Breastfeeding & lactation questions...

Hello, Ladies!

I am feeling a little bit disheartened right now because I really want to nurse my daughter, but I'm not producing anything. She was born on Tuesday night.

I breast-fed her until yesterday afternoon, when my nipples got so sore I literally sobbed all the way through feeding her. She woke up in the middle of the night rooting around, and I had to supplement with formula because I had nothing else to give her, and I couldn't bear the thought of getting my tender nipple anywhere near her mouth.

I will be returning to work in 8-10 weeks, and I desperately want to pump and bottle feed. I have no idea how long it will take for my milk to come in. Does being induced have any effect on that? I went to the lactation clinic today and the specialist told me that it *should* come in as long as I am diligent about pumping.

So, from those of you who have been in my shoes... what did you do? What worked? Do you have any advice? I'm starting to lose hope and it's only been 3 days.

Thanks!!

That happened with me with my daughter who is alomost 7...I tried for about a month, but constantly had to supplement with formula because I knew she wasn't getting enough. Even with this pregnancy, I really really want to try and even bought a super duper breast pump, but as others talk about how big their breasts get while pregnant...I am 32 weeks today and still waiting! LOL!! So I have no thoughts except I will send some positive ones towards you and keep my fingers crossed for the both of us. I do want to add, although my daughter really did not get the benefit of being breastfed...she is fine and I seenothing different than any other child who was breastfed!

This is my first baby so I have no real first hand advice to give you.  Sorry :-(   But, I do want to tell you a few things.  First of all, I really do believe breast feeding is an AWESOME things moms can do for their babies!!!!  But, if you can't, it really is okay!  My very best friend was just devastated that she couldn't breast feed her first baby (her milk just never seem to come in), so I know how you must be feeling.  She ended up bottle feeding her baby and she did great!  She is 10 now and the top person in her class.  Another friend of mine had trouble breast feeding at first and her OB/GYN referred her to a MD that specialized in breast feeding!  You may want to check and see if you have one located near you (the state of MS only has 1 of these specialist - Dr Rebecca Saenz).  I will be praying it soon gets better for you! I would just love to breast feed long term, but I won't be able to do so.  I do home health, so pumping going down the road or in a parking lot just isn't practical!  Good luck!  Hope it works out soon.

 It's completely normal to only produce only colostrum the first 3-5 days... and that is truly all your baby needs. Don't worry about the amount, your baby is getting exactly what she needs now, without supplementation.
DISCLAIMER: This is totally just my opinion and YMMV:  I would stop supplementing her b/c it may cause more problems with getting you both "into the swing" of BFing. It can cause nipple-confusion and create a baby who prefers the instant-gratification of a bottle of formula and starts to refuse to nurse. I know this early BFing time can be so tough... mentally and physically exhausting-- I've been there! Hang in there and try to stick it out. Just keep offering your breast whenever the baby makes a peep... the more often your nipples get stimulated by nursing, the sooner your milk will come in! And try a nipple-shield for your soreness, it was a lifesaver for me when I started nursing my firstborn.
If you can stick it out through these difficult first days of BFing, it will be so worth it. I BF'ed 2 kids and it was such a rewarding experience--- very much worth the trouble in the beginning! 

Good luck!

-V

I use lanolin cream for the soreness. I actually brought it to the hospital and started using it before I even had him. I think the biggest part is getting enough of the nipple in the baby's mouth. You kinda have to wait till she opens her mouth really wide then (it sounds kinda funny but) shove the whole areola into her mouth. With my first I had a hard time doing that, but it gets easier over time. I am sure the lactation consultant showed you that. It is just really hard to work through the pain, but consistency is the only other advice I can give you. I am still sore with the cream, but it helps to sooth. My little guy has actually made blisters from sucking so hard. I hope you can make it through it, good luck.

Sometimes it takes longer for the milk to come in being the first.

Didn't you have the band? If so... your WLS shouldn't impact your milk production. My RNY (not everyone's does... but mine did) impacted my milk supply.

1. Make sure that you are eating and drinking enough, dehydration can seriously impact your milk supply.

2. I was told that the more you pump and the more she sucks, the more you get and the faster it comes in. It should be there soon... apparently it *can* take up to a week. I was induced/had a c-section too and I don't know if it had anything to do with it.

3. Stress can effect it. The fact that your nipples are so sore (ps have you tried Lanolin nipple cream?) isn't helping your milk come in.

4. They make these things called nipple sheilds, they are this thin flexible plastic. I got one at the hospital, but maybe a pharmacy or your lactation consultant can tell you where to get one. It helps protect your sensative nipples and can help baby latch. It might be something to look into.

5. Remember ( and somepeople feel more strongly about BF-ing than I do, although I do believe that it is best...) Supplimenting doesn't make you a bad mommy. It's not the end of the world. Yes, it's great to breastfeed. Yes, it is a lot of work and if you stick with it and work hard it may work for you. But (and this is just my opinion and the way I felt with my son) formula has come a very long way now and is as close as possible to breastmilk... nutritionally. You have to trust that you are doing your best for your baby. And your best includes making sure that they are well fed.

Hopefully it will get easier for you and your milk will come in, pumping helps alot and using a hospital grade up for the first week or two might help it come in faster (consider renting one ?) ... that's what the lady at wic told me. There are some natural things that you can try too like fenugreek suppliments which are considered safe. They didn't help me, but be careful your daughter can have an allergy to the suppliments I believe someone on this board said her daughter was allergic to fenugreek.

Keep your chin up, Love on that baby, and try to relax about it and it will come in. I'll be praying it comes in asap! (Maybe even today :) )

I couldn't bear to think of my baby hungry so I would feed for at least 15 minutes every 3 hours and then supplement w formula. I never had good supply and I'm sure it had to do w me supplimenting from the get go, but it was a personal choice. I went back to work at 6 weeks and pumped at lunch and at 2 until 6 months when an enormous amount of stress dried me up.
edited to add, I nursed the rest of the time at home and loved it.


Its up to you. If it is causing that much distress that you are crying, you may want to supplement and just keep doing what you are doing. You are still a great mom regardless!

With my first baby, I was induced and ended in C section. I tried to breastfeed and just like you I thought milk was supposed to come in within 3 days, but it didn't. My nipples were bleeding cause of my little sucker and it was so painful I couldn't stand it too. I would try to breastfeed when I could and supplement after each breastfeeding. I eventually never produced with her but the second time around I did produce some. Just keep doing what you can. If it hurts so bad you can't stand it, then try to pump instead. The lactation nurses say it should come in but it doesn't for everyone.

With all three boys, I never really produced.  I was told to use a herbal tea called Mothers Milk, I found it in the organic area in our grocery store.  Also I was given Reglan by my doctor.  I was able to feed them for about 7 months until I totally dried up.  But due to some of my medical issues, I have a hard time getting enough milk to produce.  I hope everything works out for you.

I went through this exactly with Callen! ( and I was induced) I had to supplement in the hospital, and then had weight gain issues and had to continue to supplement for about three weeks. I would struggle to nurse him so long, I would cry and my husband would ask me to please formula feed, he found it so hard to watch.
Now, breastfeeding was very important to me, and I wanted to stick with it. (I have no problem and see no issue with formula feeding, I just personally wanted to BF)  so I did stick it out. Callen is now 6 weeks old, and I no longer have to supplement, I stopped doing that around 5 weeks. However, we still occassionally formula feed, for instance if I need to go somewhere or just need a couple hours on my own out of the house. He is fine, he goes back and forth just fine, and he has a soother too. (I know, all the die hard BF's and lactation consultants would flame me)
Anyway, there was nothing special that made it work, it was just perserverance. Oh, once I knew I had the latch right, I stopped listening to everybody else and did what was right for us. That alone made for a much happier and less fussy baby.
Good luck whatever you decide!  I say BF is harder than labour and delivery.