Breastfeeding Issues

Run, don't walk, to the neareast IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) or your local La Leche League. Are you in NC? Here's a link that should take you to the NC page to then choose a county: http://www.lllofnc.org/LocalGroups.html
Some of the worst breast feeding advice I got was from the free lactation consultant at my local hospital. The second worse advice I got was the breastfeeding class I took when pregnant. The BEST advice I got was from a IBCLC. The second best advice I got was from kellymom.com (especially the forum section).
Here's a link from kellymom on increasing (if even necessary) milk supply: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html
This is critical this early. This is the time her body determines how much milk to produce. If she's not careful about using any methods other than nursing baby to increase milk, she may later find herself with overproduction.
Kudos to you for trying to help her. I wish you both the best. Good luck!

EDITED TO ADD: I forgot to mention nipple shields. You can find them at Babies-R-us or that type store. I had to use them in the beginning to help ease the pain and help baby latch on. They are not a permanent solution but may get her through the next few days or weeks. The more she gets baby to the breast, the better.

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Hi K.,

I have a 3 yr. old so my info. about breastfeeding is a bit foggy, so forgive me. However, my experience was somewhat similar to your cousin's in that my milk took a long time to come in. In fact, I don't think that it ever truly came in. And, that's after I also did the tube/syringe feeding, taking supplements, pumping, and worrying myself sick! My daughter latched on fairly well and sucked fine for a few minutes, but then went to sleep every time she nursed. I guess I didn't get enough stimulation in the beginning to get the milk production going really well. As a first-time mom, I didn't know enough to ask for a pump in the hospital to supplement her sucking and I didn't have one at home right away (we ended up renting a hospital grade one after a couple of weeks), so I never produced much milk unless I was pumping it. Anyway, here's what I ended up going with: (after much crying, needless wringing of hands and worrying) I would breastfeed her one feeding, then pump afterwards, and then bottle feed with formula or breast milk the next time. This worked until I went back to work at three months, when I stopped pumping and put her on formula exclusively. She was fine and had no problems going from the bottle to the breast and back again, although I know some moms worry about that. Just my experience. Just remind your cousin that everyone is different and that nothing is wrong with her if her milk production doesn't increase that much. Mine never did even with all the pumping and I worried myself sick-for nothing! I have a perfectly healthy, happy, talkative, playful, 3 year old who is none the worse for wear! The important thing is that the baby have a happy and healthy mom. I know that pumping every time I fed my daughter made me so tired that I could barely see straight-I think it can help, but if I hasn't helped in a few weeks (maybe 3 or so?), it probably won't.
I also found it very helpful to have a girlfriend who breastfed her daughters come over and stay with me to help with latching on and finding different positions.

Hope all goes well!
R. E

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Please tell your cousin that she is not alone. My youngest nursed so hard I thought she was going to eat my breast! And she BIT me very, very hard from day 1. I would put my finger in the corner of her mouth to break the suction and take the breast away whenever she clamped down on me. Eventually she stopped, but it was a hard relationship beginning. After a while, you can start to feel like the baby is trying to hurt you on purpose, even though your intellectual mind knows better. Your cousin needs support on this point, because it can make her resent the child subconsciously.

A good nipple shield may help her while she is healing. And I had an aunt who had trouble producing milk, and her doctor told her to drink 1 beer a day. She did, and had tons of milk then! If your cousin is trying to take care of the house, do the bills, etc., as she would have before, she may have trouble producing milk, too. She may need more rest. I know people who got up and started cleaning and taking full care of everything right away and their milk just dried up.

And when push comes to shove, she needs to know that if she cannot or does not want to nurse it does NOT make her a bad mother!! The love and care she gives her baby is far more important than where its nutrition comes from. Yes, nursing is best when possible, but it is not the only answer. It does not always work out, and that's okay. Every child is better off with a loving, relaxed mother with a bottle than with a stressed, suffering, heading to resentful mother offering the breast.

Tell her we are pulling for her, one way or the other.

Blessings.

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Hi K.,
Do you know if she has tried nipple shields? These may help her with the painful, sore nipples and make breastfeeding a little more bearable.
As for the low supply, maybe she should try pumping every time she feeds the baby. The amount of milk is determined by supply and demand. If she pumps more often, then she makes more milk. (Although pumping isn't as stimulating on milk supply as nursing). Also, try to get her to relax as much as possible when pumping or nursing. I know its painful, but stressing while nursing doesn't help in milk production at all.
It also took forever for my milk to come in, and I had to supplement at first. I pumped as much as I could during this time to kick start my milk. The downside to that was I didn't stop pumping when I started making enough milk, and I developed a pretty nasty over-supply problem, which is not good either. Just know that it is a delicate balance and takes several weeks to establish a milk supply....
I hope she is able to stick with it, but if not, tell her not to stress or feel guilty about it either. Nursing or not nursing is a personal choice, and each mother has to do what they think is right for her and the baby.

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Hello I am a birth doula and I know that is sounds strange but is does work! Drink a DARK beer. The hops in it help bring the milk. I just has a mom of 9 children do this and she could feel the milk come in as she drank the beer. Also there is new information about how long your breast milk is Drunk after alcohol. Our breasts are like straws and the milk is continuously flowing (not like the storage tank as we first thought) So when you as the person do not feel drunk any more neither is your breast milk.

H.~ mother of three, military wife and doula

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Try a playtex nipple (for a bottle) over her own nipple to take off pressure . And keep nursing or milk will not come in! Drink pleanty of water . DONOT GIVE UP !!! Praying for you , K.

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Sounds to me like she needs to feed more often, not less. If she nurses the baby at least every two hours, hopefully the baby will not suck as hard. The longer she waits to nurse, the hungier the baby will be, & therefore, the harder it will suck. I usually don't recommend nipple shields, but this sounds like she may just be one of the few who could really benefit from using them.
Since this is her first baby, I would hope her health care provider (HCP) told her how to toughen up her nipples beforehand. Sounds like she either didn't get care from a pro-breastfeeding HCP, or she didn't take the advise seriously, to toughen them up beforehand, or she had the baby prematurely, and didn't have time to toughen them prenatally. Too late for her, but anyone else reading this, should learn by her mistake, and get those boobys in shape and ready to go to work, before the big day! Your HCP or LLL should be able to show you how to do this. In general, more midwives are pro breastfeeding than doctors; take this into considering your HCP.
The first two weeks are always the hardest, if she perserveres, it will be well worth her effort! Once they have been "broken in" it will get significantly easier, and each baby gets easier too! The AAP has published a great book called "New Mothers Guide To Breasfeeding" Buy a copy, or at least get it from your local library. It is full of great advise.
M., CPM

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My pediatrician told me to drink beer and that would make the milk come in faster. I don't like beer and don't think I drank enough to help the milk come in, but on day 4 post birth the milk came in like a dam breaking. It usually occurs at night when the body gets more rest and you wake up feeling like Dolly Pardon. Also, I used gauze soaked in a concentrated lipton tea. Take one tea bag (it must be caffeinated tea) and place in one 8oz cup of boiling water, steep the tea for several minutes. Place the gauze into the tea and then place the gauze directly over the nipple and surrounding area. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes. Remove gauze and let breasts air dry. This worked wonders for me when I breastfed the first of our three children. Make sure your cousin is drinking plenty of water at least 50-60 ounces a day. Hope this helps!! A. Burnette, Hillsborough, NC

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I had a similar experience. I waited for more than 2 weeks and my milk never "came in". I used the nipple shields but they can only do so much when your kid is a vaccuum. The consultant also gave me the plastic tubing and it gave him so much gas we were all miserable. I truly thought I was going to have a breakdown! Breastfeeding might work for lots but lets be honest, it's not one size fits all as most have led you to believe. We can only do what our bodies will allow. Within just 2 days of dr. browns bottles I had a happy baby. Please give my apathy to your cousin. I'm hoping it works out better for her than it did for me.

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Hi!

I used Fenugreek herb from GNC and my milk came in within a couple of hours. They can tell you how much to take but I think it is like 5 or 6 at a time 3 or 4 times a day. My lacation consultant from Northeast told me to try it. She will smell like Maple syrup but it has worked for everyone I know. I still nurse my 19 mo and sometimes I will take a couple to get even more milk if he is sick and wants to nurse more. (He eats and drinks everything eles too but I am his favorite!)

I hope this helps!

T.

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I also had a super sucker - was bleeding at every feeding! At the advice of a lac. consultant i took 24 hours off from feeding to allow my body to heal a little. I pumped every 2 hours to keep up. I had to supplement with formula for 3 feedings. Then i bought a silicone nipple shield. This protects the skin. Also I got a prescription for something called triple ointment from my OB. This was a lifesaver. WAY WAY WAY better than any lanolin out there. I used it for the first 6 weeks. Tell her not to give up. It is much easier now (8 months and going) and I'm so glad that i don't have to fix bottles 8 times a day! My aunt told me to drink a beer. I was still on pain meds from delivery and i would take 1 about an hour before feeding.

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Both of my girls had the strong sucking also. This seems to be pretty normal as my mother said all (9) of us kids did it too. I was really sore, cracked and bleeding for the 1st 3weeks or so and then it got a lot better and it's so worth it. Most people have to go through this stage but it will be extrememly beneficial for her baby in the end.
Some suggestions to help increase her milk supply. Drink tons of water and try any one or all of these suggestions. May take a few days or a week to set in. I would tell her to keep at it.
Add almond milk, brewers yeast, green drinks, and green foods, avocados, carrot juice, goats milk, soy milk and soy foods, and unsulphured molasses, to promote milk quality and richness. Fennel seed tea has long been used to promote breast milk in lactating women. Vitex (chaste berry) extract or Mother Love MORE MILK also improves poor milk quality and promotes an abundant supply. The mother drinking fennel seed, alfalfa, red raspberry, cumin, or fenugreek teas will help keep the baby colic free(if she's having problems with that)
I hope this helps her out. Tell her the pain will go away.

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I would first tell her that although it doesn't seem like it right now, the pain will go away. I nursed three babies, and every time I experienced excruciating pain for about two to three weeks. After that, it did not hurt at all. I don't exactly know why this happens, but if she can continue for just a few more weeks, it will go away. But, nursing the baby instead of pumping may excellerate that process. As far as her milk supply goes, I would try drinking more liquids, and taking Reglan. I took Reglan, and it worked great for me. I didn't have to take it that long. And the baby is probably getting more milk that she realizes. Many women cannot pump nearly the amount of milk a baby can get. I would encourage her to try and stick with it for at least two to three more weeks before she gives up on it. Because, once she gets to that point, I think she will love breast feeding. This is the point at which some women give up on breast feeding, but if they just push through, it is amazing. And the reason that breast feeding is such a huge topic is because it is way better for the babies and mothers. Breastfeeding has been proven to decrease a woman's chance of breast cancer, it helps take off the post baby weight, it helps with bonding, and it is a healthier choice for babies. So, I encourage you to encourage her, and be her cheerleader for a few more weeks. I almost quit breast feeding for these same reasons, and I didn't have much support. I thought breast feeding women were weird and pushy, too. But, when I had a c-section asleep under anesthesia, I just knew that I needed to breast feed. It really helped me to bond to my son like nothing else could have.

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Hey K.,

Take it from someone who had every breastfeeding problem that you can name, I commend her for keeping on trying. When I say I know what she's going through, I mean it. I know what feeding a baby bloody breastmilk is because of bleeding nipples. REGLAN IS AMAZING!! Have her call her OB/GYN for it. I would demand it. I tried Fenugreek, Alfalfa, Mothers milk tea, Goats Rue, More Milk Plus Special Blend...all the sure fire tricks...but they didn't work for me. The only thing that worked was the Reglan. It does make you a little tired, but that decreases the longer you take it. I had to be on this about 2 weeks out of every month. My milk supply would stay up for about 2 weeks, then fall back again. It was a vicious cycle. But this allowed me to breastfed for 10 months...which is 9 months longer than I would have!!

Also, it sounds like she might be having problems with her let down. That's why shes not getting much with the pump...its not that she doesn't have milk...its just staying trapped up in the breast. There is an herb called black cohosh I believe. Have her go to a natural foods/herb store and get some. This should help with this. Or another natural trick is get 2 pots of water, one cold and the other as warm as she can stand it. Dip the breast in the cold for a moment, then the warm...go back and forth...this is suppose to make the breast let down. Its an old wives trick, I guess its worth a try.

One last thing, here is a website that sells many breastfeeding herbal aids...I have used products from this site!
http://www.motherlove.com/product_more_milk_special.php

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That seems like a long time for your milk to come in. I breast fed for 13 months and it was a great experience but looking back if I couldn't it really isn't that big of a deal in the long run. My child was sick all of the time so you can throw that theory out the window. I think it is more important to spend quality, anxiety free time with your newborn. There is nothing worse then being stressed out when you have a new baby!!! If I have another one I would try to breastfeed but knowing what I know now I could take it or leave it.

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Hi K., I had issues with both my kids latching on and then taking a while for my supply to come in too. I did end up using a nipple shield.....I know someone else had posted they can cause problems...but the truth is, you gotta do what you gotta do to get the result you want. Tell your cousin to try one,(you can find them at target and babies r us if you can't get on from your hospital) it will definitely help relieve the pain. I used one for 8 weeks with my first, and yes she had to learn how to nurse with out it, but that only took a few days. By that time she knew where food came from and didn't have any problems. She continued to nurse until she was 14 mos old. As far as the low supply, tell her to drink water like crazy....it will seem like a ton, but if she is dehydrated she won't make milk....simple as that. I know there are some meds out there but I just made sure to drink plenty of water and that did it for me. Until my milk came in I use the tube feed supplement at the breast and while you feel like you need about 10 hands to do that, it is well worth it. Again, even though it is formula her baby is learning where food comes from. You can do the tube feel with the nipple shield too just slip it into babies mouth after she latches on, you'll know when it is in there right.
Most importantly, remind her that if breastfeeding doesn't work out her baby will still thrive and be happy. My second only got to nurse for 10 weeks until I had surgery and then we had problems after that. I felt like a failure putting him on the bottle. But now at 6 mos he is happy and healthy.
Good luck to here and I hope she is able to work things out.
T.

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I used "training wheels" for the first 6 months. Some people don't believe in them but I think they are a great idea!!! I work with Presby and they have been wonderful. They gave me nipple shields because my daughter was only latching properly to one breast, so I used them for both. Then one day when she was six months old she deliberately knocked off the shield and all was well on both breasts and I am still breastfeeding her at 17 months. Plus make sure you drink at least 2 quarts of water a day. GOOD LUCK!!

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