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December 2011 Moms
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Frustrated with breastfeeding

MamaToFinleyMamaToFinley
in December 2011 Moms

Please talk me off the ledge...

School started 3 weeks ago and I am SO. VERY. STRESSED. It has totally impacted my milk production. I'm taking fenugreek, eating a bowl of oatmeal a day, trying to drink water all throughout the day, and trying to get a good night of sleep each night. Try as I might, it is still impacted simply by all the stress that has been hitting me since we began again.

I'm coming up about 2-5 ounces short every day. I've blown through the freezer stash. Last week, daycare lost power and we had to toss all the backup frozen stash they had there. I am regularly getting my period again. Most people have low supply before or after, or during...but I am having low supply weeks before during and after. It's so unpredictable. One month, I might have low supply before and after, another month it may be during.  

Last Thursday it was Parent's Night. My DH came home early and I brought DD home for the evening to be with him. I didn't have enough to leave with him and reserve for the next day. He ended up running her to the grocery store and getting formula to mix a bottle of half breastmilk and half formula. It was the first time we've done that in 8.5 months.

I know that formula is perfectly nutritious for babies, but I have been SO proud of breastfeeding/pumping DD exclusively. We have had to give her two other bottles of half and half since then. I have to admit, it feels kind of nice not to stress about not having enough. 

Should I feel guilty? Just move on? Keep pumping/breastfeeding as much as possible but supplement if needed? I just don't know. I feel like I have so many things going on that it would be so nice not to have to think about this anymore. 

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Re: Frustrated with breastfeeding

  • RicolaRicola member
    imageMamaToFinley:

    Should I feel guilty?

    Not at all! You are awesome for EBF'ing for so long! Be proud instead :-)  

    Just move on? Keep pumping/breastfeeding as much as possible but supplement if needed? I just don't know. I feel like I have so many things going on that it would be so nice not to have to think about this anymore. 

    I would do exactly that. Do what you can, but don't beat yourself up if you have to supplement here and there.

    I hope your life gets less stressful soon! ((hugs)) 

    DS born 12/2011
    DD born 03/2014

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  • uncharch7uncharch7

    We've struggled with supply issues from day 1. I pumped 5 times a day, 30 minutes a session from the time I went back to work until 8 months. I finally dropped 2 sessions at that point and I'm far less stressed now.

    Point is, do what you can. The baby is being fed, which I know is HARD to wrap your brain around not 100% BFing. You've done a fantastic job so far and you're doing what you can to keep up. Happy mom=happy baby. 

    Baby Charchie born 12/22/2011
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  • InTheSunInTheSun
    imageuncharch7:

    We've struggled with supply issues from day 1. I pumped 5 times a day, 30 minutes a session from the time I went back to work until 8 months. I finally dropped 2 sessions at that point and I'm far less stressed now.

    Point is, do what you can. The baby is being fed, which I know is HARD to wrap your brain around not 100% BFing. You've done a fantastic job so far and you're doing what you can to keep up. Happy mom=happy baby. 

    This!  Be proud of what you've done and finish the year by doing the best you can.  Breastfeeding isn't a competition or a pissing contest like many women make it out to be.  Feed your baby, whether that means breast milk, formula, or a mixture.  Be proud of yourself for pumping at all...it's a sucky (no pun intended) chore to do.  

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  • MamaToFinleyMamaToFinley
    Thank you...thank you...thank you...seriously. I just needed someone to say that it is okay. I put too much pressure on myself...obviously :) I'm going to continue pumping and doing the best I can and supplement when we need to. Not going to worry about it.
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  • MesmrEweMesmrEwe member

    imageMamaToFinley:
    Thank you...thank you...thank you...seriously. I just needed someone to say that it is okay. I put too much pressure on myself...obviously :) I'm going to continue pumping and doing the best I can and supplement when we need to. Not going to worry about it.

    Has anyone told you lately how absolutely AWESOME(!!!!) you're doing with all the pumping and BF??? 

    So you need to supplement, big deal!!  It's o.k.!!!  I EPed for both of my kiddos, with DD I made it 4mo before I had to start supplementing (9 full months total) and with DS I ended up needing to from the start because I never got my supply established while he was in the PICU and the hell that was going on around us (my supply tanked completely before the 5mo mark).  There was something else I did this time around, before I even had DS I had already made up my mind that under no circumstance was I going to allow myself to feel guilty about having to supplement should the need arise and it reduced so much stress!!  The important thing is that your LO is getting what you do produce and all the goodies that come along with that.  But also, with the formula supplementing anything that your LO wasn't getting from your pumped milk was being picked up there so it's the best of both worlds along with should there come a time that you decide "I'm DONE!", it makes the transition to full formula easier...

    One last thing and it might or might not be the case, have you switched out your membranes or equiv. part recently???  Sometimes that's all that is going on and needs to be attended to for pump maintenance to help get your supply back up and the pump working efficiently again..

     You're doing GREAT!!!!

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  • livinirie84livinirie84 member
    I had similar trouble and when I finally 'gave myself permission' to do formula in bottles when I was gone and BF when we were together, my stress went away, I didn't have to pump, and we were BOTH much happier. I actually think it extended BF for me because if I kept it up at the rate of stress I was at, I probably would have quit altogether.
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  • brookie9brookie9
    Don't beat yourself up! You're doing the best you can and you should feel proud! I agree with the pp's and think you should switch your membranes just in case. You've done so much good already and going ahead, if you are still able to give your LO some BM that's great! Hang in there and take care of yourself and your stress level.

    FWIW, I just cut down to one pump session At work last week and I had to tell myself that if we end up supplementing a little it's not the end of the world. I don't have much for a freezer stash. I just got my first pp period last month. LO has only had a few formula bottles ever so I totally know where you're coming from. You're doing great! Chin up!
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  • MamaToFinleyMamaToFinley

    imagebrookie9:
    Don't beat yourself up! You're doing the best you can and you should feel proud! I agree with the pp's and think you should switch your membranes just in case. You've done so much good already and going ahead, if you are still able to give your LO some BM that's great! Hang in there and take care of yourself and your stress level. FWIW, I just cut down to one pump session At work last week and I had to tell myself that if we end up supplementing a little it's not the end of the world. I don't have much for a freezer stash. I just got my first pp period last month. LO has only had a few formula bottles ever so I totally know where you're coming from. You're doing great! Chin up!

     

    Thank you .... all of you! .... again and again. I feel a whole lot better just hearing encouragement from you. As soon as I gave myself permission to let go a little, I've felt a ton better on all fronts. I think this issue has added stress to my work life, so I'm hoping that things will improve in every facet of life right now.

    I just changed pump parts in July. I figured it was a good time, since it had been about 6 months of use. I also have four sets of parts, for four pumping sessions a day, so they don't wear too easily in general, but it was still a good time to switch out.

    I'm going to keep pumping the same number of times a day, but I won't stress if I don't get enough. I'll just add a bit of formula to the bottle to make it full when it's time to eat and that will be the end of it.   Ultimately, she'll get the immunities she needs from my milk day to day, and all the nutrition/calories she needs to keep on growing too :) That is all that matters!

    Thank you ladies!!!!!

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  • brookie9brookie9

    imageSandAndsSea:
    You know you can put the pump parts in a ziploc bag in the fridge to store between sessions rather than having to wash all 4 sets daily!  I've been doing that since starting back to work and pumping more than once a day.  It really helps cut down the time commitment!

    I do this too and it's a real time saver! 

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