Thursday, September 17, 2009
Adam and Nursing.... blah
The past couple weeks of nursing have not been fun. Adam doesn't stay latched on, he just sort of plays. So after about 2 minutes on one side I give up and try the other. Sometimes he'll stay latched on for the other side but only for like 2 minutes. And then he would get mad if I stopped. Well last night he woke up about 1:15 and usually I would stick the binky in and he would go back to sleep. Well, not this time. He decided to keep crying. So since I was really tired and didn't want to be frustrated while nursing I decided to make him a formula bottle. The bottle we had been using he wasn't taking and I figured out why. It came out too fast and the nipple was far too big. So I got the ones for 4 months and up and he drank it all right down and went back to sleep. And then I couldn't sleep for like 2 hours. It sucked. Part of the reason was that I kept thinking about whether or not I should stop nursing. There are many pros and cons which I'm sure you can figure out what they are and then I figured out what I'll do and see how long I can handle it. I will give Adam a formula bottle every other time he eats. Then we'll see how we both handle it. I wonder what Rusty will say because formula is kind of expensive. But it just doesn't feel like he is getting enough to eat when it's just me. I guess we'll see. I would really like your opinion about this so please leave a comment. :) Feel free to say what you want. It won't hurt my feelings.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
All you have to do is look at his size and you know that he's getting plenty to eat.
If he's goofing around when he's supposed to be nursing, stop, put him down and let him get mad about it. Try again in a few minutes. If he does the same thing, you do the same thing. He'll soon figure out that nursing time is not playtime. It's time to eat and eat he will.
He'll soon be starting on solid foods and when that happens, his need/want to nurse will go down a little. However, that doesn't mean that he'll only want to once or twice a day. Just a little less. Liquid food will still be the primary form of nourishment.
Don't give in to the whole formula thing just yet. At this age, he could easily go through a can a week. Sometimes a can, plus a little more. Some brands can cost close to $30 a can. Some even more. So you do the math on that. Even the Walmart store brand is between $18-$20 for the bigger cans. Either way, you would be looking at spending around $80-$120 dollars a month. I would wait until he's a little older, more established with solid foods and needing "liquids" a little less.
Nursing can be really tough. When McKay was 2 weeks old he had to go to Primary Childrens because he wasn't getting enough to eat...that was only because of my lack of experience being a first time mom. Even though that happened I ended up nursing him for a year and I've nursed my other kids as well. I would say don't give up yet. Now that Adam is almost 4 months you can start feeding him cereal and more foods and he'll need to nurse a little less. Formula is expensive. If you're worried about his size you can always go to the dr. for free and have a weight check done once a week, that way you'll know if they're gaining weight. I hope this helps!
I would give Logan formula for his very last feeding, but nursed the rest of the time and that seemed to help a lot. Logan also acted really hungry so my doctor had us start feeding baby food right at 4 months, which is early but was right for him. I agree with Christa, it could just be a phase he goes through for a week or so. When Logan quit nursing he still drank a ton of formula, I usually went through $50 of formula every 6-7 days so just really think about it before you quit nursing! If I had known I would be spending that much money I probably would have nursed longer!
Hang in there Emily! Adam is developing very quickly and needs that liquid gold! At 4 months he could be going through a growth spurt and having a lot of developmental changes. As he learns new things (like rolling over) he will be thinking about that as he nurses. Usually though, at night he should be sleepy enough to nurse longer.
Oaklen used to nurse for a few minutes and switch to the other side. We'd switch nurse a lot. That is what worked for us. I'd also nurse on the go since he wouldn't sit still. I'd walk around the house as I nursed.
The moment a baby has anything but breastmilk, it starts the weaning process. Your thoughts of using a bottle every other time is detrimental. Your milk supply will diminish and it will be a self-fulfilled prophesy and then you'll end up having to use artificial milk. His poop will stink, you won't get the oxytocin to help with depression, and it will be costly.
If you have questions, come to a free La Leche League meeting. Or call the 24-hr hotline 801-264-LOVE and talk to someone.
Here are some more things to read:
http://www.utahbreastfeeding.org/helps_Risks.php
Risks of not breastfeeding
Breastfeeding benefits both mom and baby and there are risks associated with NOT breastfeeding. Formula is not equal to and does not provide the same nutrition for your infant that breast milk provides. Breast milk includes living antibodies and immune properties, as well as a perfect ratio of protein, fat, and carbohydrates that changes composition as your baby grows and changes.
http://www.utahbreastfeeding.org/files/By_not_breastfeeding.pdf.
By not breastfeeding, your baby may have:
• Less resistance to infectious diseases
(baby will get more illnesses such as: ear infections, gastro intestinal problems, diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, pneumonia, urinary infections, diabetes, lymphoma, Crohn’s disease, and increased risk for obesity in later life)
• Less developed immune system (decreased response to immunizations such as polio, tetanus,
diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae)
• A less nutritious product when compared to breast milk (nutrients in
breast milk match infant requirements for optimal growth and development. Breast milk is easily digested, nutrients are utilized
efficiently, and is not stressful on immature infant kidneys compared to formula)
• Poorer dental development (more cavities, less straight teeth)
• Increased risk for allergies
• No benefits of antibodies (Secretory IgA) to help develop immune system
• Less benefits of the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids that are important for brain development that yield in higher IQs and higher cognitive development and greater visual acuity
• Increase risk for SIDS
• Increased risk of overfeeding and obesity
• Increased spitting-up (poorer absorption)
• More constipation or less frequent or irregular bowel
movements
By not breastfeeding, mother may:
•Not have postpartum weight loss due to the calories expended for breast milk production
•Not have her uterus return to pre-pregnancy size as fast (suckling during breastfeeding
promotes uterine contractions that helps this)
•Have more bleeding (lactation increases levels of a hormone, oxytocin that helps with this)
•Have increased risk of cancers (certain types such as breast, ovarian, uterine) compared to
those who breastfed
•Have increased risk for osteoporosis (more fragile bones and hip fractures later in life)
compared to those who breastfed
Miss out on the special bond between her and her baby from breastfeeding
•Not receive the benefits of relaxation and emotional health (due to hormonal
releases and time sitting down cuddling/nursing)
•Not experience the benefits of increased self-esteem due to breastfeeding
•Not be established as the mother of the baby due to breastfeeding, something
special only she can do for her baby (especially with young mothers)
•Spend more money (due to higher health care costs, need for formula or feeding
supplies)
•Incur more inconveniences due to preparation of formula, preparing bottles, etc.
I do think that Breast milk is best for baby...but I also think that if you are not enjoying nursing and it is no longer a good bonding time with your baby and it has become frusterating or irritating then maybe it would be healthier for both of you to stop. I am still nursing Maveryk full time and he is six months and I am very happy with nursing. With Tukker I started using formula and also nursing when she was about three months. My milk did not start drying up at all until I chose to quit compleetly months later. My mom has been done nursing for over a year and her milk is still not gone. I think a womans body is an amaizing thing and it will usually adjust with you and continue to make just as much milk as you need the same way that it knows to make more milk when your baby is going through a growth spurt or how it knows to put more fat in your milk while your baby is an infant and then it thins out as the baby grows. Do what feels right to you. Breast milk is very healthy and has benifits that formula is missing but I can name thousands of people including myself that were formula babies and turned out just as healthy or healthier than breast fed babies. If nursing is still important to you then stick it out girl and be strong! Other wise do what makes you and Adam happy either by suplementing or switching to full time formula. (WIC provides up to nine cans of formula per month for free to mothers who choose not to breast feed)
I had issues nursing from day 1. My milk took a week to come in and I was using a pump on top of nursing him. My milk supply never caught up with him I was nursing him every 20 to 40 minutes for 8 weeks straight. But because Adam has been really good about nursing up until just recently I would say that he's just going through a phase and his tooth coming in could be part of it. Don't worry, Adam will be fine.
Post a Comment