The Need To Feed

When I'm trying to describe the need to breastfeed at regular interverals, I find that the best way to make people understand the feeling is by describing it as the need to empty a full bladder. I don't always mention that the 'bladder' or in this case the milk ducts don't always wait for an invitation from me to start discharging their contents.

Look At Me Baby

One of my favorite things is when I am absentmindedly nursing. That is, I'll be distracted and she will be suckling away. Then I notice she's no longer at it so I look down only to find her sitting and staring at me with a waiting smile on her lips. She's so cute! Talk about a bonding moment. Once she's caught my eye she'll often snuggle back in for some dessert or else we'll ride the smile's momentum and play for a while. Satisfaction.

Spitting Up No More

Baby's spit-up episodes have all but ceased. In fact, when she does spit up I can almost certainly say it's because she's had too much to eat. She also used to be a champion burper and at about four months either she's eating more effectively or else she's getting rid of her gas more quietly.

Sucking on the dyke: The Leak Is Back

Last night she slept for six hours straight. Then she woke up, had a couple of sips and fell back asleep. Three hours later, I had to wake her up to eat. I haven't that that rock-hard breast feeling since the DS breastfeeding days when I was constantly overfull of breast milk and leaking like a geyser. I thought that I would be able to shatter glass if I aimed my high-pressure nipples at the sliding doors and let the milk rip. It hurt, too. Things hurt a lot worse with my last breastfeeding experience. This time I only really get breast pain when I'm overfull.

Nursing Pads

I bought a package with three sets of reusable, washable, non-disposable nursing pads. I use them, throw them in the wash, and supplement with disposable breast pads if I need to. For the most part they're okay and they do they However, I think that if I had to buy some more, I'd go for a higher quality set because these ones are a little harsh against my skin. I'd like a softer, gentler fabric. Oh, and since I'm padding my bra anyway, I'd like one with a rounder cup. The edges of these, like the edges of the disposable pads, stick out and make a funny shape under my shirt, depending on which shirt/bra combination I'm wearing.

Burps and Spitups

She's doing a lot less of them lately. In the beginning I had to burp her every single feed-- once in the middle and once at the end at least. She used to spit up a few mouthfuls a day as well. Now she'll spit up only once in a while and today was the first time I thought she needed a burp-- and she did-- in a couple of weeks at least. Just before that, I was touting her as a champion burper. She could really let 'em rip.
I don't remember her big brother needing any encouragement to burp. He'd just produce them once in a while unexpectedly. She'd a tad colicky, I guess.

Leakage Continues

When I first started breastfeeding DD, I was a little worried that I wasn't leaking the way I had with my DS. With him, I only had to hear him whimper and I'd turn into a milky geyser. Well, that wasn't happening in the beginning but it is now, though not quite to the same degree. When she starts suckling one side, the other side fills up and starts to spray. I end up switching back and forth several times in one feeding to try and avert a big wet mess.