• Is it normal to have
my baby nursing up to 3-4 times at night?
• How do I continue breastfeeding when I return to work after
confinement?
• What is a good breastmilk expressing schedule?
• I’m too busy at work to express properly. What do I
do?
• What is reverse nursing?
• I am unsure of the nutrition value in the breast milk after
a year. Do I have to supplement with formula milk?
• I’m breastfeeding my child, and now I’m pregnant.
Do I stop breastfeeding?
• Can I breastfeed if my nipple is short or inverted?
Is it normal to have my baby nursing up to 3-4 times at night?
That is what we call reversed nursing, where baby wakes to nurse more
often at night. This usually happens to nursing mothers who are working,
as they are not around during the day and direct breastmilk then is
limited. It is very important to learn to nurse while lying down. This
way both of you would not miss any sleep.
My ds is now 20 months and still
nurse a few times. I especially notice the early morning before I get
up for work - somehow he knows the time. During the night, whenever
he cries, I just let him latch on, I don't even know how long that is
as I fall asleep soon after. The next time he cries, I just switch to
the other breast, if I remember.
Breastfeeding is not only for the
nutrients but it’s also for comfort, security and the bonding
that babies can't get from bottled EBM during the day. The night feeds
are also important to ensure your milk supply - this stimulates your
breast to produce milk.
I have known mothers who don't
sleep with their babies or only nurse them once at night, and they have
very poor milk supply. It is a sacrifice we have to make when we have
to work and yet want the perfect food for our child - best of both worlds?
I normally lie down to feed my
baby when I am home, I can either take a short nap or watch TV (I have
a TV in the room and it’s good to relax your mind). This way,
I ensure that I have enough rest - milk supply will be poor if the mother
doesn’t get enough rest, stimulation (direct feeding) and water.
By nursing lying down, I will have satisfied the first two conditions.
Between my dd#2 and ds, I have
had only 6 months of undisturbed sleep (with ds in tummy) and I miss
the child sleeping beside me - the emptiness. I like hugging my children,
nursing or not - the feeling of them being so close, the warmth that
I know I will definitely miss when they grow older or when they are
weaned. Appreciate this time, for there will be a time when they would
prefer their friends more than you! - Anna Teoh, Mama to Alison (9yo),
Audrey (6+yo), Arrick (20 mths). www.blessedmums.com
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How do I continue breastfeeding when I return to work after
confinement?
It is not impossible but takes
a lot of planning. During maternity leave, pump out as much as you can
and store in the freezer for contingency - in case you could not pump
out during office hours or you did not manage to get enough EBM for
the next day feed. Not sure if you have two months maternity leave,
but if you do, start pumping in the second month to collect and make
frozen EBM. When you have a freezer full with frozen EBM, you have less
stress keeping up the quota for your child EBM feed. - Anna Teoh, Mama
to Alison (9yo), Audrey (6+yo), Arrick (20 mths). www.blessedmums.com
More on successful breastmilk
expression and breast-feeding
advices from paediatrician/lactation consultant, Dr Koe are available
on this site.
What is a good breastmilk expressing schedule?
When you start work, you need a
few pumping sessions of about 20 minutes each
(using dual pumps) during office hours. The number of sessions depends
on how
much your baby needs during your absence. This you can find out during
the last
week of your maternity leave. If with 2 sessions you can get enough
EBM,
then spread out your sessions with 2-4 hours in between at least. Normally,
most mothers start with 3 sessions. What I did was, pump when I come
in for
work (normally in early), during lunch and at 3-4pm as I prefer to have
a
fuller breast when I reach home at 7.30pm to feed my ds. Mothers who
work
late will need more pumping sessions. - Anna Teoh, Mama to Alison (9yo),
Audrey (6+yo), Arrick (20 mths). www.blessedmums.com
I’m too busy at work to express properly. What do I do?
If you’re too busy to pump
even during lunch time, you can do it before you start work or before
you leave for work. You can also pump when you are home feeding your
baby, nurse on one side and pump the other. This way you would be able
to collect enough milk for next day’s feed. If you are not driving,
you can even pump during the car ride. I did that using Ameda pump with
the car adaptor when I used to travel in/out from JB/SG - the ride can
take up to 2 hours if the causeway is jammed! When you running low in
supply, you can pump during the non working days too. But be prepared
as your baby will nurse longer to be satisfied. I’m not sure how
your office is set up, but there are mothers who put up curtains around
their work area so that they can pump while doing their work.
Mothers with more than one child
usually have a hard time balancing their time, especially when they
need to nurse their baby. I came across a mother who have no help at
all, alone at home with a 2 yo and newborn. She is determined to nurse
her baby. One of the options given is to use the sling to breastfeed
your baby while taking care of the older child. This option is good
for her since a newborn tends to cluster-nurse - nurse more frequently.
The other option is to get help from other relatives or friends. - Anna
Teoh, Mama to Alison (9yo), Audrey (6+yo), Arrick (20 mths). www.blessedmums.com
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What is reverse nursing?
Reversed nursing is when baby wakes
to nurse more often at night. This usually happens to nursing mothers
who are working, as they are not around during the day and direct breastmilk
then is limited. It is very important to learn to nurse while lying
down. This way both of you would not miss any sleep. - Anna Teoh, Mama
to Alison (9yo), Audrey (6+yo), Arrick (20 mths). www.blessedmums.com
I am unsure of the nutrition value in the breast milk after
a year. Do I have to supplement with formula milk?
My paediatrician, Dr Cheang, said
that after 6 months of age, a baby should be weaned off to solid food
and by then, the baby will slowly depend on the solid foods for the
nutrients he requires, especially carbohydrates to put on weight and
grow.. Mothers should not have any worries about the nutritional value
of their breast milk because we have been engineered by nature to produce
what our young ones need.
But, if you are worried if your
child is not getting enough calcium, iron and Vitamin D (these are the
few things lacking in human milk), then see that your child is taking
a balanced meal. You can provide yoghurt, milk pudding, cheese and other
dairy food. The important thing is, never stop breastfeeding because
you thought your milk is not good enough. - Lilian
I’m breastfeeding my child, and now I’m pregnant.
Do I stop breastfeeding?
Dr Koe told one of our moms through
an email that during pregnancy, the milk is still catered for the older
child until a few weeks before delivery of the new baby and your superiorly
engineered body will change the milk into colostrum for the baby. As
long as you have milk, as long as you want and can nurse and as long
as your baby wants milk, your breast milk is still the best of the best!
- Lilian
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Can I breastfeed if my nipple is short or inverted?
Evert-It
There is this invention called “Evert-It” which deals with
this problem. I bought it from the Internet due to recommendations in
a breastfeeding book that I read. The verdict - yes, it helped in the
beginning, but once your baby learns the
correct latch-on, you won’t need it anymore. I also found that
if you use a breast pump, you can achieve the same result. I use Avent
Isis. - Nor Azleena
Manual manipulation
By and large this is not a problem that can't be overcome. Once the
baby is latched on, the nipple is elongated, which is noticeable when
the baby comes off the breast after nursing. Pregnancy itself (especially
the later stage) can alter the nipple.
However, inverted, flat or short
nipples can make good latching on a challenge especially around the
3-4 days post natal when the breast is hard due to the increased blood
supply (as the breast changes to making milk rather than colostrums).
Gently pulling the nipple and rolling
it between the thumb and fingers during pregnancy has shown to be ineffective
but doesn't do any harm. - Eirian
Ipplette
A few years ago Avent manufactured something called an “ipplette”
(about 6 years ago I bought a few in the UK and brought them back here).
It worked like a small bicycle pump to pull the nipple out. Consisted
of a nipple shield connected to a thin tube connected to a syringe.
The research (done by the manufacturer) showed that when used sufficiently
(I think a few minutes every day), the muscles lengthwise around the
nipple became slightly longer. Don't know if they still make them.
This little contraption can be
made by taking a plastic syringe (probably a 10ml one), cutting off
the end where you would put the needle, pulling out the plunger and
putting it in the ex needle end and then using the flange end over the
nipple and using a gentle pull to elongate the nipple. Don't know if
anyone who has tried this though. Whatever used should be comfortable
and not cause any trauma. - Eirian
Ice cube
A wrapped ice cube to make the nipple stand out can always be used just
before you try and get the baby latched on if you expect difficulty.
- Eirian
This is usually a problem in the
early days, once the baby (and mum) has learnt the art of nursing
nipple shape and size is not an issue. – Eirian
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