatch the baby if it hurts, as that means she was not latched properly - just reposition and try again. I'm expecting my second baby in a month, so we'll see if this time around it gets any easier!

 

[thanka2]

Well, I made a trip to one of the LLL HK leader's house yesterday and spent probably at least two hours there. Turns out, as I suspected, absolutely nothing wrong with my daughter's latch. In fact, she is quite the good breastfeeder. The leader even consulted a HUGE breastfeeding reference book and called up one of the other leaders but there really is nothing wrong with her latch or any of those things. So, the issue with me is almost certainly a skin problem with me.

Any long-term breastfeeding moms out there who have skin problems? I don't have eczema or psoriasis or any major skin conditions but all my life I've had dry and sensitive skin. The treatments for skin irritations I've developed in the past are creams that in no way you could apply to your nipple while breastfeeding.

 

[starbucks2]

I am a huge fan of that purple nipple cream, lansinoh I think its called. Safe to put on when feeding baby.

 

[thanka2]

Thanks, starbucks2. I am also a big-time user of Lansinoh. In the past 3 weeks I've already used up one tube because I put it on before feeds, after feeds, before shower and after shower and then some times in between. It does protect nipples and I'm sure I'd have cracks and my nipples would look a lot worse if I wasn't using it but...I still have irritation.

Another thing about the Lansinoh is that it is EXPENSIVE here in HK! I had a tube from the States and looked online--there Lansinoh is about $7 USD/tube ($55 HKD). At Mothercare in HK, where my husband picked up the new tube I have now it is over $21 USD/tube ($169 HKD). That is a huge markup, I have to say. Doesn't surprise me as most things imported here in HK are 3-5 times as much as they are in the States. Glad my mom is coming for a visit in a couple of weeks and among other things she's bringing Lansinoh with her. Anyone else need a tube?

 

[Newbie_hk]

Thanka2,

It took me around 4 weeks after weeks of tears, mastitis & sleepless night expressing. Little did I know that I would be continuing till my daughter was 18 months! I did a bit of travelling overseas when she as a baby and I must say it made my life SOOOO much easier. No bottles or coolers to bring, no need to worry about that 100 mls limit (although we do get exceptions but it's still a hassle to have to taste it or make sure it remains fresh) and the quickest way to calm a crying baby on a plane.

BTW, try Palmer's cocoa butter nipple cream. It's quite a thick, dense gel. I used it back in Australia so wouldn't know where it's available here sorry.

 

[thanka2]

Thanka2,

It took me around 4 weeks after weeks of tears, mastitis & sleepless night expressing. Little did I know that I would be continuing till my daughter was 18 months! I did a bit of travelling overseas when she as a baby and I must say it made my life SOOOO much easier. No bottles or coolers to bring, no need to worry about that 100 mls limit (although we do get exceptions but it's still a hassle to have to taste it or make sure it remains fresh) and the quickest way to calm a crying baby on a plane.

BTW, try Palmer's cocoa butter nipple cream. It's quite a thick, dense gel. I used it back in Australia so wouldn't know where it's available here sorry.

I'm glad you were able to work things out in 4 weeks with your daughter. I breastfed for 24 weeks with almost constant consultation with lactation consultants and doctors and never did get any relief. I had pain and discomfort from day one onwards. It got better in the sense that my son could latch on without me screaming in pain and yanking him off my nipple but it was still painful, itchy and uncomfortable for 6 months straight. I also had mastitis, yeast infections and all the assorted breastfeeding problems in the beginning which I was over by the time he was 8-weeks-old. I've pretty much tried every medical and holistic remedy out there at the suggestion of various professionals.

Thanks for the suggestion of Palmer's. I checked into the ingredients and the number one ingredient is petrolatum, a petrol product which is basically Vaseline. The LLL leader I consulted with asked her dermatologist friend about suggestions for irritated skin and the dermatologist recommended Vaseline. However, I feel that it's much healthier for my child to be ingesting pure lanolin rather than a petrol product. I might give Vaseline a try for a few days and see if it helps. Also, my concern is about the cocoa butter as it can be an allergen.

 

[Margaret09]

I would like to share my breastfeeding journey. I had many problems with latching in the first few weeks. I saw a breastfeeding consultant, who gave me some very good advice. And a dear friend, who breastfed her 3 children, until they were at least 1 year of age, suggested keeping going until 6 weeks as thing often begin to settle. So persevere I did. Bearing in mind that I come from an artificially fed family, the pressure to give up was subtle but there. However I never doubted that I could do it. Whenever I experienced a problem, I did my research to find a solution.
Initially I anticipated I'd feed until 8 week, that then became 3 months, at which stage I though well lets aim for the 6 month recommendation. I reached 6 months averaging between 8 - 14 feeds in a 24 hour period, with usually 2-4 feeds in the night period.
I introduced solids at 5.5 months & continued to breastfeed, thinking I'd stop at 8/9/10/11/12 months
I'm still breastfeeding at 19 months.

The period of breastfeeding that I have enjoyed the most has been from 1year onwards. The focus seemed to shift from a solely nutritional one to a something else...
Firstly, the convenience of breastfeeding has seen us through some challenging times - long haul flights & bouts of illness being 2 that spring to mind. I read somewhere recently to mother your child at your breast rather than just breastfeeding... I had to think about this statement & realized that I do this all the time. Our physical closeness helps me to recognise if he's unwell, it also gets me connected as to where he's at in his day. An example being he now asks for 'me me' when we're out if he's overwhelmed by the environment we are in. It soothes him & gives me a clue of places to avoid!!

There are increased health risk, both acute and chronic, associated with formula.
The immune systen of formula fed babies is less developed & the gut is less protected.
The composition of both are very different. See this link

http://www.bcbabyfriendly.ca/whatsinbreastmilkposter.pdf

I share this information, not to induce guilt, as motherhood is already full of guilt, but to add to the body of knowledge & information so that women can make an informed choice

If you want to breastfeed, trust that your body can do it, get undated information on the risks associated with formula feeding. Surround yourself with people who support your breast feeding choice. Get help when in doubt from LLL or a lactation consultant. Mother your child at your breast. We have the health of the future generations in our arms, what a awesome privilege....