Breastfeeding questions

I was wondering how all you breastfeeding mothers kept up on a good diet while breastfeeding. I think I am doing good. I've eaten salad, wheat thins, cheese, and drank juice today. I'm thinking of keeping a log of what I eat during the day so I can make sure I keep everything healthy.

What amount of fast food do you think is too much in a weeks time? I will probably only eat out about once a week. Is that too much. Should I stop all together? I know fast food is horrible but I need my fries! LOL!

So how did you make sure you ate healthy while breastfeeding? Any tips?

Also, how long did everyone breastfeed for? Did you have problems? I am having an awful time breastfeeding Kai. I have to use a nipple shield because he has latch on problems. We are doing "suck training" every day which has helped some. Instead of sucking and curling his tongue he pushes with his tongue. I'm waiting for my nipples to heal so I can attempt to wean him off the shield. Right now they are cracked, sore and bleeding. :( I wouldn't be able to nurse if it weren't for the shield. The first night I had the most horrible blisters but those have since healed. He also has a bad habit of biting, which I am trying to break him of. I was wondering why gumming hurt so bad...well now I know. He already has teeth buds! :eek: Sheesh, just my luck.

He also has a small frenulum and may need to have it cut if it continues to interfere with him being able to latch on properly. He is great with the shield but without it has has a lot of trouble. I've already talked to a lactation consultant and she was wonderful! The good thing is he is eating a LOT, and has already gained weight since leaving the hospital. :) He loves to breastfeed and I love watching him eat, even though it is a bit painful at times. I'm sure it will be a lot better once my nipples heal.

I didn't eat any 'special' diet while BF Jonah. I did monitor my liquid intake, making sure to drink things besides water. I went with Gatorade, and would usually drink half of my daily intake of fluid in the form of juice/gatorade, and the other half water.

What I found to be the most, invaluable, life saving, can't thank 'em enough support was Le Leche League. For me, nothing I was trying was working. I was cracked, bleeding, raw, on pain meds, etc. Nothing worked but having one of their leaders show me the proper latching. (Even if you think you are doing it right...I would call them).

Jonah had a frenulum issue, and it was snipped at 6 weeks, maybe? And, we did suck exercises, as he has a high palette (sic). Both helped tremendously. Also, proper support in the form of a nursing pillow made a big difference. The Boppy was worthless to me- just not enough support.

I went on to BF Jonah until he was 2.5 years of age, and can count on one hand the biting or gumming instances. All a matter of finding your rhythem (LOL, I cannot spell tonight).

Good luck.

Also, what are some of the things you found that your infant could not tolerate you eating? I noticed the other night that Kai was very very fussy. Not like him at all. He is the best baby ever and almost never cries/fusses. I'm very lucky! :D

This night though he was up all night and still fussy during the next morning. I think it was because of having a few slices of pizza, as he was fine before that and then fine the next afternoon. He hasn't been fussy since.

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Originally Posted by Cataholic

Jonah had a frenulum issue, and it was snipped at 6 weeks, maybe?

Good luck.

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Thanks! :)

Did you find that after it was snipped it was easier to breastfeed?

Yes, one thing I need to make sure of is to drink plenty of fluids. I have never been much of a water drinker but now I know it's very important so I keep one of those huge pitchers they give you at the hospital full at all times.

See, he is latching on perfect with the shield, which is great. No pain etc. but once I put him on the regular breast he just can't seem to do it right. My nipples are also very flat. The lactation consultant has had me pump beforehand to draw out my nipples which has worked...just need to get my nipples healed and then work on him getting weaned off the shield and onto my bare breast.

I have a boppy and it's working for now, though I do use pillows on each side of it to lift it up a little more. What did you do that worked?

I want to breastfeed as long as possible. I have already had a talkin to from grandma about how it's not good to breastfeed past 1 year and blah, blah, blah. :rolleyes:

Anyone else had to deal with family not liking you breastfeeding?

The frenulum snip was an improvement, as was the suck exercises, the supportive pillow, the help from LLL...all helped. Wouldn't have made it to 2.5 years otherwise.

I had comments from family and friends. <shrugs> their ignorance is their business. I did what was best for my child.

Nothing I ate ever did anything to Jonah, at least not that I was aware of.

I didn't eat a special diet but tried to limit my caffeine intake and definetely did not drink any alcohol. I did try to drink a lot of water. I found that both my girls were very colicky if I drank too much milk. My girls stopped nursing between 7 and 9 months.

Your nipples will get toughened up :D

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Originally Posted by caseysmom

Your nipples will get toughened up :D

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I sure hope so lol!

If you are hurting make sure he has the whole thing in his mouth not just the end. By the way Congratulations he is beautiful!

Yes find your local Le Leche League (LLL) meeting. It was SOOO helpful for me. I had a lot of problems starting with breast feeding Quinn, but after I had blisters and open sores and feeding her hurt worse then childbirth x10 I decided to check out LLL and they were amazing help. Breast feeding should not hurt and it certainlly should not cause sores, so it's best to find help before it gets so bad it hurts to have a shirt on. They showed me how to properly latch her and unlatch her. I didn't get the hang of unlatching and that's where the majority of my injuries came from. Once you get past the first few weeks it's a piece of cake, and it's just the most rewarding thing in the world! I absolutely LOVE breast feeding and I can't imagine it any other way.

As far as diet, the only thing I watched was spicy and gas producing foods. I do try to eat healthy, but since I plan to breast feed for at least 12 months, I have to be realistic and be able to eat normal. I watched cabbage, sourkraut, and all spicy stuff. When I did introduce foods into my diet that could effect Quinn, I did it slowly. I am fortunate in that Quinn shows little reaction to the foods I eat, but some babies are more sensitive. LOTS and LOTS of water, too. I stay away from sugar drinks like gatoraide, juice is OK but it's also full of sugar so watch your intake of juice as well, but I refill my 32 oz cup at least 3 times a day with just water and I've never had any problems with milk production.

You will also need more protein then normal, so if you're a meat eater, lean chicken and/or hard boiled eggs should be mixed in with your salad if you're eating salad. Try to eat some protien with every meal, lean chicken is great and it's healthy and it'll help fill you up. If you're vegetarian remember to eat legumes for protein, but watch your intake at first since they're a gassy food.

As far as foods not being tolerated, Quinn's very good and I'm very lucky, but whenever I eat sourkraut she fusses, so I stopped eating it. I think it's the combanation of acidic and gassy. I stopped eating it because I don't want it to effect her again.

Gosh best of luck to you. The LLL was a WONDERFUL resource for me, there's also a book that's amazing called "The Art Of Breastfeeding" and I recomend that. You may also be able to check the book out from the LLL, so check them out, they're life savers! Le Leche League

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Originally Posted by caseysmom

If you are hurting make sure he has the whole thing in his mouth not just the end. By the way Congratulations he is beautiful!

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I will hurt until my nipples heal. :( The left side is almost healed though so it feels much much better. He does take the whole thing...but the little bugger won't stop biting! And believe me, he bites hard. :( :eek:

Thank you! :D

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Originally Posted by AdoreMyDogs

but I refill my 32 oz cup at least 3 times a day with just water and I've never had any problems with milk production.

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No problem there, lol. I have more than enough! Took all but 6 hours to get my milk in. Same thing happened last time with Dylan. I don't know why I produce so much milk. You would think I were pregnant with triplets before this!

Oh man, my son sure is a loud pooper! :eek:

Such great answers!! I never really limited my diet- just made sure I got lots to drink. I'm not a soda drink and really only drink milk and water. If my supply would start to decrease, I would increase my water and that would help!! I never noticed a certain food would bother any of the girls and I love my garlic and onions. I do know of some babies it would bother so just trial and error!

As far as the pain, I would use Lanolin cream or express a bit of my milk onto my nipple and that would help heal the cracks!

A good lactation counselor is a God-send!!

As for how long. My oldest I nursed for 13 months. We were both ready to wean. I'm still nursing my youngest and hope to for at least a year. At a year we'll decide what we want to do- we might keep going or we might wean. I've been blessed with very supportive family and friends. Like Cataholic said, their ignorance is bliss and do what you feel is best for your child!!

Good luck!!

Great news!!! He has latched on perfectly all night long and this morning, so this means we are making progress! :D I can't tell you how much better it feels to breastfeed when he's properly latched on. Such a huge difference! So hopefully this means I can work harder at trying to wean him off the shield.

I think he's finally getting the concept that he cannot bite on mommy. Or at least I'm hoping. *keeping fingers crossed* :p

Now I just gotta wait for the nipples to heal. :rolleyes:

I do have the Lanolin but it just doesn't seem to have helped, nor has the breastmilk on the nipple thing. :/ I still do it though, just in case I'm not noticing a difference. I have Soothies which my mom and the lactation consultant got me and they have helped with the nipple pain tremendously! But this morning I had soaked one completely so it looks like I need to go get another pack. It's a bummer too as they are so expensive. Worth it though!

Makes me proud to hear of you young girls all breast feeding your babies! Seems like mine were always bothered by onions and chocolate, always making me leave my favorite chocolate off, and of course pizza was a no, no for me. Too spicy for Lindsey!

I got all sore too, it hurt too, but well I just toughed it out. Other things that went along with it, like I even got milk fever. That was no fun, but I still kept it up anyway. Best thing I ever did, wish I had breastfed my other two, I really missed out on a lot, and I mean a lot! Just too immature, I guess, I mean I know!

Willie :)

Have you tried cabbage leaves? That is supposed to help.

Willie- I love being able to nurse my little ones- it is such a special time!

No I haven't tried it yet. Does it really work? I remember reading about that in the pamphlet my doctor gave me about breastfeeding.

Oh and I spoke too soon about the biting. :( He bit me three times this morning!

Cabbage leaf is only good when you are engorged. It helps to reduce the ademia (swealing), but it also will reduce the milk supply so you can only use it twice a day for 20 minutes at a time. You do not want to use it to help soreness, that's not what it'll fix. If you are injured use breast shells (a hard, plastic shell that prevents anything from touching your nipple, making healing quicker), 100% pure lanolin, and expressed breast milk. Don't use cabbage leaf for injured nipples, it won't hurt them, but it won't help them and it WILL dry your milk supply up.

Here's a picture of the nipple shell. They were a lifesaver for me. I used them for probablly 2 months. They look kind of funny when you wear them, but boy do they help.
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c..._1950_31489043

The lactation consultants at the hospital I gave birth to Quinn at helped me so much. They actually gave me my nipple shield, my nipple shells, and a bunch of lanolin for free. Ask them if they have any nipple shells, they're WONDERFUL for sore nipples. If you can get the stuff for free that'll be so much easier on your pocket book.

Ya I made sure to ask for lots of lanolin when I was at the hospital lol, as I knew I would need it. I got the nipple shield for free, thank goodness. I have heard about the shells. My actual nipples are healing, but around the nipple at the base is where it is sore from him biting. I will definitely try the shells. Were you easily able to wean her onto your regular breast? That is my main goal. I want to get to a point where I don't have to use any of those gadgets. :( Thankfully I'm not engorged. If I get a little full I just pump and stick it in the fridge. He does a pretty good job at sucking me dry though. He's a non stop feeding machine. :p

I just feel bad. I wish I could just feed him reguarly. *sigh*

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Originally Posted by luckies4me

If I get a little full I just pump and stick it in the fridge. He does a pretty good job at sucking me dry though.

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That's something I had to learn the hard way. Breastfeeding has been the biggest challange for me. I don't know anyone who has breastfed so I've had no help or support. My left breast became so engorged that I couldn't get any milk out. I used cabbage leaves and they helped me tremendously. I've had a couple infections too. With the first infection I had a temperature of 104, with the second infection it was 102. Now I'm pumping everytime he finishes eating.

I breast fed Katie until she was 10 months old but by that time it was only the night time and early morning feed.

I did try to eat well and the best advice I was given was to avoid fizzy drinks!

I was thinking about the breast shields and now I'm not so sure if I should try them. If he is biting and the breast shields allow no contact with the nipple when do I know he is biting me? I need to know in order to detach him and correct him if he does...hrmm.

You would think it wouldn't be so complicated! :rolleyes: I sure do wonder how on earth people way back when breast fed if they had trouble.

I can tell you this though, I am *not* giving up on this. He is doing better already and I know I can get through it. I refuse to give him a bottle unless I absolutely have to.

I really, really, really think you should call someone local with LLL, and just get a professional's opinion. Who knows? Maybe THEY have personal, first hand knowledge of a week old baby that bites/gums. I had always heard that if they are biting/gumming, they are not nursing correctly.

But, it is your pain, your BF experience. ;)

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Originally Posted by Cataholic

I really, really, really think you should call someone local with LLL, and just get a professional's opinion. Who knows? Maybe THEY have personal, first hand knowledge of a week old baby that bites/gums. I had always heard that if they are biting/gumming, they are not nursing correctly.

But, it is your pain, your BF experience. ;)

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Well my lactation consultant said there is really nothing to do except take him off the breast when he bites and tell him "NO". It's working, just not all the way there yet. He hasn't bit me today. I should probably go knock on wood for saying that! So hopefully he won't bite today. I'm keeping a log. :o

Great news! :D I fed him three times today without the shield and no biting. I think we are making progress. :D