Questions...

I have been exculsively BF my baby boy since his birth and I'm so excited because this is the longest that I've ever been able to BF any of my babies! I rented an electric pump for a while (returned it because the supply is great now!) and have been taking fenugreek, and I have about 30oz stored in the freezer. I have a few questions though for you BTDT BF moms:

When baby gets teeth, do they bite you?

How long did you BF?

Is one year best, or did you go longer?

Did your supply dry up once you introduced baby food/solids, or when they required more milk (5-6oz per feeding)?

Will I become engorged once baby sleeps through the night, and if so, do I need to set an alarm to pump to make sure that doesn't happen?

Did baby even sleep through the night while BF, because I heard that BM doesn't fill them up as well and even at 6 and 7 months they'll still be waking up to eat?

Sorry if this seems like a lot, I just don't have any friends reall to talk to about this!

When baby gets teeth, do they bite you? Nope. As long as they are latched properly they (99%) of the time won't bite. Their teeth do not get in the way at all. Allie bit me twice. Both times it was because she let go and I relatched her thinking she still wanted to eat but she was DONE lol and she bit me to let me know.


How long did you BF? I bf my son for 17 months and my daughter for 15. I only stopped each time so that af would come back and I could ttc. Luke is my last so I hope to go a little longer.


Is one year best, or did you go longer? As long as you and baby are comfortable is good. Whatever works for you and Trystan!


Did your supply dry up once you introduced baby food/solids, or when they required more milk (5-6oz per feeding)? No! and Truthfully, he probably won't require more more more like they do with formula. It's hard to explain but breastmilk is just made up differently then formula and they get all their nutrients and full from it differently. He may only need 4 ounces to get full


Will I become engorged once baby sleeps through the night, and if so, do I need to set an alarm to pump to make sure that doesn't happen? Maybe at the start, but the thing about pumping is.. you are telling your body that you need to make more milk. If he gradually starts STTN then your body will gradually learn to not make as much during those hours. Yes, amazing again lol. If you need the supply for bottles for daycare though, then the middle of the night is a good time to pump.


Did baby even sleep through the night while BF, because I heard that BM doesn't fill them up as well and even at 6 and 7 months they'll still be waking up to eat? Breastmilk digests fast.. like 1.5 hours to 2 hours but sometimes he may want to cluster feed in the evenings and fuel up for the night and sleep longer. My kids did sttn sometimes, but it wasn't often. It will probably be harder for you since you work during the day, but if he doesn't start sttn as fast as your other kids take advantage of it as much as you can. It is a good time to reconnect with him one on one after being away from him all day. He may wake up at night because he knows that those are the times he gets to get his milk straight from you.

There are some really good books you can read. I recently reread The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and I just love that book. I recommend it for a lot of what you are asking.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Starryblue702

I have been exculsively BF my baby boy since his birth and I'm so excited because this is the longest that I've ever been able to BF any of my babies! I rented an electric pump for a while (returned it because the supply is great now!) and have been taking fenugreek, and I have about 30oz stored in the freezer.

---

WTG! That's awesome!

I have a few questions though for you BTDT BF moms:

When baby gets teeth, do they bite you? DD got her first teeth at 3 months and at 15 months she's got all but her 2 year molars. She bit me maybe once and it wasn't intentional. Teeth were no big deal for us.

How long did you BF? Is one year best, or did you go longer? Still going strong. The WHO now recommends BFing until age 2. My plan is to let DD self-wean.

Did your supply dry up once you introduced baby food/solids, or when they required more milk (5-6oz per feeding)? Your body will produce the amount your baby needs as he grows. Its all supply and demand so long as your schedule is consistent.

Will I become engorged once baby sleeps through the night, and if so, do I need to set an alarm to pump to make sure that doesn't happen? If STTN happens gradually, then you won't become engorged. If baby randomly starts STTN then you'll wake up super full. It will likely never be like it was the first few weeks. Chances are, if baby is STTN, he'll wake up really hungry and solve the problem for you. I'd recommend not pumping because then you're creating demand that just isn't there.

Did baby even sleep through the night while BF, because I heard that BM doesn't fill them up as well and even at 6 and 7 months they'll still be waking up to eat? My DD still isn't STTN but its certainly not because she's hungry. I think that giving babies solid food or formula to help them sleep is a total myth. Babies will STTN when they are developmentally ready and not a day sooner.

When baby gets teeth, do they bite you? My daughter never bit, ever. My son was a biter, before he even had teeth! It can hurt, but don't let it scare you from a bfing relationship.

How long did you BF? I bfed my kids ~22-24 months each, pretty much until the next baby came. I always slowed down a bit before the next came so they would be used to not getting any, but after new baby came let them try it if they want. Usually they don't actually wnat it.

Is one year best, or did you go longer? I think if you are someone who needs a goal, then say, "I am going for 1 year." I personally just let it go and tried to not give myself a time. Because when one year hits, you don't hit to quit cold turkey.

Did your supply dry up once you introduced baby food/solids, or when they required more milk (5-6oz per feeding)? not at all.

Will I become engorged once baby sleeps through the night, and if so, do I need to set an alarm to pump to make sure that doesn't happen? no.

Did baby even sleep through the night while BF, because I heard that BM doesn't fill them up as well and even at 6 and 7 months they'll still be waking up to eat? My first started sttn at ~one month old (4 days shy of her one month bday!), that was 8hrs at night. Shortly thereafter she started sleeping 12 hr stretches. My son, he woke up every 4-5 hours until he was over 1 yr old. It depends on the kid, I think.

Good luck and keep up the great work! You are doing an excellent job!

When baby gets teeth, do they bite you? When Aiden bites, it's teething related. Always able to quickly nip it in the bud. Not really an issue.

How long did you BF? Aiden is 14 months and we're still BFing. No plans to wean.

Did your supply dry up once you introduced baby food/solids, or when they required more milk (5-6oz per feeding)? Nope. Not in the least bit. As babies need more milk, they nurse more. Within a few days my supply responded and I saw an increase of milk. As food was introduced (which wasn't till almost 6 months) I always BF first and then gave him solids. Over time Aiden has naturally decreased how much he nurses, but it's a slow process and my body adjusts it's supply accordingly.

Will I become engorged once baby sleeps through the night, and if so, do I need to set an alarm to pump to make sure that doesn't happen? STTN didn't happen for us till 9/10 months I think it was? Leading up to it he just slowly ate less at night, so it wasn't a shock to my system. I just wake up with lots of milk, but Aiden wakes up hungry and eagerly drinks that milk. ;)

Did baby even sleep through the night while BF, because I heard that BM doesn't fill them up as well and even at 6 and 7 months they'll still be waking up to eat? Ummm...even FF babies wake up to eat at night. There are still a couple on DS's BB who wakes up at 15 months and want milk. ;) I think it's all up to the baby and when they're ready to STTN. While BM does digest quicker than FF, I wouldn't say BFing has led to less sleep by any means. Remember half of 2 year olds still get up at least once at night!

When baby gets teeth, do they bite you?
Both my kids nipped me a couple times when teething. With my first son, I yelped so loudly and jumped and it scared the bejeepers out of him...he never did it again. DS2 got me a couple times, but we just end the nursing session, I tell him no sternly and he gets the point. It is only when he is teething and at the end of nursing when he is just messing around and probably done anyway.

How long did you BF?
DS1 19 months but from 14 months on we gradually cut out one nursing session until we were down to just 1 session before bedtime when we stopped at 19 months. DS2 is currently 11 months and we are still going strong

Is one year best, or did you go longer?
I agree it is whatever you and baby feel comfortable with. I am sure I could have gone longer with DS1 but it was making bedtime more difficult so we weaned.

Did your supply dry up once you introduced baby food/solids, or when they required more milk (5-6oz per feeding)?
Supply wasn't affected by solids, and I agree with PP that breastmilk is different than formula in that it changes as baby grows. So with formula baby needs more to meet nutritional needs, whereas with breastmilk they usually drink the same amount but the milk has changed. Both my sons took 4 oz bottles from 3 months until 1 year when at daycare. And both of them went from eating every 2-3 hours to every 3-4 when they got older.

Will I become engorged once baby sleeps through the night, and if so, do I need to set an alarm to pump to make sure that doesn't happen?
At first you might feel full, but after a couple nights your body will adjust. You can get up to pump a LITTLE BIT to relieve the pressure. If you pump until you are empty, your body will just keep making that much. I usually suffered through it until morning, and then would pump after baby ate if I still felt full.

Did baby even sleep through the night while BF, because I heard that BM doesn't fill them up as well and even at 6 and 7 months they'll still be waking up to eat?
Every baby is different, and I think it is more of a personality/disposition thing. DS1 woke up once a night until 10 months (more when he was brand new, obviously)...I could have gotten him out of that habit, but with working 3 days a week, it took me less time to nurse him and put him back to bed than if I put in the effort to get him back to sleep/sleep train. We weren't really comfortable with CIO. DS2 slept better from the get go compared to DS1, and he sometimes sleeps through the night...when he gets a cold or is teething, he gets up once or twice and often I nurse him because it settles him back to sleep faster, so we can all get back to sleep.

When baby gets teeth, do they bite you? I think Evan bit me a couple times it hurt but we were able to curb it and it didn't impact the overall BF'ing relationship

How long did you BF? Evan around 13-14 months.

Is one year best, or did you go longer? I go at least a year from there it was kind of however long we felt like it. I probably could have gone longer with Evan but when weaning created no stress we just went with it

Did your supply dry up once you introduced baby food/solids, or when they required more milk (5-6oz per feeding)? Nope - we didn't do solids until 6 months and not in any real quantity until 9 or so months and breast milk is a supply/demand thing if Evan demanded more my body eventually caught up and made it. If we had a couple days of constant feeding it would eventually get the message and make more. At 6 months I went away over night for a friend's wedding with out Evan and pumped 45oz in just over a day LOL

Will I become engorged once baby sleeps through the night, and if so, do I need to set an alarm to pump to make sure that doesn't happen? If your baby reliably starts STTN your body will adjust - you might have a few nights of engorgement then it will adjust, if you wake up to pump your body won't adjust down at night

Did baby even sleep through the night while BF, because I heard that BM doesn't fill them up as well and even at 6 and 7 months they'll still be waking up to eat? Well BM fills them up as well it is simply more easily digested so they can become hungry more frequently is my understanding. Evan woke up on and off once a night for probably 8 or so months, I have no idea if that would have been different with formula and didn't really care :)

When baby gets teeth, do they bite you? Olivia has only bit 3 times, all because she was done and I wasn't getting the message! oops!

How long did you BF? We are still going at 13 months.

Is one year best, or did you go longer? My first goal was to BF period, then 6 months, then 1 year, now it's whenever we feel like stopping. 1 year is a great goal to get to!

Did your supply dry up once you introduced baby food/solids, or when they required more milk (5-6oz per feeding)? No, not at all. When DD became really interested in solids around 9 months she did drop a BF though. And I did get back AF when we introduced solids around 6 months.

Will I become engorged once baby sleeps through the night, and if so, do I need to set an alarm to pump to make sure that doesn't happen? I just waited until after the morning feeding and pumped then if I was still uncomfortable.

Did baby even sleep through the night while BF, because I heard that BM doesn't fill them up as well and even at 6 and 7 months they'll still be waking up to eat? She is just starting to STTN more. I did get some good 5 hour stretches around 6 months though. She currently goes to bed at 7pm and some nights sleeps until 6am, other nights until 1am, so I think it depends on how well she ate food during the day.

I only have time to answer this and it's not personal history...

Did your supply dry up once you introduced baby food/solids, or when they required more milk (5-6oz per feeding)?

It seems that I read somewhere that your milk changes property based on baby's nutritional needs, so they don't typically take more than 4 oz like formula fed babies do.

gtg I'll try to find the article later.

I don't know the details on that but Evan never took more than a 4-5oz bottle his entire life and was always in the 90+ percentile for weight and wasn't huge on solids until 9-10 months....so anecdotally he agrees with that