When to give up :(
DS and I BOTH have problems with BFing and I'm just about crying with frustration - I *really* wanted to breastfeed, but it doesn't seem to be working and I don't know what to do.
DS has an odd suck so he is unable to eat properly. We've seen the lactation consultant who referred us to an ENT to check for tongue-tie. The ENT said DS's tongue is a little tight, but not enough to merit intervention. Because of the way his tongue is structured and how he holds it (humped back, instead of grooved properly), DS's suck is really inefficient - he winds up pushing out what he is trying to suck on - this is true of ANYTHING he tries to suck - breast, special needs feeder (bottle), binky. This makes him really frustrated while trying to eat and then he is hungry again almost immediately after finishing. For example, last night he woke up at 2:15 and I nursed side lying for about 20 minutes before I fed him at the breast using an SNS with formula supplement (as per our LC). He spent almost 40 minutes popping on and off the breast. After that, he was STILL fussy and rooting, so I took out the special needs feeder. He took about an ounce, but wound up spitting most of it right back out as he was eating. It took almost a half an hour to soothe him back to sleep at about 4:00. He was up again to repeat the routine at 4:30.
In addition to DS's problems, my supply is really low. After pumping ALL DAY yesterday, I got half an ounce TOTAL from both breasts together. That's pretty much standard so it wasn't just a low day or anything. I could cry. I've tried More Milk Plus, Reglan, and lactation cookies. I CONSTANTLY put DS to the breast, but I just don't know if he's getting anything.
I just don't know what to do - we have an appointment today for an early interventn evaluation - we're hoping to get some speech therapy to help with his suck, but we probably won't qualify. Early Intervention is offered free through the county, but you have to meet certain measures of delay to qualify, which DS probably won't. Since I'm feeding him practically 24 hours a day, he IS gaining, but we can't go on like this. We would pay for speech therapy, but apparently all of the therapists work exclusively through the EI program.
Even if we quit trying to breastfeed (and, really, at this point he's getting almost 20 ounces of formula a day - I don't know how much BM he could possibly be getting), his suck problems translate to the bottle as well. I'm SO tired - I could just cry.
If you read all of this, thanks. Any advice or insight would really be appreciated!
Re: When to give up :(
Honestly I'd find a different ENT doc for a second opinion....if he can't even suck from a bottle due to his tongue issues then he needs intervention or something done.
Will your insurance cover speech therapy rather than paying out of pocket for a case like this?
I'd encourage you to hang in there for atleast another two weeks to a month. We didn't have the tongue issue, but we had some trouble at the beginning, but in the past week or two our lives have changed.
I'm wondering if the on and off for 40 minutes followed by fussiness isn't part of a growth spurt?
I guess, I'd just be sure to clear the six week growth spurt before giving up, especially since the tongue problems translate to bottles,too.
GL
My thoughts exactly! Big Hugs to you!
Oh, I'm so sorry you are having all these issues! I agree with the pp- even if you don't qualify, you can put in a request for help. Have you contacted your local Parents as Teachers? They can possibly offer you some help or guidance.
Re: breastfeeding- I think you need to do what makes you feel right. If deciding to stop BFing makes you feel relieved, and like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders... maybe it's time to stop. If thinking of stopping BFing makes you want to cry and you hate giving a bottle- then maybe keep going. If you want to keep going, have you thought about calling a LLL leader? Even if they can't "fix" your problem, they might be able to offer support or know somebody else who has had similar problems.