- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
May 2011 Moms
Can I get an "It's Ok!"
I need it. I need something, anything and I'm not ashamed to ask for it. I am not trying to be offensive or sound like I'm better than anyone, I'm in a super bad spot in my head right now so please take everything with a grain of salt if it sounds bad, I truly don't mean for it to.
Breastfeeding with Xander has been cake. The latch in the hospital and ever since has been great, he is a super efficient eater, takes one boob for 10 minutes and is good for 3-4 hours, gaining weight perfectly, it's just always been very easy for us. In his four months of life, he has received MAYBE 6 bottles of pure breastmilk when he was with my parents. Well two weeks ago I noticed he was eating off both boobs which was rare for him but I thought maybe his 3 month growth spurt was a little late and thought nothing of it. Then I thought to myself, wow, I havn't felt engorge or even slightly full in a really long time, but I thought it was just normal and that my boobs found a happy medium. He has been sleeping anywhere from 7-11 hours over night, and even when he sleeps all night long, I don't wake up engorged, this was my first 
moment.
Yesterday I ged him in the morning and pumped the other side as usual, I got 3 ounces from the otherside (I used to get 5 or 6). Three hours later I fed him again, he took both sides but was really fussy about it, it took a lot of work which was not a big deal. Then in one hour he wanted to eat again, and then in one hour again, he wanted to eat. So in 3 hours he ate 3 times, when he usually eats once. This has been going on for a couple days. Finally at 5PM, he refused me, nothing I could do could get him to nurse, he would take two sucks and raise Hell. I gave him a bottle, and then at 8 when he was ready to eat again I tried again.. denied. He let me nurse him to sleep but after about 10 minutes of fussing. I fed him this morning after a few minutes of fussing and the second feed, he refused. When I pumped, both boobs combined gave me less than one ounce of milk.
I don't think it's nipple confusion and he hasn't had a bottle before this in several weeks and he always went back and forth with ease. Is this going to be the end of the road for us? If it is I understand 4 months is a long time, but I'd by lying if I didn't say I still felt defeated and sad.
I know it doesn't seem like that big a deal and I get it, I just wanted to be upset and sad and defeated about it with people that might understand.. thanks.. if you made it here, I owe you.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Can I get an "It's Ok!"
DS1 Born Apr 29 2011
DS2 Born Nov 5 2013
Pregnant with #3 Dec 24 2014, MMC found at 10w, D&C Feb 10th 2015
Cautious BFP May 25th 2015 EDD Feb 6 2016
It's ok! I also don't think its the end of the road. You were right that your supply will naturally adjust and you shouldn't feel engorged anymore or even get as much when you pump.https://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/breast-fullness.html But I would also guess that if he is nursing more he is trying to up your supply, which is natural too. He needs to nurse more or both sides in order to get more. Can you still feel let down? That always helps me realize that he's getting something. Also, if you haven't had any trouble, you might not be paying as much attention to what you're doing. I can relate, it's been really easy for us too so sometimes I don't realize that I've not had enough water/sleep/etc. Try oatmeal for a few breakfasts in a row and really upping the water. I guess what I'm saying is don't panic, at least not yet.
Also, sorry this is getting long, but prior to the last few days, I could change or nurse Spencer and he would totally stop whatever crying/fussing he was doing. But just this week he has gotten to crying for "no reason". I try to nurse and he just takes it lazily for a few minutes and is still fussy. I think he might be starting a little teething based on the amount of drool and hand-sucking (which I've also read can lead to nursing issues because of sore mouth) but the point is that maybe they are just starting to develop more and have a different "need" that we used to be able to "nurse away" but now they need something else.
Good luck, anyway, and I hope it turns out fine for you and that you don't have to give it up yet!
Everything you're saying is normal. Every day isn't going to be easy, even if the first 4 months were.
Pumping has been a PITA for me lately. It's taking me half an hour of on and off pumping to finally get a proper let down. That doesn't mean I have a supply issue, it means I'm not responding to the pump as easily as I used to.
Owen used to sleep for 4-6 hours at night. Lately he's been waking up every 2. It sucks... but it's not a supply issue. It's a baby.
Sometimes the biggest problem is our expectations, not our boobs or our babies.
Natural Birth Board FAQs
Cloth Diaper Review Sheet
I just started having the same issue with my Xander. Everything was great with BFing but he only gained 1lb in the last 2 months- I kept asking and everyone was telling me that he is fine (he had about 8 wet diapers a day and 2 dirty ones a week).
Finally the LC I'd been asking (in addition to multiple public health nurses, my ex-dr and new nurse practitioner) told me she was now worried. She wanted me to start supplementing with a lactation aid (little tube where one end goes in a bottle and the other on my nipple so he sucks on the nipple and gets BM directly from the breast and EBM or formula (he ate my 40oz freezer stash in 2 days) from the tube).
I'm taking domperidone, fenugreek, blessed thistle, milkmaid tea, and garlic pills. I've stopped taking Claritin for my allergies just in-case and I have rented a hospital grade pump. It doesn't seem to get me much more (if any) then my single electric but it has made it easier to pump 5-6 times a day on top of nursing him as it drains me in about 5-10 minutes as opposed to 30-45 with my normal pump.
Please talk to an LC if you can or pediatrician- have him weighed before and after eating to ease your mind (my Xander was nursing for 30-45 minutes and getting less than 1oz).
it definitely is okay. i made it to 3 months. i used to make so much milk it was ridiculous and then one day it just stopped. then i blew through my freezer stash which i totally thought was going to last forever. hes been on the formula now for a little bit and hes doing fine. i was all weird about it at first and made him have similac organic but sometimes i cant find it so ive become okay with the advanced kind. thinking back on it now i freaked out about it much more than i needed to. hes doing fine and i dont regret it. IT IS OKAY!