Breastfeeding Question

[jenn_lovingmomof4]

The Family Medical Leave Act allows you 12 weeks of time off by law. Now it may not be paid time off, but it is time off.

Originally Posted by regbyandjulie I really, really, really, want to breastfeed. I've been reading about it and talking to some other moms who do it. I guess I'm just really worried that I won't be able to do it. My job isn't giving me a straight answer on whether or not I'm going to get maternity leave, so I'm saving up my sick and vacation time so I can take at least a month off, but most likely that will be all I am able to take. Will a month be enough time to build a good enough breastfeeding relationship with my daughter AND have her still accept the bottle from DH when he's home with her all day?

[MrsPinecone]

Originally Posted by jenn_lovingmomof4 The Family Medical Leave Act allows you 12 weeks of time off by law. Now it may not be paid time off, but it is time off.

True, but FMLA only applies to companies with 50 or more employees. It sounds like hers might be smaller, since they don't know if they are giving her leave at all.

[VivaciousJewelz]

Originally Posted by jenn_lovingmomof4 The Family Medical Leave Act allows you 12 weeks of time off by law. Now it may not be paid time off, but it is time off.

They took great pleasure in informing that it does not apply to our company because we've always been just under 50 employees.

Originally Posted by MrsPinecone True, but FMLA only applies to companies with 50 or more employees. It sounds like hers might be smaller, since they don't know if they are giving her leave at all.

Yep, we're at 30 right now, after recent lay-offs. Besides, they don't pay me enough to be able to save enough money for 12 weeks of expenses. I have a month of leave saved, but if they don't give me any leave, that's all I'll be able to afford. I'm extremely lucky we were able to cut off a lot of expenses and funnel that money into stockpiling for the baby.

What's bugging me though, is I asked my boss about it, and she said I would get some and they would let me know, but the next day they laid off a bunch of people, so I don't know what to expect.

[jenn_lovingmomof4]

Sorry I didn't think about that. I guess to answer your other question, yes I think that 4 weeks is long enough to form a breastfeeding relationship with your newborn baby. I would also encourage you to look for daycare near work and go there at lunchtime to nurse. I did that for a year with both my 5 year old and my 2 year old, it was totally worth it!

Originally Posted by regbyandjulie They took great pleasure in informing that it does not apply to our company because we've always been just under 50 employees.

[Kim1013]

I know this is really long but it's an email that I wrote to my SIL before her second was born. She said it helped her alot and she was successful in BF her son for 12 months! I'll be extremely honored if this helps any of you to successfully BF.

The reason I was so lucky with it is b/c I had my mom and sister giving me advice and helping me out. It also helped that Evelyn took to it right away. Here's some advice for you to file away. The most important thing above anything else is make sure your baby is latched on correctly. You'll be able to tell a difference once your baby latches on. It shouldn't be really really painful. At first, breastfeeding wasn't the most pleasant feeling in the world to me but the pain should be managable. Before you have your baby, go out and buy some Lansinoh Lanolin cream and be sure to take it to the hospital with you. It helps soothe, heal and protect against dry, cracked skin. To avoid getting cracked nipples start using it after every breastfeeding. That's what I've done and I've never had a problem. The only problem that did occur recently is I had a yeast infection on my breast and it burned terribly whenever Evie would nurse so the doctor prescribed me Newman's Nipple Cream. That pain was the closest I came to giving up breastfeeding. If you can, get that and it'll prevent getting a yeast infection on your nipples and it does the same things as the Lanolin cream. I highly recommend the Newman's cream but I don't know if you can get it before your baby is born. Be sure to ask your doctor. Sara swears by it and she thinks it also prevents your baby from getting thrush. From the sound of your email, you were dealing with engorgement when your breast got huge, painful and couldn't get much milk out when you tried to pump. That sounds familiar. Since you're a stay-at-home mom, I would invest in a manual hand pump instead of electric. You have more control over the power of the pump, it's small and you can take it anywhere. I have both kinds, manual for home and electric for work. I only had one day of engorgement and that was bad enough. My only stretch marks on my breast are from that one day. I was huge, hard as a rock and had a ton of knots. I tried pumping but could hardly get anything out. To help ease the pain I just stood in the shower and let the water hit me in my chest (be sure to cover your nipples, ouch!). Turn the water on as hot as you can stand it and just stand there for ten minutes. Not only will your breast feel better but it also helps stimulate milk production. I also used several times that day breast heating pads. You heat them up in the microwave and coil them up in your bra avoiding your nipples. This will also stimulate milk production and help with working out any knots you have. I still wasn't able to pump more than an ounce combined out of both breast but I believe that doing these things helped me get over the engorgement period faster. Some books that I read said engorgement lasts 3 to 5 days. If you have knots, make sure you massage them in the direction of your nipple either when your baby is nursing (highly recommend but it is hard to do, would be easier if you had three hands), pumping (recommend) or in the shower (also recommend but you end up losing your milk). It usually really hurts but you have to tough it out and keep massaging or you might end up getting mastitus. (Sara got mastitus with A.J. and had a 104 temp and couldn't hold A.J. for three days. She said she would rather give birth to ten children than get mastitus). My engorgement only last one day but I kept getting knots for a week or two. Just keep massaging. Another important tip is to look for pink patches that might develop on your breast which will probably be sore. This is an indicator that you might be getting mastitus. Call your doctor if you suspect mastitus so he/she can put you on antibiotics. I really hope that you are successful at breastfeeding. It is A LOT of work. It's like having two babies, your baby and your breast. They are both high maintanence. You'll be so tired that all you'll want to do is give up and sleep but you eventually get use to it. It's hard b/c you'll want Anthony to help out but he can't except to burp your baby while you get your breast taken care of. I know that I resented Matt for sleeping while I was up two or three times a night nursing Evelyn. When my mom stayed with us, she got up with me and would change Evie's diaper and burped her between sides. It helped to have someone to talk to and help keep me awake. After she left, I had the radio on the whole night in the livingroom so that when Evie woke up to eat I could sing to music to keep myself awake. No matter how tired or painful breastfeeding was, it is so worth it and I'm so glad I stuck to it.

One other piece of advice I can think of is make sure you buy a nursing bra that is big enough. I always had painful knots form where my bra would lay so I went up a cup size or two and that really helped. Even though my first bra wasn't tight, I think the slightest bit of pressure made those knots form.

I apologize for the novel but I hope it helps someone.

[VivaciousJewelz]

Originally Posted by jenn_lovingmomof4 Sorry I didn't think about that. I guess to answer your other question, yes I think that 4 weeks is long enough to form a breastfeeding relationship with your newborn baby. I would also encourage you to look for daycare near work and go there at lunchtime to nurse. I did that for a year with both my 5 year old and my 2 year old, it was totally worth it!

No problem. I'm very fortunate that I can afford to have DH stay home with the baby. Unfortunately, I live about 30 miles from work, so it's a little far to run home to nurse, but I'm hoping that towards the end of this year I can quit this job and find a job closer to where I live (where maybe the people are more family-friendly as well).

[VivaciousJewelz]

Originally Posted by Kim1013 I know this is really long but it's an email that I wrote to my SIL before her second was born. She said it helped her alot and she was successful in BF her son for 12 months! I'll be extremely honored if this helps any of you to successfully BF. The reason I was so lucky with it is b/c I had my mom and sister giving me advice and helping me out. It also helped that Evelyn took to it right away. Here's some advice for you to file away. The most important thing above anything else is make sure your baby is latched on correctly. You'll be able to tell a difference once your baby latches on. It shouldn't be really really painful. At first, breastfeeding wasn't the most pleasant feeling in the world to me but the pain should be managable. Before you have your baby, go out and buy some Lansinoh Lanolin cream and be sure to take it to the hospital with you. It helps soothe, heal and protect against dry, cracked skin. To avoid getting cracked nipples start using it after every breastfeeding. That's what I've done and I've never had a problem. The only problem that did occur recently is I had a yeast infection on my breast and it burned terribly whenever Evie would nurse so the doctor prescribed me Newman's Nipple Cream. That pain was the closest I came to giving up breastfeeding. If you can, get that and it'll prevent getting a yeast infection on your nipples and it does the same things as the Lanolin cream. I highly recommend the Newman's cream but I don't know if you can get it before your baby is born. Be sure to ask your doctor. Sara swears by it and she thinks it also prevents your baby from getting thrush. From the sound of your email, you were dealing with engorgement when your breast got huge, painful and couldn't get much milk out when you tried to pump. That sounds familiar. Since you're a stay-at-home mom, I would invest in a manual hand pump instead of electric. You have more control over the power of the pump, it's small and you can take it anywhere. I have both kinds, manual for home and electric for work. I only had one day of engorgement and that was bad enough. My only stretch marks on my breast are from that one day. I was huge, hard as a rock and had a ton of knots. I tried pumping but could hardly get anything out. To help ease the pain I just stood in the shower and let the water hit me in my chest (be sure to cover your nipples, ouch!). Turn the water on as hot as you can stand it and just stand there for ten minutes. Not only will your breast feel better but it also helps stimulate milk production. I also used several times that day breast heating pads. You heat them up in the microwave and coil them up in your bra avoiding your nipples. This will also stimulate milk production and help with working out any knots you have. I still wasn't able to pump more than an ounce combined out of both breast but I believe that doing these things helped me get over the engorgement period faster. Some books that I read said engorgement lasts 3 to 5 days. If you have knots, make sure you massage them in the direction of your nipple either when your baby is nursing (highly recommend but it is hard to do, would be easier if you had three hands), pumping (recommend) or in the shower (also recommend but you end up losing your milk). It usually really hurts but you have to tough it out and keep massaging or you might end up getting mastitus. (Sara got mastitus with A.J. and had a 104 temp and couldn't hold A.J. for three days. She said she would rather give birth to ten children than get mastitus). My engorgement only last one day but I kept getting knots for a week or two. Just keep massaging. Another important tip is to look for pink patches that might develop on your breast which will probably be sore. This is an indicator that you might be getting mastitus. Call your doctor if you suspect mastitus so he/she can put you on antibiotics. I really hope that you are successful at breastfeeding. It is A LOT of work. It's like having two babies, your baby and your breast. They are both high maintanence. You'll be so tired that all you'll want to do is give up and sleep but you eventually get use to it. It's hard b/c you'll want Anthony to help out but he can't except to burp your baby while you get your breast taken care of. I know that I resented Matt for sleeping while I was up two or three times a night nursing Evelyn. When my mom stayed with us, she got up with me and would change Evie's diaper and burped her between sides. It helped to have someone to talk to and help keep me awake. After she left, I had the radio on the whole night in the livingroom so that when Evie woke up to eat I could sing to music to keep myself awake. No matter how tired or painful breastfeeding was, it is so worth it and I'm so glad I stuck to it. One other piece of advice I can think of is make sure you buy a nursing bra that is big enough. I always had painful knots form where my bra would lay so I went up a cup size or two and that really helped. Even though my first bra wasn't tight, I think the slightest bit of pressure made those knots form. I apologize for the novel but I hope it helps someone.

Thanks!

The cream you put on your breasts won't affect the baby will it? I mean, of course I shouldn't slap it on there right before feeding, but she won't be able to taste it after it dries or anything, will she?

[MrsPinecone]

The lanolin is totally safe for the baby. I will warn you, though, that it is greasy as heck and stains stuff yellow.

You use about >< this much of it at a time. I have one tube that I bought before DS was born, I nursed him for 14 months, and now have been nursing DD for 4 months. The tube still looks untouched. You REALLY don't use much. Actually, I could have gotten away with the samples that I got in the hospital and saved myself the money.

[VivaciousJewelz]

Originally Posted by MrsPinecone The lanolin is totally safe for the baby. I will warn you, though, that it is greasy as heck and stains stuff yellow. You use about >< this much of it at a time. I have one tube that I bought before DS was born, I nursed him for 14 months, and now have been nursing DD for 4 months. The tube still looks untouched. You REALLY don't use much. Actually, I could have gotten away with the samples that I got in the hospital and saved myself the money.

This is good to know! I'll just register for 1 tube of it.

[Khaelasmommy08]

I agree with pp. It's very hard to just exclusively pump. It's a lot of work!! When I bfed my 1st I did for 10 mos and then I went back to work. Even when I went back to work I was pumping and she would bottle feed the bm and she was fine...not confused at all, but at the same time she was older. When you go to the hospital...it's best to ask them on your specific situation...they should have a person especialized on that. At the hospital they will give you a lot of info too. I would also recommend pumping every 2 hrs to avoid pain and discomfort. Babies do sleep a lot when first born and they also don't latch on well either until after a couple of weeks or so. The more you pump the better, but exclusively pumping its a lot of work!! If there is no activity your "friends" will suffer a lot and the milk will dry out. So just keep the activity going...!!! And it also seems like you will be pumping at work, correct? I hope they will be very understanding of your decision. My bm dried out after I went back to work...I could not pump there.