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SNS/Lact-aid vs bottles

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meghanmcbee
mcthom
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Post by mcthom Mon Feb 22, 2010 8:35 pm

This is basically just some thoughts about my own experience with supplementers but am interested in what others have to say, their experience. With my first son, I used the Medela SNS for just over 18mos. I liked that there are three sizes of tubing. With my second son, I started off with the Lact-Aid because I found the Medela drove me nuts for a variety of reasons. The Lact-Aid is considerably easier to use but there is only one size of tubing, which is pretty large. I noticed immediately that this larger tubing affected the strength of his suck at the breast. I switched to glass bottles, so our pattern is nurse, supplement with bottle, nurse, and I nurse several times in between supplements. Also, I find that I'm a lot more sane without having to fiddle with the tubing.

Has anyone else noticed a difference in their baby's latch/sucking intensity?

Edited to say that I've found what works best for us is a combo of L-A and bottle w/preemie nipple, it keeps his suck strong and my milk up, what little of it there is. Best scenario would be if L-A had tube size choices.


Last edited by mcthom on Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:26 am; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : new info)

mcthom

Posts : 40
Join date : 2010-02-17
Location : Triangle, NC

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Post by meghanmcbee Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:45 am

Because of bad advice from an IBCLC, I was using the largest tubing with the Medela for months with my son. I just switched him down to the smallest tubing and things are much better. My supply is pretty low and he won't really nurse past let down without the SNS, so I really need that to help my supply...bottles aren't really an option for us.

meghanmcbee

Posts : 17
Join date : 2010-01-04

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Post by betina Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:47 am

I don't have experience yet with either the Medela or the Lact-Aid. I'm trying to find out which one will work best.
(I'm new to this website and really appreciate all the info I'm getting!!) I need to order one soon for my baby arriving in two months.
Can someone tell me, is it possible to lay down and nurse at night with the Medela? If not, that might be a problem in the long run.
I know the Lact-aid system is supposed to work better for nights, but since I'm also trying to improve my own supply while nursing, I think the smaller size tubing on the Medela might work better, or?
I'm also wondering, can you put the bags/ and bottle from either system into a bottle warmer? Again, especially worried about those night
time feedings. How are you all managing this? I'm trying to avoid bottles at first, because of the "nipple confusion" problem.
Thank you so much!

betina

Posts : 5
Join date : 2010-03-01

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Post by Squeaky McMurdo Fri Mar 05, 2010 11:42 am

Wouldn't you be able to use tubing adapters to go from a bigger tube to a smaller one?

Any medical supply should have them.

(Heck, if you're desperate, a pet store would probably have them too in the fish section. lol)

Squeaky McMurdo

Posts : 16
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Post by jburth7 Fri Mar 05, 2010 6:53 pm

I have the SNS and the LA. The tubing on the LA is the same as the middle-sized tubing on the SNS. I have used both and my daughter tends to drink about the same from the LA and the SNS (using the smallest sized tubing).

I prefer the LA because you don't have to worry about keeping the bag the same way - it is nice for nursing while lying down because with the SNS I always had to make sure the bottle was the right direction.

I never worried much about warming the supplement except when my daughter was really fussy. When I warmed, I used the Avent bottle warmer and warmed the supplement right in the bag. I didn't let it go the full cycle of the warming, just felt it with my hand when I thought it was warm enough and would then test the milk. I know the packaging says not to warm it in the bag but I think that's for precautions because they don't want the bag to get too warm or the milk to get too warm. For me, it was a nuisance to try and warm the supplement in a bottle or something and then transfer it to the bag. Also, I never took the air out of the bag like they say either - when the milk was gone, I just stopped so my daughter didn't get any air. I also re-used the bags a few times, but I used donor milk always and not formula which could clog the tubes or go bad in the bags.

I strongly recommend using one of the systems rather than bottles - my daughter is 9 months old and I still use the LA because it has saved our nursing relationship. She will nurse in the morning and one feed after that without the LA because I have enough milk - but on the feeds when I don't have enough milk, I start her nursing bare and then slip in the LA after she's "done."

So, long story short - yes, you CAN nurse lying down with the SNS, but I think the LA is easier and YES, you can warm the supplement in the bags using a bottle warmer. Good luck!

jburth7

Posts : 29
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Post by betina Fri Mar 19, 2010 8:07 pm

Thank you so much for the helpful input on the two nursing systems.
I think the best solution for me is to purchase both of them, since I will
be using a combination of doner milk and formula, (homemade formula -
recipe from the Weston A Price foundation), which is thicker than breast
milk and will clog the smaller tubes.(But the bigger tubes doesn't do much for stimulating your own supply.
The home made formula by Sally Fallen is a very good substitute to human
milk, if you ever run out of doner milk! It is designed to resemble human
milk as closely as possible, and is a live food - unlike powdered formula!

betina

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Post by mcthom Thu Mar 25, 2010 11:54 am

After having used the Medela SNS until my first son was 18mos, I'd say go with the Lact-aid. If you're using the WAP recipe, the tubes are much easier to clean. Also, the Medela bottle is much harder to clean and a pain in the neck. The LA is also more forgiving in terms of position.

The Lact-aid is nice because you can make the bags beforehand. Unless you have several Medelas, this is not possible. I find that if I put the LA on, my body warms it up enough. I do prefer the smaller tubing option of the Medela, that is my only gripe about the LA.

Also, if you are concerned about phthalates, the Medela bottle is better. Personally, I wouldn't heat the milk in the LA bags, and there really is no reason to. If needed, you can run it under slightly warm water to take the chill off.

My two cents but it really is a personal thing, you just have to find the right fit.

mcthom

Posts : 40
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Location : Triangle, NC

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Post by tcarman Mon Apr 12, 2010 11:32 am

I have recently tried the LA and find that I couldn't get the tubing into his mouth! We both got very frustrated and I just gave up. I really want to try to nurse him so do you guys have any advice on how to get the tubing correctly positioned so that it stays in place for him to nurse? Thanks for your help!

tcarman

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Post by jburth7 Mon Apr 12, 2010 6:32 pm

There are a couple options for getting the tubing in his mouth.

1). Have baby latch and then slip the tubing in after latching in the corner of the mouth
2). Work on varying positions of how far to extend the tubing past your nipple - my daughter likes it well past the nipple so she's sucking more on the middle of the tube, some babies like the very tip of the tube so they don't know that they're sucking on anything but bare breast.
3). Try placing the tube underneath your nipple and threading in up to it's beneath the babies latch

It will work eventually - just keep trying. Some mom's like to tape the tubing to their skin so it doesn't move as much, I found this annoying as my daughter is a constant pop on/off the breast kind of baby and she would rip the tube out of the tape and then rip the tape off - not fun for mom! So, I just use one finger to hold the tube in place until she latches, then we're off and running. You can also use a band-aid to hold the tube in place, the tube slides nicely through the band-aid and the adhesive on the band-aid doesn't tear up your skin like tape does.

Happy LA'ing!

jburth7

Posts : 29
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Post by mcthom Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:24 am

jburth7's response about band-aids is what worked best for us initially with the teeny ones. After a while, it becomes old hat, and you don't need a positioner like a band-aid or tape. You just use your finger. My son pops on and off repeatedly but we've got it down to a science, so it's no longer an issue for us. Keep trying, you'll get the hang of it. I think the hardest thing about supplementers is the tube - I found it only added to the frustration and the insecurity of not being able to breastfeed. But you will both figure it out, and then the acceptance comes, and with it, the peace and beauty of realizing, that even if it isn't all (or any of) your milk, you ARE breastfeeding. Best of luck!

mcthom

Posts : 40
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