Need Advice on Breastfeeding 2Nd Baby

You could try, on a day your son is at school, no bottles, just breast. This will hard for the first two days, but after 2 good days she should be nursing beautifully. I went through this with my son who was also 2 at the time I was with my daughter. It IS hard at first, but be consistent and your daughter will realize how much she loves to nurse because of the closeness. Also, if you make a habit with your son at nursing time, he will fall into acceptance and schedule. Maybe get a video of his favorite cartoon that is pretty short, but gives you enough time to nurse. Always nurse in the same spot if you can and just make an overall routine for everyone. After 2 days, it should be great!! Also, get some mothers milk tea, you can find it at most family health stores with good selections on teas it help tremendously

I was in the same boat (my kids are now 2 and 3.5--17 mos apart). My son would do all sorts of things when my I was feeding my daughter just because he knew I couldn't stop him (he'd throw stuffed animals at us and giggle, etc.) I used to cry while I was feeding my daughter. Anyway, I think 4 mos and you've covered the most critical period from a nutrition standpoint. I would focus on longer, more relaxed breastfeedings but not spend as much time pumping...you are spending 25% of your day pumping--that is just my opinion though! You can be proud that you've made it this far and if she just wants the bottle, that is fine also. I tried to keep at least an early morning feeding for as long as I could as that was always the most relaxing--everyone else asleep. If you get down to one or two breast feeds, maybe you can pump once or twice and then supplement with formula. Good luck!

My son was a preemie and went home on a bottle of pumped milk. This continued until he was about 3 months - it's exhausting to pump, bottle feed, clean bottles, clean pump parts, etc. It's hard! I know what you are going through. What finally worked with him was to give him about an ounce from the bottle so he wouldn't be so hungry and then switch him to the breast. If you can start this on a weekend when your husband is there, you could start pumping on one side while she is drinking her ounce, then put her on that breast, so it is ready to go. While I know that this sounds like more trouble, you should only have to do it for a couple of days - hopefully she will realize how much better the milk is straight from the source!
I just finished nursing my third in four years, and have finally realized that each one is different. This last one would NOT nurse in public, with a blanket, etc and I am too modest to expose myself at the chickfila, so she had bottles of pumped milk or (gasp!) formula. She continued to nurse great until a year - I was lucky that she would take both. Guess what? She is the healthiest one of the bunch. The only one of the three that had exclusive breastmilk for the first year (the first one) has the worst allergies and more colds than the others. What I'm saying is, while I totally believe that breast is best - don't let the extremists make you feel guilty for using formula if nothing works to get this baby back to nursing. With two, you can't be tied down to your pump forever, and eventually you won't produce as much as she eats. You'll miss out on so much fun with your kids if you spend it feeling guilty. Good luck - I wish you the best!

K.,
Please let us know what exentually works! You described my fear-I have a 14 mo old who will be 19 months when my 2nd is born. I am so scared he'll be bouncing off the walls while I'm trying to nurse. I plan to nurse in a wrap and to teach the baby to do so. BUT it was half the fun of BF to just sit and RELAX while the baby feeds. My other fear is if I'm out. My son won't just sit in a stroller, esp. if it's not moving. So what do you do-have pumped milk all the time?

R.

Hi K.,

My baby went on breastfeeding strike a few weeks ago,and would only drink from the bottle for about 5 days.....I would be happy to talk to you about how I gently persuaded her to strictly breastfeed when she is with me. Rather than write a book, I would love to speak to you in person. My number is ###-###-#### if you would like to talk.

K.

K.,

Have you tried to breastfeed your baby with breast shields? This might be a good transition in getting your baby back onto the breast. Slowly you can work on getting her doing the feeds without the breast shields, but it might be a good interim because the shields offer a similiar feel.

Another thing you might want to try is squeezing breastmilk out of your nipple to encourage baby to latch and want to feed. If she latches, squeeze on some of the ducts (sides of breasts) so milk squirts into her mouth. That may keep her on.

Hope this helps.
A., RD/LD and Lamaze Breastfeeding Specialist

First of all, congratulations for being strong enough to get past this rough patch. The World Health Organization says to breastfeed for 2 years so you guys are already off to a great start!!
Secondly, get in touch with your closest La Leche Group as soon as possible. Go to www.lalecheleague.org and find your city. They'll have a leader you can call and start getting help from. The best part, it's FREE. There are also monthly meetings you can go to to help keep you motivated and to be around other breastfeeding moms. I know they'll have tips on how to keep your older child happy and how to get your daughter to fall in love with your breast again.
There are alternatives to using a bottle for your breastmilk. For example, you can let her sip the milk from a small cup (shot glasses work great). Babies are always going to prefer the bottle over the nipple. They have to work for the nipple and the milk just comes out from the bottle. I know you guys can work all this out and enjoy a nursing relationship for as long as you both want.

Good luck and happy nursing!!
L.

www.lalecheleague.org

Hi K.,
I have a 6 week old who I breastfeed for the first 2 weeks exclusively but because he was such a big baby he wasn't getting enough from just nursing so I started pumping. I have since switched entirely to pumping and giving him the bottle and honestly, I feel the same closeness doing this as I did nursing. I know he is getting the adequate about and he is growing like a weed and sleeping very well. I think I am producing more milk by pumping, while it can be time consuming, I know that he is getting the best of both worlds because his Daddy can feed him as well. I have a 3 year that I did the same thing with and I ended up pumping for 9 months before my milk dried up and luckily I had plenty of milk stored to last another couple of months and yes I did have to use formula for a month but he has had only 1 cold/earache in almost 3 years.
I am a working mother and I plan on pumping as long as I can because I know my little one is getting the best nutrition.

Contact Judy Eastburn ###-###-####. I am sure she can help.

I went through an almost identical situation with my kids,which are 22 months apart. I wanted to be a happy sane mom, so after breast feeding for 4 months I switched to formula so I could comfortably feed baby and so that other child was not causing me to go mad. Breastfeeding at all is a benefit, so be proud of yourself for what you have blessed your baby with.

It will be difficult for a few days till she re-adjusts but I would stop bottle feeding entirely. She likes the bottle better because its easier and she gets more from the bottle than from you. At only 4 months it should be able to be corrected with time. Your body will adjust too. Keep up the great work! There is NOTHING better for her than YOU!