Breastfeeding & Cloth Diapers

ehg87

My first child I was working full time, and she was an ultra gaggy baby with a weak suck. All together is made breastfeeding virtually impossible. Needless to say she was bottle fed. My son was a screaming, tummy hurting mess, that felt as though he was sucking my nipple right off (we're talking scabs on my nips.) I tried occasionally at first to nurse him, but just couldn't seem to get the hang of it. Ultimately he wound up on soy formula WITH a prescription of basically baby antacid from 3 months until 9 months.
I would still really like to try the breastfeeding route as I definitely think it's the healthiest option for all parties involved. Any advice from anyone would be great!

We're also thinking we would probably like one more after this baby. So I'm thinking that cloth diapers might actually be a good option for us. Especially with me being a stay at home mom. Any suggestions for what I need to start out? We're talking zero cloth diapers here. I also have a 3.5 yr old and a 2 yr old that still need diapering at night...do they make cloth diapers that fit that size/absorb that amount of wee?

RBXChas

I don't know anything about cloth diapers, so I'm sorry, I can't help you there! I'm sure others have advice, though.

As far as breastfeeding, you may totally luck out with this baby and have a smooth breastfeeding experience - you never know! With my sister's two kids, her first one nursed like a champ, but she had a low supply. Her second could not latch on to save his life, but she was able to pump 8-10 oz in a sitting. (She then had to have back surgery when he was three weeks old, so it only lasted for so long, but still, she had a supply I'd have killed for.)

Pumping is a great option! There are a lot of women who exclusively pump, and you can Google it to find tips and support. My son was an OK enough latch-er (I think he was mildly tongue-tied, which is what my dad, a pediatrician, said when he first saw him, though our pediatrician didn't think so), but my supply was terrible. As such, I am slightly afraid that breastfeeding will go badly this time. I am determined that any failure will not be on my end, so I am prepared to pump like crazy if I have to, even if that means I exclusively pump. I love my pump, and my insurance will pay for a pump this time, so I am thinking of buying a second as a backup/one to keep in my office so that I can be a bit more mobile.

Exclusive pumping is often overlooked because people always talk about breastfeeding vs. formula-feeding, whereas pumping and bottle-feeding is right smack dab in the middle (or maybe closer to breastfeeding, but whatever, it doesn't fall squarely into either category).

Obviously if your baby has a gastrointestinal issue like your son did, that's a different story, but there's nothing wrong with giving your baby breastmilk in a bottle if s/he won't latch properly or if s/he is hurting you (or even if s/he nurses just fine and you just don't want to nurse anymore). When I was freaking out about my own low supply, the lactation consultant consoled me by saying that every drop of breastmilk that your baby gets is good, so just give him/her as much as you can. She then tried to help me salvage my supply and stop supplementing with formula, but it didn't work, unfortunately. I did, however, give up nursing at a certain point for exclusively pumping what little I could, and after two months when I got my period, I decided it wasn't worth killing myself to pump a measly, frustrating 3-4 oz a day (while taking all those crazy supplements) and moved completely over to formula.

ehg87

Well I personally think I had supply issues as well. But I always credited that to not trying hard enough, or frequently enough AND I didn't pump. Everyone kept telling me to wait for my milk to come in, but I never felt that it did. I had like no leaking issues ever. Maybe it's more my fault for not trying hard enough cause in all honesty it makes me feel like a cow, lol. Plus I'm not one of those people that's comfortable just whippin out a booby to nurse in public, or even with anyone around except in the comfort of my home. So maybe pumping would be a great idea for me. Hadn't really thought about that before. THANKS!!

RBXChas

Well I personally think I had supply issues as well. But I always credited that to not trying hard enough, or frequently enough AND I didn't pump. Everyone kept telling me to wait for my milk to come in, but I never felt that it did. I had like no leaking issues ever. Maybe it's more my fault for not trying hard enough cause in all honesty it makes me feel like a cow, lol. Plus I'm not one of those people that's comfortable just whippin out a booby to nurse in public, or even with anyone around except in the comfort of my home. So maybe pumping would be a great idea for me. Hadn't really thought about that before. THANKS!!

Definitely check with your insurance company about covering the cost of a pump or the cost of renting a pump. (The hospital-grade pumps are FANTASTIC!) From what I understand, a lot of insurance companies will say that you buy it, then they reimburse you (up to a certain dollar amount).

Here are a couple of links to discussions in here about breast pumps:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/772307-cheap-but-good-breast-pump?hl=breast+pump#posts-11506919

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/759063-breast-pump?hl=breast+pump#posts-11262022

nursenikki829

There are some great websites out there with info to start cloth diapering, I don't remember any off of the top of my head, but they give tons of info. Also check and see if there is a cloth diapering moms group near you. I breastfed all three of my children for at least a year, and supply improves with each baby. If you have supply issues, pumping can hinder more than help, because it is harder to pump than nurse, because you don't let down as easily. Make sure that you establish a good breastfeeding relationship with your baby, and the first few weeks are the most difficult.Just do demand nursing with no formula supplementation to establish your supply and breastfeeding relationship. Breastfed babies nurse very often. Sometimes it can be very painful at first, but if you stick it out, your nipples will toughen up. I would also recommend lactation tea and cookies to increase your supply as well as eating foods that help your supply. Make sure that you get enough calories and stay well hydrated. Don't hesitate to reach out to a lactation counselor for help. Good luck.

TLCEsq

Try www.cottonbabies.com and read up on their cloth diapering basics, etc. I have purchased the majority of my stash from them (first time mom here) and also from Amazon.com. I suggest getting a variety so you can figure out what works best. I have about 12 covers right now: Rumparooz, Flip, Best Bottoms and Thirsties. I like Flip and BB because you can wipe the cover off and reuse it with a new insert or prefold. I have prefolds as well as inserts for all of the diapers. Rumparooz you have to wash the entire thing since it's a pocket diaper so we plan on using those for nighttime, etc. Parenting.com also has a great article on cloth diapering: http://www.parenting.com/gallery/best-cloth-diapers. Feel free to inbox me if you have additional questions, I've done a lot of research and have several friends who cloth diaper. It can be intimidating at first but once you have the actual products on hand and see how they work it isn't so bad. My mom is super excited about it!

RBXChas

I breastfed all three of my children for at least a year, and supply improves with each baby. If you have supply issues, pumping can hinder more than help, because it is harder to pump than nurse, because you don't let down as easily. Make sure that you establish a good breastfeeding relationship with your baby, and the first few weeks are the most difficult.Just do demand nursing with no formula supplementation to establish your supply and breastfeeding relationship. Breastfed babies nurse very often.

I had no idea about cluster-feeding, so I was not prepared for that. I had no patience, and I didn't give breastfeeding enough effort to be able to continue with it. I did, however, find pumping easier than breastfeeding, at least for my own comfort/ability. Let-down and all that, though, I can't say, since I can't know how much milk my son was getting when he was nursing.

I didn't know your supply typically improves for subsequent babies after your first, so that's good to know. I used to pump all day long only to get 3, maybe 4, ounces in an entire day. It was so frustrating. Then I would read about women who pumped 6-8 oz in one sitting, not even the first pump of the morning, and I wanted to cry!

My Avent double electric pump can do a let-down setting followed by a regular nursing setting, so that's helpful if anyone is in the market for a pump. That's how I did it, since it was what the hospital-grade Medela did for me automatically. My OB and the lactation consultant said that even if you nurse, you should pump right after because it will only help your supply. I figure, what's the harm? I can always bank the pumped milk in my freezer.

nursenikki829

I breastfed all three of my children for at least a year, and supply improves with each baby. If you have supply issues, pumping can hinder more than help, because it is harder to pump than nurse, because you don't let down as easily. Make sure that you establish a good breastfeeding relationship with your baby, and the first few weeks are the most difficult.Just do demand nursing with no formula supplementation to establish your supply and breastfeeding relationship. Breastfed babies nurse very often.

I had no idea about cluster-feeding, so I was not prepared for that. I had no patience, and I didn't give breastfeeding enough effort to be able to continue with it. I did, however, find pumping easier than breastfeeding, at least for my own comfort/ability. Let-down and all that, though, I can't say, since I can't know how much milk my son was getting when he was nursing.

I didn't know your supply typically improves for subsequent babies after your first, so that's good to know. I used to pump all day long only to get 3, maybe 4, ounces in an entire day. It was so frustrating. Then I would read about women who pumped 6-8 oz in one sitting, not even the first pump of the morning, and I wanted to cry!

My Avent double electric pump can do a let-down setting followed by a regular nursing setting, so that's helpful if anyone is in the market for a pump. That's how I did it, since it was what the hospital-grade Medela did for me automatically. My OB and the lactation consultant said that even if you nurse, you should pump right after because it will only help your supply. I figure, what's the harm? I can always bank the pumped milk in my freezer.

The pumping hindering more than helping thing happens more because you are constantly attached to either a baby or pump if you pump after nursing. I am a birth doula, and I have helped many mamas breastfeed post partum, and it can be stressful and overwhelming to breastfeed a newborn, let alone have to pump afterwards. I am not saying don't pump, I am saying that if you relax, hydrate, and demand nurse, your supply will come in as your baby needs it. Wait a few weeks before you start pumping. If you overwhelm yourself from the start, it will make it more difficult. I usually don't start pumping until my babies are about a month old, by then my supply is better, and I am more recovered from the stress of having a newborn and the demands of constant nursing.

RBXChas

The pumping hindering more than helping thing happens more because you are constantly attached to either a baby or pump if you pump after nursing. I am a birth doula, and I have helped many mamas breastfeed post partum, and it can be stressful and overwhelming to breastfeed a newborn, let alone have to pump afterwards. I am not saying don't pump, I am saying that if you relax, hydrate, and demand nurse, your supply will come in as your baby needs it. Wait a few weeks before you start pumping. If you overwhelm yourself from the start, it will make it more difficult. I usually don't start pumping until my babies are about a month old, by then my supply is better, and I am more recovered from the stress of having a newborn and the demands of constant nursing.

Oh, I gotcha, as a stress/overwhelming thing (which I can totally agree with) as opposed to a physiological thing. That makes sense. That was part of the cluster-feeding frustration for me - I was totally unprepared for it and assumed I was already failing at breastfeeding. It was all mental at that point!