The CaB Parents Club!

[SetToStun]

Yeah, expressing has had the same effect, so we thought we might as well try and get him on formula. He's still very attached to the breast, so to speak

That's hardly surprising, really - it's more nutritious and tastes better (apparently). Plus it comes out of a genuine breast and the poor little bugger probably won't get that close to another one for years and years. Let him have his fun while he can.

_{Apologies to Mrs. Donkey, of course.}

[mothman]

Hunger. Start him off on the breast, then switch to the bottle after a little while.

[Mindbear]

Can I ask, without sounding like a wretch, what happens to your breasts after breast feeding? I mean, why is it when a woman has had three kids or whatever that her breasts become all flat and floppy? If you don't breast feed does this still happen? Can you just squirt the milk into a bottle and not have to go floppy?

[mothman]

I think/presume that it's more to do with your breasts being enlarged because of the added contents (ie milk). I guess if you keep 'em tapped off regularly you might avoid that (moisturiser on the skin probably helps, it's best to use it - or some proper nipple cream, something soothing! -  anyway to help counteract the chewed nipples).

MrsMoth's milk never came in properly, so breast became something to kick off the feed and end it, and in between we had formula.

[Baxter]

Can you just squirt the milk into a bottle and not have to go floppy?

The receptacle makes no difference, After you squirt the milk it usually goes floppy again after about 30 seconds, the average refractory period has a huge variance from person to person, from a matter of minutes to hours.

[hoverdonkey]

Mrs Donkey uses nipple shields which help with that, but I'm guessing there is some inevitable saggage unless rigourous exercise is undertaken.

[Mindbear]

Well you see these famous mums and they all look very pert, and I wonder how they do it, there must have been milk in them when they were pregnant, so how did they get away with not having flat flaps of skin afterwards? I don't mean to sound all superficial, it's just I'm quite big chest wise and if they went flat they'd be round my knees. I don't fancy that.

[Ginyard]

My wife's are pretty big and they've never suffered. My daughter had long nails and mauled them a bit so they really did look like a tiger had been at them but they're pretty self-repairing.

[petula dusty]

Just so you are aware, HD, that there's no guarantee that formula milk will help the bab sleep longer. It's not as easy to digest as breastmilk so it sits in the tum for longer (which is also why they tend to breastfeed so often at first). Is it not possible for Mrsd to feed him in bed so that she doesn't have to fully wake up? Or do you not do the co-sleeping thing? Also, nowadays it is recommended to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months if poss but of course any breastfeeding is better than none and four months worth is great. It should be easier to introduce mix feeding as well now that the breastfeeding is well established.

Is it the formula he objects to or the bottle? You could try experimenting with different teats. The suckling action is a lot different to taking milk from a bottle so he might need a more nipple like teat maybe. I have no idea about what's out there bottle/teat wise though as I've not used them. I'm far too lazy to use bottles when I can just whip one out instead.

For the record, I've breastfed all three of mine and James is still feeding lots even at 15 months. My breasts aren't too bad considering, although I have lost two stone since Christmas (still got some to lose too) so not sure what effect that will have once I've finished breastfeeding as well especially as I'm older now too. They did lose a lot of volume after my second child but recovered really well. For the moment they're still pretty fulsome.

Also any increase in breast size during pregnancy isn't due to them being full of milk as that isn't produced until after the baby is born. It's due to an increase in hormone levels, blood supply and fat being laid down. So pregnancy itself can have an effect on breast size/shape regardless of whether you breastfeed or not. They tend to recover eventually but they will never be the same as they were pre-pregnancy. If you weigh up the benefits of breastfeeding against any possible negative effects on your breasts then it wouldn't really make any sense not to breastfeed if you can. I'd say it's worth a bit of sagging really. And, on a similar note, having children doesn't necessarily make sex akin to throwing a sausage up an alley either.

[Suttonpubcrawl]

I think if you weigh up the future state of your breasts against the future health of your baby and your breasts win, you probably shouldn't be having kids.

[petula dusty]

My whole last paragraph in a nutshell there.

[Suttonpubcrawl]

My whole last paragraph in a nutshell there.

You didn't say the "shouldn't have kids" bit!

[petula dusty]

I know. You said what I was thinking though!

[hoverdonkey]

Thanks for that petula. I've been at work so we haven't tried the bottle for a couple of days. Mrs Donkey has been very reluctant to try formula because she always had it in her head that she would breastfeed for six months. I have a feeling he will stick to the breast to be honest, unless she can get round to expressing.

He woke up early this morning, so had a lovely couple of hours with him before I came to work. Even when he keeps us up at all hours it's impossible to be angry with him. Last night when trying to put him down after a feed, all I could see in the dark was his two big eyes staring up and a huge smile. I was so very, very tired, but I still half-wanted to get him up and play with him. Luckily he drifted off after about 20 minutes.

[SetToStun]

For the moment they're still pretty fulsome.

Your breasts are offensive and repulsive to the point of nauseating? Jesus, way to advertise breastfeeding, PD.

[lipsink]

Aw, hoverdonkey and petula dusty , I just have to say, your babies are so cute! I'm at work right now and after looking at those pictures I feel like crying!

[rudi]

I can't believe I'm the first to demand pictorial proof of the tits in question.

CaBBers, you disappoint me...

[petula dusty]

Your breasts are offensive and repulsive to the point of nauseating? Jesus, way to advertise breastfeeding, PD.

*consults dictionary* Heh, I did it wrong din't I? That's a prime example of a word not meaning what it should. It originally meant what I intended anyway.  Although your definition could be applied by some people I suppose.

HD, I know what you mean about wanting to pick them back up when you put them down. For the first couple of weeks I couldn't sleep because I just wanted to look at him and hold him all the time. Totally and utterly besotted. I still am but it's nice to have five minutes to myself sometimes even if it's just leaving him with my daughter while I hoover upstairs or I sneak off and shut myself in the dining room for ten minutes with a cup of coffee. I'm easily pleased.

I don't want to sound like some militant breastfeeder (I am though) but if Mrsd and Thomas are happy to carry on then it really is the best thing. If it's causing any real problems though you shouldn't feel guilty about introducing formula if he'll take it. Or expressing her milk would be even better. Have you tried cup feeding? It works with newborns or premature babies I think when bottles are a problem but you could give it a go now. James took water from a cup really well at six months (no spout). These cups are good http://www.nctsales.co.uk/prodshow.asp?id=750

This is an excellent breastfeeding site and there's a section on expressing and bottle feeding http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/index.html

and here it actually says that if the baby is 4-6 months then going straight to a cup is preferable to introducing a bottle (you'll have to wean him off it at some point which can be troublesome)
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/alternative-feeding.html



rudi, I'm assuming you want pics of mindbear's unlactated and unflappy tits and not my mauled bags of skin?

[Borboski]

I think people on this site are happy with pics of anything.

I will have to internalise my resentment of 'wee Borbs' destroying Mrs Bs chest, oh well, keep it to myself for the next 50 years.

[hoverdonkey]

I don't want to sound like some militant breastfeeder (I am though) but if Mrsd and Thomas are happy to carry on then it really is the best thing.

Absolutely, the formula idea has come from Mrs D. I'm more than happy for her to stick to the breast. I'm going to push 'expressing' as the way forward this weekend, just so that I can do it occasionally and take the pressure off.

Thanks for the links too, will have a look when I get home.