Repost from May14.. 7 weeks and still a struggle

Re: Repost from May14.. 7 weeks and still a struggle

• mommatotwo2 member

  July 2014

  Have you tried a weighted feeding at the LC, to see what LO was transferring directly from the breast? The good news is that you were getting some milk, so your body is capable of producing breast milk and that's the major part of it right there.
  
  Pumping can play such mind games with you. In all likelihood, when you pump, you're not getting near the amount you get when baby is nursing. Are you pumping every 2 hours during the day and every 3 overnight? That would be the number one thing I'd do for increasing supply. Also, remember to drink tons of water, make sure you're eating enough (not easy when you have an infant!) and rest as much as you can (also not easy, I know, but I noticed a huge correlation between my pumping output and the amount of sleep I got).
  
  ANY amount of breast milk you are giving your baby is excellent. Since it's still a bit early, I wouldn't say to drop the pumping if you do want to continue trying to provide some milk for those morning and night nursing sessions.
  
  I rarely ever feel let down when I'm nursing. So many times in the beginning and even now at 13 months, I'm always surprised when I hear LO swallowing repeatedly or when she pulls off and has a mouth full of milk, because I'd felt nothing, had no indication anything was coming out.
  
  If it were me, I'd try getting baby back to the breast on demand, nurse first, then offer the formula. When you do give her the formula, pump while she's having that, to tell your body that she needs more, so you make more. It really easy mostly about supply and demand. To save yourself some washing, you can store your pump parts in the fridge in a ziploc in between uses (just pump, take the top off, cap the bottle and screw a new bottle on for the next time you pump.)
  
  Best of luck to you and hang in there!
  

  

  Report2 Reply
• Loading the player...
• laurblum member

  July 2014

  @AmyG*‌ the most LO ever got during the weighted transfer was 1.2 oz. Baby will latch and attempt to nurse but if she's hungry she gets frustrated kind of quickly and starts flailing around. When she does that I attempt to put her back on once to see if she'll try again. After that I switch breasts and repeat. After a couple tries she gets crazy and it's bottle time. If she's less hungry and more tired she will lay there and suckle till she falls asleep. We do that every night and nap times when we are home. She enjoys nursing at those times I think because she is able to relax at the breast and not really be needing to feed.

  Report0 Reply
• Aliki member

  July 2014

  The bottle is easier for her, and if she's been taught that if she waits long enough (or flails around enough), she will get the bottle, well.. that's the easier path than working at the breast! sounds like she has become a lazy nurser.

  
  

  Also, by trying to "control/measure" her oz. feedings through pumping, you're doing yourself a disservice because you can't establish a milk supply as well by pumping. I can only pump 2-3 oz. or so but I am still able to nurse successfully because she gets a lot more milk via nursing than she ever will from the pumped milk.

  
  

  How often are you pumping, and for how long? How many times are you bottle feeding?

  
  

  You said a LC support group-- that's different than seeing an LC. LC support groups are not meant to provide advice or guidance the way a one-on-one consult with an LC will do!

  
  TTC #1 since 2007. Dx: Unexplained infertility. 4 IUIs in 2008 = BFN. IVF #1 07/09. DD #1 born April 2010 (40w5d).
  TTC #2 since 2011. Dx: Endometriosis and hypothyroidism. 2 FETs in 2012, BFP 6/12 but m/c @ 7 weeks. IVF #2 06/13. DD #2  born March 2014 (40w1d).
  
  

  Report1 Reply
• CNYBride05 member

  July 2014

  Have you been checked for retained placenta? Once I had a d&c at 4w pp, I had a huge upswing in production. Breast feeding is hard enough without medical stuff mucking things up more if that's part of the issue. What has your LC recommended? You could try Domperidone too. Hang in there - even if you need to 100% ff, you are still awesome! So much pressure to bf can be more stressful than necessary. I hope you can figure things out soon and find a healthy resolution.

  Natural m/c Oct. 2005
  
  Dx: balanced translocation and LPD
  
  TTC since Oct 2011
  
  BPF 02/19/12, EDD 10/31/12, natural m/c 02/28/12 (4w6d)
  
  IVF (BCPs starting 10/30/12, ER 11/18/12, 5dt of 1 beautiful, healthy embryo 11/23/12)
  BFP 12/02/12, u/s @ 6w,5d showed 2 HBs! Identical twins!!
  Bed rest from 21w-35w due to short cervix, hospital bed rest from 23w-32w due to PTL
  Our rainbows were born 07/19/13 (36w, 5d)
  
  

  Report1 Reply
• laurblum member

  July 2014 edited July 2014

  @Aliki I am pumping whenever I am able to which is hit or miss. She is quite needy. Always wants to be held, impossible to put down for naps. When I do she sleeps maybe 30mins tops. So many times I put her down, go refill my water, use the bathroom and as soon as I get strapped into my pump there she goes because she wakes up and realizes no ones holding her. When my husband is home on nights and weekends I am able to get more sessions in but 5 days a week I am on my own.

  Report0 Reply
• Salemkitty13 member

  July 2014

  Have you tried a hospital pump? I had one at first and it really helped. 

  
  

  I agree about putting her to breast as often as possible. Maybe you could write down times she is typically hungry then put her to the breast ten minutes before that so she isn't too hungry. 

  
  

  Since your LO has decided bottles are easier i might would try pumping for a few minutes to get the milk going first then let her latch.

   Also I would get the slowest flow nipple and I would interrupt the bottle feeding to burp her frequently. This is only if your LO isn't having weight gain issues. 

  Good luck to you

  Report0 Reply
• kassidybl member

  July 2014

  One thing you could try since she seems to like the bottle. Try a Nipple Shield. I use the Medela Contact cut one and my boy happily goes between it and bare breast (had to get it due to bleeding and cracked nipples from an entire day of bad latching at the hospital). Times we use it? When he's fussy and won't latch, when we nurse at night (we nurse in a side lying position, so it helps a ton when nursing on the top breast), and when I'm overly engorged.
  
  For a while he wanted to nurse so often, my breasts NEVER felt full, just empty. But I still let him go at them, after a few days, supply went up from demand and he was going longer between nurses. It might make her think she is getting the ease of a bottle but is on the breast. I've also heard that some mom's have had to use them exclusively for 18+ months of BFing.
  

  
             
                                       

  Report0 Reply
• laurblum member

  July 2014

  I have been using a hospital pump but I have never tried a nipple shield. Maybe I'll give it a go.

  Report0 Reply
• Guennie member

  July 2014

  I have low supply also and had to supplement from the beginning. I've had to EP from about 2 weeks pp because my baby's latch was so severe and we never could get it fixed. One thing I noticed about pumping, if I did not stick to a good schedule it was a crapshoot how much I was going to get. I really have to make sure I stay on track because if I don't my hormones bounce all over the place and my body is in a constant state of confusion. If you are going to keep pumping I really think you need to find a schedule that works for you and stick to it. Have you tried a hands free pumping bra? If you use that then you can hold your baby while you pump when she needs to be comforted. Holding her might encourage your letdown as well. I'm sorry you're still struggling.

  Me:41, DH:41 Positive for MTHFR mutations- one copy C677T, one copy A1298C. One daughter born on Thanksgiving in 2013. Six losses.

  Report1 Reply