XP- crying my eyes out after talking with Lactation consultant- long!
I called the lactation consultant yesterday b/c Emmy wasn't latching. She was screaming bloody murder and just wouldn't do it. Finally I figured out to give her a few sips of the bottle and then she would latch- and for a good amount of time, 15-20 minutes on each side. I wasn't too worried about it, but they called so I talked to them again.
Basically, the lady said I was starving her. I told her I didn't want to pump after ever feeding, I had been just breast feeding with the bottle to help latch and she slept great when I held her. I said I didn't want to rush to put her down so I could pump, and when I put her down right away she would startle awake and need more bottle.
The lady said she was waking up when put down b/c she wasn't full enough, and that the reason she is so "fussy" is because she is hungry and not eating enough. I have the least fussy baby in the world- she slept through my DH and grandpa installing a dishwasher with tons of hammering, sawing, etc. She sleeps 2-4 hours at a stretch with no problems.
She said the reason Emmy pulls away from the breast until she gets a bottle is b/c there isn't enough milk. I told her the nipple shields are ALWAYS full of milk, she said that didn't matter. She asked how much I got when I pumped, and I said if it wasn't immediately after feeding I got about 1oz from each side. I thought that was good, but she said it wasn't enough?
Then she asked about diapers. I said she had tons of wet diapers, and usually 1-2 big poop diapers a day. I guess that's not enough either? The nurse in the hospital said they only worry if the baby hasn't pooped in 24 hours. I feel like everybody is telling me something different....
The same stupid lactation consultant is the one who told us to only supplement with an ounce, which WAS making Emmy fussy all the time... until we looked it up and realized we were way underfeeding her.
I'm just having such a hard time with this. I kept telling the lady, "I really don't think she is hungry. She doesn't act hungry." and basically she said I was wrong, without even seeing her. I really thought every thing was going great so far today with her latching on and eating, and now I'm completely doubting myself. I don't even want to try. It still doesn't make sense to me that feeding her less often and supplementing is better for her than feeding her more often with only the breast.
I feel like the worlds worst mother, and at least if I was giving her formula I could say, "She eats X ounces a day, see she isn't starving!"
Re: XP- crying my eyes out after talking with Lactation consultant- long!
What a beeotch. I would seriously consult another LC.
Also, big fat hugs.
A Pocket Full Of Dinosaurs
I change her every 2-3 hours, and her cloth diapers are always soaked. She's not drinking gatorade, so I assume its from the milk, lol
I had a breast reduction surgery about a year and a half ago, so I think saying, "not enough milk, bad supply" is a really easy way to deal with it. But, I'm engorged, I'm leaking milk, I can hear/see her swallowing...
Oh, and her last feeding was a bottle of formula because I was so upset about the phone call... and she still started this feeding with crying and not wanting to latch. So, I don't think how hungry she is or the method of eating really is doing anything.
I e-mailed some LLL leaders today too, before I talked to the LC, and they all pretty much said the exact opposite of the LC! One of them even said to cut back or stop pumping b/c it could be causing the engorgement. There is a meeting literally down the street from us on Wednesday, I think I'm going to go...
NOOOOOOOOOO! That quack of a LC needs to be fired then thwacked repeatedly with a large wet noodle. I'm *furious* for you. Livid!
Never call her again and block her from calling you.
You are doing beyond great for a BFAR mom. I'm so impressed and I'm extremely jealous. You keep doing what you feel is best. Watch those diapers and see what the pedi says at your next appt about her weight. Try that LLL meeting. And give yourself a huge pat on the back. As soon as some LC's hear the word "reduction" they turn into complete idiots.
I agree with this and all the other posters. Did she actually see you because there's no way an LC can tell why a baby would pull off the breast over the phone. That's bullsh!t. I'm angry for you.
Definitely talk to another lc, it's best if you can meet with them in person so they can see exactly what is going on. It can be really hard for them over the phone to understand the issue plus some are just really dismissive of your issues that way. I had some issues in the beginning and the lc told me the more I feed her the more milk I'll produce, I was like "Hello, this kid is on my boob 12-14 times in a 24 hour period for 30 minutes, how much more could I possibly feed her." Once I saw an lc in person, the problem was easily addressed within 2 visits and we are still bfing at 8 months. Sorry, you had such a bad experience, especially with someone who's supposed to know how to help us.
Also, I wanted to add that even though she has enough wet diapers does not mean she is getting enough hind milk. My dd was never dehydrated or showed any signs of it, had plenty of wet and poopy diapers and she also slept for long stretches of time. If you have access to a scale, I would recommend weighing her just to make sure she's gaining.
Some LCs suck, and it sounds like you've been talking to one of them. Definitely get a second opinion - in person - and hit the LLL meeting.
Your daughter's output is great. There's no way she could be having 1-2 big poops a day if she wasn't eating. There are *tons* of possible reasons for fussiness, and oh, I'm so mad at the LC for you.
Hang in there. It gets better.
The thing she kept fixating on was that Emmy would sleep for a long time while I was holding her, but she would wake up and fuss a bit when I put her down in a swing or something. She also was concerned about her poop- I said she poops once or twice a day, and it's brown. She kept saying it was meconium still, but it definitely isn't. It's very loose, not sticky at all. Google says that newborn poop can be a lot of colors, but red, black, or white is a concern. She said Em needs to poop at least 3 times a day...
How do I tell if she is getting enough hind milk?
Macy ~ 10.23.09
If there's too much foremilk the poop will be a funky green. (Correct me if I'm wrong, ladies. I'm a bit rusty at this stuff.)
DD would actually latch off and fuss if she needed to go to the bathroom. I'd strip her down put her over her potty bowl and she'd pee/poop and she'd return to her meal. (No, this isn't just a shameless plug for EC.
I *think* she is gassy and the hold I've been doing makes it worse. I normally do the football hold, but she is more sitting up. I tried the cradle hold with her laying down, and she didn't fuss nearly as much. So, I think she is just not comfortable with her belly all squished.
This evening she fed for 10 minutes on one side and then could NOT be woken up to eat on the other side, or take a bottle. Then about 1hr30m later, she did the other side for 10 minutes and same thing- wouldn't take any more at all. Since she was only doing one side, I pumped after the last feeding and I pumped 3/4 of an ounce on each side. It just doesn't *seem* like a low supply issue. And I've been around a lot of babies, and like to think I'm pretty good at picking up hunger cues...
Her poop is definitely not green, it's just brown. I notice when I pump that it starts off more of a watery milk, and then changes to a thicker milk that takes longer to drip down. So, I'm thinking that is hind milk?
I'm trying to remind myself that nobody knows her better than I do. We'll see what the pediatrician says tomorrow, and then see how the LLL meeting goes on Wednesday. Hopefully I can talk to the leader about what has been going on without bawling!
Hang in there, it's great that you are going to an LLL meeting. You really need someone to see what is going on between the two of you to really get figure things out. I had so many people tell me different things when I was having issues with my dd and it turned out she was just not that efficient even though she had started off with a great latch.
I didn't mean to freak you out about the hindmilk, it's just that we had lots of wet and dirty diapers, that were not green, b/c she was getting enough fluid just not enough calories. Everyone told me b/c her diapers were wet she was getting enough, even the pedis were stumped b/c she was so well hydrated. They even weighed her before and after a feeding and they estimated that she had taken in 2.5oz. The best way to know if she's getting enough hindmilk is if she's gaining weight.
Don't be afraid to supplement if you think she needs it but at the same time if you don't think she's hungry then don't let n lc who hasn't seen you make you feel like you are starving your baby. This is a time you really need to trust your instincts. It sounds you like you have a great plan going forward so just hang in a there for a couple days.
This, This, this. GL!
This is true! This LC is a nutjob. You need to go to another LC's office, have her weigh your DD before and after a feeding, on each breast and that will tell you how many ounces you are getting on each side. If your daughter is gaining weight and thriving, she is getting enough milk. If her poop is yellow, then she is getting enough hindmilk. They new LC can also address engorgment problems, etc. You daughter may be upset by rapid letdown and that's why she likes the taste of milk first. You should have a plan to wean off the nipple shield, etc.
You NEED a new LC.
www.kellymom.com
Also, your ped office should let you come in and weigh her anytime. That's free.
Like everyone said, find a different LC to work with. DH and I went to see one when DD was 4 days old . . . our LC was really rough. She was very blunt and not warm mannered at all . . . she seemed annoyed with DH when he asked questions . . . she snapped at DH when he asked if it would be ok for me to pump so he could feed his daughter . . . I was really sad when we left the appointment.
I decided to go with what works best for our household, not what the LC recommended. I'm going to start pumping once DD is 1 month so that DH can feed her. (We had to supplement for 2 days with formula and DH wanted to feed her every time.) I would go with what the LLL leaders are telling you.
Good luck!
<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=6sdydj" target="_blank"><img src="http://i44.tinypic.com/6sdydj.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
Sara, how did you get the SNS to work for you? I can't do it without DH's help, so obviously not a great long term solution. I don't have enough hands!