I wish babies came with an indicator that would light up green whenever they are full. How is one supposed to know how much milk has gotten into them when one doesn’t go the way of the bottle?
Baby Improvement
Opinions, art, debate
Opinions, art, debate
I wish babies came with an indicator that would light up green whenever they are full. How is one supposed to know how much milk has gotten into them when one doesn’t go the way of the bottle?
Clarissa's Blog 
This is from the SF Chronicle:
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/supplement-breastfeeding-newborns-4235.html
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This is propaganda by a bunch of crazy religious fanatics. I could get into it in detail but I’m afraid people will be bored.
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Fatigue reduces mental sharpness, otherwise you would probably know the answer to this already.
Typically, the new mother can express milk into a bottle so that the father can handle middle-of-the-night feedings. Otherwise, you don’t get any chance at sufficient sleep for maybe six months. If I did it, N can too. He’s probably a lot more agile than I ever was.
Once you’ve done that a few times, you will have a sense for how heavy your breasts feel with each amount of milk expressed. You’ll have a visual and can see the relationship between how your breasts feel and the amount of milk out.
It’s still breast milk, just some delivered with an intermediate stop in the fridge. (N would need to warm it before delivery to Klara.)
This method also give you flexibility. There may be times when you want to use a combination of breast milk and formula. (It’s not an either/or proposition, you can use both.) There’s also nothing wrong with the baby leaning to take milk from both sources.
Finally, there are other uses for breast milk and nursing besides feeding the baby, including things that your and N might really enjoy. Again, speaking from experience. Enjoy the opportunity.
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Yes, I’m pumping. And breast feeding. And supplementing. I’m doing everything at the same time, which is probably why I’m confused. 🙂
I hope you are right and I will get a better intuitive feeling for it.
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Oh, I wished that so many times! And just when you think you’re getting the hang of it, then the baby goes on a growth spurt and wants fed constantly! Have you found any gaps in your knowledge yet – the only baby I’d seen being raised was my younger brother and he was severely premature, I had no idea singing nursery rhymes etc could actually calm a crying baby, I thought it was just an old wives tale because I’d never seen it really happen!
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I had no knowledge at all because the last baby I lived with was my sister 34 years ago. 🙂 This is all very new to me.
I was very surprised to discover how well babies communicate since birth and how well they know what they want. Much better than adults, I’d say. 🙂
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