Help Breastfeeding - Gaithersburg,MD

I had a problem in the beginning, just after having my daughter, that I just did not produce enough milk to satisfy her. So I started taking Fenugreek and it absolutely helped. I smell a little like maple syrup sometimes though :). I tried pumping too, but going back and forth from bottle to nipple seems to confuse my baby- also she was struggling and getting frustrated with my nipple because there was instant gratification with the bottle and not the nipple. Plus, I feel like I am breastfeeding all day, so I have no in between feedings to pump. Hang in there, breastfeeding is not an easy task.

I agree with Sarah D. that you need to spend as much time in close contact with the baby as possible. And with many others who recommend you get a pump pronto -- you may need to rent a real good electric pump. And it's a round-the-clock thing, especially if you need to goose supply up from a low level. Grab the bull by the horns and go for it!

YES!!! Women who have never been pregnant can lactate, you, who has only just stopped nursing are still lactating (just not a lot at this point).

You need to do breastfeeding bootcamp. Take 2-3 days and get in bed with your baby. Do NOTHING else unless you are lying in bed skin-to-skin with her (I mean like reading, watching movies/TV, etc....just stay in bed except for potty breaks). If you have to get up for things like food, put her in a sling and keep her against your skin. A warm bath with her can also help.

Every time you try to latch, if she does it wrong, take her off and try again. Stop the bottles. Ask the hospital/OB/pediatrician for a nurser system. You put a tube in the corner of her mouth so she'll still get formula. Pump 30 minutes after each time she nurses. The more you pump, the faster your supply will return. The more her mouth stimulates the breast, the faster your supply will return.

Go here:
http://www.lllofmd-de-dc.org/index.shtml

and find your local LLL chapter and call the leader(s) ASAP. They can help you get her latched correctly.

It's not going to be easy, but it will be TOTALLY worth it. Good Luck:)

yes. your milk can come back especially since your daughter is so young. start pumping asap. i pumped for the first 4 months, then decided to stop because it was so time consuming. 8 weeks later we figured out my daughter was not tollerating any formula. so i relactated at about 5.5 months. it took several(3-4) weeks to get my milk completely back. it was really worth it. I went and saw several lactation specialists and by the time my daughter was 6 months she was 100% breastfeeding!
-pump every 2-2.5 during the day and every 4 hours at night.
-drink lots of water.
-fenugreek is a herb that can help.
-there are a few prescription medications to increase supply (domperidone can be hard to get but works amazingly!!)
-skin to skin contact with you baby.
-get a good strong double pump like medela ($200-300) the pump will be cheaper than formula
-it you want your daughter to nurse and are having trouble getting her interested get a nipple shield, it will have the same texture as her bottle.
-there is also something called and SNS( supplemental nursing system) which is basically a small tube that you line up next to your nipple. the tube is attached to a bottle with formula so when you daughter does suck she at least gets something until your milk is back.
I had trouble getting my daughter interested since she was much older i found one trick to get her latched on to my breast with the SNS. I would put a small amount of sugar water(1-2tsp.) in the first part of the SNS of directly on my nipple, this would get my daughters attention long enough for milk to start flowing.
- I also had an easier time getting her to latch in the bathtub where we were both relaxed.
-i was always more successful getting her to latch when she just woke up from a nap still not fully awake and she would instinctively begin sucking.
- don't try if she is really hugery. take the edge off with an ounce of bottle then try and switch to your breast.
you can do this. adoptive mothers have successfully breastfed their baby.
if you google adoptive mothers nursing you will find a lot of information there on getting you milk supply.
you can do this!! it will be worth it. let us know how it goes and if you have any more questions. .

Yes, your milk should come back, more so if she can latch on and try to get some out, rather than a pump. For support, and all the help they can provide, I would suggest contacting a lactation consultant. They can help you with dietary supplements, a schedule, helping her latch, etc. to help your milk come in faster and let you know when if you need a Rx or a PT for the latch issues.
Congrats for not giving up on breastfeeding. It is an amazing experience, and you don't want to miss out.

I know it is definitely possible. I have heard of lots of women that decide to nurse after not doing it for a while. You should talk to a lactation consultant, no matter what else you do. Between the preemie part, the latch issues, only pumping while she was hospitalized, and now not pumping for 12 days, I think you will benefit most from a pro helping you. Did your hospital give you any names of lactation consultants when you delivered? That is how I got mine. If not, call the La Leche League in your area.

Good luck, and congratulations on your new baby being home with you finally. :) You can do this.

Well, you won't know until you try and try and try. My milk did not come in for a week after my baby was born. (Not sure why but I had an emergency c-section so we wonder if that stress had anything to do with it). Anyway, I was determined to nurse her so I used a supplemental nursing system. It was these two little tubes that I taped on my breasts all the way down to my nipples that fed my baby formula from a little container. She got nourishment while we waited for my milk to come in--but not from a bottle. She still had "to nurse" which stimulated my milk production and helped her to learn how to latch on. I could have easily given up but I pushed through. It was NOT EASY but I am so glad I did it. I also pumped and pumped and pumped when she was not using the supplemental nursing system to help my milk production. Pretty soon I was gushing milk and she nursed until she was 16 mos. old. I would ask a lactation consultant about it. Best of luck and good for you for trying again!

I am not sure where you are located, but your local hospital may have a breast feeding support group that would be really helpful. If you can't find one of those, find a breast feeding consultant to come to your house. It will be a life saver if you want to breast feed. Call your OBGYN for recomendations or call your local hospital. Good luck!!

It's worth a try- just start pumping as often as you can to stimulate your breasts to produce milk again. I know you can rent hospital pumps- maybe you should get one again. Do you have one at home you can use? Borrow one from a friend? Contact your local LaLeche League and see if they have some suggestions.
Also, get some More Milk Plus from a natural food store and start taking it. Along with Mother's Milk tea. Both of those will help. Contact a lactation consultant in your area to get some help/support with getting your baby to latch on.

Good luck, and good for you for trying so hard to breastfeed your baby.

T.

your milk should come back if you drink enough water and avoid excess
stress.i have two breast pumps, one electric and one manual that need a home, i cant give them away, but..we arent talk retail price either. they were both used for only about two weeks, i had to stop pumping, my doctor put me on the pill.. so, i couldnt give my baby my breast milk anymore. i will sell them both to you cheap, just because i dont want to store them long term. my email is
____@____.com
K. h.

Just keep pumping!! My DD refused my left breast for quite some time and I was able to continue the milk supply even after she stopped nursing on that side for a month! I tried Fenugreek, which really helped the milk supply, but I think the pumping is what really made the difference! Congrats and best wishes!

Hi,

I do not believe your milk will come back. It is a question of supply and demand. If the milk is not demanded, it will not be produced and will slowly go away. I have a 19-month old who was born 2 weeks early and I also had problems at the very beginning to nurse. He could not understand the principle and we were struggling. Through all of this I had a hospital-grade breast pump and pumped every 2 hours for the first 5-6 months, even at night, to get my supply established. we were lucky as he slowly took to nursing and we nursed for 15 months. I then also used all of my frozen supply for additional 2 months.
I just do not think it is possible if you have not expressed milk for 12 days. You can try but I do not think it is possible. Try taking fenugreek or mother's milk tea.

Are you producing any milk still? You can try renting a pump either from the hospital or checking with a baby store in your area and asking if they know anyone who rents them if you don't want to buy one. I would also check with the local hospitals to see if they have any lactation consultants on staff and or look up a local La Leche League in your area.
My youngest was born at 35 weeks and the hospital was really not pro breast feeding. She had a hard time figuring out what to do, but with time, lots of work and patience we got thru it and now at 8 months she nurses like a champ!
Good Luck and I hope you find a good support group!

Call your hospital or ob/gyn and get a recommendation for a lactation consultant. Their help can be invaluable!

Congratulations on the birth of your daughter. You are already a great Mom - working so hard to figure out how best to care for your daughter. A hospital grade rental pump would give you the best chance of building up your milk supply. Some adoptive mothers make breastmilk using a pump. You probably can build up your supply. You would need to pump every two or three hours for a few days. It is a commitment of time and effort and you will still be caring for your baby! But it can work. And as you build up your supply, you can also figure out how to help your daughter latch on as she gets stronger.

It would help if you could find a lactation consultant to work with because that person could help the baby learn to latch on and give you pumping advice. If you cannot afford that, try calling a local La Leche League leader - they provide information for free. You can find one in your area by using the website, llli.org. If you qualify for WIC, a counselor may be able to help you find a pump but a hospital grade rental is the best way to build a milk supply.

Also, to help the baby learn to feed at the breast, consider a supplemental nursing system which is a tube connected to a bottle filled with pumped breastmilk, formula, or a combination of the two. The tube is taped to your breast and gives the baby the incentive to try to suck which would further build up your milk supply.

Your daughter is really lucky to have had that early milk that you pumped while she was still hospitalized. The breastmilk for premies is specially formulated for premies - our bodies are amazing! Good luck!

the hospitals wll loan you one with a fee or go to wic and they have them to borrow as well i think they are free. then get fenugreek it will help your milk increease. i think vitamine shops have it. but you must start pumping now dont wait.

A.,

The women here have offered you some GREAT advice! But, because I have been where you are with a preemie who does not latch well, I wanted to add my $.02 - Definitely RENT a HOSPITAL GRADE pump – they are much more efficient than the ones you can buy in the store especially if you are exclusively pumping for your daughter’s feedings. There is a monthly rental fee, but it is much less that the cost of formula for the month. Absolutely find a Nursing or Breastfeeding Support group even if you do not get a Lactation Specialist. The women in the Support groups are there to help with advice from their own experiences.

I wanted to offer you some encouragement on successfully breastfeeding a preemie. STICK WITH IT!!! It will not happen overnight and you will have ups and downs before you 2 are successful. I have done this twice! 2 of my 3 children did not latch on at all. (I had 3 preemies and the 2 that did not nurse well were the 2 who spent time in the NICU, so I think that may have had something to do with it.)

My 1st born (a girl) was born at 31 weeks, 6 days and spent the first 17 in the NICU. It took her 3 months to figure out how to successfully nurse – I pumped the entire time (with a hospital grade pump) and was able to keep her on breast milk exclusively since I was lucky enough to have an overabundance! She nursed for 18 months and is now a healthy 8½ year old.

My 3rd born (boy this time) was born at 36 weeks and he spent 22 days in the NICU – he had a few serious complications and once he came home it took 5 months before we were successfully breastfeeding. Again, I pumped the entire time and was able to feed him just breast milk. He nursed for 15 months and is now a healthy 2½ year old.

It was difficult at times, but in the end it was well worth it, I have no regrets and I am glad that I stuck with it. Feel free to contact me if you want to talk, I am right up the road in Frederick.

Good Luck!!
~ B.

Its wonderful that you were able to give her your breastmilk. But Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. I don't belive that your milk supply will be as it was since you didn't pump and the baby didn't nurse. Blessings to you and your baby.

I found that nursing was easier than pumping. I had one that had trouble latching on and I just kept working with her and trying. I nursed all four of mine for 9-26 months and found that supplementing and pumping made it more difficult. Good luck and congratulations!

Is your milk still there or not? If it's dry, I doubt it. If it's not, you should be able to increase it. Good luck. Remember, feeding your baby formula doesn't mean you're a bad mom. Most moms do that. Breastfeeders are the minority. Yeah, it's better to breastfeed, but don't feel bad if you can't/don't.

Calll the Breastfeeding center in DC on K St. That is where I send all my doula clients who have any breastfeeding issues. They can help anyone who want to nurse their baby. You are definitely motivated. You also can call the local LaLeche League chapter and find a leader near you who can offer you tons of support.
You baby is lucky to have you as a mom
L. M

You have received many helpful answers. I just want to make sure that you also understand that the best pump is not as efficient as your baby. Work with a lactation consultant to help your baby to latch on correctly. The nipple should come out of your baby's mouth rounded, and not flattened, for example. One of mine nursed so effectively that she was done in 3 minutes -- amazing compared to the 50 minutes her sister took!

I would try using the SMS (little tube next to the nipple), and nurse her as often as possible. Do not stress. Stress is your milk supply's enemy.

Also, 12 days is NOT too long, and in all likelyhood, you just need to up your milk supply, which is simply dwindling.

Godspeed and blessings!

I quite nursing around the first of January and it is now April 6 (3 months later) and I still have milk. I'm not sure that that is really normal to have it this long but my doctor says it's fine. All that to say, I think you should be fine to start nursing again after 12 days. Just keep working at getting her to latch, she will figure it out eventually. It can be frustrating at times but just keep pressing through it, it's so worth it.