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Getting back to BF after stomach bug

adnama36adnama36 member
in Breastfeeding
Hi mommas!  I'm hoping some of you might have some advice for me.  I had a horrible stomach bug on Thursday/Friday (I could barely sit up on Thursday), and my supply has taken a big hit.  I did search for advice on getting my supply going again now (rehydration, eating as much as possible), and I am just starting to see my milk production come back today.  My problem now is that LO (4 months old) refuses to even try nursing, since he's been getting bottles almost exclusively for the past two days.  I have been putting him to the breast as often as possible (which was only once on Thursday, and a few more times Friday), and at first he was at least trying to get some milk from me.  Starting in the middle of the night last night, he starts screaming as soon as I put him into position to nurse.  I've been soothing him, then asking him to try again, but eventually I've been giving him a bottle of bm, not knowing how much milk I'm actually producing anyway. I have been pumping after his bottle to try to stimulate my supply, and I did get a couple of ounces finally just now after just getting drops since Thursday. 

My question is...how do I convince my LO to take the breast again, now that he thinks he won't get anything from me?  Do I just keep offering and hope he figures it out?  TIA
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Re: Getting back to BF after stomach bug

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    adnama36adnama36 member
    Thanks @casey78, I'll try pumping first.  I appreciate your help!
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    mommatotwo2mommatotwo2 member
    I'm sorry you were so sick, 3 out of 4 of us were down with the stomach flu just a couple of weeks ago, it's awful. Just keep offering the breast and don't offer bottles, as much as possible. My supply definitely took a hit from dehydration, so if your stomach is up to it, drink as much water as possible and nurse, nurse, nurse. My supply was back to normal about 2-3 days after I stopped throwing up. It's really good for LO to nurse during/immediately after you are sick, because your milk is full of antibodies that will protect them from getting sick. DH, myself, and our 5 year old all had it, but the baby did not get it, thankfully. Good luck!
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    adnama36adnama36 member
    I just wanted to follow up...it's been a week since I was sick, and LO is finally nursing well again.  Since he was getting so upset when I'd put him into position to nurse, I tried using different nursing positions than what he's used to...mostly side-lying and seated on my lap, instead of our usual cradle hold.  After a couple of days of new positions and offering frequently, he was willing to nurse in whatever position I put him in...thank goodness! 

    Thank you both for the advice!
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