Breastfeeding and Formula - Ledbetter,KY

hi C.,
Yes I went through the exact same thing. I absolutely feel that breastfeeding is best for the baby, BUT I have inverted nipples also and it is so hard for them to latch on. Not to mention my milk supply was low also. I breastfed and pumped for 3 months and also supplemented with organic formula because she needed more to eat. You can still get your milk back. Drink lots of water and take some alfalfa tablets(I think these help with milk supply). The nurse at your peds office can tell you for sure. Keep in mind you have to do what is best for you too also. A happy mom makes a happy baby:) When she gets older and starts eating you can make sure she gets good healthy food.

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you should be able to continue nursing her... one of the good things about nursing is that your 'supply' goes with the 'demand'. my milk supply always changes with how much my daughter is wanting/needing. if its only been a couple of days you shouldn't have any problem going back to nursing her! give it a try! :)
have you spoken with a lactation consultant? they may be able to help your daughter latch on in a more pain free way.
I hope that it gets easier for you. nursing can be very rewarding. it can also be very difficult to continue when it is painful. it hurt SO bad for about a month with my son because my nipples were not used to it... take heart, it can get better! at least for me, i just had to stick it out through the worst of it.
however, i DO NOT think that you should feel guilt ridden if you start to feel that you just cant do it anymore.... its more important to do what will keep both of you happy. good luck! i'm sure you will make the decision that will be best for you and your baby... don't let anyone make you feel like you made the wrong choice no matter what you choose to do. YOU know what is best for you and your daughter!

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You can definitely get your milk back. Eat right, drink LOTS of water, avoid caffiene, and rest when the baby does. Also, Medela makes a nipple guard/shield that is designed for moms with inverted nipples. It's a little silicon sheild shaped like a nipple with holes on the end. You place it over your nipple when you nurse. It helps the baby get a good latch, and pulls your nipple out without being so painful to you. I used one that came with my pump when I needed a break from the soreness in the beginning, and I don't have inverted nipples. Also, another plus is I noticed that when I used it I produced a lot more milk. I think it creates more stimulation. That may also help you get some milk back. It really helped me through the first couple weeks, and the baby didn't mind it at all. I think they are pretty easy to find. I've been told that Target carries them. Also, you might want to make sure that you and the baby don't have thrush (yeast infection in the mouth/nipple) That can make nursing really painful. My son was born in February also, and I'm still having soreness because we had thrush and I didn't know. Best wishes to you on continuing to breastfeed. I remember with my first (4 years ago), finally getting "over the hump" when breastfeeding was a joy, and not a pain. It was worth it, and I appreciated not having to fix/wash bottles for the next 12 monthes.

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you don't need to feel guilty. You are doing what is best for you and her. An upset mommy can't produce milk and isn't doing any good. mommy's have to take care of themselves before they can take care of others. Formula is fine no matter what the Breast-Nazi's say. There is enough nutrients in formula and most of us Mommy's were brought up on formula and we are all healthy successful people with no twitches :)

I pumped exclusively because i just plain wasn't comfortable with breastfeeding. so my son had a bottle. I was a heffer however and ended up donating my excess milk to the milk bank (OVer 1400 oz!!!!) :) so dont feel guilty about using formula. The bonding comes from looking at your baby and talking to her and smiling at her, not from skin to skin contact. That makes her sweaty :)

You're a great mommy and don't let anyone tell YOU what is best for YOU and YOUR daughter.

If you really want to go back to nursing, Milkthistle and Fenugreek will stimulate milk production. I took these when I had mastitis (OUCH) and got my production back. But for real, you do what makes YOU happy and as long as you are loving that little girl and talking/reading/smiling/singing with her, that is all you need.

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I agree with the person that says, no matter when you stop, there will be a guilt feeling. It's so 'final' when you decide 'I'm done'. I had three kids and had a realistic goal for myself of 12 weeks each time. And based on all factors for myself, after the initial guilt of stopping, I felt great about making it 12 weeks. I guess the tiny newborn phases struck me as much different than when they take off and get stronger. I admire those that can go for 12 mos +. But it was just difficult for me from day 1 with each child. This may be a different perspective than most on here, but you decided to stop based on what you thought was best at the time. You can go on with loving, bonding with and feeding your baby! If changing to formula makes you less stressed and therefore a happier mom, that is worth a ton. All of my kids thrived on formula, and of course at 4 mos I started introducing cereal, baby food, etc. Your baby will be healthy and happy. Look at the total picture and decide what's best based on all factors. I know when I stopped I was much less stressed (although again, never without a mom's guilt). Good luck with your decision!

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C.,

I had a problem with enough breast milk for my daughter too. The nurse suggested that I take Fenugreek. It is a natural suppliment that you can get at any health food store. You will definitely have enough supply of milk! I used to wake up to feed her and had to hold a towel to my other breast so I wouldn't leak all over the place.

It can't hurt to try. Good luck.

E.

Your daughter is probably still young enough that you can rebuild your supply with some work.

My first suggestion is to contact a lactation consultant. I know our pediatrician's office has one on staff as did my OB's office. They can be an invaluable resource to you!

Also check out kellymom.com it is a wonderful online resource for breastfeeding mom's. In fact, here is a specific link to relactation. http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/relactation.html

Good luck and no matter what ends up happen your daughter needs a HAPPY mom more than anything else!

Nurse your baby. Stop supplementing with formula. Eat a healthy diet. No empty calories, no junk food, only healthy food. Get plenty of rest. Sleep when the baby sleeps. Drink lots of fluids. Drink fluids every time the baby nurses. Do not drink any alcohol or any drinks with caffeine in them. Your milk supply will come back. After a week, if your milk does not come back call your pediatrician and get a referral to a lactation consultant. Good luck! Let us all know if your milk comes back.

I think you can but I wouldn't feel guilty if you can't. I did breastfeed my daughter for 13 months and I am very proud of that but I was a basket case while I was doing it. I also pumped and worked a full time job. Looking back I was making way too big a deal about the breast feeding.

Put her back to your breast and you will have to give some formula at first, or get a system called S&S from a lactation person.[If you live in Greensboro, call Woman's Hospital and get to the lactation dept] It has a little tube you tape to your nipple and it connects to a bottle. She sucks on your breast to stimulate and and gets both breast milk and formula.
Good luck, this should work. Grandmothers that have breast fed can relactate if they need to breast feed a baby
P. V Seay, RN

My phone number is ###-###-#### Please call me and we can call my friend who is a breast feeding consultant so she can explain to you what you need to do.....

Absolutely YES! Good job for wanting to try again. I completely agree with the great tips Niki suggested. Also, just totally devote yourself to nursing and resting. Nurse as often as you can , or as she wants. Definitely see a La Leche leader. More than likely, you have plenty of milk. A lot of mommies think they don't have enough milk because baby wants to nurse a lot. When my babies were newborns, they wanted to nurse every hour, sometimes for 40 minutes at a time. And guess what... it's OK! It will be harder going back after your little girl has learned that it's easier to get milk from the bottle. She will have to work hard to get milk from the breast. But if you stick with it and don't give up, it will get easier! Also check out kellymom.com . Or email me for more support!

You can go back. I have a friend who has inverted nipples, and she nursed both of her sons until each was nearly 2. My mom started out with inverted nipples, but after nursing the first that was no longer ther situation and she nursed all 10 (yes, 10) of us.

Relax and just let her suckle. Drink plenty of water. Eat a healthy diet. The health food store has tea and supplements if you still feel your supply is not enough. Drink a beer with dinner (something about the yeast is supposed to increase the milk). As long as your child is eating, peeing, pooping and growing, you are producing enough. Just relax and know that mother nature has been doing this for a long time.

Do not try to lose weight while you are nursing, you need the extra calories. Weight Watchers even has added calories if you breast feed. Breastfeeding does burn calories! Good luck!!!!

First it is not too late if you really want to breastfeed your daughter. Make sure it is your choice to do so and you dont feel pressured by everybody else. I was 20 when I had my daughter and was treated like I was stupid and needed to be told what to do. I was forced pretty much by the nurses to try to breastfeed when I had no desire. I was told what a horrible mother I was for not wanting to breastfeed. Finally I got angry and told the nurse I wanted bottles because I did not feel comfortable breastfeeding. That being said...There are things called nipple shields that you can buy. I got them with my second child because I was older and wiser and also had the inverted nipple problem. These look like a bottle nipple but are much thinner. You place them over your nipple for protection of sore nipples and also for the inverted nipples. It makes it easier for the baby to latch on and more comfortable if you are sore. I pumped and fed for a while and it felt as if that was all I was doing. Once I got the nipple shields I only had to pump 2 times a day to relieve pressure while I was at work. There are things you can do and if you feel that formula is for you do not feel guilty. Tons of babies have been strictly formula fed for years and are fine.

Dear C.,

Please don't feel guilty, and don't let anyone else let you feel guilty. This is your decision and yours alone. If you want to continue nursing, you've gotten good suggestions about how to go about doing it. If you don't want to, you have a right to feed your baby formula. Breast feeding lasts for only a while, and babies grow and thrive and after a few years, you won't even know the difference, because you will have fed your baby in a loving and appropriate way. Please don't feel guilty for doing what you personally need to do.

All my best to you,
D.

Go to your local vitamin store and get Fenugreek. That stuff is amazing and certainly increases your milk supply. When my daughter was born I started taking 3 pills 3 times a day and my milk was abundant. I didn't have any of the side effects (on the bottle it says a couple of things) and as my milk was established I would take less and less until I didn't need it anymore (maybe a couple months). It was recommended by my lactation consultant. I pumped 9 months for my daughter (sore, inverted nipples like you) and thanks to fenugreek I had enough frozen milk to get her to the one year mark. It was great! Good luck!!!

You have gotten good advice on previous posts...I saw that one mama said to drink Mother's Milk Tea. I could not drink this b/c it tasted so bad, but you can take the herb that is in it in capsule form. It is called Fenugreek. You can get it at GMC or other supplement store. Good luck.

Hi C.
I think you can go back to nursing. Try calling your pediatrician or OB office and talk to the nurses or call a lactation consultant at the hospital you delivered, they should be able to help you.

Good luck
PJ

I would call your OB for sure but I do know that when I got on a certain birth control it dried up my milk, about 4 days into it I realized what was happening. After about 2 weeks of REALLY trying by pumping a lot, nursing every chance I got, etc..it all was well again. Do not feel guilty if it is not something you want to do but maybe you could just supplement. Maybe you can do both. You can use formula mixed with your breast milk instead of water or you can breat feed 2 x's a day and bottle feed with formula another time. I think having both options is a good thing. I breast fed exclusively for a year with both of my children. I do not regret it at all but at times it would have been nice to have them fed by a bottle and by someone else and they would not do it. Get them used to both and then you wo'nt feel so tied down. I am not a doctor but I do believe that nursing has some significant benefits....my kids have only had ONE ear infection in their life and it was due to teething. Also, my children are healthier than most of their friends, slimmer, etc Not sure it all matters, don't want anyone to think I am judging those that don't nurse b/c as I said, "I think both is a good thing to do"...I just know from my experience that nursing was great. I also LOVED the closeness we shared. I did not start feeling the closeness until they were about 3 mos old, it was amazing having that bond. I loved to watch them nurse! I was actually feeding them with my body! :o) Give it a shot and try again, if it does not work, that is what was meant to be.

Hi there,
I have the same problem with my nipples. It was very difficult with my first 2 children and other problems caused me to stop breastfeeding (i.e. emergency surgery). To rebuild your milk supply try to nurse as often as possible and you can take fenugreek tablets or mothers milk tea. You can get both at your local grocery store. I'm pregnant with my 3rd right now and am really wanting to breastfeed the first 7 months. I wanted to with my other girls too but it just didn't work out so I know how frustrated you are. Good luck and if you need any more help or just someone to talk to you can contact me or the local le leche league.

No one understands the mama guilt that is caused by brestfeeding better than other moms.
I don't have any input on building up your supply but I would like to share my experience with you. I had trouble brestfeeding also. I battled pumping, supplementing, using fenugreek, the stress and the tears for 5 months. When I finally decided to give up I felt terrible. But after a month of stress free feeding I wish that I had done it sooner. The stress that I was putting myself and my child through was not worth the benefits. I believe in the benefits of breastfeeding, but I also want you to know that that is not what makes you a good mother. Sometimes the best thing is just to be able to enjoy your time with your child and remove the unneccesary stress. This is just my take on it. Whatever your decision, just know that you are not alone.
Steph

YES YOU CAN C.!!!

First though, it sounds like you should see a Lactation Consultant (ask your doctor or local Health Dept. who/where to call) and/or call a La Leche League leader in your area and/or attend an LLL meeting. They will help you solve the latching problem you must be experiencing (sore nipples = poor latch). Inverted nipples DOES NOT = sore nipples.

In the meantime to build your milk supply up again: 1) pump and/or offer your baby (when baby's awake/hungry) the breast every 2 hours round the clock. it should only take a couple of days to undo the weaning you started. 2) Drink Mother's Milk Tea all day, everyday - available at grocery stores, drugstores and natural food stores. 3) eat lots of oatmeal!!

Your baby will ALWAYS get enough to eat so long as you put her to the breast on demand. It's a supply & demand system. However many times she seeks to nurse your body will respond accordingly and produce the milk she needs.

I know how frustrating it can be to breastfeed when you are experiencing pain. Get some help, you can eliminate the pain. In the meantime, hang in there!!!!! It is the BEST food for your baby. Continue to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months, that's the best gift you can give your baby.

All the best of luck and courage.

And don't feel guilty....at least you were able to get a good month of it in. I had some of the same issues with my son. Other than his attitude i think he has turned out to be a pretty good young man.
Jen

I had a similar problem when my daughter was born. I wanted to breastfeed exclusively, but after her birth she was in the NICU for a week and it was very difficult to pump enough because I was always there visiting her. She wasn't able to try to breastfeed until she was over a week old and by then the feeding tube had made it impossible to get her to latch on. I tried pumping for a while but it was so loud that I couldn't be in the same room with her while I did it, and it took so long, that I felt it wasn't worth it by that point. I also had feelings of guilt, but you shouldn't feel bad because you are doing your best. Your daughter will be fine, plus, the first few days of breastfeeding are the most important and you were able to give her that. There are probably moms out there who will try to make you feel bad about it, but it is your decision and you should feel good about it. I don't know if you can rebuild your milk supply, but if you can't, just know you gave your daughter a month of breastfeeding and that is great! Plenty of babies are formula fed and they are just fine. Good luck. Trust yourself. : )

You can go back but it is not easy, I used a Medela system. It's a bottle that hangs from your neck and has two tubes that you tape in place on your breast. You put formula in the bottle and when the baby suckles the breast they receive the instant gratification from the formula while building up your milk supply. Do you have a support system? I attended La Leche League meetings and made a lot of friends, as well as increasing my support system with other Moms who were going through the same thing or had previous experience going through things. The leaders go through training and are truly a blessing. If you look it up on line I believe you can get meeting locations and names with contact information for the leaders, who you can call now regardless of the meeting times. Good Luck and God Bless!

NO NO NO its not to late! even tho you probably felt you didn't have enough milk, most likely you did. It is extremely rare to not have enough. Babies who also take a bottle no matter whats in it can gulp it down so fast it can give anyone doubts when breastfeeding. the best way to keep your production up is supply and demand. To do this you need to have nothing artificial, bottles, pacifiers, ect... If you want hope I weaned my son in Novemeber and still have milk... Contact your local La Leche League Leader. (email me back if you need more info) She will be able to instruct you on which herbs to take or teas to drink, fenugreek is one of them. Adoptive mothers who have never been pregnant are able to nurse. You could totally do so after not nursing for a few days. I had a girlfriend wean at a year to take medication. She took a drug to relactate a few weeks later. If you really want to do this you have to commit to it. It is recommended for a breastfeeding mother to not introduce pacifiers or bottles until the baby is at least 6 weeks old, to avoid nipple confusion, AND to make sure the mothers milk supply is established. Best of Luck!

I just finished breastfeeding my 15 month old son and I know how hard it can be. My first piece of advice is that YES you can start back. I have been finished breastfeeding for a month now and I can still express milk from my breasts if I try. If you are serious about starting back then just start, but I would also call your lactation nurse from the hospital. One thing that I did when he was 1 month was to go in and see the nurse. She helped me so much I can't tell you. The biggest thing that helped was that she would make sure that it had been 2 hours since I fed him and then weigh him naked. Then I would nurse him in her office and then she would weigh him. That way, I could see exactly how much he is getting with each feeding. It helped calm me and let me know that he was getting enough. Just know that although breastfeeding is best, it is OK if you can't do it.

Yes, you CAN restart the breastfeeding, and I would encourage you to do so, for many, many reasons. A great website that can give you detailed information is kellymom.com. You could also see a lactation consultant at a local hospital. Its free and they could help you with the sorness issue too. They will talk with you over the phone or in person.

Best of luck!

I last BF my son over 2 weeks ago, and I can still express some milk with my fingers. It will not hurt to give it a try.

Just relax, and listen to your instincts.

Good luck!

J.