Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with baby and breastfeeding

The kid is alright, but what about the parent?

Anonymous — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:20:18 -0800

Can you help me make peace with giving my baby formula when he's at daycare? My baby is now 10 1/2 months old and at daycare during the week. Up until now, he has been breastfeeding at home and drinking bottles of pumped milk at daycare. We've decided to start switching him over to formula bottles at daycare, but even though there are good reasons for this I'm feeling guilty about it. Do you have any advice on dealing with the guilt/feeling ok about this decision?

There are several reasons why this switch makes sense. First, my son drinks much more milk at daycare than I can pump during the day. This means that I have been pretty stressed out doing a lot of pumping when we're at home, in the mornings and evenings and on weekends, to try and keep up with his voracious milk appetite. At the same time, in the last couple months my milk supply has dropped so I have to spend more and more time pumping. I currently spend 2-3 hours pumping every day, and I still have to go in to daycare once a day to nurse him because I can't pump enough milk. It's gradually gotten worse and worse, and now feels just out of control. I really want to spend more time with my family at home rather than tied to the pump. We're also getting ready to try getting pregnant again, and stopping the pumping will probably help with that. I am also hoping that stopping pumping will help me be less tired. My son is eating table food and drinking water like a champ, so I don't think he needs breast milk as much as he did when he was younger. I was planning to stop pumping once he is 12 months old and can drink cow's milk, so by starting formula now we're basically just making the transition away from the pump a bit earlier.

This all seems quite logical. And I'm going to keep nursing my son in the mornings and evenings, because both he and I love it. But...it's hard for me to think about giving him formula when I've been so committed to breastfeeding. I feel like I'm letting my son down. And while I know that breast milk is slightly better for his health, I am definitely having some guilty overreactions and thinking that by giving him formula I'll just be shoveling processed crap into him and guaranteeing him a future of obesity.

Rationally I know my feelings are out of proportion, but I could use some strategies for feeling emotionally ok with giving him formula bottles at daycare. Any suggestions?

Leaving my baby

arcticwoman — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 07:50:49 -0800

I'm leaving my 7 month old baby with his other mom for three days. This will be the first time I'm away from him for longer than a couple of hours, and the first time I won't be able to nurse him. I am really anxious about this. What can I do to help this go as smoothly as possible, and keep me sane? I am currently on maternity leave taking care of my 7 month old son. I've been given an opportunity to take some training in a city a few hours away but I'll have to spend three nights away from home. I've never spent a night away from him before. His other mom (we're both women) is perfectly capable but there are some difficulties.

1. I'm breastfeeding. I can bring a small electric pump with me but will I need to pump during the day at training? At lunch? How do I do this? Three days isn't long enough for him to spontaneously wean, is it? I'm not ready for that.

2. Baby doesn't take a soother, or a bottle (or sippy cup) very well. I'll leave a bunch of expressed milk, but how in the world can she get it in him? Will he learn to take a bottle if he's hungry and it's the only option? He eats purees too, but is too young to get all his nutrition that way.

3. He still wakes up 2-3 times a night to nurse. We've tried sending my wife in to soothe him, but all he wants is to nurse. We've tried letting him cry back to sleep (we did cry-it-out very successfully for bedtimes and naptimes) but he just gets hysterical. What can she do to soothe him at night?

I know that this will likely be harder on me than it is on him - his other mom is perfectly competent and loving. I just need some help to make this go as smoothly as possible for baby, mom, and I. I have four more nights before the trip.

How to wean?

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 08:24:36 -0800

When and how did you stop breastfeeding? Relatives are pressuring me to wean my baby (single digit month old).

They mean well: baby starts childcare soon; will eat more solids; i go back to work soon; i get more sleep.

I just do not feel ready.

I was unwell this weekend and they would not allow baby to breastfeed all weekend. They said this is a good time to wean. But I am tired, physically uncomfortable and missing my baby terribly.

They are now mad because I went back to breastfeeding on Monday. I told them I would prefer a gradual approach but they said it was better to be all or nothing.

They also insisted that I am being stubborn and stupid. They have more experience and why am I being so naive? Apparently in our culture, it is currently seen as a rarity to breastfeed as most mothers would opt not to even if they have breast milk - because most mothers like to preserve their youthful looks/ body and babies "suck the youth out of you." Breastfeeding also means no more firm breasts. So many mothers age so quickly after having a baby, they become physically unattractive (including being stretched down there) and thus it would make sense for their husbands to leave them for younger more nubile models.

I think they are full of hogwash (though they are looking out me for in their own way). But I am also unfortunately living with them and, perhaps being unwell, am starting to let it get to me as they are relentless in their constant nagging.

It would be very helpful to know of when and how others have weaned their baby(ies).

Also whether it is ok to be so incredibly sad when you do.

Thank you.

Five month old eats all night now. Can we get it back down?

crabintheocean — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:41:13 -0800

Our five month old son has gone from (breast) feeding once or twice overnight, to feeding at least every couple of hours. We're at the very beginning of trying solids. Can we get the night feedings back down? What's going on? I know there are folks on here with amazing knowledge about breastfeeding and babies. Thank you all so much in advance...

Baby Crab just turned five months, he's on the big side for his age (giant head!) and was a 42 week baby. He's ahead on most milestones, but he's not crawling. He has always been exclusively breastfed on demand, and we cosleep, mostly to make night feeding easier for everyone. He is super healthy and ridiculously happy!

We had loosely planned to exclusively breastfeed for a full six months, but about a month ago he started to really stare and whine when we ate, and show some other signs that made it seem worth letting him taste some solids. We started a couple of weeks ago and it's been very low-pressure and slow, we haven't cut back on breastfeeding at all, we just give him hard veg to gnaw on sometimes, and spoon feed him basic fruit and veg purees once or twice a day. He's interested, and it's been making a difference to his diapers, but it's only a tiny part of his diet.

Around the same time we started thinking about starting solids, he started eating at night way more. Since around eight weeks he'd just been eating a couple of times, not really even waking up, or waking us up. Now it seems to have ramped up, and last night felt almost constant, prompting me to post this. What's going on, and how can we get the night feeds back down? My assumption has been that his tummy just isn't big enough and milk is too dilute for him to go all night with his current energy needs, and that it was another sign we should start thinking about moving towards a mixed diet. But all the early foods except avocado are pretty low calorie, and it will be a while before he's eating solids in any quantity.

We don't want to push him to eat or make it a fight, and we're not looking to move away from the breast (we'd be happy to nurse for another year). We don't want to put him out of our bed either, we all have been doing great with sleep except for these extra new night feeds. We also don't want to load him up on stodge like baby rice to fill him up, it feels wrong.

Has anyone else been there? Any advice?

How to corral the boobs for style and ease of access?

brambory — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 04:56:53 -0800

Magestically breasted nursing mums: help me dress my new body. Baby brambory is now a month old and breastfeeding like a champ. We've both taken to feeding with no big problems and all seems to be going really well. However, my boobs have blossomed/ballooned to a very grand 34G and I'm at a bit of a loss on how to deal with them.

1. What style of tops should I be looking for that will be flattering for my postpartum body and still easy for feeding? Any specific brands that you found to be especially good?

2. Are night bras any good? Where can I find some in my size? Is there something else I could wear to keep breast pads in place? (I'm currently wearing my normal nursing bras to bed, but I'm getting tired of the straps and various hard bits digging in during the night. Going bra-less would be grand, but me, the bed, and the baby would wake up drenched in milk).

3. Are underwire bras really as evil as my health visitor would lead me to believe?

4. Will my boobs return to their usual large-but-manageable-size after we wean him?

Any other tips and tricks for dressing for breastfeeding would be greatly appreciated!

I'm in the UK, but any US specific advice would be fine too as I can pass it along to my also well-endowed pregnant friend there.

Sudden bottle feeding strike, doo dah, doo dah

chesty_a_arthur — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:01:51 -0800

Suddenly my ten week old baby is refusing bottles of breastmilk. Just in time for daycare. Help! After ten weeks of taking an occasional bottle of EBM, the smallest Arthur shorty is on a bottle strike. We've tried my leaving the house, different positions, different people, different nipples, but it is all met with screaming. She starts FT daycare a week from Monday, so this is really bad timing.

How were you successfully able to reintroduce a bottle to your 3 month old refusenik?

Breast of both worlds?

litnerd — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:05:06 -0800

Breastfeeding woes: is there any way to battle nipple confusion without cutting out artificial nipples completely? When baby litnerd was born about 5 1/2 weeks ago, his latch was horrendous for various reasons that no amount of lactation consultations would resolve. I continued to feed him from the breast for a few days after we came home, but soon turned to exclusively pumping instead. It's been working fine for us up until now; my supply has been able to come up with his demand, and he's gaining weight like a champ. But at his most recent checkup, his pediatrician strongly urged trying the breast again. In the few days since then, I've managed to get him latched on and feeding a few times, and whether his latch has really improved or the pump has simply toughened up my nipples, we have another problem that remains--getting him to get on the breast and stay on is a challenge.

I've tried starting when he's just starting to show signs of hunger, but it doesn't make a difference--as soon as I get him into position (cross cradle hold), he starts screaming. As soon as I try to get him to take the nipple, he goes into hysterics. He might latch on for a while, then pull off. It really is very stressful and frustrating for both of us, but I do want to make it work since feeding directly is a heck of a lot easier than pumping and everything that comes along with it. I suppose it's a nipple confusion problem, but I'm resistant to the idea of cutting out bottles entirely, since I'd like to feed him calmly and quietly at the very least at nighttime, when my husband is trying to get some sleep before going to work the next day. And I really hate the idea of trying to syringe or cup feed him at this age, especially since he's eating about 4oz at a time.

How do I handle this? Do I give up on him happily taking the breast? Or is there a middle ground to be found here between the breast and the bottle?

Got Milk?

zizzle — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 07:39:08 -0800

How much breastmilk do I really need to send to daycare each day? And how much should I have in the freezer? And all sorts of other questions. Little Miss is five weeks old. Last week I started pumping to build my freezer stash. It took me about five days to get the first 2 ozs in the freezer. In the last two days, I've gotten 2 ozs in for a total of 4 overall now.

I pump primarily after a feeding or during a feeding. If after a feeding, I get about 0.25 oz from both sides combined. If during, I get almost 0.5 oz from the side she's not eating on. I pump anywhere from 10 - 20 minutes, and at night try to pump a bit longer. I try to be consistent about the time for at least three of my pumping sessions each day and squeeze the others in when I can. But it's hard with both the baby and the toddler.

I'm worried about what how much I'm getting out now means for when I go back to work. I know right now she's eating all the time or using me for a pacifier and that she's most likely a frequent snacker -- taking a lot of short frequent meals rather than a few big ones so there really is no in between feedings time, except when she's asleep in the sling which is when I get Toddler Zizzle out of the house for a few hours for his sake. All this is likely contributing to how much I can pump in any given day right now, but when I hear that women are pumping entire bottles in ten minutes, I get concerned about how much I'll be able to pump at work. I'm fortunate in that if necessary I can do shorter more frequent pumping sessions if I need to at my job rather than three twenty minute sessions.

But as for what to send to daycare, I've read to send anywhere from 12 oz, divided into 3 or 4 bottles, and as much as 20 oz divided into 5 bottles to daycare every day. What really do I need to send? If I can pump an oz a day until I go back to work, that'll give me enough for the first day plus around 20 oz in the freezer, but won't leave much for testing out bottles before hand, though I'm hoping to pump more each session as I get used to the pump and to maybe up my oz/day to 1.5 or 2/day gradually during the rest of my leave.

I currently use a Medela Pump-in-Style-Advance, and it's new. I also need a larger flange size, so I got that and I play with the suction levels and going back and forth between the let-down mode and the suck mode. I also have an Avent manual pump that I have found to sometimes be faster, though I still get about the same output and it's harder on my hands. I'll continue to experiment with both.

I think it's important to also mention that Little Miss is a slow, but healthy, gainer. Her lowest weight two days after birth was 7lbs90z. Her birthweight was 8lbs. She's about 8lbs5ozs now and she did gain an inch in length since birth. No one from the LC to our nurse practitioner is concerned about how much she is gaining since she is just perfect and looks it otherwise, unlike her brother at this age who wasn't gaining and didn't look good. And once those issues were resolved, he never was a chubby baby, either, so I think my husband and I produce leaner babies.

And as of now, I go back to work December 5th, but I may be able to stretch it out until the beginning of January depending on how much sick/vacation time I have left.

Toddler Zizzle's significant weight issues necessitated putting him on formula by 14 weeks old, so this is all new stuff for me. I'm not having any supply problems this time.

Flavoured Milk.

smoke — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:57:15 -0800

Different foods and breastfeeding - looking for real evidence. Newborn-filter. I've read through reams and reams of stuff about what nursing mothers shouldn't eat when breastfeeding - but it's really, really light on actual proof, wandering off into anecdote territory very quickly. Are there any foods that have been proven to have a detrimental effect on babies that are breastfed?

I'm especially interested in any facts about chilli/curries.

My google-fu is drowned under an avalanche of fairly folksy and unremmittingly western forums and sites. I'm not really looking for more of the anecdotes I can find on those sites. I am looking for any reports about actual studies, and explanations that are - if not scientifically rigorous at least with decent pretensions to science.

So, is there any proof that certain foods - especially chillis - can make things more difficult for breastfeeding babies?

Help me feel better about leaving my baby for a business trip

bq — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:09:48 -0800

I am going to be away from my baby for five days. Help me know that he will be OK without me. My first child is seven and a half months old. In two weeks I am going on a non-optional five day business trip. I am nervous about being away from my son for so long. Intellectually I know that he will be well cared for in my absence by his father, his nanny, and a set of grandparents. But he has just in the past two weeks started to develop attachment/separation anxiety issues - crying when I leave, etc. All the time this trip was planned I wasn't worried about it, because he has a very happy personality and loves everyone - and now just before I leave he has started to notice when I am gone!

I am pumping and freezing a stash of breast milk that he can drink when I am gone. He takes a bottle and formula fine. We will be maintaining his usual routine, to the extent possible. I've planned for baby food, diapers, all the practical stuff. And we're in the middle of sleep training in the hopes of making that easier on all concerned as well. Dad has taken over the night-time ritual when possible in order to get the little one used to that change.

If you have any ideas of stuff I can do to make this easier on me, baby, and adults, please let me know.

And most importantly, if you've had a similar experience where you had to be away from your kid, please tell me that it's going to be OK and I'm not permanently warping his emotional/psychological development.

Thank you!

New Mom Resource List -- Southern Maine Version

zizzle — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 15:23:20 -0800

I want to put together an area resource list for my sister who will be having her first baby in November. She lives in the Greater Portland Area of Maine. I intend the resource list to include things like names of lactation consultants (preferably ones who go to homes rather than ones who make post-partum moms lug themselves and their babies to their offices), therapists with specialties in PPD, new mom groups, places for her to go with new babe, new parent help lines, etc.

I am aware she will likely get a similar list from her practitioner (I know I did), but I want to give her one that may include places and people her practitioner's may not. I know, for example, my provider's list didn't include the name of the LC or the counselor or the physical therapist I saw after birth, so, you know...lists can vary. Basically, anything or anyone that can help her maintain her sanity and give her support.

I will also be giving her a bunch of little practical gifts to go along with the list --- Foodler gift certificate, lansinoh, etc.

Help me decide

trillian — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:43:10 -0800

What have your experiences been with the combination birth control pill (or the progestin-only pill) while breastfeeding? Did it affect your milk supply? For several years, I took the combination (estrogen/progestin) birth control pill. I was very happy with it. When I went off the pill last year to get pregnant -- and then did get pregnant -- my skin just went crazy. Acne all over my back, face, and chest. My dermatologist gave me a topical antibiotic, but it wasn't that effective. My skin is really affecting my self-esteem, and often I just hate to look in the mirror. I already have scars developed on my back from this round of acne.

Now my baby is six weeks old, and I have my post-partum doctor's appointment today. My husband and I do not want another child -- not now and not in the future. The doctor already gave me a prescription for the mini pill (progestin only), but I know that it's not as effective as the combination pill, and I'm assuming it will not have the same effect on controlling my acne. One of the doctors in the group I go to said that she prefers to prescribe the combination pill because it's much better at preventing pregnancy. I don't know the opinion of the doctor I'm seeing today.

My biggest fear about the combination pill (and even the mini pill) is that my milk supply will decrease. I've researched online, and both anecdotal evidence and scientific studies don't seem to point to a single answer. kellymom.com doesn't paint a rosy picture. I'd like to hear some personal experiences. What did the combination pill (or mini pill) do to your supply? If it starts to affect it, can I just stop the pill and expect my milk to go back to normal? I have a great supply right now and can pump 4-5 oz. at a time. I am planning to breastfeed for one year.

How to estimate breast milk production?

lexicakes — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:03:01 -0800

Is there a simple way to estimate how much breast milk my baby is consuming? I'm trying to keep track of my son's daily caloric intake, but I don't know how much breast milk he's actually drinking. Is there some sort of rule of thumb or a way to estimate based on how much time he spends nursing? It doesn't have to be very exact, I just want to get an idea of how many calories he's taking in.

If it matters, he's 9 months old and nurses about 4-6 times a day. He typically nurses for 20-40 minutes at a time.

It was a world of tears and ouch. Need it be again?

lottie — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:11:39 -0800

Nursing mother alumni filter: Question about breast feeding a second baby, when you had trouble breast feeding the first. For nursing mothers, past and present: If you had difficulty breast feeding your first baby (attachment, pain etc) did you find it easier the second or third time around?

I got the hang of it eventually first time 'round, but not without bleeding, pain, classes, sheilds, lanolin and angst, and I'm wondering if I have to start from scratch with the baby I'm expecting later this year. Should I expect the experience to be similar? Should I prepare for classes, pain, shields etc all opver again? Or is it likely that I've learned how to do it now, and will have an easier time?

Just FYI: Mastitis wasn't one of my myriad issues. Thank god.

What was your experience?

How to continue breast-feeding while traveling w/o baby?

maybephd — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:36:45 -0800

Must travel without baby -- but want to keep breast-feeding. Complications and doubts. I'm going to a conference in February and think it'll be best to leave my (then) 8.5-month-old with her grandparents. That'll be about 3 days. I've been pumping at work and breast-feeding when I'm at home with her in mornings/evenings/weekends, and I really don't want to stop because of this trip. What are my options? I can bring my pump, but...I'm going to be out and about all day. Assuming I can even find a place/time to pump, how to store the milk? Or would I just have to (SOB) pitch it? I have problems with supply already, so it would just kill me to lose the stuff.

Maybe someone out there's been in a similar sitch and can simply share what she did?

And on a related note, is 8.5 months too young to leave my daughter with her grands? I don't really love the idea, but I'm having a hard time imagining how I'd be able to handle the conference and her.

The little stinker has decided he no longer likes the bottle. What to do?

tlong — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:29:09 -0800

My 9.5 month old son suddenly is rejecting the bottle of expressed breastmilk, for about a month now. He's behaving similarly with the sippy cup. Should we be worried? My 9.5 month old son is breastfed, and since he was three months old he's had no problems taking expressed milk via bottle when I'm at work. He's with his father one day a week and in daycare the other three days. For the past month or so he's been refusing the bottle. He takes his solids, he drinks from my breast when I come home and 2-3 times throughout the night (probably reverse cycling? we co-sleep). But when he's given the bottle he takes a tiny bit, then pushes away or moves his head and doesn't take it at all. The pediatrician looked at his ears and saw no infection. He had a small cold, but that's over with, and it looks like his four top teeth are coming in which is causing him some pain. We've been gradually introducing sippy cups with water in it, but he hasn't been enthusiastic about those either. Should we be concerned? Is there anything we can do to get him to take his expressed milk while I'm not with him? Is there anything we can do to encourage him to use the sippy cup rather than the bottle? Thanks for your advice.

We're having a real good time here, you betcha

ook — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:25:17 -0800

Help us figure out why our five-day-old son has been screaming for the last four hours. (Other than just being a big baby, I mean.) So here's the pattern: baby starts making those sucking gestures that mean he's hungry; mom puts baby to breast; baby begins screaming uncontrollably as though we're putting hot pokers in his mouth and refuses to even try suckling; mom or dad picks up baby and comforts him until he calms down; return to step one. This has been going on more or less continuously since about 7 o'clock. Dad tried taking the baby into another room to calm him down and give mom a chance to dry her own tears; he promptly fell asleep for fifteen minutes and then began crying again.

He has successfully breastfed before, so it's not like he doesn't know what that nipple is for. Up till now he's sometimes been a little fussy getting started, but nothing near this bad.

Any suggestions? Are we doing something horribly wrong? Do we keep trying, or give up and start over with a new son?

Estimating weight from breastfeeding

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:13:16 -0800

Fitness/Breastfeeding Filter: how do you estimate weight retention from breastfeeding? I'm an overweight woman and I am breastfeeding. I'd like to determine a healthy weight for myself, but I am unsure how much extra weight I have due to breastfeeding. Most calculators for BMI or anything like that are not meant for breastfeeding, of course. And none of the healthy weights charts are either.

My baby is older and on solids, but still nursing about six times a day, perhaps a bit more. How much extra weight would I have due to nursing? I would think there's a range, of course.

Just to clarify, I'm not looking to stop nursing. I just want to get a sense of where my weight is and where I should take it. I'm going to be nursing for at least another 15 months. I don't really want to wait till then to do the calculations. And I don't need to be totally scientific -- it's just that I find numbers motivating.

Is there a rule of thumb for estimating weight from increased breast tissue and milk? I have lost all of my pregnancy weight, fwiw. But I'm assuming that I have some weight due to breastfeeding, given that I've gone up 4+ cup sizes. I have a more than adequare supply or milk. And you would normally say that I have pendulous breasts, even when I am not breastfeeding (according to my doctor, who says that they probably make me weigh 15 lbs more than a typical person, when I am not breastfeeding).

Note: I am not looking to do anything unhealthy. It's just that I am motivated by numbers and percentages and things like that, when it comes to weight loss. Also, you are not my doctor, etc.

Thanks.

Crack that nip!

al_fresco — Sun, 06 May 2007 11:07:30 -0800

[BreastfeedingFilter] My partner and I just had a baby boy. So far, breastfeeding is going pretty darned well, except... He seems to be latching pretty well, if maybe a little close to the tip (he has a small mouth). One nipple is holding up famously, but the other has a bit of road rash–there's an abrasion, kind of, right across the tip of the nipple from left to right, that scabs over a bit and is very sore. We're reading all of the books, and are finding lots of advice about prevention of this situation, but precious little about what to do now.

We tend to agree that creams and ointments are most likely not helpful. She tried lanolin for the first couple of days, but has let that go and just spreads breastmilk on the poor, sore nipple. We (she) would be grateful for any advice about how to speed healing. Did you pump on the hurt side? Express by hand? Nurse for shorter periods? How did you keep the flow even on both sides? Compresses? Hot, cold?

Thanks from our whole little family!

99 bottles of breastmilk down the drain

DenOfSizer — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 08:37:24 -0800

Tricks for getting a breast-fed baby to delight in the joys of a breastmilk filled bottle? We've tried:
-mom not feeding, only dad and other relatives and friends giving the bottle
-every conceivable bottle/nipple combo known to humankind
-feeding in places where breastfeeding doesn't usuallyl happen (bouncy seat, crib, outdoors, etc.)
-warmer milk, colder milk
and pretty much every babycenter.com tip. It doesn't matter to our otherwise lovely 2.5 month old, who rejects it as noisily as Christopher Hitchens denounces Mother Teresa.

The super-confounding factor is that my breastmilk appears to have too much lipase, so that it develops a soapy-sour smell when thawed. So we've only been giving our Little Screamer only the freshest breastmilk.

This is going to make mom's return to work, and dad's staying home from it, very very stressful in a few weeks. Appreciate your help!

Udderly Ridiculous!

DenOfSizer — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 10:23:16 -0800

Is it possible to over-breastfeed a baby? She's 6 weeks old and nurses, oh, like 10-12 hours a day at least. I think she's at the breast more than she's asleep. Oh, sure, there's some non-nutritive sucking going on, but pull her off and she FLIPS OUT --- and mostly she's eating, albeit somewhat slowly. Lactation consultants and "concerned citizens" of the breastfeeding community say there's no such thing as spending too much boob-toobe time, but honestly, this is making me feel like a human dairy. Any hints?

Whisper Wear: Innovation or Marketing Gimick?

anastasiav — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 12:57:30 -0800

ProductReviewFilter: Anyone here have any experience with the Whisper Wear breast pump? It looks like a great solution for my particular situation, but I'm wondering ... does it really work as well as a traditional pump?

Help me wean my 8-month old, please...

mdiskin — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 15:06:35 -0800

Help me wean my baby so I can get back on my antidepressants. She's 8 months old, is eating solids very well, but won't take a bottle (never did).... I'm terribly depressed and really need to wean her so that I can go back on Wellbutrin. This needs to happen over the next month. I love breastfeeding, but the depression is killing me.

Regimented vs. On Demand

sic — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 02:56:51 -0800

I'm looking for opinions and experiences on breast feeding. My wife is days away from giving birth to our first baby (a girl!) and we are looking for opinions on how to breast feed her. As most parents probably know, there are two schools of thought: regimented breast feeding (letting baby cry and only feeding her at certain times) and on-demand breast feeding (giving baby milk whenever she seems to ask for it). We are really interested in hearing about all of your experiences. Any long term issues? Also, when do bottles come into play?