51 answers

Breastfeeding Advice - Sandy, OR

I am now expecting my 2nd child in July. I was not able to nurse my first child due to no milk supply. We brought her home and then the very next day were in the er becaause she had not had any wet or messy diapers. The lactation nurse told us if we had waited even a few more hours she would have been in nicu. We ended up having to formula feed because I just could not produce any milk. The lactation nurse had me taking supplements, pumping, drinking hot tea in 100 degree wheather and nothing worked to produce milk. I would really like to breastfeed this next child, but don't know if I'll be able to. Any advice would be apprecated. Thank you in advance.

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Thank You to everyone who responded to my request. I haven't had my baby yet so I haven't been able to try anything yet, but I have talked to a lactation consultant and she had some good advice to give. She also said that my hormones could have been out of wack with my first child because it took so long for us to get pregnant (1 and 1/2 years) But this seconed one only took a couple months so hopefully that will help. Again thank you to everyone for your great advice. Nancy

Featured Answers

Hello Nancysue,

First off! Congratulations! I struggled with my first baby on breastfeeding but my newest one went so awesome. The womanly Art of Breastfeeding by the LaLeche League was extremely helpful to me. Give me a call anytime. ###-###-####

Blessings, K.

I started losing my milk when I went back to work and had to pump. My lactation consultant advised me to take Fenugreek and drink 8 ounces of water right before each pumping. I did exactly that and my milk came back. I know that drinking water is a biggy but I think the combination of the 2 really helped.

I don't know if you are able to but I went on a prescription for about a week to boost my very low milk supply. Maybe you could ask you dr. about that?

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Oh honey, I hear ya. I had similar problems, and man, the guilt that all the lactation people and books and magazines heap upon you is ridiculous. Everywhere I turned, I got the response: "Every woman thinks she has low milk supply--it's all in your head." Uh, not when my baby was LOSING weight during his second week and did not poop for 10 days! I myself tried 5 lactation consultants, Reglan (prescription to help with supply; didn't work), Goat's rue (herb; didn't work), and vigorous pumping after every paltry feeding (didn't work). By four weeks, I was a guilt-ridden wreck.

One drug I did not try was Domperidone, which was pulled by the FDA and is only available through Canadian pharmacies. It was pulled for causing heart problems, and while I wanted to try it, my husband said no way, I have a stake in your good health as does this baby. Some things I might try the next time around: renting a baby scale so I can measure the baby's weight before and after feedings. I'm also going to supplement with formula for up to 6 weeks, as I've heard it can take that long for some women. Hot showers and compresses are also on my list. I might give the Goat's Rue another shot, we'll see.

Some underlying causes that may be at odds with breastfeeding, despite all our best efforts: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and undiagnosed thyroid problems. I have PCOS, and it is a known factor in low milk supply (and strangely over supply as well). MANY lactation consultants have no idea about this. Oh, and about those lactation consultants? A lot of them are medical workers who go to some weekend training and then start calling themselves lactation consultants. Make sure you work with someone with good credentials and experience. And whatever you do, don't fall for that "all women can breast feed"--it's total BULL.

Good luck,
AMD

1 mom found this helpful

Hi Nancysue,

I'm so sorry that you were unable to breastfeed your first child. I had a similar situation with my first child. It's hard looking back and realizing it didn't have to be that way.

My second and third children were a dream. What I finally did was chuck everything every expert was telling me, every book I'd ever read on the subject (except Spiritual Midwifery), and any old idea I had about how to breastfeed and how the world works in general. I drank lots of red raspberry leaf tea (great for baby, labor, and hydration), walked everywhere with my oldest children, and made myself calm before the birthing. I reminded myself that baby and I were about to do something women have done for ages, and that if I just let myself be just that, we'd be fine.

When Tara was born I was so engorged she could not latch on. I sought the advice of a nurse present at the birth. She was also a lactation consultant and organized a new mothers group in Ashland. There she helped me express milk, gave me a nipple shield (which I only had to use for a few minutes until Tara could get a hold of me), and encouraged me to drink a tea that might make me feel better about the amount of milk I was making (I recommend Traditional Medicinals Mother's Milk). From that point on my milk production stayed with what Tara's need was. I nursed her until she was three and a half. A long time, but it felt right for both of us.

Try not to be discouraged, and congratulations on expecting another wonderful life!

C.

Hi Nancy. Have you tried Fennel and Fenugreek? You could make a very strong tea with these herbs, and even cook with them. And also be sure to drink LOTS of water to help with the milk flow as well. Blessings;

When I was a first-time mom in the NICU with my preemie baby, the lactation consultants said to drink a lot of water, but not too much (some people are saying to drink too much) because they said doing so could shut off your production. It took a week for my milk to come in for both my babies. DO pump! That stimulates production; it is worth being out of sync with the baby for a bit if it means being able to breastfeed. The NICU nurses and lactation consultants had the doctor write a "prescription" for a breast pump, so the insurance paid for it (the lowest end electric medela, which served me well for 17 months!) Also, relax relax relax! Stressing out will definitely keep it from dropping once it does come in. Good luck!

I couldn't breastfeed either, but there were a lot of factors involved. After my two year olds were born, the lactation nurse prescribed me a medicine to help my milk come in.

I have read that oatmeal is a great natural food that promotes lactation and you could also try fenugreek or there is a herbal laction support blend that I found at fred meyer. Good luck with the second!

I'm suggesting the brewers yeast that someone else mentioned. I had a friend who when her milk supply didn't come in drank a beer, now I'm not suggesting drinking but I think she said it was the brewers yeast that did the trick. I know you can get supplements, ask your doctor. Hope this helps!

I'm so sorry that your hopes of breastfeeding your first baby didn't work out. I can imagine how disappointing that would be. I hope that, like many of the women who have written here, you don't experience the same problems with your second.

While I personally did not experience issues with early milk supply (my problem was that it would dry up after 7-8 months) I have several friends who have, and who tried to breastfeed but struggled each time they had a new baby. They ended up supplementing with formula and keeping up with nursing as much as they could, as long as they could. I just want to encourage you that even if it doesn't work out as you hope this time, you are not a bad mom if you give your baby formula!! There are just some women who have more trouble than others, and, while breastfeeding is wonderful and beneficial, bottlefeeding has it's benefits too, and is not a failure for you or your child. Formula is really good these days, and your baby can be very healthy eating nothing but!

I hope for the best for you - just know that whether or not you are able to breastfeed, you will still be able to nurture a wonderful bond with your baby and give her the nourishment she needs.

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