TRYING to bf, but not alot of luck.

Truly - posted on 04/07/2011

I could have written this post last month! Try hand expressing, in my experience pumps are terrible! Also, try to spend as much time as you can top naked for both of you. Skin to skin helps. You should also get a second opinion for your latch, not every LC knows what they are talking about. There like dentists, some are good some are bad, find the right one for you! Hang in there, my LO turned around after 3 weeks.

Randi - posted on 04/01/2011

I had a lot of problems BFing. I could only do it for about 4 months. Now I make my own formula, it takes about 10 minutes every morning. Here is the recipe http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-he... My daughter loves it! She gets so excited and drinks 36 oz per day!

Sydney - posted on 03/04/2011

Hey I just took a quick read through some of the comments so I may be repeating things here, but there are some medications that can give you a leg up if you feel as though you are not producing enough. Another thing to posibly try is different positions to feed the baby (cross cradle, football hold, etc...) I think that you should definatly keep trying, but at the end of the day if you have to go with a bottle and no breast, don't feel discouraged, you did your best and thats all you can do. I know most people who have their hearts set on breast feeding and then are unable to do so feel like they have failed, but as long as you give your child all the love and caring you can, your baby won't care where they are getting their food from.
Some people are just lucky when it comes to nursing and some struggle with it. I must commend you on giving it 4 and a half months with those many difficulties. I can honestly say I would have given up long ago. You are a strong woman (especially with another little one at home too!)

Kayla - posted on 03/04/2011

Ditto to the post about looking at your diet. My little guy would get super fussy and upset (then gassy and uncomfortable later) if I'd eaten anything spicy or with 'gassy' type foods, like beans. Also, when I ate/drank a lot of dairy, he'd get the same way. He's slowly growing out of it now, but I still have to watch how much of some things I eat. I miss having my big tall glass of milk every day, but it's worth it if it makes things easier of his little tummy.
Also, what kind of pump are you using? I've actually had much better results with a hand pump that with my electric. Not sure why, but I've switched to just using the hand pump when I need to pump. Try to stick with it, mama. :)

Rachel - posted on 03/01/2011

Absolutely, Go check out a La Leche League meeting, they are awesome!

Kelly - posted on 02/28/2011

I'd couldn't cut much more out of my diet, i was on a strict one as it was... Still didn't work for me... But thats not to say that it wouldn't work for the next mom... Everyone differs

Katerina - posted on 02/28/2011

I just had a thought..... in situations like that it's possible it could be mom's diet. I didn't even think about it, but have seen alot of mom's talk about eliminating this or that from their diet & that has made all the difference. Just wanted to throw that into the pot ;-)

Kelly - posted on 02/28/2011

I breastfed my first child for 6mths, loved every min of it and had no problems with it what so ever.
My 2nd baby which is 17wks old, i had the exact same problem as you, she cried like she was in pain the whole time, i tried everything to settle her, i was expressing 8oz of milk which she was taken every 3/4hrs(hard goin on the body) but she still wasn't happy. I brought her to the gp and told him my thoughts, i told him that i think its hunger that has her upset and he advised me not to change to formula. So i didn't for the next couple of days but the crying kept on, so i decided to try the formula instead and see how it went, Amy was at 10 wks when i decided to try the formula and i havn't looked back since, it was like she changed over night, as they say you know best so go with your instincts and not what the doctors or anyone else tell you... Every child is different

Shannon - posted on 02/26/2011

I've been nursing as much as possible. I usually have to give her 2-3 oz of formula after every feeding. But Im devoted to giving her all the breast milk I can make. I have a pretty good pump, I bought it a few years ago with my first daughter. It worked great with her. I've tryed new tubes, and air flap things. Not sure whats wrong with it, I was looking into renting one. Thank you ladies, the biggest thing women like me need is support and not judgment.

Kaitlin - posted on 02/26/2011

Believe it or not, some women's milk stops producing for no reason. So if that happens there is nothing you can probably do. But you did say she is happier drinking from a bottle so you can pump your milk out. I also noticed you said you only get an ounce out everytime, well if you keep pumping for a few minutes after all the milk stops coming out, you'll get more the next time. And try pumping more often. If you skip pumps, you'll get less milk. So the more you pump the more milk you'll get. I mostly pumped cause I had a very hard time breastfeeding from the boob. Plus my nipples kept getting infected from the scabs that my kids made. Also you'll need a good pump. Don't do the manuals. They suck. Get an electric if you don't already have one. But just to let you know, your baby has already gotten the best stuff from your breast milk already. So if your supply runs out, don't fret. My daughter had to be taken off my breast milk at 2 weeks casue of her acid reflux problem and she has never been sick in the 4 years that she has been alive. Also, I could only breast feed my son until like 2 months cause of the problems I was having with if and he is still perfectly fine too. But since you still want to breast feed, try those things and see if it helps any. I wish you luck. :)

Katerina - posted on 02/26/2011

Yes :) I know alot of mom's that have had great results! Many moms (me included!) have also had good increase by eating oatmeal everyday. Supply also has alot to do with emptying the breast, rest & well being for mom.....
Great info on kellymom.com :
http://kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply...

ReBecca - posted on 02/23/2011

I tried Fenugreek but it gave me asthma attacks. Does the tea really work?

Katerina - posted on 02/23/2011

Also want to add for mom's actually having supply issues ( & this is on kellymom!) DO try some Mother's Milk tea, or just Fenugreek capsules! I did Fenugreek & had excellent results :))

ReBecca - posted on 02/23/2011

Wow, I felt as if I could have written this post! I have been experiencing the same problems, except I no longer get engorged when I do not BF during the day. I do not think I am producing enough either. Hang in there. I only get an ounce from both sides when I pump (and that is if I am lucky). I am still trying however. I hope it works out for you. I figure some breast milk is better than none at all. Good luck!

Katerina - posted on 02/22/2011

Can't believe I forgot to include my FAV site for all things breastfeeding!
http://www.kellymom.com

Katerina - posted on 02/22/2011

DON'T stop! Let me encourage you :)) BFing is all about supply & demand. When we feed formula or bm in a bottle, that's THAT much less your body needs to make. So your body is saying "oh okay, we only need to make this much". If you're getting engorged, you're making enough :) Also don't let the pump fool you! It is NOT a representation of how much milk you make. A baby is the best milk extractor & for some women a pump will not do it!
And finally...an LC (lactation consultant) is fine, but if you want someone to go the extra mile for you & even come to your house if need be....hook up with the LLL!! http://www.llli.org/resources.html