August 1, 2008

My milk only just came in...so I'm crazy engorged. I want to help it regulate even though I know it will on it's own...

I had to block feed with Elliot, 2 feeds per side before switching. Felix cluster feeds during the day (every hour, which I guess is standard for a newborn!) but will sometimes go 3 hours. The last 2 nights, he's gone 4 hour stretches. He usually nurses on one side and then falls asleep. I change him to wake him up and have been waffling between putting him back on the same side to finish the feed afterwards or offering the other side. That second feed doesn't always happen and isn't usually that long. So, overnight, I could go 7 hours without nursing on one side and man, does that hurt!!!

It's almost 7:30 now. He nursed on the left side around 2 pm and had a monster feed on the right about an hour ago so I don't expect him to nurse again for a little while. The left side is so engorged it hurt to touch it. I'm considering pumping to relieve some pressure, but I know the can of worms that can open up...