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Exclusively pumping, not getting enough milk, stressed and discouraged. HELP!

Amber - posted on 08/30/2009 ( 7 moms have responded )

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I know that nothing is better than a baby's sucking, but I have to exclusively pump. Our son is now 12 weeks old, but had failure to thrive due to severe and atypical reflux. He now has to have Prevacid to keep anything down, Mylanta to help with it still comes up and to help soothe the ulcers on his esophagus. We have to add Simply Thick to his breastmilk, and they have me adding a very small amount of powdered formula to boost calories. He gained 9 ounces in the first month, which got him back up to his birth weight. But he only gained 1 ounce between his 1st month and 2nd month, and we spent a week in the children's hospital. He is finally gaining weight. At 12 weeks old, we finally got him to 9 pounds 13 ounces (he was born at 7 pounds, 15.4 ounces) and his newborn wrinkles are finally starting to disappear. He seemed so fragile before now, and now he seems fairly solid. I know that I have to exclusively pump for several more months at least, probably permanently for him. I wanted to delay solids and breastfeed for 12 months, but...

I am exhausted, which I know doesn't help my supply. I'm stressed to the max, which doesn't help either. My husband doesn't help at all when he is home (which is only every third day because of his job). In fact, my husband thinks it best to pick fights when he is home. I get to listen to him complain that all the laundry isn't done, that supper isn't on the table right when he wants it, that the grass hasn't been mowed, and everything else you can think of. I'm sure most of his complaints stem from the fact that he isn't "getting any," but the one time I let him since our son was born, he didn't help me along (despite me explaining the dire need to), and it hurt so bad that I cried all through it (he didn't really care as long as he got what he wanted) and then bled for 2 days afterward. It's been about a week since then and I'm still in a bit of pain. So yes, I'm married to a jerk. He's a good dad to our teenage son, and he says he's excited about the baby, but he just doesn't help. It's just me that he treats like a servant.

I am also working almost full-time running my own business, and this is one of my busiest times of year. That doesn't help either.

But now I am discouraged because I am trying to find ways to boost my supply because I hate that I am having to give my son formula at night now. I keep reading on LLL and other reputable websites of women who have children the same age as my son and they are getting 40 ounces a day, and a good 6-8 ounces per pump. I'm not getting anywhere close to that! It makes me feel like a complete failure. Now I'm even more stressed, so trying to read about how to produce more milk has become counterproductive to producing more milk...

I generally get about 3 ounces per side, a total of 6 ounces, first thing in the morning. The right side has always produced more than the left side. After that first pump, I pump every 3 hours (which is basically the most I can pump) and generally get anywhere from 1 to 2 ounces on the right side and 1/2 to 1 ounce on the left side each time. I stopped pumping at night because I am having to grab what little sleep I can (I'm lucky if I get 4 hours per night), but it didn't seem to affect it. When I was pumping at night I'd get the same as my daily pumps, sometimes a tad more, but my first pump of the morning was decreased by about the same amount. So that seems to have evened out. I'm lucky to get, at most, about 18 ounces a day. But my son is eating 3 ounces every 2 1/2 hours during the day and two feedings during the night, a total of around 24 ounces in a 24 hour period. He ends up with 3 formula bottles a day usually.

I've tried Mother's Milk tea, no help.
I've tried Breastea, no help.
I have not tried straight Fenugreek yet, although it is in both teas, but I think that is my next step. Don't now how much to take though.

I stopped all vitamins, etc. weeks ago because the milk seemed to be thin and I was not producing enough. My supply actually increased a little when I stopped them, and the milk is much fuller and richer now. I need to ad them back because we both need the nutrients, but I don't know what to do on that.

I even rigged up my nursing bras to hold the breast pump shields in place so that I can pump hands free. I pump while working on the computer, while doing paperwork for my job, even while driving (one day a week I have about 3 hours of driving for my job and there was no other option). So I set up the pump in the truck and it's running before I even put the truck in gear. That has helped with the time constraints, and for the most part I've even got in 1 more pump a day.

I know this is long, sorry. Somebody help me here. Tell me what to do. I have to do something or I'm going to end up giving up. I have almost given up pumping so many times, and my husband being a jerk this morning was the last straw for me. Either I have to see improvement this week, or I'm going to have to stop. I just can't take it any more.

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7 Comments

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C - posted on 09/01/2009

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Sometimes ya gotta pump and there's nothing wrong with that. I pumped b/c I wasn't getting anywhere with the breastfeeding schedule the LC put me on and my fiance was working tons of unvoluntary overtime. I would also say take some fenugreek as that boosted my milk after it dwindled when I had a cold. I used it for a few days, ate oatmeal for breakfast each morning (as that supposedly helps), kept with a regular pumping schedule and it worked out well. As the baby got older (he's 4mths now), I started pumping every 3-4 hours so that helped immensely with getting 5-6oz in a pumping.

Anna - posted on 09/01/2009

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Amber-



This is a great resource for GERD and a very supportive community. They have a breastfeeding group as well. Good luck with everything.



http://infantrefluxdisease.com

Amber - posted on 09/01/2009

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Thanks for the comments ladies. I started taking the fenugreek last night after I got home from the herb store. I'm hoping it helps.

I also made a goal increase my water intake. I already drink more than 64 ounces a day, but maybe I need more. All I drink is water, never tea or coffee (I haven't had caffeine in over 10 years now) except the Mother's Milk and Breastea I tried in the past few weeks (which are both caffeine free).

I'm going to try to get a little more sleep over the next night or two, and then go back to pumping at night. I'm just so tired, I have to find a way to make it work. I literally fell asleep while walking through the house on Sunday. I took a step and then next thing I knew I was catching myself from almost falling in the floor. It was scary and strange. I took a nap for about an hour, and felt much better afterward. I'm going to sleep when the baby sleeps for the next couple of days, except when I'm at work of course, no matter how bad the house looks. My husband will just have to get over it. I'm hoping that I will feel better after sleeping that much.

I understand what you are all saying about breastfeeding instead of pumping and thickening, but it did not work for us. When we were in the hospital, after they started the meds for his reflux (which we were told is one of the worst cases they had seen) he still could not keep anything down. They tried several things. I tried feeding him with him sitting up and all sorts of things, but nothing worked. Even holding him upright for 30 minutes after the feeding did not work. Everything still came up regardless of what we did. The only time he's kept anything down since he was 5 weeks old was when I've thickened his milk, which they had me start doing the last day or 2 that we were in the hospital. So I don't have a choice in pumping. :(

Again, thanks for the tips. I'll see if the things I'm changing now help, and then I'll start incorporating more of them!

Anna - posted on 08/31/2009

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Sounds awful :( Drinking lots of water helps me make more, also avoid tea and coffee.

Julie - posted on 08/30/2009

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I agree with the others, relax, also most babies with reflux will actually feed better at the breast than with thickened milk. Try putting baby to the breast in a more upright position to help the milk stay down. Has anyone checked him for a tongue tie? that can cause lots of colicky pains and m,ilk to come back up as wind gets sucked in with the milk and has to come out somewhere. You also need to relax when it comes to letting your hubbie' have some' as you will probably still be very tender inside especially if you had a difficult delivery, he must try to be more patient with you as he can cause you some serious injuries which will make you more uncomfortable for longer.
you really do need to pump a couple of times overnight as the prolactin levels( hormone which produces your milk) is higher at night time so your breast will expect to produce more milk. Fenugreek capsules are better than tea, as long as you are eating a decent diet you do not need to take vits and mins as your body will use whatever is in your system.
You have done so well, dont give up now. try baby at your breast and see if his suckling helps to boost your supply. Good Luck. Julie

Dhymylamia - posted on 08/30/2009

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1st. AVOID STRESS. It lessens your milk...

2nd RELAX while pumping... massage ur breast once in a while..

3rd as a mother.. BE PATIENT... i've been in your situation... hang in there.. keep on trying.. always eat warm food or soups.. avoid cold food..



good luck.. take care..

Anna - posted on 08/30/2009

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Amber-



You can try fenugreek, I would consult with your pedi on the amount. I believe when I took it, it was 2-3 capsules per meal, 3x daily. It did help increase my supply. However, I could never really pump much milk. Nursing baby is easiest and will increase your supply the fastest. Drink plently of fluids and eat healthy foods and make sure you take a multi vitamin.



Also, both of my children had severe GERD, DGE and allergies, so I understand how difficult that can be. However, as a naive first time mother the worst peice of advice I ever received by a female doctor no less, was to stop breastfeeding my son because my milk was too thin and it would slosh back up the esophagus and worsen his reflux. I was told to start immediately on a milk/soy free formula for the "health and well being" of my child. My milk dried up and the formula and "thickening" actually made matters worse. He didn't outgrow his reflux until he was almost 2yrs old. My dd outgrew her reflux at 15 mths and was exclusively breastfed, I was not going to make that mistake a second time around. Breastmilk is easier to digest and doesn't stay as long in the tummy. I also saw a huge improvement in her reflux with a modifed diet in addition to her medication. Having down both formula/thickening and exclusively breastfeeding a refluxer, I found breastfeeding my child my "thin milk" ;) was best. I would strongly encourage you to get a second opinion and try nursing from the breast. It is so much easier to feed baby at the breast opposed to being attached to a pump all day long. I hope everything works out for you. Good Luck.

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