Lactation Problems and Nursing Strikes?

i had the same problem when i went back to work after 6 weeks, my son eventually didn't want to nurse off me at all........so i stuck it out and just pumped all the time and he had the bottle.......that may be your only choice. I also noticed that stress is a huge factor on supply, and your stress with the situation may be the reason why your supply is low. things like stress, diet, sleep, even how much water you drink really does affect your supply. i'm not an expert, these are just things i have learned when i breastfed! it's wonderful that you are sticking to it, congrats to you! keep at it, and trust your instincts too!!!! if the stress is keeping youa nd your baby unhappy, just do what you can even if it is pumping all day like i did! it'll get easier!! good luck!

I hope all is well now. Have you been able to breastfeed again?

Hi D. -

I'm no breatfeeding specialist, I successfully nursed my first two babies (#1 no problems, #2 bad round of mastitis and thrush, but we struggled through it

For the milk supply, fennel eo. You'll have more than you want (not a great thing either :-p).

For the bottle preference, I'm futzing around with this with baby #3 too. He's 10 weeks old now, but spent the first 3.5 weeks of life in the NICU, so breastmilk by bottle was inevitable.

Now we're about 1/2 and 1/2 ... it helps (him, not me ... lol) that my milk supply is on the overboard side, but he still is a crummy nurser since drinking from a bottle is a completely different talent from breastfeeding. He does latch on, but he also purses his lips which can make me VERY uncomfortable.

I guess I would suggest the following:

-try fennel eo

-commit to pumping every three hours (15 mins on each side) round the clock to up your supply

-give him 1/2 of his meal then put him to breast for a bit then top him off by bottle if he's still hungry.

-leave formula till last, but do supplement if he wants it -- hungry babies only get frustrated by breasts if they're not practiced.

Imagine, if you're frustrated by small amounts with pumping -- of course he's not too excited ---how's he gonna feel? -- he's hungry and the bottle has more :)

After the first two babies, I never imagined that nursing would be a challenge. Don't feel like the lone ranger!

A.

I think your son is more Having Nipple confussion if youve given him the bottle of breast Milk a few times. Its not something to feel guilty about, just something that sometimes happends in this situation. When my first child was born they missread my wishes and gave my daughter a bottle for her first feeding before even bringing her to me to see if i wanted to breastfeed (which i did ) from then on it was a fight to get her to latch on and feed and not have her screaming because she was so hungry More of defeated stress made me switch from breast to bottle, but you may want to try the groups out there who may be able to help you. LeLoche league i believe it is called could help you. Lookit up on the internet... They helped me a lot. Good luck
M. C

When my son was the same age, we had the same problem. I remember my nipples hurting so bad that I would cry when he latched on. My husband said that his first words were going to be "Oh Shit!" because that's what I'd say everytime he started nursing. It hurt, they even bled sometimes. I just kept putting Lanisoh on multiple times a day, cried through it for awhile, and eventually got better. As far as not producing a lot of milk...we had that problem, too! I hurt my back when our son was one month old and was put on medication which prevented me from being able to nurse. After using a manual pump, my supply was down to 1/4 ounce every 45 minutes. Yeah...it was pretty low. Sometimes I wouldn't even get that. The pump that made it possible for me to go back to only nursing was the EvenFlo double electric pump. I think I paid $40 for it at Rite-Aid. My friend just had a baby a couple of weeks ago and she wasn't producing much either. So I gave her my pump on December 12th, and now she's doing much better! If it's really important to you to nurse, please don't give up. I believe that as long as your producing SOMETHING, even if it's just a little bit, you can still increase your supply with lots of patience (and a few tears :). Best of luck, and let me know how it goes.

Hi D.--
At the risk of sounding over-the-top, you need to stop offering the bottle and only offer the breast. My son went through something similar at that age, I was not offering a bottle at all but he cried when he went to the breast for some reason even though he was hungry. You have to trust your body and his. He will not let himself starve, all they have at that age is the survival instinct! And your body won't let him starve. Since you still have milk, it will continue to produce more BUT you have to give it the opportunity. You also have to know that pumping is NOT the same as him latched on. The efficiency is totally different. I know that when I pump, I get 3-4 ounces, but I know after he eats, he gains about 5-6 ounces (if I weigh him before and after) I did the test just to reassure myself. You also need to know that there is a 3 day lag period. So if you only offer the breast to him today, 3 days from now, your body will produce more milk. So here is my advice to you:

For one week, only offer the breast. No bottles, no pumping. Keep track. You will notice that he is nursing more inorder to get enough milk and probably longer each time too. You will probably get sore. (I posted a comment yesterday about being incredibly sore and in pain from a 10 month old...I have found that if you soak your nipples for 1 minute after each feeding in 8 oz of warm water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, let them air dry then add lansinoh it helps them heal remarkably!!!) You will also notice that 3 days after you start, you will feel more full!

I have also found that drinking ANY kind of tea and lots of water works miracles when I feel like I am not as full as I should be. As long as he is only using the breast to eat, your production will kick up on its own and you won't need the Reglan anymore. Don't offer a bottle until you feel your production is stabilized sufficiently! Then you can go back to giving the bottle when you need to.

As for the crying, as I said, I had it. I don't know what it was, but it passed. I found several things to help. First, I found he didn't realize what I was trying to do...if I squirted milk in his mouth with my hand, he stopped crying and latched on most of the time. I just needed to remind him! Don't get it, but it worked! Another thing that worked was sitting on one of those exercise balls and bouncing when I was trying to nurse (sitting on the edge of the bed bouncing worked too). The rhythmic bouncing calmed him and the squirting in the mouth in combination, he latched right on! Singing songs helped too. Also, standing and rocking worked at times. I tried everything!

If you really want to nurse, believe in yourself, have confidence in your body, when you worry, it does affect your milk supply!

If you need any more help, advice, let me know!

One more thing that helps with the pain, go to a nursing store or a maternity store has them sometimes, get yourself a pair of $10 pads that are called Soothies (CVS has them too sometimes). You put them in the freezer while you are nursing then put them on right after he is done nursing and they feel amazing! These got me through those first few weeks!!!

Great dvice from the others. My babies are 12 nd 9, so I am reaching back into memory. But one thing i do rememeber the nurse telling me is that when there is a demand, there will be a supply. It may be uncomfortable for a bit, but like was said, keep pumping, and the supply will be there. Even if you have to put it in the freezer, breast milk is OK.

Good luck.
BTW, my daughter had a hard time suckling to begin with, we didn't suppliment with bottles, when she was hungry enough, she'd latch on. We all have to deal with a little bit of fussing and crying from the little ones, don't make it a guilt trip on your part, your doing great!!!