| Dear mammalicious,
I will try and answer your questions as best I can and hopefully will be of some help.
1. Your breasts are constantly producing milk. The only time they stop producing milk is when they are engorged and there is 'effectively' no more room for the milk. So if you have pumped from both breasts and you find that your baby is 'asking' for milk then it is absolutely fine to put her to the breast and she will get a full and satisfying feed. If it helps I have done this myself especially with my son, who would often catch me on the hop and he is now a thriving three year old who is at the top of the scale for his growth charts.
2. This is only my opinion but I find the idea of fore and hind milk can be a little confusing. I often think that it is a concept emphasised by the medical profession to ensure that babies are not taken off the breast too soon. I have never had an issue with fore and hind milk and actually never really consider it. If the baby takes herself off the breast after a feed, then as far as I'm concerned they have been satisified. You are quite right breastfed babies do not need water to drink. The idea of giving water to a baby is for those who are bottle fed. In the past babies have been given extra formula in their bottles (either by accident or because the Mum thinks that an extra top up might be a good idea), which can be dangerous and therefore, the blanket advice was given that babies should be given water in order to 'water down' any excess formula.
3. You're right an hour and half can be a long time to feed. Firstly I would say try, if you can, to not to look at the clock when you're feeding. Again the medical profession can be obsessed with timing. I remember being told, ten minutes one side and ten minutes the other; this advice would have worked great for my daughter as she stuck to this pattern but my son was all over the place. When you're feeding your baby watch her to see what she's doing. When she's getting the milk from a let down, she'll probably be gulping as the milk's coming in quite quickly and then she'll slow down as the flow tails off. With both my children I have left them on the breast for a little while after the major gulping has finished for two reasons: 1) Although I personally only ever feel the first let down, you can have alot more let downs during one feed, so they may not have finished, therefore, I would give them some time to make sure they have; 2) I feel there is also a place for comfort suckling. If you're happy and the baby is obviously happy getting some 'Mummy and me' time, then in my opinion why not? My son always used to take himself off the breast right from the beginning. My daughter now she's older can take some convincing, so after I'm sure she has taken a full feed then I take her off.
In the early stages breast feeding can feel time consuming. I know my son went through a growth spurt at about 3 weeks and I must have fed him every hour for about twenty four hours. As they get older the number of feeds will go down and you won't feel like you are permanently stuck in the chair. The way I got through those first few weeks and months with my two, is to think, in the grand scheme of things, this is such a short period of time. It doesn't last for ever and it's a wonderful time to spend with just you and your baby. I never saw it as time I could be doing something else, rather time I can spend with my baby. I also have got very adept at reading a book with one hand and breastfeading at the same time (I've read so much since feeding). When my son self weaned at 16 months I was really quite sad because we would no longer be spending that time together.
I'm afraid I can't really help with the pacifier as my two never used them (my son sucks his thumb and my daughter doesn't use anything). One thing that might be worth checking is to make sure your baby is fully winded after a feed. I know on a couple of occasions, usually at night when I was too tired, if I didn't wind them properly then they would be fussy when I put them down. I would pick them up have another session of winding and low and behold out would come this enormous burp.
I hope that helps. I know this time can be very stressful. Remember that your body is built to do this and try to relax if you can. Give us a shout if I can do anything else. It might also help talking to people in person. I know that the La Leche League has really helped my when I've got stuck, you might want to contact them.
Jools  |