nursing issues with 3 month old dd- help!

Kim - posted on 10/06/2009

I completely understand about the low milk issue. I'm still feeding my 10 month old and have been on Domperidone, Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. Also I found three large glasses of two tablespoons of Akitivite in milk helps. Also pumped after every feed. It gets so frustrating when you're ready to feed and you think they're going well and then they pull off. Has the medication worked before? Maybe talk to the paed about a different medication. I also understand GERD comes in cycles which I found with my little girl, we'd be going along great then all of a sudden it would all start again. Plus she refused the bottle so I had no choice but to keep trying her on the breast. Hang it there - it will get easier.

Diana -n Craig - posted on 10/05/2009

You are doing fantastic, I think it's awesome that you are keeping at it and being determined not to quit!

My dd is almost a year old now, but also had GERD (she was on Zantac 2x a day until 6 months). Something I've learned only in the last few months is how important it is for me to relax. Sometimes I even close my eyes and visualize the milk coming out and going in her mouth and just try to be peaceful and not stressed out. If you allow yourself to feel stressed and tensed (maybe because you're nervous she won't eat), it will hinder your letdown and also your production. Go in a quiet room, turn off the tv, sing her some songs and let it be a fun and relaxing environment.

I would meet with a lactation consultant or a La Leche League leader if you have one in your area. I agree with an earlier post about doing one side per feeding to make sure she is emptying it and getting hind milk. Can you try feeding her more often? She may be a bit of a grazer and want small meals close together. Also, more frequent feeding (like every hour) will up your supply. Remember, supply and demand.

Most of all, hang in there!

Tammy - posted on 10/05/2009

I had a low milk supply and noticed my son would do the same thing, pull off and cry every few minutes and he lost a bit of weight. I tried fenugreek, a supply line (where a tube is fed from the bottle into his mouth when he is on the breast) and pumping about an extra three times a day. I also tried to feed him every 1 1/2 to 2 hours, but again kept pulling off and latching. I saw my lactation nurse who gave me a script for domperidone (to increase supply) and found that really helped, he is alot happier and is full after almost every feed, although in the evenings my supply is low .

Laura - posted on 10/05/2009

my only suggestion would be to try feeding in a different environment, with no noise, or maybe with some relaxing music if she likes it. also when my girl wasnt feeding well (at around the same age as yours) i held a little sort toy by my breast so she could concerntrate on looking at that and it kind of distracted her from getting upset. good on u for being so determined to continue breastfeeding :) also another thing iv heard (but have no idea if its a good idea or not so ask a doctor first) a few women iv talked to have put a tiny bit of marmite or vegemite on their nipple and babies aparently love the taste. but like i said, id look into that first, especialy if ur baby has allergies. best of luck! x

Sara - posted on 10/05/2009

First, keep pumping, keep up you supply. Get an LC soon. Have the WIC office help, some insurances cover it. Your story sounds similar to mine with my dd, she was my first. She refused to nurse around 2 weeks. She'd arch her back and scream, push away from me. I had huge rejection issues after this. I did research and came up with a nursing strike? Never figured it out. I feel like maybe she had gotten used to the bottle used to supplement her and prefered the ease of it. After 5-6 weeks of force feeding her boob, I quit. I continued pumping ALOT! I was one with my medela. I was still set on my goal of 1 year breast milk only, I didn't care how she got it. She never did like formula, had maybe 8 oz of it in her first 2 weeks. So I pumped for 14 months, she took EMB out of bottles. At 6.5 months, we started the whole solid thing, and she got EBM out of sippy cups. It took me awhile to overcome the rejestion, but once I quit forcing the breast on her, we bonded fantastically. She got all the benefits from my milk, and our wallet didn't suffer from having to buy formula. Never figured out the issure with refusing to eat.

With my second baby, ds, never had a problem. Offered breast to him within the first 15 min, as I did with his big sis. He took to it no problem. I have no let down issues, nothing wrong with supply, which confuses me all the more. What was DD's issue, what did I do wrong?

Funny thing, DD is 3 yrs old. DS is 8 months. She doesn't remember any of it, but tells me she misses nursing. I cuddle with her, she has gotten curious and copied her little bro. nursing while he does. She just curled her nose up and said, "I just don't like it anymore I guess." But on occasion has asked for "boobie milk" in a cup?!?! Go figure, never really changed!

Best wishes. Maybe the girls here can help, but find an LC soon. The only thing I would have changed is consulting with one way sooner, than trying to fix the situation myself.