I've never once experienced pain while DS was nursing, but I dread pumping. It hurts sooo bad. And it always leaves my nipples really sore and swollen. I'm only using a hand pump right now, not even an electric, so I don't know why it hurts so bad. I can't imagine how much more it would hurt if I could eventually get an electric. Also, DS is 3 weeks old, but I'm still only pumping 1 oz from each breast if I'm LUCKY. Is that all the more he's eating right now, or am I just starving him by continuing to nurse? Do I need to supplement with formula? Especially at night, he acts like he's starving.. and considering I can't even pump an oz in the evening... I'm about ready to give up here.
momtoLirael
10-03-2009, 06:23 PM
I tried hand pumping once couldn't get anything with it. I think that it is much harder to do good pumping with a hand pump, so don't assume that just because you get that little with a hand pump you have supply problems. Also if you are getting 1 oz after nursing, thats pretty good. I find that pumping is a lot more painful than nursing, though that is partly the sizing of the pump, if you have the wrong size flanges it will hurt to pump. I suggest going to LLL meeting, people there are really helpful.
mumma1010
10-03-2009, 08:55 PM
Hey mama, don't give up - it sounds like you have raynaud's syndrome - I have it, too. Do your hands or fingers or toes get really pale and lose circulation or decrease in blood flow in really cold weather? I knew I had raynaud's with my fingers but never realized that you can get it with your nipples, too. After baby nurses or after you pump, the blood flow to your nipples stops and they turn pale white and hard. This is caused by the sudden lack of warmth that was present with either the baby's mouth or the friction of the pump flange.
I, too, pump only an ounce at a time - regardless of how long I pump for (10 minutes or an hour, doesn't matter) and that's using a hospital grade electric pump, the Medela Symphony. I have found that using the largest flange (36mm) helps a lot with the pain, but it doesn't go away completely. As for why you can't seem to pump anything in the evening, it's likely that your LO is cluster feeding in the evening (hence acting like he's starving) and that is very normal for babies to do - they call it the witching hours. As long as he's gaining and has enough pees/poops, he should be getting enough.
lavagirl
10-03-2009, 09:38 PM
I knew a mama that could only pump about 1 ounce out, altogether. Her son was acting STARVED all the time, so she asked her pediatrician what she should do. He suggested supplementing with formula because he though her milk supply was too low (apparently she didn't feel engorged anymore).
Well, the ped's answer/solution wasn't good enough for my friend S. So she went to a LLL meeting, and they hooked her up with a VERY sensitive baby scale. This way, she could weigh her baby before and after a feeding, in order to determine how much milk her baby was getting. Lo and behold, when she weighed her baby before and after a feed, she found that he weighed 8 ounces heavier after nursing!!!! So much for assuming that she had a low milk supply! So much for fearing that her lack of engorgement was due to an insufficient amount of milk!
Thankfully, S. listened to her instincts and refused to believe that her body was inferior and incapable of sustaining her child. Thankfully, she didn't listen to the dumb doctor who clearly didn't know what he was talking about!
What a previous poster said is true...the true mark of a wellfed baby is a baby that is producing adequate wet/dirty diapers, growing well, and meeting his milestones.
The true mark of a baby that is failing to thrive (because of low milk supply) is listless, losing weight, has a dry mouth, failing to wet/dirty diapers, and is overall not doing well.
If your baby is hungry, fussy, and wants to eat all the time.....GOOD!!!! Sounds like he's doing JUST what he's supposed to at this age! Welcome to breastfeeding, mama! You are describing a perfectly NORMAL breastfed infant. Everything you're experiencing right now is "par for the course."
Keep it up! You can rest assured that you are providing THE BEST for your baby. Your job isn't to keep him happy (heck, my baby would be happy if I let him touch the stove...)....it's to make sure he's healthy. And breastfeeding is the best start!
