Thrush is a fungus that can cause symptoms in both mum and baby. It thrives in dark moist environments and can affect nipples and milk ducts.
Once breastfeeding is established and going well (after around 6 weeks) some mums may want to introduce a bottle of expressed milk (or formula) so dad can share in the feeding, to have a rest, for occasional well earned evenings out, or to prepare for returning to work. Some babies will happily take a bottle with no problems but others will be resistant and take a while to get used to a new method of feeding - after all mummy milk is far more appealing to baby than a plastic teat! With patience and a bit of time the vast majority of babies do learn to take milk from a bottle.
Hi, my name is Tara and my son is Solomon. My experience with breastfeeding was quite an unusual one. I always knew that I wanted to breastfeed as soon as I got pregnant, however, during my pregnancy my breasts did not grow nor feel tender. As it was my first birth, unfortunately, I did not stop to think that there might be something not quite right.
I exclusively breastfed Solomon for the first 7 weeks of his life, I did not have a time when my milk ‘came in’ and with hindsight this was a warning sign and should have been investigated either by myself or a health professional sooner. During this time the midwife monitored him as he had lost over 10% of his birth weight. He was a big baby at 8lb 13oz but dropped down to 7lb 7oz and fed ALL the time. He would feed from one breast and then go onto the other and then go back to the first and had the strongest suck! I tried everything from trying different positions, to making sure he was latched on correctly and that he was swallowing and not just using me ‘as a dummy’. I expressed after and (if I got chance) in between feeds and offered him this as a top up. There were difficult times but I was not overtly concerned about his health, however the health professionals did show concern as he was only gaining ½ - 1oz per week (the expected weight gain would be close to this per day). My health visitor had mentioned a breastfeeding support group to me and I went along to that and found that there were many mums that had similar stories and their support and advice was absolutely invaluable to me.
Readers of my previous blog will know all about my battle to regain some sleep. Along the journey of sleep deprivation I've learnt a few tips to maintain my sanity:
Keep it in Perspective
When you're in the midst of endless nighttime feeds and the expected weeks of no sleep have turned into months remind yourself that your baby will sleep one day. Whether its a few months, or years of disturbance eventually your little one will sleep and in years to come you'll soon forget how exhausted you were. They really are tiny for a very short amount of time.
I’m a happy mummy – I got a lie in this morning until 7am!!! Shockingly early for most but a real luxury in this house.
Our first baby was a typical breast feeder – she fed every 2 hours day and night but stopped waking at night as soon as the all night boob café closed at 14 months. Baby number 2 slept really well for the first 6 months (waking 2 or 3 times a night) but at 6 months decided waking every hour would be fun. Strange as it sounds I loved those night feeds. They offered a chance for the two of us to hang out. It was during those darkened, silent night feeds that I got to know my beautiful second child. I was able to examine her every feature, and get to know her growing personality, without big sister dominating my time. When she started to sleep through the night around 15 months I actually missed our night time meetings!
Mastitis is an inflamation of the breast often caused by poor milk drainage. Missing feeds or becoming overly full, are the main causes. But stress, tiredness, engorgment, badly fitted bras, or baby suddenly changing their feeding pattern can also contribute.
