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Ma_NiC
Mar 6, 2004
Hey, if you don't want to get probated or banned for posting about pregnancy in a pregnancy thread, there's been a general exodus to this board for goon parents:

http://goons.5150press.com/index.php

Just tell who you are when you register, and you should be able to join.

(USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)

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Fionnoula
May 27, 2010

Ow, quit.
My pregnancy with Liam was really complicated, so we had constant ultrasounds. The day I was induced, he was estimated to be 3lbs. He was actually 4.1 lbs. One the one hand, it's only a pound difference, but on the other it's off by a quarter of his body weight.

LuckyDaemon
Jan 14, 2006

Lower your standards.
This means dating fat girls because you can't do better.
My CNM told me that they are notoriously inaccurate when it comes to nailing down the weight. I would be very cautious in using ultrasound-estimated size alone as the basis for an important decision, like induction or C-section.

VorpalBunny
May 1, 2009

Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog

AlistairCookie posted:

Anyone else have their babies size estimated before birth? How accurate, or not, was it? I'm just curious.

Our final estimate via ultrasound about a week before delivery was 8 1/2 pounds. He was born at 9 1/2 pounds. They also said he was of average length, and he was born at 23 inches.

I have no idea if they ever do a post-delivery comparison between estimates and actuals, but I bet the results would be hilariously off-kilter.

chknflvrdramen
Sep 11, 2007
Making the world a better place... with cookies!

VorpalBunny posted:

I have no idea if they ever do a post-delivery comparison between estimates and actuals, but I bet the results would be hilariously off-kilter.

I've read that ultrasounds can be up to two pounds off in either direction.

Kubricize
Apr 29, 2010

AlistairCookie posted:

Anyone else have their babies size estimated before birth? How accurate, or not, was it? I'm just curious.

I had one done at 38 weeks, because I always measured like 8 weeks ahead from about 20 weeks on. she always had her butt sticking out. When I did go in at 38 weeks to make sure she was flipped the right way ( again the butt made it hard to tell) they told me she would be over 10 pounds and 45 cm inches long. She was 7 pounds, 13 ounces and 53 cm long. So yeh, it was worth it to know that she was flipped, but crap for everything else.

Pluto
Apr 18, 2006

Weak.
You know the flipping baby thing brought up a concern I had for a while. Do you HAVE to have a cesarean if the baby is breech? What if you refuse? My mom told me I came feet first and was born vaginally with no problem, so I don't know why it's such a big deal now.

Edit: I was her second child (first one came head first) if that matters at all.

bilabial trill
Dec 25, 2008

not just a B
My estimate was pretty accurate - they told me between 3 and 3.3 kilos if he was born on his due date. He came 9 days overdue and was 3.5. Hey, they have to be right some times ;)

Lady googooGaGa
Nov 3, 2006

Are you freaking kidding me!?
To those with two kids, did your boobs go nuts with the second pregnancy? Mine are so very loving painful. Im also already having a little clear leakage. It feels like they are on fire to the point i find it waking me up at night. I didn't have it this bad the first time so Im guessing its one of those each pregnancy is different things?

Phooney
Dec 24, 2008

Pluto posted:

You know the flipping baby thing brought up a concern I had for a while. Do you HAVE to have a cesarean if the baby is breech? What if you refuse? My mom told me I came feet first and was born vaginally with no problem, so I don't know why it's such a big deal now.

Edit: I was her second child (first one came head first) if that matters at all.

Not sure about the rules in other countries, but our baby was breech and we would have had the option of trying for a vaginal birth if we wanted. The person who attempted the failed ECV said there was probably a 50% chance it would end up in a c-section anyway though.

He also said if you wanted to attempt a vaginal birth of a breach baby, you'd really want somebody quite experienced with delivering breach babies and since we were just giving birth through the public system we wouldn't really have a choice, it would just be whoever was there that day.

It is certainly possible to have a breach baby vaginally, but the odds of him/her getting wedged in and basically stuck are higher. We just went for an elective c-section and it was a very positive experience for everybody. We even got the baby on to my wife's chest for skin to skin contact in less than a minute after the time he came out.

Crabsurd
Dec 19, 2006

Pluto posted:

You know the flipping baby thing brought up a concern I had for a while. Do you HAVE to have a cesarean if the baby is breech? What if you refuse? My mom told me I came feet first and was born vaginally with no problem, so I don't know why it's such a big deal now.

Edit: I was her second child (first one came head first) if that matters at all.

There are different breech positions and some of them, eg. footling breech, are pretty risky positions for vaginal delivery. Delivery of breech babies can be dangerous because the head (which is the biggest part) stays up in the birth canal while the body is out. So if the head then gets stuck, you have a problem. I believe the cord would also be half out/half in, and so could become compressed.

While it is possible to deliver breech babies vaginally, I personally wouldn't risk it, and most doctors wouldn't either. Just too many ways for it to go wrong.

Edit: Beaten, but there you go!

Exelsior
Aug 4, 2007

Pluto posted:

You know the flipping baby thing brought up a concern I had for a while. Do you HAVE to have a cesarean if the baby is breech? What if you refuse? My mom told me I came feet first and was born vaginally with no problem, so I don't know why it's such a big deal now.

Edit: I was her second child (first one came head first) if that matters at all.

In addition to what Phooey and Miss Shell said, it is also getting harder and harder to find OBs who are experienced/willing to deliver a breech baby, as so often now breech babies are delivered by a planned c-section. If you want to attempt a vaginal delivery it may take a bit of work to find an OB with sufficient experience.

AlistairCookie posted:

So I had an impromptu ultrasound yesterday. Apparently my fundal (is that right?) measurement took a bit of a jump between last week and yesterday and the NP just wanted to take a look around and see. Fluid level is fine, baby is estimated to be a bit on the large side, but totally fine. She said 9 lbs, give or take a bit. Midget was 8.5, so I'm not totally blown out of the water by this or anything. Anyone else have their babies size estimated before birth? How accurate, or not, was it? I'm just curious.

Size estimation comes up a lot, and sadly the margin of error is something ridiculous like 20%. Size can be used as a reason for induction/planned c-section. I had an induction for macrosomia* at 38+6 and was quite happy with the way it went, although a lot of women are unhappy with consenting to such heavy interventions when they are based on rather inaccurate information.

*Estimated weight was 9 pounds, actual weight was 9 pound 2 ounces.

AlistairCookie
Apr 1, 2010

I am a Dinosaur
/\/\/\ I was just curious about everyone else's size estimate track record. Thanks y'all! :D

I've had a repeat C-section scheduled for next Friday (6 days, oh poo poo!) for a couple months now, so I'm not worried about making any decisions based on their guesstimate. I'll be 39+4 then, so he'll be ready to come out I'm sure. The ultrasound was more useful, I think, confirming that I am not a good VBAC candidate. She measured the inside of my pelvis and all sorts of stuff and said that the odds of him being able to move down on his own are slim to none. This is exactly what happened with my first son, after finding out the hard way. My C-section was not a bad experience and I'm okay with having another one--I just wanted to wait until I was really at term and not jump the gun 37 or 38 weeks.

I know this would upset a lot of women, and I completely understand that, but I'm okay with it all. Like Phooney, my first C-section was very positive from a what happened directly after perspective. Got my son right away, nurse was encouraging my husband to help facilitate skin to skin nursing, etc.

E: Lady googooGaGa, the boobs are super sensitive this time around. Have been leaking for weeks...:( It doesn't take much for my son to make my eyes roll back with a shooting pain--hopping on Mommy's lap, a big hug, just playing around, accidental pinch :cry:

AlistairCookie fucked around with this message at 14:34 on Feb 26, 2011

randomfuss
Dec 30, 2006
At 37w, I had an estimated weight of 2.6 kg by ultrasound and 2.8 kg by external examination. Baby turned out to be 2.85 kg.

Absolute Evil
Aug 25, 2008

Don't mess with Mister Creazil!

VorpalBunny posted:

Our final estimate via ultrasound about a week before delivery was 8 1/2 pounds. He was born at 9 1/2 pounds. They also said he was of average length, and he was born at 23 inches.

I have no idea if they ever do a post-delivery comparison between estimates and actuals, but I bet the results would be hilariously off-kilter.

My daughter was estimated to be 7.1 when I had a last minute ultrasound (literally less than an hour before she was born), she was breech and they wanted to get one final check in before the c-section to make sure she hadn't flipped on her own. She was 7.4 pounds.

My son, on the other hand was estimated to be 9.9 pounds and ended up being 7.6 at birth.

bilabial trill
Dec 25, 2008

not just a B

Miss Shell posted:

There are different breech positions and some of them, eg. footling breech, are pretty risky positions for vaginal delivery. Delivery of breech babies can be dangerous because the head (which is the biggest part) stays up in the birth canal while the body is out. So if the head then gets stuck, you have a problem. I believe the cord would also be half out/half in, and so could become compressed.

While it is possible to deliver breech babies vaginally, I personally wouldn't risk it, and most doctors wouldn't either. Just too many ways for it to go wrong.

Edit: Beaten, but there you go!

Also it depends on where you are. Over here as long as en x-ray confirms that baby's head can fit through the canal and the baby isn't foot or feet first, you're good to go. You'll need a doctor in addition to the midwife though, since the risk is greater, I was breech and my mother was fine, the birth was no more complicated than a regular birth. But yeah, you need to be sure beforehand and have an expert present.

Edit: Most of you are in the US though so that fact is kind of irrelevant. Just pointing out that it's not necessarily as risky as it's made out to be. Although I'd be pretty scared to deliver a breech baby myself :(

bilabial trill fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Feb 26, 2011

Pluto
Apr 18, 2006

Weak.
Ahh I gotcha. I wouldn't want a breech baby delivered by someone who doesn't know how to do it, I ASSumed they taught that in medical school but it seems like it's being phased out.

Phooney
Dec 24, 2008
Taught or not, there's no substitute for experience. Doctors have a lot of stuff to learn and, like any of us, need to continuously learn just to maintain a relevant set of skills and knowledge.

Update on leaky nappies: Treasures also leaked on me!

Fire In The Disco
Oct 4, 2007
I cannot change the gender of my unborn child and shouldn't waste my time or energy pretending he won't exist
You may not like the idea of them, but I will say-- cloth diapers are excellent for stopping blowouts. The covers or all-in-ones generally have elasticized legs and waists, and that really contains poop better than disposables.

Phooney
Dec 24, 2008

Fire In The Disco posted:

You may not like the idea of them, but I will say-- cloth diapers are excellent for stopping blowouts. The covers or all-in-ones generally have elasticized legs and waists, and that really contains poop better than disposables.

I don't mind the idea of them. In fact we were planning on switching once Jake's umbilical cord dropped off and our disposables ran low (saving disposables for outings). The poo has been pretty well contained, it's just the urine that has been Houdini-ing out of the nappy.

Fire In The Disco
Oct 4, 2007
I cannot change the gender of my unborn child and shouldn't waste my time or energy pretending he won't exist
Iiiiiiinteresting. Does he seem to have a large quantity of urine? I hope that cloth works better when you do switch to it!

Phooney
Dec 24, 2008

Fire In The Disco posted:

Iiiiiiinteresting. Does he seem to have a large quantity of urine? I hope that cloth works better when you do switch to it!

I don't have experience with any other babies to say for sure, but it doesn't seem like an unreasonable amount to me. He seems happy most of the time, feeds well, obviously would be having wet nappies if the nappy caught it and is gaining weight, so I'm not worried about his digestive system. It would just be nice to not have to clean so many things so often :)

starshine
Nov 26, 2007

Pluto posted:

Ahh I gotcha. I wouldn't want a breech baby delivered by someone who doesn't know how to do it, I ASSumed they taught that in medical school but it seems like it's being phased out.

I actually asked my midwife about their protocol for a breech birth at my last appointment, and she said they are supposed to call an ambulance and transfer you to the hospital for it (planning a home birth). You can still try for a vaginal birth, but she said she has only delivered 1 or 2 breech babies in 10 years of practice. They do refresh their "emergency training" every 2 years, where they talk about breech techniques and such, but unfortunately most birthing attendants don't have a ton of experience delivering breech babies.

I Wish I Was
Dec 11, 2006

I saw this at the bookshop and thought of you.

AlistairCookie posted:

/\/\/\ I was just curious about everyone else's size estimate track record. Thanks y'all! :D

I've had a repeat C-section scheduled for next Friday (6 days, oh poo poo!) for a couple months now, so I'm not worried about making any decisions based on their guesstimate. I'll be 39+4 then, so he'll be ready to come out I'm sure. The ultrasound was more useful, I think, confirming that I am not a good VBAC candidate. She measured the inside of my pelvis and all sorts of stuff and said that the odds of him being able to move down on his own are slim to none. This is exactly what happened with my first son, after finding out the hard way. My C-section was not a bad experience and I'm okay with having another one--I just wanted to wait until I was really at term and not jump the gun 37 or 38 weeks.

I know this would upset a lot of women, and I completely understand that, but I'm okay with it all. Like Phooney, my first C-section was very positive from a what happened directly after perspective. Got my son right away, nurse was encouraging my husband to help facilitate skin to skin nursing, etc.

E: Lady googooGaGa, the boobs are super sensitive this time around. Have been leaking for weeks...:( It doesn't take much for my son to make my eyes roll back with a shooting pain--hopping on Mommy's lap, a big hug, just playing around, accidental pinch :cry:

I'm with you on the "good c-section experience" list. Meg was, as I know I've mentioned before, over two weeks late and I had two failed inductions at that point. The ultrasound showed she only had a tiny amount of amniotic fluid left, so rather than risk problems we went ahead and did the section. This was after taking Bradley classes and deciding that everything was going to be natural and no pain medicines or anything!

My husband and I are sort-of trying for a baby now, and I went to a new OB (I'm in a different city now) before we started to talk to him about VBAC philosophy because I don't want to do VBAC. He said that he has no problem doing a repeat section especially in light of induction not working with me. That was a huge relief! Back when Meg was born it was pretty much policy for insurance companies to mandate a "trial labor" for VBACs before authorizing a second section, but the conventional wisdom has switched back since then to preferring sections for women who have had previous sections. I was born (almost 40 years ago! :cry:) c-section so my younger brother had to be also because of that same conventional wisdom. Funny how it swung one way and then back again just in my lifetime.

JustinMorgan
Apr 27, 2010
Hey goons! I'm not pregnant, my brother's wife is, and I have questions I feel weird/ rude asking her.
1. She's having a "complicated" pregnancy. I'm not sure of all the details, but I know the baby is RH+ and the mother is RH-. She's apparently been told by the doctors not to lift anything over 10 lbs. or to exert herself too much. Why?

2. She talks about her "birth plan". What exactly does this mean? I don't have any children but it seems trying to plan something that has so much out of your control is kind of futile. Plus, any movie with a pregnant woman has them freaking out because things aren't going according to their birth plan.

3. She's been craving salads. Is it true that the foods you crave are your body's was of telling you you're deficient in those vitamins?

Isis Q. Dylan
Feb 19, 2008

Don't wanna be your man, just wanna play with you.

JustinMorgan posted:

Hey goons! I'm not pregnant, my brother's wife is, and I have questions I feel weird/ rude asking her.
1. She's having a "complicated" pregnancy. I'm not sure of all the details, but I know the baby is RH+ and the mother is RH-. She's apparently been told by the doctors not to lift anything over 10 lbs. or to exert herself too much. Why?

2. She talks about her "birth plan". What exactly does this mean? I don't have any children but it seems trying to plan something that has so much out of your control is kind of futile. Plus, any movie with a pregnant woman has them freaking out because things aren't going according to their birth plan.

3. She's been craving salads. Is it true that the foods you crave are your body's was of telling you you're deficient in those vitamins?

My sister in law had the RH factor in both of her pregnancies. She wasn't aware of this for the first one and almost lost the pregnancy. From what I can remember, she had a one time shot or pill or something to that effect. It remedied the situation for the entire pregnancy. The no lifting anything over 10lbs rule seems a bit excessive but I don't know all the possible complications she may have. The rule I used for myself was if I wasn't exerting it was probably ok to lift it. I'm not sure of exact medical reasons for not lifting anything heavy but I think they warn against it because it could cause miscarriage.

Anyone who has any sense about them will realize a birth plan can change at any minute. It's mores there as an outline. It's true that it's pretty futile to expect childbirth to go exactly as you picture it in your head. Sometimes some folks deal with their anxiety about birth by figuring out their ideal situation. It's also nice to let as many people know what things you will not bend on, like breastfeeding asap, or no pain meds, or as many pain meds as possible. Some people do delayed cord cutting and it's just good to have these things laid out for anyone involved to see and follow to the best of their ability.

I think, for non-pregnant people, cravings can be a sign of some void in nutrition. In pregnancy a whole new set of rules comes into play. Some women crave dirt while pregnant. (never seen it but it comes up in almost everything regarding pregnancy cravings so I guess it must've happened once or twice) I want to say it's entirely hormones but I never really had the crazy OMG have-to-have-it-now cravings while pregnant. I did want to exist entirely on mcdonalds cheeseburgers though. I guess that counts.

AlistairCookie
Apr 1, 2010

I am a Dinosaur

I Wish I Was posted:

I was born (almost 40 years ago! :cry:) c-section so my younger brother had to be also because of that same conventional wisdom. Funny how it swung one way and then back again just in my lifetime.

When you and your brother were born (when I was born too for that matter), C-sections were performed differently. They were large, vertical incisions that were less forgiving and almost guaranteed a uterine rupture. Now, since they do them lower, smaller and horizontal, VBACs are possible. But regardless, if you don't want one, no one should force you to have one. I think now lots of doctors won't do them because of the small chance for complications and they don't want the liability--or the chance of a lawsuit. I was just reading about this sort of thing last night. Along with a whole bunch of internet myths about the horrors of C-sections: They have 50% infection rates! (Um, no. Cedar Sinai says 7.5% vs 5% for vaginal.) They give you IBS because they take out all your insides! (No.) You cannot bond with your baby or nurse if you have one! (NOT TRUE!) Along with a bunch of other stuff--The Internets are a double edged sword when it comes to researching stuff, that's for sure.

JustinMorgan: Rh incompatibility...you get a shot of Rogam once they figure it out, and you're good to go. I don't know about limiting physical activitiy--like Isis says, there could be other factors at play you don't know about.

Isis sums up birth plans nicely. I am one of those people for whom planning lessens anxiety, even if I know full well my plans might go out the window later.

Cravings...With Midget, I went through a long phase where I couldn't drink enough orange juice. It was like the nectar of the Gods as far as I was concerned. Why? I dunno, but there are worse things to want to have all the time. This time around, I haven't craved anything.

Pica is wanting to eat non-food substances. It can happen to non-pregnant people or can manifest in pregnancy. It is rare, gross, and potentially dangerous if the cravings cannot be controlled. I used to work with a woman who desperately wanted to eat powder laundry detergent when she was pregnant! She had to go on anti-anxiety meds to curb it. Yuk! I can't even imagine; it makes my tongue feel all wooly just thinking about it.

starshine
Nov 26, 2007

JustinMorgan posted:

Hey goons! I'm not pregnant, my brother's wife is, and I have questions I feel weird/ rude asking her.
1. She's having a "complicated" pregnancy. I'm not sure of all the details, but I know the baby is RH+ and the mother is RH-. She's apparently been told by the doctors not to lift anything over 10 lbs. or to exert herself too much. Why?

2. She talks about her "birth plan". What exactly does this mean? I don't have any children but it seems trying to plan something that has so much out of your control is kind of futile. Plus, any movie with a pregnant woman has them freaking out because things aren't going according to their birth plan.

3. She's been craving salads. Is it true that the foods you crave are your body's was of telling you you're deficient in those vitamins?
Good on you coming here to ask this stuff - it would be kind of weird if my brother-in-law came to me asking these questions, especially in this manner.

1. She has probably had some trauma to her belly or bleeding. I am RH- but my baby has been locked up in the womb for the past 32 weeks so I don't know if they're positive or not (50/50 because my husband has a positive blood type). I'm sure it's awkward to mention vaginal bleeding to you so that's why you're not getting the full story. If the doctors recommended those things, it's probably to avoid any potential blood mingling, and probably due to a solid reason.

2. Births don't have to be all trauma and screaming and out-of-control like movies. Ricki Lake made a pretty cool documentary called "The Business of Being Born" that might enlighten you if you're interested in that sort of thing. Women do have control over how they're going to handle labor... that's why they can go to classes, do research, and make a birth plan. She knows that at the time of labor, she's going to have to be flexible depending on the situation. Having an idea of how you want to give birth and how those around can assist you is another way of giving the power of labor and birth back to the mother, as it was from the dawn of time until pretty much the last century in America.

3. What Isis Q. Dylan said. Particularly if she's taking prenatal vitamins, she's probably not deficient in any vitamin she's getting from salad.

Dogfish
Nov 4, 2009

JustinMorgan posted:

Hey goons! I'm not pregnant, my brother's wife is, and I have questions I feel weird/ rude asking her.
1. She's having a "complicated" pregnancy. I'm not sure of all the details, but I know the baby is RH+ and the mother is RH-. She's apparently been told by the doctors not to lift anything over 10 lbs. or to exert herself too much. Why?

2. She talks about her "birth plan". What exactly does this mean? I don't have any children but it seems trying to plan something that has so much out of your control is kind of futile. Plus, any movie with a pregnant woman has them freaking out because things aren't going according to their birth plan.

3. She's been craving salads. Is it true that the foods you crave are your body's was of telling you you're deficient in those vitamins?

1. The issue with Rh incompatibility is this: if you are Rh-, it means that your own cells don't have the Rh antigen on them, so if you're ever exposed to Rh+ blood, they'll recognize those Rh antigens as foreign and produce antibodies. This usually isn't a problem for the first pregnancy, since fetal blood rarely makes it into Mum's system before birth, but at birth, it can happen, and Mum may start making antibodies. This is why Rh- mums with Rh+ babies usually (in Canada and the US, anyway) get a shot of RhoGAM, an immonoglobulin which prevents the formation of the antibodies.

If Mum has already produced the antibodies and has a pregnancy with an Rh+ fetus, this is when the problems start to occur. There are few antibodies that cross the placenta, but the anti-Rh ones do, so Mum's anti-Rh antibodies make their way into fetal circulation and start attacking the fetus' Rh+ blood cells. This, obviously, is a big problem, which can in some cases be fatal to the baby.

2. Most things in real life aren't like the movies, and birth is no exception. Most of us didn't fall in love with our significant others at first sight, have one big crisis in the relationship, resolve it on the advice of our best girlfriend (or sassy gay best friend) and then live happily ever after, right?

There are a lot of elements in a birth - such as the timing of labour or undiscovered complications - that can't be predicted or planned for, but there's a lot than can be! A birth plan includes information on how Mum would like the birthing environment to be structured - home, hospital or birth centre, soft or bright lighting, music or no music, etc. - as well as her preferences for things like pain relief (medical or non-medical), procedures like episiotomy, or support measures. Birth plans are helpful for caregivers, who (for the most part) want to do everything possible to help women have their best birth, however that looks; for women, who often find that the exercise of reflecting on what an 'ideal' birth for them helps them to be in a positive and open frame of mind on the day-of; and for support people like co-parents, other family members, and doulas, who can be most helpful and supportive at the birth if they know what Mum wants.

A good birth plan - like any good plan - should be flexible, and I'm your sister-in-law understands that plans can change. But trying to structure her birth in a way that's going to be as nurturing and helpful to her as possible is a great step towards having a positive and empowering birth experience. You may find this article by Penny Simkin helpful for understanding the role of birth plans in labour and birth.

A Serious Woman
Sep 9, 2010
Well, it looks like all of my efforts to get this bay out of me worked! After 42 hours of labour, a home birth transfer, a shitload of pitocin and a combination spinal block and epidural, Zoey Scarlett was born on February 19 weighing in at 7lbs 5ozs.

When she was born, she wasn't breathing. She passed meconium in utero and aspirated it. They whisked her over to the newborn station and started chest compressions because they were loosing her heartbeat. The room flooded with people and they had to intubate her. I actually said is she dying and no one would answer me (we transferred to a French hospital and I think there was a language barrier). Six minutes later, she finally started breathing on her own. They took her to the NICU and we didn't get to see her for a few hours. When we finally got to see her, she was covered in wires and tubes but breathing on her own. I have never been so relieved in all my life! I was so, so happy that we were at the hospital.

Now the three of us are at home doing much better. We are having a lot of problems with breastfeeding though. My midwife thinks part of the problem is that her esophagus is irritated from being intubated. Although I agree with her, I don't think that's the only problem. I can get her to latch on but she won't stay latched or she'll stay latched on but then fall asleep. I try for no more than 20 minutes at a time because at that point, we're both pretty frustrated. At that point, my husband usually gives her a bottle of exprssed breastmilk. Thank god we could afford the Medela Freestyle pump; I'm getting between 70-120ml (2-4 oz) per pump session so supply is not an issue.

I guess my questions are: Have any of you dealt with a baby who wouldn't stay latched on? If so, what did you do to correct this problem? I'm considering using a lactation aid. Have any of you used one of these? Did it work for you? Did it cause any problems? I'm meeting with a lactation consultant tomorrow but would appreciate any advice because I really want to make breastfeeding work.

bilabial trill
Dec 25, 2008

not just a B

A Serious Woman posted:


I guess my questions are: Have any of you dealt with a baby who wouldn't stay latched on? If so, what did you do to correct this problem? I'm considering using a lactation aid. Have any of you used one of these? Did it work for you? Did it cause any problems? I'm meeting with a lactation consultant tomorrow but would appreciate any advice because I really want to make breastfeeding work.

Yes. My baby would latch on fine, then let go. Over and over and over again. The midwife we saw at our one week check up said it was probably because of my strong letdown; the milk was choking him. 3 part solution:

1. Try "tulip fingers" (also called Cotterman's grip):



This softens an engorged breast and makes it easier for the baby to latch.

2. Boob sandwich - shape the breast to fit better in baby's mouth. Look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuu8...&has_verified=1 around 5.00 minutes for an illustration.

3. Angle your baby so that the head is higher up, so she has to work against gravity.

And be careful of nipple confusion. Maybe you could feed her with a cup so she won't get too used to the bottle and refuses the breast?

Edit: Sheesh, I forgot to say Congrats! :) Glad everything went ok, that sounds scary as hell! Love her name.

bilabial trill fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Feb 27, 2011

chknflvrdramen
Sep 11, 2007
Making the world a better place... with cookies!

A Serious Woman posted:

I guess my questions are: Have any of you dealt with a baby who wouldn't stay latched on?

Congratulations, and what a beautiful name! So glad that she is OK now, that must have been so scary!

Two thoughts on the not staying latched: Are you sure she's hungry when you try to feed her? She might just want to comfort suck and get upset when the milk starts flowing. She's pretty young for a pacifier if you're trying to breastfeed, but you could try letting her suck on your finger instead. The other thought, since she'll take a bottle, is that she might have nipple confusion. She might be getting frustrated that the milk won't come fast enough.

Fire In The Disco
Oct 4, 2007
I cannot change the gender of my unborn child and shouldn't waste my time or energy pretending he won't exist
Congratulations, A Serious Woman! So glad to hear she is well after such an ordeal.

I agree that nipple confusion can be a big issue, especially so early. Try cup, syringe or spoon feeding instead.

The times that she is latched but falls asleep quickly, you can do something like stroke her ear, pat her back, move her leg, move her arm, and so on to wake her just enough to keep suckling. She doesn't have to be fully awake, just enough that she keeps nursing. I had to do this a lot with Cecilia in the early weeks, but by about a month old, I didn't need to do it anymore.

bilabial trill
Dec 25, 2008

not just a B
When she falls asleep, you can also try rubbing her jaw up by her ear. Do it pretty vigorously, it stimulates the sucking reflex.

Twatty Seahag
Dec 30, 2007
Also try stripping her down to a diaper with your shirt off too. I had an extremely sleepy baby and the skin-to-skin contact really helped a lot.

CrispyMini
May 31, 2005
I wonder what the space baby thinks about all this.....?

Any thoughts on the opposite problem? We've tried 3 different nipples, and probably 6 or 7 different pacifiers, but I can't get Quinn to take a bottle. We've tried me giving it to him, his dad, when he's hungry and when he's not. I'm not willing to go out and buy a ton of new bottles "just to see" if they work, as it's just a once in a while thing that he'll need one. I have the Medela bottle that came with my pump, a Born Free, and a Tommee Tippee because it was advertised on the box as "closest to breast". (My kid was not fooled)

It's not a HUGE deal, but we've got a couple of evenings coming up soon that we need to go to, so it would mean the difference several hours of screaming baby or not to our sitter (my poor sister).

Fire In The Disco
Oct 4, 2007
I cannot change the gender of my unborn child and shouldn't waste my time or energy pretending he won't exist
I don't. :( Cecilia never took one, either.

deviledseraphim
Jan 22, 2002
me gusta besar el pollo desnudo!!

CrispyMini posted:

Any thoughts on the opposite problem? We've tried 3 different nipples, and probably 6 or 7 different pacifiers, but I can't get Quinn to take a bottle. We've tried me giving it to him, his dad, when he's hungry and when he's not. I'm not willing to go out and buy a ton of new bottles "just to see" if they work, as it's just a once in a while thing that he'll need one. I have the Medela bottle that came with my pump, a Born Free, and a Tommee Tippee because it was advertised on the box as "closest to breast". (My kid was not fooled)

It's not a HUGE deal, but we've got a couple of evenings coming up soon that we need to go to, so it would mean the difference several hours of screaming baby or not to our sitter (my poor sister).

I'm assuming you've tried leaving the room? We couldn't get Atticus to take a bottle until one day I handed the bottle to his dad and left to take a shower. If I was around, he'd look at me like WHAT THE gently caress MOM. But as soon as I left he gave it a shot. He wasn't very good at using it, he'd kind of chomp on it, but it was enough to hold him over.

dreamcatcherkwe
Apr 14, 2005
Dreamcatcher
My kid also won't take a bottle. I've tried like 5 different bottles (adiri, playtex drop-in, avent, dr brown, nuk) and no luck. I have left her with her dad 4 times for 2+ hours and she just always waits until I get back to nurse.

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chknflvrdramen
Sep 11, 2007
Making the world a better place... with cookies!
For the won't take a bottle crowd, cup, syringe, spoon, or finger feeding are also viable alternatives. G went through a phase for a couple of months where he wouldn't take a bottle, so we gave it a rest. But when we tried again, he did fine with it.

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