All these questions...

Mac, in the last week, has started sleeping 9 hours at night. YAY in some ways but we have been using The Lactational Amenorrhea Method of contraception: http://www.breastfeeding.com/reading_room/lam_page2.html

Anyone who knows about this, can you tell me, since he's going longer than the allowed 6 hourly night feeds, if I express in place of him feeding, will that still make it effective or does it need to be actual feeding?
And then if I'm going to wake up and express, why not just feed Mac?

Also, another question, Mac has a reasonable weight gain so far, 700 grams in the last month, he's a loooong skinny baby (5.84kg, 64cm long at 12 weeks old). Should I perhaps try to dreamfeed him before I go to bed? I'm worried that with him sleeping so long at night that he's not getting enough food.


I'm being a worry wort mum!

I have booked into the doctors to get myself onto another form of contraception but I'm sooooo, so, so (can't explain how much in words) scared that going on a contraceptive will dry up my milk.
Thinking maybe the Mini Pill might be best for my worries as if my milk looks to be going, I can always stop taking the pill and get my supply going again. Was thinking of the Depo for convenience, but there is no undo button for that and if it effects my milk there is no way to stop it.

Suggestions and advice please.

TIA

Kellymom has more on LAM and kind of addresses the expressing question. We used it for 11 months, only supposed to be 6 months, and I so did NOT get pregnant (much to my disgust but that's something else entirely). 11 months is when AF returned. I went on the mini pill when he was 12 months, came off it again when he was 15 months cause it made me loopy and he self weaned at 18.5 months. I noticed that when AF was around milk supply would drop off for a couple of days but was then back. I am back on it again now, but he's been weaned for 12 months anyway, but never noticed it impacting on supply. There were some reports that if started before 12 weeks it can have an impact on milk supply but your supply should be well established now so it should be fine.

Can't help on the dream feed front..we tried it and he always woke up and then was awake forever...so started leaving him, but then he was a 3 hourly feeder usually anyway. LOL I have 'poor' gainers, DS1 was comped (which did naff all) and DS2 wasn't.....in fact it took him until he was 15 months before he'd doubled his birth weight. Nothing wrong with him, just doesn't gain alot of weight no matter what or how often we fed him. He's now above average for weight for his age (based on kiwi babies; we are of European descent though)....go figure. Anyway........if he gets plenty of wet nappies, meeting milestones, growing OVERALL and seems content I wouldn't worry about how much weight he 'should' be gaining though he's gaining what the 'average' bf baby his age will gain; kellymom has some handy growth charts and things on its website too.

Edited by mumtooboys

NO method of contraception is going to be 100% effective at preventing pregnancy except not having sex. LOL LAM, when used by people who meet the very strict criteria is just as, if not slightly more, effective as the pill; at between 98-99.5% effective. The thing that most women don't realise about it is that if your AF has returned it's NOT reliable....it can only be used in women who have not have their AF return.

Very few women use a contraceptive perfectly, which is when it is at is most effective, so run the risk of becoming pregnant. I know someone who was using condoms AND the pill AND bf and still got pregnant...some women are just that way out.

Just putting the info out there...not 'having a go' at anyone.

Hi Carin.

Mac should be fine going through the night with no feeds, as long as he feeds well during the day and still gains fine. He'll be filling up during the day so doesn't need the feeds during the night.

As for contraception, i thought of getting the Depo but have heard so many bad things about it. So i'm just taking Noriday like last time. I haven't had an problems with it. Hasn't affected my milk and i had a tiny bit of spotting this time but that's it. Last time i didn't get any spotting and my period came back 8 months after birth.

Gosh you are lucky getting some real sleep! Trust me, if they are hungry, they wake up

I'm on the minipill and my supply has been fine. I did get a period every second week for the first month, and now am spotting in the second month, but apparently thats likely to go away after 3 months. If it hasn't I'll have to try something else. I found I was a wee bit moodier the first week on it, but that could have been exhaustion related too. Other than some initial bleeding you might get, it won't bring AF back any earlier so I like that about it.

I also like that if it doesn't work for me, it's very easy to stop taking it and it'll be out of my system very quickly.

Not that I need contraception atm, anyway. A nasty episiotomy and a baby that hardly sleeps seem to be pretty effective on their own

the mini pill will not bring back AF.. i struggled to stay on it for more than a few weeks as it MUST BE taken at the same time every day.. i was rubbish... and it slowed down my Weight loss dramatically...

so i maybe peeing on a stick sometime soon hmmmm