[twinzplus3]

I started this thread for people to ask their questions about breastfeeding if they need help. I frequently get questions via PM and via my families.com e-mail address, but hopefully this will make it easier for people to get answers more quickly and from more people.

[MommaColleen]

Ok, since you asked

I'm going away with my older DD's scout troop in April. We are leaving reaaaaaaly early Saturday morning and coming back early evening on Sunday. Looking at the itinerary I don't see a whole lot of opportunity to pump let al one where to store anything I pump.

Do you have any suggestions on how to handle this while I'm away and how will it effect my supply when I return?

[twinzplus3]

I may consider letting the leaders know that you will have to excuse yourself on occassion. They're all moms too and I'm sure some of them bf. I wouldn't be concerned about supply as much as I would be concerned about plugged ducts and/or engorgement. Y our supply will build itself back up when you get home again but you should expect to sit around and nurse all day for a day or two.

Since you can't store the milk, and it wouldn't be convenient to pump. . .why not just hand express a little when you go to the bathroom? Kind of gross. . .I know. . .but we women gotta do what we gotta do. If you don't, I would be afraid that you would either have a big leaky mess, or painful engorgement and/or plugged ducts.

[s4ssyc4tw3ndy]

I just wanted to tell you Thanks!! I am glad I read most of your posts on BFing. I was having problems building my supply back up and was bottle feeding to supplement like crazy because he was crying alot and I got the Blessed Thistle to he increase a little. It has worked awesome and I think we are down to about 3 bottles a day now and he is BFing great!!! Thanks again!!

[twinzplus3]

That's fantastic. If you mix the blessed thistle with the fenugreek--you may find you'll get better results.

[MommaColleen]

Thanks Val for your advise!

That is what I thought I would need to do was hand express to feel more comfortable. I just feel so bad "wasting" all the good BM

Any tips on minimizing a plugged duct?

[twinzplus3]

Minimizing. . .do you mean minimizing your chances of getting one? Or making it go away quickly? My best advice is to prevent it. They are nasty and can lead to mastitis. I also know numerous people who have taken lechithin to avoid them--especially if they're prone to getting them. To get rid of it quickly. . .nurse, nurse, nurse, nurse, nurse, nurse. . .and then nurse some more. On that side. Constantly. I'm also a big fan of expressing in warm bath or shower. While there's no evidence scientifically that warm compresses do anything to help plugged ducts by golly gosh it makes you feel better--and that's good enough for me. If it's severe, ice will lessen the swelling which can also help. . .but by the time it gets to that point. . .you need to see someone.

[Sarah980]

There are lots of books available about BF'ing. I've been through "The Natural way to Better BreastFeeding" by Jan. I found lots of information. Hope this would help you...

[KR258]

I am not sure whats going on with my baby...lol She wants to breastfeed all the time (very literally) She does take a break and it's usually at night (thank goodness) and sleeps for 4 hours at a time but she spends all day trying to suck on anything and everything and crying when it isn't me. She also chokes while bfing at least once a day...so is it that I have too much milk or not enough or....what? She usually feeds for 10-15 minutes per side per feeding before falling asleep and "falling" off...when she does that it only lasts for about 15 minutes and then she's awake again wanting to bf again. So....am I doing something wrong? How can I do anything else??

[twinzplus3]

You're not doing anything wrong. . .you just have a needy baby. I'm assuming she's gaining weight--that would be an indicator that something is wrong. Otherwise, you can just assume that she is needy and that's fine at this age. Four hours at night for a babe that young is a good stretch and it's pretty normal for babies who do that to eat more constantly during the day. That's how the cookie crumbles sometimes. Hang in there.