Welcome to #momlifechats!

@qxeenbreezy_, your best bet would be to connect with a breastfeeding support group or lactation consultant so that someone can evaluate your latch and provide tips specific for your situation. Always try and tickle baby's chin to get them to open wide, do not hold the back of their head (this can keep them from being able to open wide) rather hold them on the base of the neck for support, and then once baby is opened up push your nipple in deep. If you have pain, put your pinky finger in and break the latch and try again. As baby grows her mouth will grow too and allow for an easier latch without the nipple compression.

@troian123, how old are your twins? Are they having at least 6 wet diapers a day? As long as they are urinating normally it shows that they are taking in fluids and then nursing isn't as if concern. Some babies do not poop every day depending on their age just as some of us adults do not poop every day. If the babies are past 6 months and eating solid foods you can try giving them prunes and try nursing more. It is usually not necessary to give Babies water. Below 6 months of age water and solids are not recommended. Watch the urine output and contact your healthcare provider.

@colorado_wic, my son is going to be 1 in 18 days I want to start weaning him from breast feeding how do I do that?!

@colorado_wic My baby is 5 days old. I have some pinching pains when he first begins to latch but within seconds, it goes away. I never had this with my others. Is this normal?

@ashleydunn, it is different for every baby and mom. Each situation is different. Some children never self wean but it takes mom making the effort. It is completely up to you and Your baby when it's the right time to stop. For this I would say not to listen to your doctor as he may not be educated on the research. I would suggest potentially finding a different healthcare provider who is educated and supportive of breastfeeding. But if you can't, just know you are doing what is right for your family. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until at least 2 and thereafter as long as both mom and baby wish. There are health benefits to extended breastfeeding and I wish your doctor looked into it more and was supportive.

@nurseriri, way to go for nursing this long! It is perfectly okay if you choose to continue nursing. The World Health Organization suggests breastfeeding until at least two and other countries it is the norm. It is completely up to you and your baby when to decide it's the right time. When you both are ready it's easiest to slowly wean. Depending on how many times a day you currently nurse, slowly drop a nursing session one at a time over several weeks or whatever feels right to you. Start with those you can most easily distract and change the routine and leave the hardest ones to wean until last, like the morning and night feedings. For the harder nursing sessions to stop try changing up the routine all together, the order you get ready for bed, the books you read, etc or have someone else put him to bed for a few days straight with a new routine and then you try that same routine. It's definitely hard but you can still have that bond in other ways by cuddling or creating new experiences together. Keep it slow to help your hormones resettle and Your milk supply to drop slowly over time. It will forever be your special thing with him no matter when you choose to stop and great job doing all that you did.

What age do babies tend to self wean or does it depend on child? My doctor for whatever reason doesn't agree with "extended breastfeeding" he's not educated on the facts of it or anything breastfeeding related questions...

@colorado_wic, I'm 19 months strong breastfeeding. I've done it all. Stored and donated to my hospital NICU. Want to wean my son but I'm having second thoughts about it. I love our bond and afraid of the breastfeeding breakup and how I would cope

Thank you mom life for finally having a licensed professional discussing a topic rather than the ones who go on experience or claim to know what they're saying with no professional background. Nothing wrong with that but I rather discuss with a professional @colorado_wic, @mom.life_usa,

I would meet with a lactation consultant or Your healthcare provider to help resolve the issue. It sounds like perhaps plugged milk ducts so essentially the milk is blocked from coming out or all the way out of one or more of the ducts in your breasts. Try positioning baby so that their chin is on the duct that hurts (use pillows and side lying or other positions to help get baby lined up right). If they are all over then it's most likely engorgement and try to pump and massage to relieve it. Try hot compresses before pumping and during. The best is to fill a disposable diaper with warm water and use it as a compress. It retains the heat and provides a wet compress. Then pump and massage in a circular motion while pumping. If it remains painful see Your healthcare provider to rule out anything more serious. And keep feeding as often as you can, it's best to get baby to eat more often if possible.

@colorado_wic, no, we also feed her formula. And she has a good latch, it's not my nipples it's like the actual breast. I feel like little hard balls that are soar. So like engorgement.

@alimtz0510, are you exclusively breastfeeding? Are your breasts sore from being engorged and full of milk? Are they hard and full? Or is it your nipples that are sore?

Generally you should pump every time baby eats and you are away from baby. Or at least every 3-4 hours max. If you want to increase your supply I suggest pumping after each feeding for a few minutes, doing breast massage while pumping (for tips look under the moms tab at www.breastfeedcolorado.com), pump until both breasts are empty after each feeding especially the morning feeding and depending on your baby's schedule and as they get older and sleep for longer stretches, pump before you go to bed or during the longest sleep stretch for baby. If your pain you mentioned is from engorgement or full breasts, relieve them by pumping and be sure to massage during the session to help get more milk out. Pumps are never as good as baby at removing milk from your breasts. If your pain is nipple pain then it is most likely issues of latch. Any pain you are having should be reviewed by your healthcare provider and/or a lactation consultant.

@beebaby, great job for donating! every donation site is different but most accredited donation sites just want your baby to be old enough to donate Your milk so they know your baby won't need the milk later as they get older and Your supply may decrease. Yes keep pumping every 2-3 hours as you are but you can take a minute or so off your pumping. Try to pump only what you need for a bottle at a session (so pump what your baby would be eating while you are away from baby) and once you get that amount or a little more stop pumping until your next session. If you get uncomfortable and engorged between pumping sessions only pump a small amount off, as small as you can to remove the discomfort

@troian123, also definitely do not stop breastfeeding them. Be sure they are still eating enough to ensure hydration and growth. Breast milk is actually easier to digest than formula and formula fed babies are often more prone to constipation than breastfeed babies. Keep feeding them often and they should poop soon!

@hthomas0308, no you definitely are not crazy for trying to breastfeed, it is great you are thinking of trying! I suggest you meet with a lactation consultant for tips and help. Baby just needs to get a good portion of the breast into their mouth and usually their suck will be enough to extract the milk. The nipple size/shape is not actually important, as long as baby can latch. You may need some different latch techniques, nipple stimulation prior to feeding, and you can also try breast shells or nipple shields to help baby latch. These are all things a lactation consultant can help you based on your situation.

@colorado_wic, my baby is 3 weeks old and will be 4 weeks this Wednesday. About how many times a day should I be pumping? I keep finding myself with soar breasts. Enough to the point where it hurts to hold my baby against them. And what can I eat or drink or do to increase my supply?

@jhndms, are you feeding your babies straight soy milk or a soy milk based formula? You do not want to feed soy or cows milk to babies under 1 as it can interfere with nutrient absorption and can cause kidney damage as young kidneys under 1 year cannot process the proteins in such milks. Formulas have proteins that have been broken down in advance for their bodies. Do your babies like your breast milk alone? Or do they just not like it when you mix it with formula? You can also try using human milk fortifier with your breast milk instead of formula to increase calories. Also if the milk has been stored for some time this can sometimes make the milk taste funny to babies (and smell soapy to us). This is due to an enzyme called lipase all women make, but in different amounts depending on the woman. Different babies also care about different levels of lipase, some don't care at all and some don't like it. Lipase breaks down fats in breast milk and can make it taste soapy. It's not dangerous and is perfectly safe to eat, but some babies do not like the taste. And lipase continues to break down fats even during storage including the freezer. The longer it's stored the more soapy it could be. There are tips online for scalding Your milk to help it not have that taste.

@beebaby, it does sound like you are making more than Your baby needs to eat. Essentially your milk supply is tied to supply and demand. Right now Your breasts think you need more than you do. Pump a little less over a few days, be sure to pump whenever you get uncomfortable and engorged but only enough to relieve to the pressure. Usually after a few days of doing this Your body will respond and make less. For you try and not to completely empty your breasts during a pumping session. Or you can always keep your over supply and store the breast milk in a deep freezer and donate it to a milk bank. After baby is 6 months old you can get approved to donate and help babies in the most need!

@ecahanes, good question. Some foods that make us gassy can also make your baby gassy. Most gas in babies though is usually from ingesting too much air while eating or crying even. Their gut is essentially very immature and so it can be harder for them to process and pass extra air. The best for gas is movement, for you and baby. Try bicycling his legs while he is on his back, patting him up right over your shoulder or knee, warm compresses on the belly or warm baths.

@troian123, good that they are having a lot of wet diapers as that is a good sign they are eating enough. Are they exclusively breastfed? Formal fed babies do tend to have bowel movements less often. If they still have not had a bowel movement after 3 days or I would suggest contacting Your healthcare provider.

@taebriahnsmom yes ma'am it will and also pump 2 to 3 times to get your flow

@colorado_wic both my twins cry when they drink my breast milk i supplement with formula & they could not take the regular simalic formula we tried diffrent ones & the only milk that has worked is soy milk..should i keep pumping or just let my breast dry since they cant even drink it? Ive been freezing the milk i get but since i. Pumping less im makimg less

@colorado_wic, awesome thank you for your advice! Also one more question, if I am feeling gassy could this make my son feel gassy too? Is he that vulnerable?

@ecahanes, keep up the great work exclusively breastfeeding! I would suggest trying to pump for a few minutes after each feeding to ensure you are completely draining your breasts at each feeding. This can help tell your body it needs to make more milk and after a few days you should see a gradual increase in supply. I also always suggest pumping after that first morning feeding and storing the milk. This tends to be when we have the most milk as we have often gone the longest without feeding during the night. Drain your breasts completely each time using massage techniques while pumping (find them under the moms tab at www.breastfeedcolorado.com). Also depending on your son's sleep schedule, be sure you aren't going more than 3-4 hours without pumping, so pump in the night or just before going to bed.

@smilingwithmyawesome4kids, experiment with different textures and flavors of foods and offer him everything to eat. Offer everything you are eating (cut smaller, cook longer, smash, so appropriate for him to eat). Babies tend to like sweet and sour flavors. Try using herbs on Foods to flavor them differently. Assuming there are no allergies he can and should eat and be exposed to as many foods as possible. Try mashing the veggie one time with butter, next time with fruit, next with herbs, then vinegar (babies tend to like vinegar), and so on until you find a way he likes to eat. It could be he does not like the texture of foods and if he prefers mashed foods, slowly make the food chunkier to get him used to changing textures. Sometimes watching everyone else especially the big kids eat can help him want to eat to be like the rest of the crowd. Give him time and keep trying, he will grow out of it! You may also want to consider speaking with Your healthcare provider about an iron and zinc supplement. These are two minerals that are of concern for babies to become deficient in if they are exclusively breastfed.

@colorado_wic, thanks so much.

@zeneas_mommy, no but I've heard of it and will try it.. ☺️

@beebaby, if you are experiencing any pain or discomfort from nursing contact a lactation consultant for tips and help for your specific situation. If you are concerned about an oversupply and are pumping a lot, drop your pumping schedule down slowly over time. Let me know why you think you have an oversupply and why it is an issue.

@baiershanice1126, I suggest you take a pregnancy test and see your healthcare provider right away. It is important to know if you are pregnant as early as possible and to receive adequate prenatal care if you are.

@qxeenbreezy_, your best bet would be to connect with a breastfeeding support group or lactation consultant so that someone can evaluate your latch and provide tips specific for your situation. Always try and tickle baby's chin to get them to open wide, do not hold the back of their head (this can keep them from being able to open wide) rather hold them on the base of the neck for support, and then once baby is opened up push your nipple in deep. If you have pain, put your pinky finger in and break the latch and try again. As baby grows her mouth will grow too and allow for an easier latch without the nipple compression.

@monkiejunkie5683, good job continuing to breastfeed! I would suggest getting your son evaluated by a tongue tie specialist or at least your healthcare provider. Then you will know for sure how severe the tie is. Many times depending on the situation, the procedure is very minor and fast and can alleviate many issues for both mom and baby, so it may be something to consider. If you aren't interested in procedures, it is possible for it to no longer be much of an issue as baby grows and his mouth gets larger. I would suggest aside from getting a proper diagnosis you can contact a lactation consultant that can help you with a latch and plan for your specific situation. Also continue to try feeding at the breast as long as he can latch and there is no pain for you. Then pump after each feeding to properly drain the breasts and ensure your supply does not drop. If baby doesn't seem to be getting much milk at the breast (again where a lactation consultant can help ensure) then feed from a bottle after latching at the breast for a session to be sure baby is both breastfeeding and getting adequate nutrition from a bottle.

@taebriahnsmom have you tried mother's milk tea

@colorado_wic, thank you so much Stacy for this awesome chat! We really appreciate all your tips and taking the time to chat today!

@lyncolnsmommy, try using paced bottle feeding techniques at the breast (find more info in the moms tab at www.breastfeedcolorado.com). Try to pop baby off the breast to help him to take pauses and allow his body to recognize he is eating. Also try using a pacifier if he has eaten and then is getting more frantic acting at the breast. Sometimes babies use the breast and suckling for comfort, so after he has eaten and you know he isn't hungry, try offering the pacifier to help see if you can stop him from overeating and still hold him and help him to calm down. My second did this often and I finally figured out she was overeating just to continue to be at the breast and calm herself. Once she ate and I offered the pacifier she took it usually and we avoided her throwing up her entire meal!

@ilovemychildren, do not worry about your baby's development. While studies show that breastfeeding is best, babies that are formula fed are healthy as well. Do lots of skin to skin with your baby, some of the research suggests skin to skin contact involved in breastfeeding helps to transfer healthy bacteria to baby and this can be mimicked with bottle feeding. Be sure and feed on both arms, so you rotate which side you hold the bottle and baby. Always hold and talk to baby when feeding. Practice paced bottle feeding regardless of what is in the bottle and watch baby feeding cues. This is baby lead way of eating from a bottle that is similar to the breast. This may help to prevent overeating and potential obesity concerns with formula feeding. You can find more info and videos in the moms tab at www.breastfeedcolorado.com

@troian123, how old are your twins? Are they having at least 6 wet diapers a day? As long as they are urinating normally it shows that they are taking in fluids and then nursing isn't as if concern. Some babies do not poop every day depending on their age just as some of us adults do not poop every day. If the babies are past 6 months and eating solid foods you can try giving them prunes and try nursing more. It is usually not necessary to give Babies water. Below 6 months of age water and solids are not recommended. Watch the urine output and contact your healthcare provider.

@kirstin678, I suggest you check with your doctor about the stool concerns as those could be a concern. You may not have an oversupply but may actually just have very strong flow initially. Sometimes try pumping until a minute or so after let down and once the flow stops being so extreme then latch baby and it usually is easier for baby to tolerate. As baby grows this often becomes less of an issue. Leaking is normal for some women and often occurs more in the first few weeks. Be sure and keep your breast pads changed frequently so that moisture is not trapped against the nipple for prolonged periods which can lead to infections.

@littlemissnh, way to go continuing to nurse! It is completely up to you and your son. Many women have successfully tandem nursed both baby and older child. If you do wish to ween before baby comes then I suggest doing so at least three months before baby is due. They say for the older child to not make any major changes less than three months before the baby comes to help the child process and accept the change without blaming baby

@emiliasmommy15, yes your milk typically comes in sooner with each baby but every woman is different. To get a good supply (and set yourself up for more success well after 8 months) try to pump often in the first few weeks. Even just a few drops after each feeding can help to stimulate your breasts early on to increase your supply. New evidence shows the more times you pump after feedings in the first few weeks after birth, the better Your supply. But remember that baby gets first dibs... feed first and then pump. Try massage techniques during pumping as well to mimic baby and help you get more milk out during a session... find some videos under the families tab at www.breastfeedcolorado.com

@taebriahnsmom, you can try using a nipple shield to help your flat nipple and help baby latch. A lactation consultant can properly fit you and ensure proper usage. Otherwise pump on the side baby won't take every time she eats on the other side. Technically you could make enough milk for your baby in only one breast but pumping the other will increase your supply and then you can feed her breast milk in the bottle

@babyb17, my best advice is to pump more often. After every feeding be sure and pump for 5-10 minutes or at least until both breasts are completely emptied. If he has eaten a lot and they feel mostly empty, pump anyway for an additional 5 minutes or so. Be sure you are feeding every 3-4 hours and never going longer. I like to recommend pumping longer after that first morning feed to increase supply and then also pumping before bed, depending on baby's sleep schedule. Some moms also pump in the middle of the night. To do this easiest, keep all pump supplies in a cooler next to your bed, wake up and pump and then put it all back in the cooler with the ice packs- no need to go to the fridge for storage or to wash in the middle of the night between pumps/feedings. After a few days of increased pumping and emptying your breasts your body will slowly see the need for more milk to be made and will start to slowly increase your milk supply.

@colorado_wic i have inverted nipples but one isn't as bad as the other....am i crazy for wanting to try to breastfeed for the second time (second child)?

@taebriahnsmom, your best bet is to speak directly with a lactation consultant IBCLC that can provide you with tips and a plan that is specific to your situation and schedule. It is possible usually to relactate with some guidance and help. You will definitely need a good pump and if you can rent a hospital grade pump (such as a Medela symphony pump), do lots or breast massage and nipple stimulation before pumping. The best is also to be sure you are emptying your breasts completely after each feeding or to stimulate your breasts every time baby eats to get your supply going. So do not go longer than 3-4 hours without pumping. The IBCLC is your best bet to help you with. Even a one time consult.

@baiershanice1126, please take a pregnancy test or talk to your doctor. Thanks

@babyb17, she will latch now but I don't feel as if I have enough supply. And she will only drink from one nipple because my left one is flat

@taebriahnsmom Similar situation here. My son does latch however not enough supply. Since day 1 we ONLY breast - fed now at 3 months old supply has decrease.

@colorado_wic I want to start back breastfeeding. My daughter is 2 months and I stopped because she wasn't really latching on. What steps do I take to start back? How do I get my supply up? I have a book that has given me instructions on latching

@colorado_wic My son is currently 16 months and still nursing at bedtime; I am 10 weeks pregnant and want to know when I should ween him?

My son is going to be three weeks on Wednesday...I want a bigger supply and I am wondering how often I should be pumping? I exclusively breastfeed him right now and would like to for a couple more weeks

My son is 15 months and he only is interested in breastfeeding he doesn't really care for foods except fruit and once in a while he will eat a few bites of meat but he doesn't like any kind of noddles. My question is how can I get my son interested in foods too @colorado_wic #momlifechats

I would really like to breastfeed, I stopped a after a week or 2. I still give her breast milk through a bottle though. Every now and again I try to actually breastfeed, but she still gives me lipstick nipples all over again. Is there any way I can correct her shallow latch? @colorado_wic

I can see that my son has a tongue tie,I looked for it after I started giving him the breast more than bottle after he got out of the nicu,then my milk started to dry up. I'm back to pumping every 3 hours to get it back but will I ever be able to just nurse my son without getting the tie fixed? I can't imagine pumping every 3 hours for the next year or more,it's already almost impossible with a 3yo and him being home now.

I believe I have an oversupply based on several factors; leaking 1 1/2oz in 20 minutes from breast baby not feeding from, baby coughing during feeding, difficulty latching in the beginning of sessions, spit up, and mucus in baby's stool. Most concerned with mucus in stool. Any advice to correct this? @colorado_wic

Will i have more milk with second baby? Will it come in sooner😕 i am so worried i will my baby all over again this time too

I have a two month old who was only 5 lbs at birth. He is now 8 lbs and eats so much that I have to stop him because he will spit up much of it if I don't. Any ideas to get him to eat slower and spit up less? Also he uses to latch great but now is falling back and I have to constantly readjust his mouth. What else can I do? @colorado_wic

I wasn't able to breastfeed at all. Will my baby have more issues because of that? Is her immune system going to be weaker? What are the down sides to her being formula fed only? @colorado_wic