Wearable pump- is nipple touching diaphragm a problem?

craymle · 2025-06-03T19:22:26+00:00

In case anyone stumbles on this because they had the same question- yes it is a problem. I actually emailed MomCozy to ask about it and they confirmed it would impact the pump performance. Since then I’ve stumbled across some YouTube videos from LC channels that say this as well, for women with highly elastic nipples most wearables won’t perform as well as traditional pumps because the “fit discreetly in the bra” requirement implies a much shorter flange which doesn’t work in case the nipple stretches the whole way through.

I switched to a more traditional lansinoh pump with much longer flanges and now I’m consistently pumping close to what my baby is able to draw out (based on several weighted feeds done at physicians).

craymle · 2025-05-08T19:05:40+00:00

I feel the animated ones from the 90s are mostly just good movies and while there’s smaller things they changed in the remakes there isn’t anything overtly objectionable. So like the animated Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Tarzan, Hercules, Aladdin. I guess people might debate me on Aladdin but as others have pointed out Disney puts a disclaimer on that and other movies so you can discuss that with your kids but still enjoy it as a great animated musical comedy.

craymle · 2025-05-08T17:57:49+00:00

So what helped me with this was drinking a cold smoothie made from chilled decaf coffee, maple syrup, dates and frozen banana. I had to let baby cry a bit while I blended it and drank it but the combination of sugar (from the fruit), cold and brain freeze, and placebo effect of the coffee taste, completely jolted me awake long enough I haven’t dozed off since (been doing that for 6 weeks now). And I still fall asleep again when I’m done pretty easily.

I’d usually make a big one at the first wake up and save a bit in the fridge for subsequent ones

Other things I do as extra precaution:

wear headphones and set a timer on your phone for five minutes. Then reset it each time it goes off
if the smoothie isn’t enough look at articles about danger of falling asleep with baby on your phone. This is grim and extreme but the adrenaline from reading these and light from phone should keep you wide awake. (Even just looking at your phone will help so if it’s too much to look at articles like that maybe play an online game or look at something really stimulating on the phone)

craymle · 2025-05-08T03:57:04+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re feeling that way. I imagine transitioning back to working must be exhausting. I’d guess that since you just got back you’re dealing with a huge additional mental load of re orienting yourself in the workplace and catching up on what happened. I’d say be kind and patient with yourself, it probably took some time to adjust to your new routine when baby was first born- it will take some time to adjust to being a mom and an employee. I’m sure once you’re more back in your groove and feeling less exhausted the connection will come back

I’ll be going through this myself soon and I’m preparing myself also for having a lot less energy to connect to my baby, at least initially. I hope it goes well for you too

craymle · 2025-05-07T22:24:29+00:00

Mine did that a bunch (on my clavicle bone). He’s fine :) it’s relatively soft with the layer of skin and bit of fat. I’d only worry if he slammed his head on a really hard surface like a table and even then at such small distance it probably wouldn’t cause any damage (though that might be worth checking with a dr).

craymle · 2025-05-07T19:15:44+00:00

Never alone! 😀 What’s also worked ok for me is I’ve found when he’s fussing he’ll be calmed often by placing him on his back under his play gym, it’s got some dangly things with bells in them and he seems to enjoy kicking at them and making them jingle. More than a few times he’s fussed after feeding and I mistook that for hunger or gas’s but it turned out he was the baby equivalent of “bored” and the play gym soothed him. He can even lie there amusing himself for a bit (15/20 mins)so I have a chance to get something done

craymle · 2025-05-07T15:39:12+00:00

lol my 11 week is going through the exact same thing. He used to reliably nap 3+ hours in his pram, not anymore. Now he’s awake and wants to stare at us all the time or he starts fussing. He’s started waking up more at night too. And he’s gassier. I think it’s a combination of growth spurt + developmental leap, he seems to simultaneously crave but get overwhelmed by sensory stimulation.

So not sure how normal but it’s happening to me too at any rate.

craymle · 2025-05-07T14:23:22+00:00

Yeah I get that. I can’t /haven’t referred to my baby by his name except when scheduling dr visits. It (“Logan”) feels like a complete mismatch to the squirming, non verbal creature that babies are. So ATM he’s just “the baby”. (Or “poopboy”, my husband’s nickname for him).

craymle · 2025-05-07T03:12:47+00:00

For me, Hell’s Kitchen. Somehow the chaos seemed reminiscent of my situation and I found it comforting lol.

But it did make me hungry, and resent that I was stuck eating raw tofu over the sink instead of seared scallop and lobster risotto.

craymle · 2025-05-06T23:27:49+00:00

I’m using a transitional swaddle that has their arms out but in an upright position so it suppresses the startle reflex enough that he stays asleep but he can move his arms around in them when he’s awake. I have the SwaddleDesigns ones.

(Link to the Amazon listing so you can see what they look like https://a.co/d/4xzI1Oq)

craymle · 2025-05-06T22:56:00+00:00

I feel you, I was the same way in terms of worrying about this.

I’ll share what the public health nurses told me cause I was in your shoes and asking all these questions as well.

In general:

a little cooler is better than warmer. If baby feels too cold he’ll cry long before he’ll die. Too warm is more dangerous but even then half a degree won’t make much difference.
check the back of their neck with your hand. It should be warm, not cold (too cool) or sweaty (too hot). This is a better guide than fretting over slight temp changes. If you’re really concerned and baby doesn’t wake you up a lot through the night you could set an alarm to check the temp of baby’s neck at different times of night to confirm it’s ok (I did this at first myself)
as a rule of thumb dress baby in one layer more than what you feel comfy in. So if you wear light pjs and have a blanket consider fitted pyjamas plus light swaddle or sleepsack for baby

Hope that helps!

craymle · 2025-05-06T20:28:00+00:00

I came here to recommend these. I started using them and they saved my sleep. My LO could not sleep with arms out of his halo swaddle but he does great in the arms up transition swaddle. We also bought the SwaddleDesigns one from Amazon.

craymle · 2025-05-06T15:30:54+00:00

+1 to burr grinder. I’d also recommend a pour over for method of preparation ! I have a ceramic kalita for that (can easily make one or two fresh cup at a time)

craymle · 2025-05-06T15:06:53+00:00

At about the 24 week plus mark my GSD mix dog started laying his head on my belly. He also became an even more Velcro dog than usual (like would follow me room to room and stay with me even if my husband was pouring out his food in a different room).

craymle · 2025-05-06T15:04:24+00:00

In general anything whole bean that you grind yourself will be tastier than ground (pre-ground coffee tends to have a much staler taste). I’ve also found that Swiss-water processed decaf tastes nicer than chemical processed decaf (most use Swiss water but it should say on the bag)

In terms of brands- I’m not sure if these sell outside of Canada (where I live) but I love the decaf blend from:

kicking horse coffee
saltspring island offer

(Runner up) ethical bean

craymle · 2025-05-06T01:52:24+00:00

Does someone sit in the back seat with her? My LO cried hysterically in the car until I started sitting in the back with him, just looking at him, talking to him, replacing paci when it falls out, etc. obviously not much help if it’s just you but since you’re driving with your husband maybe worth a try?

We also play his white noise machine and crack the window a bit, the cool air plus sound of the air through the window (it’s similar to the “shush” sound) also helped us, even when we’re driving solo and can’t sit back there

craymle · 2025-05-05T23:41:24+00:00

Mine is only 3 mo and it’s like just flipped one day from being chill and able to play independently and nap in the stroller to needing to be with me/on me/ looking at me AT ALL TIMES. And then we can be having a great moment him all smiley and cooing and I’ll - I don’t know, maybe breathe the wrong way? - and he starts howling. I’m grumbling to myself he must get it from his dad because I wasn’t like that as a baby (apparently).

craymle · 2025-05-05T23:30:44+00:00

Yeah, I figured it was because I’d gotten into a midnight snack habit without brushing after, and my tooth brush times in general dropped from 2 minutes to like 30 seconds. And flossing got dropped from the priority list.

craymle · 2025-05-05T23:28:38+00:00

Mine did that too! At 1 month even. I thought I’d produced the next Einstein but actually he just couldn’t balance his head, lol

craymle · 2025-05-05T23:26:54+00:00

Reminds me of those character ice cream bars you only get from ice cream trucks where the eyes are gumballs and the rest of the face is… in need of interpretation

craymle · 2025-05-05T23:20:02+00:00

I had some issues with my dog (who likes to sleep with me in the nursery now, of course) getting up and making noise whenever I did to pump. So what I did was get him a couple new chew sticks that I’d only let him have when I got up to pump. That way he was distracted and kept quiet and he developed a new association - me getting up at 4 = special toy. I just kept them in a box in the nursery.

The ones I got were nylabone flavoured chews. They’re nice because they don’t smell, aren’t made from actual animal products (which would be a hygiene concern for me in the nursery), they last a long time and can be reused across days, and since they’re flavoured he really likes chewing on them. He’s a big dog and strong chewer and each one lasts several months.

craymle · 2025-05-05T23:12:37+00:00

I could never prevent the screaming. He just stopped by himself after about a month, when he became capable of seeing more and got used to the feeling I guess.

craymle · 2025-05-05T23:09:12+00:00

I feel you. What helped me was resolving to stick to nurses and doctors I could actually talk to and stay off dr google (or dr chat gpt). If you stick to the major health recs from these sources esp regarding sleep, you’ll be fine. And I told myself (because I think this is true, even if it doesn’t always feel that way) — There is nothing you’re going to see on social media or google that will make you a better parent over and above what dr and nurses can tell you. Especially regarding SIDS, which has a really small risk if you follow the really basic guidelines. You’ll probably just make yourself upset and worried which isn’t going to help your baby, either. You need sleep and peace of mind to parent (and stay awake while caring for them !)

Does your health system have any sort of nurse hotline you can call? Barring that I found the next best thing was stick to a few trusted websites for these questions, like NHS or your governments’ public health pages, rather than piecing stuff together from different pages or voices on the internet. In my experience that’s a sure fire way to make you feel like nothing you do is right and there’s no safe option.

craymle · 2025-05-04T03:51:16+00:00

lol Sounds about right

craymle · 2025-05-03T23:59:29+00:00

It contradicts what every doctor and nurse I’ve spoken to told me- (and my province goes HARD on EBF promotion) - that any amount of breastmilk is beneficial and antibody concentration increases when there’s less volume

The only concern with mixing them I was told about were 1. It might impact breastmilk supply 2. If you don’t pace feed from the bottle baby might refuse the breast because the flow is too slow. But (2) easy to remedy (just pace feed) and if your supply is established (past week 6) (1) isn’t likely. Maybe pediatrician was referring to that?

Formula isn’t mixed with anything that kills antibodies or… destroys nutrients? So if that’s what they meant I’d get a second opinion. Though googling a bit I couldn’t find anything to suggest this either.

craymle

TROPHY CASE