Breastfeeding/Lactation Consultant

You can use the SNS for finger feeding if that works for you..........more

With the bottle, you may want to try warming the bottle nipple in your bra. When you are away you may want to have dh warm it under warm water but warming it in your bra may get the baby at least taking the bottle again for you then you can transition over to water warmed nipples.

If you have not tried this already try only using freshly pumped milk until the baby gets used to taking the bottle again. Some babies don't like the refrigerated or frozen milk as much as fresh and it may be she is objecting to that. Then as with the other methods once she takes that well you can transition over to the frozen or refrigerated stock.

Some babies like if the bottle feeder smells like mom. YOu can have dad take a used t-shirt of yours to throw over his shoulder while feeding.

Some babies do better if mom is really out of the house. This may mean taking a walk around the block or sitting in the car but I swear they can smell you and know if they fuss mom will appear with the "good" stuff. When you leave plan to give dad a reasonable amount of time without being gone forever if it doesn't work. I recommend about 30 minutes. Don't forget Dad also knows you are available and doesn't want the baby to be uncomfortable so may, without meaning to, not use all his resources to encourage the baby to take the bottle.

You can also try to bottle feed the baby yourself. I know this goes against conventional wisdom but on occasion this works. Try to bf from one breast and hold the bottle near your breast/nipple so the baby starts to associate it with bf. After the baby is done the first breast try to pull the switcheroo with the bottle nipple holding the baby as close as you can in a bf position.

Also, both you and dh can use verbal praise and encouragement as the baby attempts to bottle feed. Even if the baby is only taking the nipple into her mouth but not sucking praise her so she realizes this is a good thing.

I hope this helps, please be sure to get back and let us know what works b/c all of these tips are from other moms, no LC book has this information in it and this isn't on any test!! It's all from trial and error and practical experience.

Warmly Kathy

OOPS forgot my usual caution re: finger feeding with the SNS.................m

A friend LC worked with a mom and dad who only taped around the tip of the finger and the baby sucked the tape right off the finger. Mom and dad ended up in the ER with the baby b/c of choking. Luckily the baby ended up fine but mom and dad were a bit worse for the wear!!

I generally teach parents to tape in a spiral starting at the tip of the finger holding the tubing in place and extending all the way up onto the hand. Like the stripes going around a barber's pole.

HTH Kathy

Thanks for all the advice, Kathy! I'll let you know how it goes! Rajani nt

Repost for butterflies001 re: When will my body adjust to baby sleeping through the night ?? (m)

Just thought I'd ask if this is normal and is there an end to this pain every morning????

Shannon

AH well, the wonders of the human body................more

Here's a more complete explaination of autonomic control of milk supply:

In the early weeks and months the milk supply is stimulated by two different mechanisms. The first is related to hormones from the brain that are signaled by the birth of the placenta. Those hormones start milk production in a non-specific amount...usually more than the baby needs which is why moms generally have more than the baby needs in the earlier weeks and months. The other control is in the breast and more closely related to the amount of milk being taken from the breast. Sometime between about 3 weeks and 3 months the second, breast related control (autonomic) takes over and the milk supply becomes more finely tuned to the baby's needs so the breast begins to make exactly what is taken out no more, no less.

YOu are probably a mom who tends toward the higher end of supply too I would suspect which seems to mean (IMO) you will switch over more slowly to autonomic control of supply.

OK, so now we know what it is...what can you do to get comfy.

One thing I would recommend is to *only* pump as much as needed to get comfy and be able to allow the baby to latch in the AM. Hopefully between the reduced stimulation and your hormonal switch you will see improvement soon.

You may also want to try some cool compresses during the baby's long stretch of sleep if that works conveniently time wise for you such as after the last feeding but before you go to sleep.

Apply cool compresses 20 to 30 minutes with one hour breaks in between. The cool compresses will hopefully slow blood flow and reduce the breasts ability to produce by a bit.

Sounds like you might have oversupply so some of the general rules for that may help, such as bf from one breast only per feeding(if you aren't already). Here's a post on oversupply;

http://boards.parentsplace.com/messages/get/ppbreastfeeding77/39/2.html

Hope this helps, keep me posted and let me know what finally works.

Warmly Kathy