Weaning off the Breast

Hi A.! Wow, I can't imagine the discomfort! would you like me to get the contact information of a lactation consultant?

Weaning your baby does not mean you will not get mastitis. What does your OB think is the root of the problem?

wishing you the best,
M. G

Hi A.,

Try a syringe with a small tube attached to it. Put the end of the tube and one of your fingers in her mouth. That way she gets "you" as well as the formula. I had to do that for a while, after my daughter was first born, because I was too sick to nurse. Check a medical supply store, or ask your OB.

Good Luck!
C.

A.,
Mastitis or not, it was going to have to happen eventually anyway. Did your OB offer any suggestions?

I would ask for advisory help at any clinic or hospital. A pediatrician.

But it will take consistency and determination. Your baby will get hungry enough at some point and relent. It sounds harsh, but these difficult-to-wean cases take drastic measures sometimes.

Not to say you won't still have to wean but have you consulted a Lactation Consultant to make sure you are completely draining the breast at each feeding?

I can't even imagine having mastitis 4 times but if you enjoy nursing I say exhaust all your options.

Good Luck and God Bless
K.

I am not sure if this will help or not, but here goes. Do you wear a wire nursing bra? If so that might be causing the plugged ducts. That might be to simple of an answer, but I generally don't wear a wire nursing bra when I am nursing because I tend to get plugged ducts. HOpe that helps. Sorry that you have had to go thru all of that.

Usually the best treatment for mastitis is to continue nursing. You can still be battling the mastitis even if you wean. You neeed to figure out the source. Here is an article for you to see what other risk factors may be causing your mastitis. http://www.llli.org/FAQ/repeatmastitis.html/
This is a good resource for you breastfeeding questions. Hope this helps!!

P.S. Keep up the good work. Breastfeeding is really hard but also really worth it!!

D

I had a lot of trouble getting my daughter to take a bottle at 7 weeks. I am nursing, but wanted her to have a bottle when I was out. She refused all of the bottles until I found the MAM bottle by Sassy. I love this bottle!!! The nipple is shaped like the breast and the texture of it is different. This bottle is worth the try!!!

Hi A.. Wow, a lot to go through and very painful. One thing I can tell you is that some babies are very particular about the bottle nipple. My friend had to try several bottles before her daughter would take one. Then her second daughter didn't like the one the first daughter did, so she had to do a different one for her. Try buying a couple of one type of bottle at a time. Hopefully you'll find one that she'll take. I also like the idea of trying to mix breast milk with formula for a little while so she gets used to the flavor and consistancy. Best of luck to you and your little girl!

I also have mastitis a few times with 104 temps and it was horrible! I started to know when I was getting one and would massage the breast in the area where I saw the red developing and would nurse the baby in a different position to best empty the breast. I would also pump a little afterwards. I understand why you want to wean her though. My only advice is, three months is the magic number for nursing to start to work out fully! I would also call a le leche leader. One step ahead magazine sells a bottle that actually looks like a breast! I have seen it and it feels different also. Mixing the milk with breast milk will help too. Good Luck you really have put a great effort into it and enjoying your baby really is the most important thing. Formula fed baby's turn out just fine!

A.,

I had similar problems breastfeeding. I know it can be hard and tranistioning to a bottle can be hard. Luckily my daughter transition pretty easily. I would try having someone else feed her until your milk dries up, if possible. Just keep being persisent, she will eventually take the bottle.

Please try talking to a Lactation Consultant and La Leche League International. They should be able to help you figure out what's happening to you to cause the bouts of mastitis. There's no better gift to your baby than breast milk, so maybe try to explore all of your options before you completely bail on this wonderful part of being a mommy. They can also give you suggestions on weaning if that's what it comes down to. Good luck!

Hi A.,
I can sympathize, I had mastitis twice while nursing my youngest son. Both times I had it was during the first couple of months. After that, it was no longer a problem and I was able to continue nursing until he was around 10 months. I can also sympathize with the problem of your baby not wanting to take a bottle! My youngest also would not take a bottle until he was 5 months old! The only thing I can tell you is to maybe start by letting someone else give her a bottle at the same time everyday. She will be more apt to take the bottle if it is not you giving it to her. This way, she can get used the bottle a little, then YOU could try to do it and slowly drop breast feedings. Good luck and congratulations on your baby girl!

First, before you give up... contact a lactation consultant. They are worth their weight in GOLD! I had terrible trouble nursing my DD at first. I didn't have mastitis...but I was engorged all the time, it hurt to even hold my daughter... and we had terrible terrible latch problems. My nipples were constantly bleeding and I was so sore I creid through every nursing session. It was horrible. I was ready to give up. I couldn't take it anymore. I was in so much pain I wasn't enjoying my daughter and even resenting feeding her.

Then I contacted a lactation consultant. It changed everything! She watched how we nursed and worked with us for over an hour to help us 'get it right'. We were doing everything by the book...but the shape my daughters upper palatte just wasn't suited for the 'by the book' method. It caused extra pulling on my nipple etc...

Lactation consultants are trained to know everything about nursing. I'm sure one can help you figure out what is going on.

Also, a friend of mine got a really bad plugged duct. Half of her breast was rock hard! She found some information online that said to nurse on all fours. Basically baby lies on the bed, you hover over on all fours and nurse. Try to massage your breast while you do it. This position helps drain the breast completely... gravity helps.

Honestly, my guess is your body is trying to get used to this supply and demand system. I've had many many many mommies of multiple children say the first time is the hardest... it's like your body doesn't quite know how to 'get in gear'.

It took a GOODO 3.5 months ... but finally DD and I got our rythm down, my supply is just what she takes and I've had no more issues.

Breastfeeding is NOT easy. It takes time to settle into it.

Please... try to exhaust all the options before switching. But, also, if you decide you just can't... then the time you did nurse will be beneficial to your baby too.

Good luck!

Have you mixed the formula with breast milk yet? My kids wouldn't take the formula because it is thicker and it doesn't taste the same. At first have more breast milk than mixed formula like a ratio of 4:1. Go by your baby's taste start with pure breast milk then slowly add the mixed formula. Don't use the breastmilk as the dilutor otherwise you're defeating the purpose of the ratio. It means pumping but that might help w/ the mastitis in relieving the pressure.

I'm sure they told you but prior to nursing are you putting a warm/hot wet towel or water bottle on the affected area? Sometimes that helps drop the milk better and loosenes up the glands. A quick way to heat a wet wash cloth and keep it wet without soaking you is put it folded in a 1qt ziploc bag and heat it in the microwave for 20-30 sec then put a dry washcloth around the outside to prevent it from being too hot on your skin. I learned that trick when I was a nursing assistant in a hospital.

I thought weaning made mastitus worse?? Hmmm. I would consult Le Leche League and see if they could be of offer any assistance to treating the infection... unless you have just decided that you don't want to breastfeed anyway. When baby's don't take bottles there are a number of reasons it could be from but it is not uncommon for the bottle itself to be a problem. Try several different kinds and see if you can find one that is most like the shape and feel of your own breast. Make sure you are holding her as closely as possible to a nursing position when you offer the bottle. Also you might try the finger feeding method in which you use a long, thin tube alongside your finger. When baby starts sucking your finger she starts getting the milk from the bottle through the tube. I send you well wishes and hope you find a solution as what you are experiencing has got to be so uncomfortable!

there is a fabulous article on mastisis in the mothering magazine - maybe someone here has a copy or you could google it or find it at mothering.com

good luck

ALSO PLEASE contact your local laleche or call the 800 number By Telephone
voice: 1+###-###-####
1+800-LALECHE ###-###-####)

they WILL call you back and are a TREMENDOUS source of help.

I promise.

Dear A.,

It has been many years but I breastfed both my babies. I had to go back to work when they were four months old so I had a problem too. Babies just won't take a bottle from Mom when they can have the breast but mine would for Grandma who was their caregiver after I returned to work. I would go home at lunch time and feed them to help relieve the milk build up but when I was gone they got breastmilk in the bottle from Grandma or formula if I couldn't pump enough for them. You might try pumping some into a bottle and letting a another trusted caregiver give the bottle when you are away. This worked for me out of necessity. I guess I was lucky as I continued to breastfeed when I had them at home but eventually my milk dried up because it wasn't a constant thing. After a while they would get full on formula and I didn't need to breastfeed during my lunchtime. It just worked out but it did take two of us (Mom and I) over a period of time working together. Hope this may have helped some. I wish you the best.

S.

which types of nipple are you using? This can be very important for any baby, but especially for breastfed babies who have already developed a preference for yours! ;) Try still having some skin to skin contact and hold her close as she gets used to the bottle. Express a little bit of formula from the nipple so it's visible on the end when you put it in her mouth. That should help her get the idea that there's something yummy there. If she's hungry she'll take it eventually. :)

I know how you feel - I've had mastatis multiple times (10?) and been hospitalized for it twice. Some of us are just more prone to it, and - believe me - I did EVERYTHING possible to avoid reinfection and worked with a lactation consultant. Some tactics may help you, but you have to take care of yourself too. If you've had a serious infection, there's no shame it weaning earlier than you wanted.

I also know how very hard it is to wean a babe enjoying the breast! Finding an acceptable nipple/bottle is a big factor, so keep trying other kinds. Many babies start to appreciate the faster flow of bottles after they adjust. Stick with it and you'll get through it....

*Don't forget to pump (if not nursing) and to very, very gradually wean for your own health. If you're prone to infection, the weaning actually puts you at more risk - so remember to take it slowly.

oh my goodness.. 4 times? I've never had mastitis.. thank goodness.

Would you consider talking to my friend who is laleche leader.. it's free! They go through a ton of training too.. she may be able to help you, perhaps your baby isn't latching on correctly.

I think nursing is one of the most wonderful experiences.. plus it's cheap and great for baby.

PM if you'd like some more help..

Best of luck though either way.. sounds like you are already a wonderful mother and dealing with a lot.

I had mastitis, only once, but man do I know how miserable it is. I didn't want to take antibiotics because I knew it meant having to deprive my son of breastmilk. I thought I'd take a natural approach and see how that worked before conceding to my doctors advice. I took belladonna, a homeopathic remedy. It worked marvelously. I always keep it around now (we're still BF'ing) but I haven't had to use it. Homeopathic remedies work by supporting your body's immune system rather than suppressing it. If you are 'training' your body to respond appropriately to the infection, then you may be able to stop the recurrence. I also found that taking a hot shower and soaping up my breasts, then massaging the breast in a forward motion towards the nipple really helped get the ducts flowing again. Sometimes you have to lean forward to get the ducts that are closer to the armpit or on the underside of the breast.

Additionally, to prevent yeast overgrowth (can cause thrush and vaginal yeast infections) you might want to repopulate your body with beneficial bacteria which is killed by the antibiotics. I take a high quality probiotic supplement, such as Primal Defense by Garden of Life (there are many others available, but it's a good idea to research them before you make your purchase.)

At only 15 weeks old I think it will be extremely difficult to wean your daughter. She is built to be physically and emotionally dependent on you. That's just human nature for you. I wish I had some advice to help you with weaning but when I had to do it with my first it was easier. She was 11 months old and a BITER, so that made it very easy for me! There is an awesome website for breastfeeding support, www.kellymom.com Maybe they have some advice there for you.

Good luck, and try not to stress out too much. That doesn't help your boobs, or your baby!