Quite confused :
Any suggestions?
Is the use of breast pumps safe? mother replied. Hello mothers:

I had cracked nipples for a long time when my son was nursing. I put petroleum jelly and lotion and also did the warm compress. Please try this. As for your little one sucking for 2hours, that is very normal. They have to work harder to get the milk from a mother then to do from a bottle and that is why it takes so long. Please be patient, I know it is hard.

I used to always keep a book next to me so I can read while nursing and I read a loud to my baby. They don't understand at such a yound age so you can read whatever you want, they only understand tone of voice at this age.

Pumping does reduce the milk supply so please keep up with the nursing as often as possible. When I returned to work, I pumped at least 3 times a day (to build up my supply) and I went to nurse my little one during the day as well. I nursed him before going to work, when I came home and at night until I started him on his bottle.

Milk supply increases when you take in a lot of water, I kept a large water bottle next to me as well and made myself drink the entrie bottle while I was nursing. Eat a lot of vegetables, especially greens. My MIL cooked most of my food, including roti with jeera which I hear is an excellent herb in increasing milk supply.

Drink, drink , drink is the main thing here. You need water for yourself so you don't get dehydrated and it is essential in building your supply.

Wish you a lot of luck. vidhya replied. Niki, mother & swati had covered all the aspects of nursing. I would just like to say, take it easy and your little angel will learn the art of nursing in no time. have to tried the \";lanolin\";, you could find that in babies r us. it helped me with my cracked nipples. Also i heard pumping reduces milk supply, i'm afraid i might have to supplement my little guy with formula when i get back to work in a few weeks...:-(

Can anyone tell me how to increase milk supply. I would like to stock up some in my freezer before i get back to work. thanks. vidhya Mother replied. Dear Niki -

Breast pumps are safe, I used them but if you are getting suffient milk then I would suggest you not to use them until unless you are going somewhere and you want to pump your milk for the bottle. But when you pump you don't get as much milk out as you would if you were nursing. Also pumping is great if you have too much milk and you are leaking.

I read Swati's reply, if you are in pain try these tips before you nurse your baby to help you..
1) Pump for a few minutes (2 or 3) before you start nursing because for one it help the baby latch on easier becasue the suction of the pump has already made you read.
2) Take a warm compress and press against your breast for a minute to help you relax
3) Once you are done, clean yourself and apply a lotion..just make sure that you wipe yourself before your next feeding.

I used the pump becuase I returned to work and I still wanted to give my baby my milk instead of formula. My production eventually went down because I wasn't nursing as often.

As for the length of time you should keep your baby on each side, 10 mins is a myth. The first 15 to 20 minutes the only thing that comes out of the breast is water not milk and the fat in the milk which is essential to your baby only comes after 20 minutes of sucking...so you should keep your baby on one side for as long as she wants. If you are in pain then keep your baby on one side for at least 30 minutes and then switch and keep the baby on that side until she/he is finished. They will pull off when they are done. Believe me, I nursed my child one my side at one feed and the other side at the next feed for at least 1.5 to 2 hours at a time. I was in a lot of pain but I did all the above things and they helped. Plus if you are sore it may be the position you are holding your baby.

Prop a pillow under the baby or use a bobby to hold your baby for the correct height of nursing or use the football hold or lay your baby next to you and you on your side. All these positions work and do help to relieve some pain, which believe me goes after you get used it. Swati replied. Hi Niki,

I read in your other post that feeding your li'l baby gets painful for you! Are you changing sides? You are supposed to do that every 10 mins of feeding them and also start with the other side from the one that you stopped. Are you saying that it is painful because you get sore or is it just a patience issue? Because if it is only that fact that you get bored of constantly feeding her then you will slowly get out of the rut as you li'l one grows. She needs to get a hang of how to suckle first. I used to sit for 21/2 hours at a stretch - even tho' I had enuff milk. Its just that they are so tiny that they don't know how to go about it.

Also keep talking to your baby and watch her respond to you by the time she is 6 weeks old....! They are real smart coots and if you look carefully she is probably already responding. My li'l one was all of 6 days old and when she would hear the sound of the anklet of the massage woman walking in she would turn her head into me pretending to be feeding - yes no exaggeration 6 DAYS old.....We figured this out because she would walk away and my baby would look out to see if she had gone and as she was approaching she would duck again. I know you will wonder at this but due to continuous talking to her at the age of 21/2 months she would say \";kha\"; everytime she wanted her feed. So I think its is more of constant interaction with your child. I know most people would say that they are too small to understand but they are not - My baby was put into the NICU for no rhyme or reason when she was a day old - and she was suddenly very lonely in there after having been in the nursery since she was born.....So when we tried to take her out of there against the doctors wishes ( they had put her there and given her a lumbar puncture without our consent)I walked into the NICU to be with her and I put my finger in her tiny little hand and spoke to her about how her mama and papa love her and how she is going to be safe cos' we are going to take her with us and keep her safe and she looked at me and as if she understood clung on to my finger and slept till I got back my little bundle to take with me.Even then the doctors had left a lot of tubes hanging in her mouth and hand and so I was unable to feed her and right thru our journey to another hospital; to have the tubes removed she kept looking at me and looking for the support and love. Little babies are amazing you just look closely and you will figure a lot more!

All the best.