I have an 11 weeks old baby girl. I had this huge imagination while I was pregnant. I was going to pump tons and tons of milk, use it to make her baby food, have so much milk in storage we had to go buy a new freezer and still have to donate some to have enough room! But sadly, I have tried and tried and tried to nurse but my milk just never really came in. I have tried supplements, (fenugreek, motherlove plus) power pumping, drank my weight in water, buying lactation cookies online and making my own,talking to two lactation consultants and my Dr and have come to the conclusion that it just isn't going to happen.. When I pump, I get maybe 2-3 drops from each side.. But I still nurse. I know that she's probably getting a few drops more than when I pump. My husband doesn't say anything but I can tell it irritates him that I'm still trying with no success. I just keep telling myself every drop counts (literally-drops) The idea of just giving up is truly devastating to me even if she isn't getting anything because I feel like I'm giving up on doing the best thing for her. I thought maybe if I bf longer than usual it may still make a difference. It is really starting to feel like I'm declining mentally.. So I guess my questions are: Is it normal to still desperately try even though I know she's getting almost nothing? When should I stop trying to nurse?
Re: How long should I nurse with very little milk?
As of now I'm still breastfeeding my LO. I wouldn't call it feeding necessarily. I guess I'm more of a human pacifier!
I get him his formula and give him about 10-20 ml so he's not starved. Then I put him on each breast for about 10 minutes. Then we top off with the rest of the formula (40-50 ml.)
I get the bonding and what little milk supply I have gets kept up. I can also feed him for comfort when he's tired or fussy. It's working for me.
I say feed him as long as you want but give up on the idea that it's for anything besides comfort and bonding. I had to. I know his growth and nutrition comes from the miracle of modern science and formula and the love and bonding comes from my breast.
I feed him in the morning when we get up, before his long afternoon nap and before bed as part of our routine. If he's fussy for no reason I may also BF just to calm him down.
It works for us. The consultant was actually surprised I'm still BFing. It had been about 6 weeks since our last consult and she said most people stop when they have low supply like that. I'm glad we still BF for the bonding.
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