Breast Feeding ...Starting at 2And a Half Months?

First of all your husband is, well the nice way to say it is "misinformed". Your baby will not get too fat from formula. I know it's tough but try to ignore that from him.

Second, not sure if you're feeling this way but you were dealt a lot of tough times that prevented you being able to breastfeed. These things were completely out of your control and you did the absolute best you could to overcome the issues you were facing, even if that did mean having to bottle feed your child. There's absolutely nothing wrong with having to bottle feed your child - the baby needs to eat and you made the responsible decision. So if you're feeling badly about it, forgive yourself and move on.

Finally, you will probably have the best success with breastfeeding if you call an experienced lactation consultant and set up meeting times with her. If you're a first timer, it might be best to have an expert/pro physically there with you and the baby to assist you with latching and production issues. While I am not an expert, I firmly believe consulting with an LC will bring you the best success.

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Hi,

Do you have a La Leche League in your area? I can't believe the nurse at the hospital made you nottle feed him! How ridiculous! Grrrr...

Anyway, yes, it is possible to "relactate". Just DROP the bottles altogether, unless they are full of pumped breast milk.

Breastfeeding is hard, especially in the first 6 weeks. So keep getting him to latch as often as you can... every half hour is not too much! Just keep trying. It is going to take some work, but YOU CAN DO THIS!

Call a lactation consultant in your area, I am sure you will get help here because there are some on this board. Just keep at it. Feed on demand, as much as he wants, and you will get there.

I was also told that my nipples were "too big" by the nurses at the hospital, and I can tell you that I have been nursing my two boys for almost 4 years now! ;-) Any negative input will make you doubt yourself which will make it harder for you to make milk. So don't listen.

I recommend you read the Breastfeeding Book by Dr. Sears, and La Leche League has the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. This will help you build your confidence in your own body. You can do it! I am so proud of you for persisting where so many would give up.

1 mom found this helpful

E.,

Wow! You have gone through so much. The fact that you have continued to pump and pursue breastfeeding is indeed remarkable. Breastfeeding needs to work for both mom and baby so please do what you feel you are able to. Formula will not make your baby "fat". It was previously thought that breastfed babies have a decreased tendency for obesity, but since then studies have not shown a difference. It really comes down to what children eat more than what they drank as infants. Besides I have seen some very big breastfed only babies -22lbs at 6 months! (Which was perfectly healthy for that baby!) Babies all come in different sizes - so your hubby needs to relax about that. There is nothing wrong with formula and breastmilk if that works for you. Try not to stress about it or have any mommy guilt. The previous suggestion about contacting La Leche league for specifics is great. I strongly recommend them for helping with the issue of keeping him interested.

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Call a lactation consultant, or go to La Leche leagues website and find someone to talk to you. I drank Mothers Milk Tea, I bought it at Whole Foods but I think I saw it at Jewel recently, or try a heath food store. There are herbs you can take fenugreek is one, steel cut oatmeal is supposed to help too. But I would talk to a professional.
Good Luck!!

Oh, honey! You are such a trooper!
Nursing is not the easiest thing in the world for many. I agree with the other moms. MOST IMPORTANT thing for you to realize- this is your body- you have to embrace it and take care of it. Take time for yourself- please tell your husband that STRESSING YOU OUT is NOT helping you at all- for all you know it could be a contributing factor. Everytime your husband feels he needs to critique you- tell him he needs to do something selfless (clean, cook, pay the bills or something )
Tell him thank you for the previous help, but now it's time to get help from some people "in-the-know" , like a support group, ect. Gently tell him to please butt-out until further notice. Tell him what he CAN do to help you be less stressed.
What might even work better:
Tell him that the cure is:
a massage appointment and a pedicure weekly
or husband-cooked gourmet meals
or homemade juices that he has make and buy fruit for
(or something like that)
Regardless of what happens -Good luck, I'm praying for you.

You certainly can breastfeed! What a lucky kid to have such a determined mama! I recommend finding a la leche league leader near you and a board certified lactation consultant. Jeanne at cygnus lactation can help you. Message me for more info.

E.,
You are really doing an amazing job. Maybe your husband can participate in doctor's appointments to understand what the heck is going on with you, because you have gone through alot. I think you have tried really hard. The ladies here have great advice. I was just shocked to see him say that the child was fat and that you are not trying hard enough. Fat babies are a sign that he is getting great nutrition and if the doctor hasn't said anything about his weight then you are doing a great job. Your husband needs to walk a mile in your shoes. Please don't feel guilty, lighten up on yourself and enjoy having your adorable little guy (bottle or breast fed). He is going to be a great kid with such a caring mother.
-V

E.,
It is entirely possible to restart breastfeeding after two months. It sounds like you still have some milk left, and if your baby stimulates the breast by sucking, the milk will come in more and more. You're doing a great thing by wanting to breastfeed even after all you've been through.
The relactation process can be a bit confusing about how many times to put the baby to the breast and how to cut back on formula to increase breastmilk, so I would strongly encourage you to contact a La Leche League leader. They can be found on the website http://www.llli.org/Web/Illinois.html, or you can call their helpline at 1-800-LALECHE.
Your baby latches, you've got milk, half the battle is already won. Find a leader to help you and you'll be all set, E.. Good luck to you.

I'm sure if you talk to a lactation specialist, there is a way to help you produce more milk.

But, stop beating yourself up over it! Your child will be just fine either way. As far as your child getting fat (!!!!?!), what a joke! Your husband is insane. Babies are supposed to be "fat". As long as your son is within a correct weight for his age, don't worry about it. If your baby was truly fat, I'm sure your pediatrician would be letting you know. Hasn't your husband heard of the term baby fat? Also, babies need fat for brain development.

Good Luck! You're doing a great job taking care of baby, especially considering all of the health issues you have had to deal with. : )

Don't know if there is any information on this site that might help, but please check it out, he seems to have suggestions for almost anything: http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/newman.shtml

I'd also call a Le Leche League leader and go for a lactation consult.

I'd also tell your husband to go stick it to himself, that if he can't be supportive to not say anything at all. That this is hard and until he tries doing it, he doesn't get an opinion ;-)

Get to GMC and get a good probiotic to combat all those antibiotics and a bottle of fenugreek, ask what is the max dose you can take (it helps with milk supply).

Then you really must eat more than water, that's true no matter what but ESPECIALLY for milk supply, so thin of your baby and start eating!

I had to bottle feed a preemie for 2 months and he made a great transition to nursing and you're way ahead that the baby can latch already!! You can do it!!!

Hi there E.! You have been given quite an emotional 2 1/2 months! I am a postpartum Doula and work with many moms as they transition into motherhood. When a Lactation Consultant is needed I always refer to two wonderful women, Peggy and Cyndi (I work mostly with Peggy) at The Art of Breastfeeding. They do in home consultations and follow up wonderfully. www.artofbreastfeeding.com

Good luck to you!
L. Koop

You need to seek the help of a professional. I saw Jeanne Cygnus (www.cygnuslactation.com) and she is wonderful.

First off, you do not need to pump and dump on antibiotics. It would be a wonderful thing if you let your doctor know this as well- think of all the nursing relationships that he/she has affected for no reason- a doctor should know better. This makes me so mad!

I would recommend trying Dommperidone. You need a presciption for it and you can get it at a compouding pharmacy. It is a lot like the drug Reglan used to increase milk but has fewer side effects.

Do see a lactation consultant. If money is an issue, most hospitals have them on staff, you can call the place where you delivered and speak to the one there.

Please go to www.kellymom.com They are a free great online resource, with some of the best info for nursing moms online. Post this in their forum and they should help. You will get all kinds of opinions here at mamasource, but they have the facts. They also can direct you how to use fenugreek, etc. In fact, you can search their website for low milk supply and you'll get great info.

Also, consider going to see Carol Chamblin. She is a terrific lactation consultant in St. Charles. Not all lactation consultants are good. Even if you've been to others, she may be able to help.

It sounds like you've been given some bad advise early on. It may not have been necessary to stop breast feeding while on antibiotics! Make sure you get the right information now through these sources. I was told I couldn't nurse on an antibiotic that I needed for an ulcer in my eye. Thankfully, I called Carol and go the right info. We kept right on nursing and things were fine.

In addition, tell your husband that stress is conterproductive to milk supply. Let him know what you need from him to help you succeed. Helping you get plenty of rest, eat well, drink lots of water, and go see Carol!

Do what you can, and then relax. Allow yourself to enjoy your baby! Don't let this rob you of enjoying your baby. And try to let your husband know that you really need his support, that you are a team.

I'm concerned that his 'encouragment' may cause hard feelings. This time of sharing the joy of a new baby, can be very stressful on a marriage. Hormones are still high for mom. Dad is not getting the sexual pleasure he is use to. Both of you are sleep deprived, and stressed. So hang in there, and try to let your husband know, in a gentle way, what is helpful and what is not. Maybe even let him read this post.

Husband should back off big time. Neither breast milk nor formula will make a child that age fat. where is your baby with regard to percentiles for weight and height? Is he on a consistent growth curve? While yes breast feeding is a great thing for a child, you shouldn't beat yourself up if it doesn't work out. It is generally possible to relactate and it involves having the baby nurse a lot. It really is the baby sucking that stimulates milk production the best. Drink lots of water, make sure you are well rested and getting a good nutritious diet. That being said, you seem to have had more than your fair share of illness recently and so adding stress is likely not in the best interest of you or baby. So I would give yourself a break. If it works out fabulous but if not, most of us were raised on formula. Good Luck.

My mother in law had inverted nipples and tried to feed 5 children over a period of 11 years. She was finally successful with the 4th and 5th. It takes extra work to make them stand out so I would suggest working with a lactation consultant -- I am not sure where you are but I have a referral for a great one _ Carol Chamblain _ think her website is something like breast and baby that was recommended when my now 2 yr old daughter wouldn't latch properly. I am now successfully breastfeeding my 9 month old son :) I could only hold out pumping for 4 months before I dried up with my daughter -- didn't try any supplements.

I would also suggest calling your OB GYN - they might prescribe a med that will help your milk -- prescription galactagogue. Or, I take 3 capsules of Fenugreek 3 times a day with meals when I am feeling under the weather and my pumping/nursing yield is low. It helps build my milk supply back up. You might want to try that before you do the prescription galactagogue. Just beware if you or anyone in your family has a history of peanut allergies. Fenugreek from what I understand is a legume and some people can react to that who have peanut allergies. My daughter has a peanut allergy (we never used it with her) but I have used it with my son (he tested negative to food allergies at 6 months).

wow. you rock in so many ways for continuing to try this after all you've been through and I feel so bad for you for having so much trouble omg that's just miserable! You're like my hero; I don't know if I could've continued if I'd gone through what you're going through! You're wonder woman!

I'd talk to a la leche league person if I were you cuz the ones with whom I've spoken are awesome (and just go to their website and get phone numbers of those in your area and if you don't like one then talk to a different one!), but generally I'd say that from my own experience, there were 3 things that increased my milk production and in order those are:

DESTRESSING- that's the #1 biggie-- if you're stressed you produce almost nothing and for me that has been the biggest struggle. you MUST destress-- make your husband or mom or friends or somebody do work for you or whatever and just chill and relax and your milk prod. will go up. I cannot stress how important de-stressing is!

EATING- if you're barely eating then there isn't a lot of milk and it's probably making you tired which is causing you stress and destressing is the biggest thing

SLEEP- haha doncha love that- like you're gonna get any sleep with a new baby-- but I mean that's key in de-stressing yourself which is #1 haha-- so just take any opportunity you can; make your husband/friends do as much work as possible so you can nap and when you nurse do it in the lying down position so your body can rest etc.

Anyway that's my biggest thing-- no stress. Wow good luck and everything; I think it's great that your husband is so supportive of your breastfeeding but if he's "pressuring you" and making you stressed he's only making it worse and he needs to stop. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I exclusively nursed my baby for 7 months, he's now 10 months and i'm nursing and giving him solids. To put it into perspective for you and your husband, Oliver was 8lb2.3oz when he was born, then 12lbs at the end of his first month (he never had a drop of formula), then 20lbs at 6m, and he's now 22.5lbs at 10m. Actually usually breastfed babies are fatter than formula fed ones and it's a healthy fat and yes breastfeeding is healthier but it doesn't have anything to do with their pudginess, and honestly bottom line your baby will be fine either way. For years people have successfully raised kids on formula and they turned out fine. Do your best with whatever you can do that makes you all happy. Sometimes the baby wins, sometimes you win. I would love to say that my son has never watched a moment of tv and that I'm perpetually a patient perfect mother but I'm not and he's still a fine baby and won't grow up damaged from it. I make up for it in other ways and you can too. But I'm sure you can still breastfeed; if there's a will there's a way-- good luck!

You are one brave mama!!!! I loved breastfeeding but never had the problems you describe. But you are not really starting now, just trying to ramp up existing feeding. I think it's not too late, if he will still latch on, and it's a matter of increasng production by increasing demand. This does work but takes time, Meanwhile take care of yourself!!! Take your vitamins, drink milk if you can and eat as much, as healthfully, as you can. Don't think about losing weight, just feed the baby. My mom used to have a chocolate milkshake practically every day while breastfeeding her eight children. Get as much sleep as you can, of course. Be consistent about his feeding schedule and always give him both breasts before a bottle, to train him to expect the breast when he's hungry - but is 20 minutes too long? Especially if he is not getting much and is still hungry? Maybe just leave him long enough, really sucking for maybe 5 minutes each side, and increase the duration gradually as your production goes up. And if it still doesn't increase, don;t beat yourself up should you consider giving up on this. Very important!!! Be very clear with his father that you are sooooo above and beyond the call of duty here, and really he has no business expecting you to do this -- most women would long since have accepted that breastfeeding is not going to happen here -- and you need him to be supportive, not critical, as you begin raising this child together.
Good luck!!!! You are a great mom already!
Mama S.

Hi i am so sorry about all your troubles but i am mad at your husband babies cant be to fat the need fat for proper brain function and growth look it up and show him my sister in law was so worried to let her son eat to much but he was hungry because he was growing so fast he is two years younger than my daughter and just as tall an and she is not short you need to relax breast feeding is terrific but plenty of babies have been brought up with formula like my kids i could not breast feed and my kids are healthy and strong and someone i know who breast feed her kids were always sick there is no prefect only the best you can do good luck. M.

Be encouraged. you have lots of good advice here, so i'll just add one more quick word of encouragement.
I had tremendous success nursing my adopted baby with the help of fenugreek (mentioned by another poster) and also using a supplemental nursing system. Ask your hospital lactation specialist about them. But I highly reccomend the Lact-aid system. it's a soft pouch and feels more natural than the hard plastic medela system.

Belssings for great success no matter what you choose to do.

WOW! you are amazing. Lots of great advice. You can do whatever YOU feel is best. Bottle, breast, whatever. Both are healthy for the baby. Don't stress out and enjoy your son, that is what is helthy for you.
Good Luck.

E.,
I am sorry to hear about your difficulties in nursing. I had a terrible time with both of my children, but was determined to nurse at least for the first year. With my daughter, my milk supply would become low and I tried fenugreek with blessed thisle (sp) That worked from about month 3-6. After my daughter was 6 months I got the flu really bad and my milk pretty much dried up. I was determined not to give her formula so I was prescribed rannidadine, which I know I spelled wrong. I took it and it began working wonderfully. I would stay away from dommperidone, there is research that it can affect the babies heart. Also, speak with a lactation consultant, they can be expensive if you don't go through your dr. but worth the cost in formula any day. Really even moms who adopt babies can nurse!! It is not too late. Good Luck and congrats on your new baby.
K.

Hi E. Check with your OG?GYN about this. Some women don't always produce milk properly. And far as your baby being fat from formula, It no difference with breast milk. Let his doctor decide about his weigh.