The nursing sitch
Apr. 4th, 2016 03:40 pmSo... I'm at a stage where I need to decide between 2 options: All boob, or All bottle. :/
First -- Latching: basically, the more areola the baby gets into her mouth, the better. (More milk for her, less pain for me).
Good latch:
- pain/discomfort level = 1 (eh)
- time until Rutabaga is full: 25-30 minutes
- Requires the most physical energy for Rutabaga. She lasts about 10-15 minutes on a good latch.
- Due to boob size to baby mouth ratio, requires me to use my spare hand to keep boob from covering her nose, which then causes wrist/joint pain.
Mediocre latch:
- pain/discomfort level = 2 (ick)
- time until Rutabaga is full: 35-40 minutes
- Rutabaga lasts about 15-20 minutes on a good latch.
- No need to hold boob down, so no stress on hands.
Shitty latch:
- pain/discomfort level = 4 (ow)
- Rutabaga switches to shitty latch after she runs out of energy for mediocre/good latch, after which she can go 20+ minutes.
- I last about 5-10 minutes on a shitty latch before I tap out.
Secondly, Nipple Confusion:
- Every time I feed from the bottle, Rutabaga is pouty about getting it from the boob for the subsequent 2-3 times. She usually quits after 10 minutes and basically looks for the bottle
- After feeding from the bottle, Rutabaga is more prone to having a Shitty Latch. :(
This is why I basically need to decide between all breast or all bottle. I
Breastfeeding:
Pros:
- zero prep time needed -- just have to unholster.
- sense of ownership and accomplishment, like "I've finally figured out this collaborative project with Rutabaga!"
- a nagging sense of "well if I keep going for a couple more days maybe the habit will be sufficiently entrenched that I can then switch freely between bottle and boob"????
Cons:
- Needs about 2 pillows for proper positioning. (May change in the future as Rutabaga grows)
- Need to do about 20 minutes every 2 hours -- it comes out to 12 times a day, or a cumulative 4-6 hours. (This is 20 minutes on medium latch, which is currently the only moderately sustainable one)
- Only I can do it, so I'm basically tied to the baby.
- bad for eyesight -- I'm basically staring at 6 inches in front of my face for 4 hours. I've started closing my eyes more or gazing into the middle distance
- bad for wrists (see latching issue above)
Feeding with Pumped milk:
Pros:
- Keep up the yummy breastmilk
- I still get to feel that "fuck yah my boobs are a source of nutrition!" thing
- pumped milk stays good at room temperature for 6-8 hours, so I can pump for the next session and then just keep it out. Basically, minimal prep time
Cons:
- pain/discomfort level: 1
- The best time to pump is while Rutabaga is crying/feeding, which means I don't get to feed her.
- If I do it solo, it'd be 15-20 minutes of feeding via bottle, then another 20 minutes of pumping, which essentially doubles my feeding time. Since breastmilk is less dense than formula, probably feeding about 8 times per day. (So still 4-6 hours, just less frequent)
- Handpumping allows me to adjust the pace/pressure, but is bad on the hands. (Am currently looking into electric pump options)
- Takes ~5 minutes to warm up after taking out of the fridge. (If I pump for the next day.)
Feeding with Formula:
Pros:
- very energy-dense, so probably 6 feedings per day
- no pain!
- easy workflow for when I'm doing things solo: mix up formula, feed, done.
Cons:
- prep time: ~5 minutes
- less nutrients than breastmilk???
Anyways, looking at everything laid out, I think one thing I need to look into a bit is effective pumping -- ideally pumping that would still allow me to do feeding???
First -- Latching: basically, the more areola the baby gets into her mouth, the better. (More milk for her, less pain for me).
Good latch:
- pain/discomfort level = 1 (eh)
- time until Rutabaga is full: 25-30 minutes
- Requires the most physical energy for Rutabaga. She lasts about 10-15 minutes on a good latch.
- Due to boob size to baby mouth ratio, requires me to use my spare hand to keep boob from covering her nose, which then causes wrist/joint pain.
Mediocre latch:
- pain/discomfort level = 2 (ick)
- time until Rutabaga is full: 35-40 minutes
- Rutabaga lasts about 15-20 minutes on a good latch.
- No need to hold boob down, so no stress on hands.
Shitty latch:
- pain/discomfort level = 4 (ow)
- Rutabaga switches to shitty latch after she runs out of energy for mediocre/good latch, after which she can go 20+ minutes.
- I last about 5-10 minutes on a shitty latch before I tap out.
Secondly, Nipple Confusion:
- Every time I feed from the bottle, Rutabaga is pouty about getting it from the boob for the subsequent 2-3 times. She usually quits after 10 minutes and basically looks for the bottle
- After feeding from the bottle, Rutabaga is more prone to having a Shitty Latch. :(
This is why I basically need to decide between all breast or all bottle. I
Breastfeeding:
Pros:
- zero prep time needed -- just have to unholster.
- sense of ownership and accomplishment, like "I've finally figured out this collaborative project with Rutabaga!"
- a nagging sense of "well if I keep going for a couple more days maybe the habit will be sufficiently entrenched that I can then switch freely between bottle and boob"????
Cons:
- Needs about 2 pillows for proper positioning. (May change in the future as Rutabaga grows)
- Need to do about 20 minutes every 2 hours -- it comes out to 12 times a day, or a cumulative 4-6 hours. (This is 20 minutes on medium latch, which is currently the only moderately sustainable one)
- Only I can do it, so I'm basically tied to the baby.
- bad for eyesight -- I'm basically staring at 6 inches in front of my face for 4 hours. I've started closing my eyes more or gazing into the middle distance
- bad for wrists (see latching issue above)
Feeding with Pumped milk:
Pros:
- Keep up the yummy breastmilk
- I still get to feel that "fuck yah my boobs are a source of nutrition!" thing
- pumped milk stays good at room temperature for 6-8 hours, so I can pump for the next session and then just keep it out. Basically, minimal prep time
Cons:
- pain/discomfort level: 1
- The best time to pump is while Rutabaga is crying/feeding, which means I don't get to feed her.
- If I do it solo, it'd be 15-20 minutes of feeding via bottle, then another 20 minutes of pumping, which essentially doubles my feeding time. Since breastmilk is less dense than formula, probably feeding about 8 times per day. (So still 4-6 hours, just less frequent)
- Handpumping allows me to adjust the pace/pressure, but is bad on the hands. (Am currently looking into electric pump options)
- Takes ~5 minutes to warm up after taking out of the fridge. (If I pump for the next day.)
Feeding with Formula:
Pros:
- very energy-dense, so probably 6 feedings per day
- no pain!
- easy workflow for when I'm doing things solo: mix up formula, feed, done.
Cons:
- prep time: ~5 minutes
- less nutrients than breastmilk???
Anyways, looking at everything laid out, I think one thing I need to look into a bit is effective pumping -- ideally pumping that would still allow me to do feeding???