how to continue breastfeeding for longer than 3 mnths

Michele - posted on 03/28/2012

pump before you feed in the AM , drink fenugreek tea (whole foods has it) and LOTS of water

Rebekah - posted on 03/27/2012

I had the exact same experience with my first child! He was 3 months old and was eating constantly. I'd nurse him, and then offer him a bottle of breastmilk and he'd still take down more milk. I just knew my supply wasn't enough for him so I started supplementing with formula... and within a couple months I REALLY had no supply (b/c I wasn't nursing him enough).



My daughter did not have the 3 month growth spurt as bad and I was able to get through it knowing that as long as she was growing my supply was fine.



With my current baby (5 months old now), the same thing happened as my first. He turned 3 months old and it was like a hungry switch turned on inside of him. All of a sudden I wasn't able to pump ANYTHING, and he acted like he was starving an hour after I fed him. I knew that if I kept feeding him my supply would keep up, but I started drinking Mother's Milk tea to help... Within a few weeks, he was sleeping more than a couple of hours at night and my milk supply was back up. So just hang in there!! You can do it!

Joy - posted on 03/06/2012

In my experience I couldn't pump enough either, but my daughter was fine when she was latched on the breast. When I went back to work I worked part-time (only 4 hours) and by the 2nd month of that I couldn't pump enough at night to last for the daycare the next day. So for the daycare hours I did end up sending formula. However, as soon as I brought my baby home from daycare, she latched on and nursed.



I did have some supply problems towards the end of the first year and consulted a lactation consultant that the local hospital provides. She suggested drinking a lot of water and Mother's Milk tea. The tea is an herbal tea that's supposed to increase supply. You're supposed to drink it 3 times a day. I only drink it once a day on the days I work... but then my daughter hasn't weaned and is 2 1/2 years old and I'm trying to encourage her a little.

Aleks - posted on 03/06/2012

All the ladies above have given some fantastic advice.

I will second it.



As for the little ones, it would be helpful that when your hubby is home that he helps and focuses more on the older two kids. That way they get their fill of parental love and attention at a time when your attention is needed elsewhere. Its harder when its just you and your little ones at home... but hopefully the fact that they will get attention from daddy when he gets home will help them "cope" better when its just you on your own. At least for the first few months. Once the need for feeds spaces out better, you will hopefully be able to pay a bit more attention on your older two.



Good luck... and just allow yourself to feed the baby whenever s/he asks. Its ok.. sometimes babies go through growth spurts and they may want to feed ALL THE TIME and appear never to be satisfied. That will pass. Just give in to it knowing that they need the EXTRA feedings for a bit of time to grow :-)

Good luck.

Kelly - posted on 03/06/2012

In my experience it was difficult to know when my son was hungry or just wanted to suckle. I started to feel like a walking binky.. but that phase doesn't last as long as you might think.

I have a 12yr old and started to sense a bit of jealousy so my awesome husband watched our son while we girls went out for a movie. This was tricky timing b.c he won't take a binky or a bottle.. just me. If you can 'wear' your baby with a moby wrap it will make life a bit easier. If it were me I would include your other 2 kids in as many infant tasks as possible. That way they are learning and still being with you.

Keep in mind that pumping is just one way to increase supply to boost your confidence in nursing, look for mothers milk tea at target or any health food store and you'll gain that confidence back. If it weren't for a friend that recommended it I would have weaned durring the 'worry' part myself.

Like Lori said.. set them up with something to do .. If you can get a planner, use it to plan fun things or just little tasks for the other 2 to do. Be creative..most things you see on the market for moms and kids were created by moms like you who have to be creative and run a tight ship.

God bless you and your family,



Kellz

Anna - posted on 03/06/2012

Milk production works on a supply and demand basis so the more you feed/pump, the more milk you'll produce. Make sure you feed the baby on demand. If you're concerned about your supply, try not to have interruptions of more than 3 - 4 hrs between feedings. If you're lucky enough to have a baby that sleeps longer than that at a time and you don't want to wake him up, I'd suggest to use a pump to substitute for the skipped feeding, especially if this happens at night as night feedings are important in establishing a good milk supply, especially in the beginning. Try co-sleeping as you can actually feed your baby at night without really waking him or yourself up. Finally, you can try pumping for 5 - 10 min after every feeding to stimulate your breasts a little more and freeze the extra milk for later use.

Alicia - posted on 03/05/2012

For milk production, I've found that the body works on a supply-demand model. Consistency is crucial to keep the milk flowing. When you skip pumping sessions or use formulas instead of breastfeeding, you are letting your body know that its okay to slow down production because the demand for it has decreased. If you don't want that to happen, you have to commit to a schedule of feeding as needed and pumping (probably twice a day--once in the morning and once in the evening).



I will say that on my tough days, taking time to de-stress was essential!! Stress also plays a role in reducing milk production. This meant that the husband had to take the child(ren), do the chores, whatever it took so I could get my body functioning again. I also faithfully drank at least 3 liters of water a day and kept a supply of fenugreek and "mothers milk" tea. Both are common in many grocery stores or vitamin shops.



I am a "small" woman and was able to breastfeed for a little over a year. I worried in the beginning that my size would be the reason I could not continue past a few months, but we have to realize that this is what God DESIGNED us to do and we are certainly capable!

Lori - posted on 03/05/2012

As Ania suggested, a sling is a great thing. It's great for use around the house, and for on the go. Especially with older ones when you'll need to be holding the baby but also need your hands free to hold hands in a parking lot, or help do something at home.



For the first several months when you've got your new baby at home the best piece of advice I got was to get a snack and drink ready for the older ones before sitting down to nurse the baby. Also - remember that while the new baby needs to nurse... your attention can still be on the older ones. You can read books to the older ones while you nurse.... or there is always the TV. I'm not a fan of having the TV on 24 / 7 for kids, but I do use it when I need to. Usually that's when I'm trying to put the little one down for a nap and I need the older one to sit quietly by herself for a while.

Ania - posted on 03/05/2012

Don't give in to worry phase, that is the worst thing for any breastfeeding mom. Everyone goes through that. www.kellymom.com is the best thing ever for that. Also this group :) I would suggest a sling so your baby can nurse whenever and your hands are free. I'm planning on learning and using it with my second due in May, because I know my 2 year old will keep me busy :)

Heather - posted on 03/05/2012

I went thru that "worry" phase with all my babies. And still am occasionally even tho DS is now over 9 months...I posted this issue on another thread...about sleep issues.



I can't relate to having little ones while nursing a newborn...my three are all 5 years apart...but any feedback you get will help me with my 4th! :)

Irene - posted on 03/05/2012

from what it sounds like i guess i was doing ok and just needed to be patient to get through the "worry" phase. then how would i know when there done or if they even want to nurse or just suck?



now as i mentioned before that i also have two little ones that are still needy..any tips on how to keep them occupied while i breastfeed, that was a challenge for me when i had my second, the oldest was only 14 mths and was so klingy and needy, sometimes seemed jealous.

Heather - posted on 03/05/2012

Irene-a product to help with leaking that I absolutely love! Google Milkies. I bought mine on Amazon but I believe Target may carry the product now. It is a silicone type "cup" that you place in your bra to collect any leakage/let down milk while your LO nurses on the other.

When my milk first came in until my DS was 3 months old, I would leak. I collected my "let down" milk in the Milkie while I nursed on the other side. By doing this every time I nursed I collected enough "let down" milk to fill a 4-6 oz bottle a day. Wasn't wasting precious liquid gold in a nursing pad...It was 24 and change online.



Also, like the other moms said...don't gauge your supply on baby seeming "satisfied"...my older two (girls) nursed every 2-3 hours and were content. Now my youngest (boy) nursed constantly when he was young...until he was about 6 months old. he is now 9 1/2 months old and still nurses on demand but not quite as often. He just loves the comfort of mommy... :)



Hope this helps!

Celeste - posted on 03/05/2012

Lori and Ania are right on. Never look for "satisfied" in a baby. This is not an indicator of supply. Average output is 1/2 to 2 oz *total* and you getting 2 oz PER breast!! And, I can tell you, that I couldn't pump out very much and I was able to nurse twins.



Honestly, I think the best thing to do for baby #3 is to educate yourself and find support. It sounds like you were looking at the wrong things to judge supply



You can do this!!

Lori - posted on 03/04/2012

I think Ania is probably right, your supply was fine. Feeding baby on demand can mean every 45 min... especially during a growth spurt. But... feeding on demand protects your milk supply too. The pump is not a good indicator of how much milk you produce... and actually an output of 2 - 4 oz per side is very very good. Some women can only pump out 1/2 an oz... yet successfully breastfeed their babies.



For leakage, try putting pressure right on your nipple (not pinching.. but pressing in towards your chest) when it starts to leak. That usually helps it to stop leaking. I had to wear nursing pads due to leakage for about 9 months with each of my girls. If you're really worried that you're leaking soooo much that you're wasting the milk you could try collecting it into a bottle.



I know with my first daughter I thought I was loosing my milk supply when she was right around 3 months old. Luckily for me the Lactation Consultant from the hospital called me right around that time to check on how I was doing and how the baby was doing. I was so worried because my breasts didn't feel full anymore and my baby never seemed to be getting enough. I was almost ready to start offering formula. She assured me it was normal, but suggested that if I want to increase my supply that I should start pumping once a day (preferably at the same time every day). At first I got less than an ounce for both sides combined. But within a few weeks I could pump 6 to 8 oz. That helped me build up a stockpile of frozen milk. I kept nursing, and my baby kept growing, and I got more confident that I was going to be able to keep nursing my baby. With the 2nd one I was more prepared for that 3 month "worry". I knew it was coming, and still I had my doubts. Same thing.. I worried that I didn't have enough milk for my LO and that she was sooo hungry. So I offered to feed her more often, and we got past it pretty quickly.



Do you have a local La Leche League near you? Or another similar group? The IBCLC from the hospital I gave birth in runs a breastfeeding support group, but it's not La Leche League. If you don't know... you can ask your OBGYN, or call the maternity ward at your hospital and ask if there is an IBCLC there, and ask about breastfeeding classes or support group meetings. The meetings are free, and very much worth going to.



Also - when your baby is born and you have any questions or concerns... you can always come back here!



KellyMom is a great website with really good breastfeeding information.



General Breastfeeding info

http://kellymom.com/



Supply Issues

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/index....



here's the link to find a La Leche League near you.

http://www.lalecheleague.org/leaderinfo....



To find an IBCLC near you

http://www.ilca.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?...

Ania - posted on 03/04/2012

Irene, there was everything perfectly fine with your supply. If your kids had enough wet diapers and were gaining weight that was the best indicator, not their fussiness or your guess that they were not satisfied. Babies are never satisified, sometimes they just want to feed all the time. The more often you BF the more milk you are producing. If baby wants to eat every 45 min for whatever reason - hungry or comfort it is good to just offer them breast. Pumping output is not an indicator of how much milk you really make and even if your breast was leaking, there was plenty in there for the baby.

Irene - posted on 03/04/2012

both my babies had enough wet diapers and i did stop to feel "full" and "engorged" but i know that doesnt mean im not producing milk. i also tried pumping every 2 hrs thinking it would help increase supply but ide only have an output of 2-4 oz per breast, usually more from one side than the other. neither child would get full and would start crying. i was also told by other mothers that maybe i wasnt eating enough calories. another problem i had was leakage, i would be feeding or pumping on one side and the other side would always leak and by the time i would switch sides there wouldnt be much left. what should i do with that sitation?

Irene - posted on 03/04/2012

both my babies had enough wet diapers and i did stop to feel "full" and "engorged" but i know that doesnt mean im not producing milk. i also tried pumping every 2 hrs thinking it would help increase supply but ide only have an output of 2-4 oz per breast, usually more from one side than the other. neither child would get full and would start crying. i was also told by other mothers that maybe i wasnt eating enough calories. another problem i had was leakage, i would be feeding or pumping on one side and the other side would always leak and by the time i would switch sides there wouldnt be much left. what should i do with that sitation?

Lori - posted on 03/04/2012

How did you gauge that you couldn't keep your supply? Did your baby(s) stop having enough wet diapers each day? Did baby begin to loose weight? Were you pumping and output went down? Did your breasts just not feel "full" or "engorged" anymore?



Many women mistakenly assume that since they no longer FEEL their breasts fill up with milk that they are loosing their milk supply. This is not the case, it is your body adjusting to the needs of your baby, and it is your body adjusting to making milk.



There are lots of tips and tricks you can do to increase milk supply. Maybe you could let us know a little bit more about you and your situation we can give more customized help.