ok, so up till now we've been doing great...
Nicholas seems to have picked up his first cold, he is very stuffy and when i nurse him he cant seem to stay latched on because he cant breathe. This has been worse during the last few nights and doesnt seem as bad during the day time.

last night I decided to pump and give him the bm thru a bottle since it drips faster and he could eat w/o gasping for air.

He is still stuffy, and the dr says not to give him any type of meds which i knew he cant have anyways, so now tonight he's woken twice already (went to bed at 11pm) and both times I tried nursing him he cant breathe or latch on well. I let him suck as long as he could and then gave him the pumped breast milk.

my prob is , is that now it doesnt seem like im producing enough milk. The last two times I have pumped I had only gotten about 3oz total from both breasts when i've been able to get that from each side the past few days.

how can i increase it? how can i make my baby breathe so i dont have to pump? :( I just want to cry, if he wakes in another 2 hrs will i have enough to feed him? :( I do NOT want to resort to formula, but i dont want him to starve either or cry all night because he cant breathe while im nursing him :(

what should/can i do???

When my babe had a bad cold (we're talking thick, green snot like glue), I gave him an herbal expectorant/decongestant and kept sucking out his nose with a bulb to keep him clear.

As for pumping, maybe just pump more often. I pumped A LOT when Mani was first born, as he had major latch issues. At first my supply was next to nil, but it keep going up the more frequently I pumped. We still had to supplement with formula in order for him to get enough though... I say don't beat yourself up if you have to supplement - it's not like giving up the ship and when the cold clears up, I'm sure he'll be back at it 100%. The main thing is that he gets enough to eat.

I hope he's feeling well soon!

stop the bottles and pumping and just nurse him. I guarantee you, he will not starve because of a stuffy nose. I know it's hard to believe, but he won't. Most babies get that stuffy nose thing...at least all of mine did. I've lived through many a nb stuffy nose and never resorted to bottles of anything. The bottle will do more damage than good at this stage. As long as he is wet and pooping, he's ok.

good luck :)

I personally would not worry too much about your supply, when he is over his cold he will be able to build up the supply he needs again, remember it's all about the supply and demand, the more he nurses the more milk you will produce. If you think the bottle is better for now keep pumping and giving him that. He will let you know when he is hungry, he will not starve. My caution is that the bottle can be a slippery slope. It does seem to take some worry off of you because you can see with your eyes what he is drinking as apposed to breast which you cannot see. You were made to nurse, trust yourself and your body and his little instincts too.
My 2 year old has a stuffy nose now and it's funny to see her try to nurse. suck. breathe. suck. breath. Oh and the crusty snot on your boob is always nice!!
Good luck!
Love to you fellow nursing mommy...:heart:

those who posted that a baby will not starve, but in the first weeks when they're gaining or losing weight quickly, not getting enough is a major worry. It may not be for women who know their technique, supply and baby are all in sync, but when a child drops over 20% of their birth weight (like mine did) they become lethargic and, as a lac consultant put it, 'content to starve.' That's also a slippery slope.

I will never, ever fault someone for giving a bottle rather than wonder if their baby is getting enough - I was almost too proud to stoop to bottles and formula and could have done permanent damage to my kid...

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Halo
[B]those who posted that a baby will not starve, but in the first weeks when they're gaining or losing weight quickly, not getting enough is a major worry. It may not be for women who know their technique, supply and baby are all in sync, but when a child drops over 20% of their birth weight (like mine did) they become lethargic and, as a lac consultant put it, 'content to starve.' That's also a slippery slope. [QUOTE]

I must say I have never been in this situation. There is a big difference between a nursing newborn and an older baby.

OT:Make sure he is sleeping safely at an incline (I am sure you know this but JIC).
If it were me I would cup feed before using a bottle. It's really risky at this stage with nipple confusion. I think you should watch the wet diapers and only supplement w/BM with a cup if needed. JMO though.. I am really paranoid about nursing relationships because of my past.

Good luck mama! I hope he feels better soon!!!!

that the baby is the best pump. They can get much more milk from you than you can pump. And 3 oz. sounds pretty good to me, I was only ever able to get a combined ounce from both breasts. What I did to reassure myself (with premature baby with latch issues and low birth weight of 4 1/2 lbs.) was to get a baby scale and weigh him naked before and after feeding. Then I knew just how much he was taking in. The scale was accurate to a tenth of an ounce. You can rent them from lactation consultants or maybe even hospital, I paid $12 a week, so worth it.

I agree that it can be scary not knowing how much they are getting, but I also agreed with other mama that said don't make a habit of supplementation. If you're going to supplement (if you think he's not getting enough nutrition to survive on, and is not peeing and pooping regularly) then imo (if it were me) I would have it supervised by experience lactation specialist and also use an SNS to do it. This way baby doesn't get used to the bottle nipple and unused to nursing. Good luck, I know how scary those first few days/weeks can be. Let us know how it goes. -Laura

Originally posted by Goonboy
that the baby is the best pump. They can get much more milk from you than you can pump.

:ditto:
I was going to say that. I'm asking this quietly, why are you pumping? With my first baby I pumped just to have a stash in the freezer. It gave me sore spots in my breasts, plugged ducts and a whole lot of aggrevation. Unless you have to be away from your baby, woh, etc. don't do it....you don't need to.
If he is having enough wet and soiled diapers, he's getting enough. The scale idea of weighing before and after feeding good idea too to help you feel more secure.
Do you have a bulb syringe to get his snot out? Most babies hate it but it works.

PLain saline nose drops a couple minutes before the bulb syringe helps get it out. Trying to nurse in a postion where baby is more upright can help too.

thanks everyone for all your replies!!!

The reason I was pumping was only because I was afraid he wasnt eating anything. I do stay at home so other than last night he was exclusivly breastfed with no bottles. The pumping was only to settle my fears/worries i suppose.

Im very new to breastfeeding , my other two I did not, neither would latch on right or so I thought and I had no support, and didnt follow up on why he wasnt latching right.

Anyways, it just got me worried because he couldnt breathe, but at his 2week weight check today he has gained a pound already since last wednesday. His birth weight was 7lb 5oz, going home he was 6lb 13oz and today he is up to 8lb 6oz :) So I guess I just doubted myself/body.

Thanks for all the replies they are truly appreciated, and Im glad I have you all to turn to in the middle of the night with these questions :)

You can drip BM up his nose too. It will help clear him out. Also, you can go in and nurse in the steamy shower. The steam will help clear him out while you nurse. Just take a chair in with you to sit on or sit in the tub.

Hylands makes Cold Pluc C tablets that might help.

I did a lot of dripping BM up DS's nose, waiting a couple mins then sucking the snot out with a bulb. It's not fun, but worth it. And I agree that baby will NOT starve with a cold.

HTH

I know I'm late but I just wanted to say that the saline spray by Little Noses works wonders - I would use it on Ryland right before he nursed that way he sniffed it up in there and it would work really well to clear him up. Lots of bulb sucking, too, but he screamed bloody murder so we rarely did that. :)

I'm glad he's thriving!! Trust yourself, Mama!

I also say Saline for stuffy noses, and a good suction with the syringe. You may be up more often, but your babe will get plenty of milk. Hope your night was more smoothe, and that those stuffies go away quickly.

Originally posted by *~Disney_Mom~*


Anyways, it just got me worried because he couldnt breathe, but at his 2week weight check today he has gained a pound already since last wednesday. His birth weight was 7lb 5oz, going home he was 6lb 13oz and today he is up to 8lb 6oz :) So I guess I just doubted myself/body.


NEVER DOUBT YOURSELF OR YOUR BODY MAMA!!! wtg on the great weight gain! ;cool:

Originally posted by *~Disney_Mom~*
weight check today he has gained a pound already since last wednesday. His birth weight was 7lb 5oz, going home he was 6lb 13oz and today he is up to 8lb 6oz :) So I guess I just doubted myself/body.


ITA w/liz
Yeah!! :balloons: How proud are you mama? YOU did that!!!! Isn't that amazing!?! :thumbsup:

:thumbsup: Just wanted to add, steam from the shower works wonders. I also had to run a humidifier when ds was a newborn. Never pumped and no bottles. Just steam and a bulb syringe!:D So glad you are both doing so well!