Help with Pumping Please

I'm in Milwaukee and urge you to call Debbie Pollesch from Within a Mother's Arms (http://www.site.wamabss.com/). She's right in Tosa ###-###-####). She saved me and if you want to make this work, a lactation consultant will save you, I promise! I had huge problems breastfeeding my first DD after she was in the NICU and wouldn't latch and got angry just like yours - I had supply issues too. I saw Debbie and she got us on track. She will come to your house and is a mother of 4, so I promise you it won't be uncomfortable. Please do this. Giving your daughter formula and not pumping at night are killing your supply, but I don't blame you for not wanting to pump at night! I hate pumping! I have a great supply this time around with DD #2 (she's 3.5 months old), but I still only get 2-3 ounces in a session. Call Debbie, she's amazing and I've recommended her to friends before. The local La Leche League here in Milwaukee is supposed to be wonderful too but I've never gone. Good luck Mama, you can do it! Formula is so gross, and you've worked so hard this far!

I am a huge supporter of breastfeeding, but I'm an even bigger supporter of doing what works for you. You are tired, stressed, and not enjoying yourself. Do not feel guilty if you stop now. Your daughter has had four months of breastmilk.

That being said, try calling the lactation consultants at the hospital where you delivered. I found them to be very helpful, and they can give you some advice without going in (although, they might want you to). You've done a great job so far!

Lactation consultant - I can't stress how helpful they can be. There are tools to augment breastfeeding - I had to use something like an IV (a small container of formula with a very thin tube - put next to the nipple and basically gave the amount of nourishment needed). It helped my son improve my production by getting HIS suck to build my supply, while providing enough for HIM to feel satisfied. Finally, my production was enough. I could never have done it without a lactation consultant. Ask your hospital or OB/GYN for a referral. Good luck!

Have you contacted a laleche league consultant? They could be very helpful & supportive and giv eyou more options & suggestions & if nothing else, comfort. They have heard it all and are not judgemental like friends and family can be sometimes.

My son refused the breast completely after a bad bout of the stomach flu in our house. First he had it & then me. So after that he associated the breast with pain & discomfort & refused it violently. So know you are not alone. You are lucky that she will breast feed in the morning. The reason you supply is gettign low is becasue pumping does not stimulate the let down reflex like breast feeding does. he body does not get the same signals so it does nto produce a much milk.

You can try mother's milk tea to stimulate more production (you will find this at a whole foods store). Also, as hard as this is, try not to stress & feel guilty about not being able to produce as much as you want to, it just restricts the flow more. I know this is much easier said than done. Again a LaLeche league counselor can be a big help here.

Do not feel guilty about supplimenting with formula. Just be glad that you can produce some breast milk as it is best for her. I had to start supplimenting about 3 weeks after he refused the breast as my production began to dwindle, until at about 11 months I stopped pumping completely. It was a very hard decision but I just could not produce enough to make the stress worth the less than an OZ I would get each time.

As long as she is getting nutrition & she is growing you are doing your job. As he got older I also supplimented with goats milk too. This is the closest to breast milk that you can get in a store and is better than regular milk and can easily be mixed with formula.

Continue to breastfeed as long as you can in the morning (perhaps it is because she is still sleepy & there is less stimulation going on around her, try always breastfeeding in a quiet dark room where there are no distractions & this might help her to take the breast more, which will increase your supply again).

Good luck & if you need to talk more I would be willing to listen even if it is just to vent to someone who understands & has been in a similar situation.

Have you tried supplements to increase your milk production? It might help you get more per session. I was also told to pump for 10 minutes, stop for 10 minutes, then pump again for another 10 to stimulate your milk production. You only need to do that or a couple of days. The LLL and The Pump Station have a lot of information to help. You are doing a great thing for your baby. Good luck, I hope you get some relief!

I don't have the answer for you, but I just wanted to let you know there are other moms going through similar stressors. My son decided at about 6 months that he would only nurse during the middle of the night. I haven't been able to get him to nurse during the day ever since then, much to my disappointment. I've been pumping religiously since then, but still my supply decreased. Now my son won't even drink mild from a cup or bottle. I drove myself crazy w/ worry, wondering what I was doing wrong. After trying absolutely everything I could possibly imagine and read about, I have finally started to accept that there is nothing I'm doing wrong; my son just doesn't want to nurse (or drink milk at all), except in the middle of the night, and that's the way it is. I wish I had stopped stressing out so much about it months ago. I pray that you get some relief and answers soon.

Both times I always pumped only 4-6 oz total even if it had been 6 or more hours. A friend would get 8 oz each side after feeding. Some babies just never latch - another friend pumped and bottle fed w/some formula supplement until she'd been back to work for a few weeks and couldn't keep up. Quite a few only lasted a few days - not enough milk, didn't like the feel...

I agree if you want to keep trying visit with a lactation consultant. It may be a little more private than you think. One of my sister's actual had one that came to the house, my other one saw the one in our ped's office.

It can be a hard decision to make especially with people giving their opinions on what's the "right" thing to do. But every baby and every mother are different. Good luck getting thru this hump and deciding what will work best for your family!

If you really want to continue breast feeding try Fenugreek (if you already haven't) and the trick that worked for me was sooooo simple. Drink a cup of hot cocoa before each pumping session. I would get way more milk this way. A coworker taught me that one. You can always continue breastfeeding and give her one formula bottle once a day when you know your supply is at it's lowest.

I would go find a certified LC and talk to her. She may be able to offer you suggestions to get DD back to the breast. I was never a cow, so don't compare yourself to someone who pumps really well. You might also try pumping a little to get a quicker letdown and then nursing her.

Things to keep in mind are that OUTPUT tells you about input. People who weigh their kids obsessively are just stressing themselves out. There may be dr visits where the kid didn't grow as much but my daughter's doctor said growth is good.

I also wonder if she has any problems with reflux that could be addressed? Have you tried a dream feed at night, where she's sleepy? The fact that she CAN nurse means she has a preference, but that it can be done.

Kellymom.com also has good info. And I love that MB gave you a resource locally. Hang in there, momma.

If you want support try a lactation consultant (the hospital where you delivered probably has one) or the La Leche League. they have a web site that can put you in touch with a leader and group near you.

I am really wanted to make breast feeding work but never got to the point of exclusively breastfeeding with either of my babies. Both my babies were in the NICU at first and then I had low milk supply. I pumped a lot and still never got my supply up that much. On the other hand just one feeding a day of breastmilk seemed to make a noticeable difference in their health (no colds until I stopped the breastmilk). My son was in the hospital a long time and it was a struggle to get him to take the bottle in the first place. When he was really hungry he wanted no part of the breast because it was more work for him and slower (he learned to chug his bottles pretty fast). That may be why your baby seems angry too. A nursing supplementer might help but I never tried one myself. And, yes, you have more milk in the morning and less in the evening.

You getting sick definitely can reduce you milk supply. My c-section got infected and I had to go in the hospital for IV antibiotics and my milk supply dropped a lot. A similar thing happened to a friend of mine when she got pnumonia. Some things help increase milk supply (Fennegreek, Blessed Thistle, oats, almonds, etc). But if you have times when you just can't pump or breastfeed for most of a day it will be a tough battle.

If you want to keep trying to make the breastfeeding work then you will have to get the help and support you need. If you decide that it is unworkable and it is your choice to go to formula (or part or most formula) then you don't have to give yourself a guilt trip over it. I think if you are giving your baby at least some breastmilk daily then she will get some of the benefits. Whatever you decide, good luck.

Le Leche League members may be willing to come to your house to help, as would some independent CLCs, IBCLCs. You need to get her back on the breast - it is extremely important because the pump does not send the same needed stimuli needed to keep your production at the rate it is needed.

Getting her back on the breast will take perseverance, support and determination. She will not be happy at first, but once back on - both of you will be happier!! The bottles nipple gives a constant flow or fluid whether she suckles or not... your breast requires suckling to get out fluid and it's not a constant flow - it comes out as suckled.

In the meantime... why not get some fenugreek and blessed thistle which will help increase your supply. Pumping past 4 months is usually hard for most Moms, I was never able to get more than 1 ounce each side from 2 months on with the pump, but I breastfed for 4.5 years.

You've gotten some good advice already, but I just have to add, it is okay if you feed your daughter formula. Really. She will be fine.
I am currently nursing and I am a huge supporter of breastfeeding, but if it isn't working for you and is causing great stress in your life, it is okay to give it up, or to pump on a less challenging schedule and feed some breastmilk and some formula. It doesn't make you a bad mom.
If you want to try to work on nursing, great, but you have options. Best of luck to you!

Everyone has great advice and a LC is a great resource. Most important is don't beat yourself up! Babies are stressful enough. Each baby is different and our body acts different with each one too! I just had my third and I produce half the milk that I did with the first two and he will not latch on when I had no problem with the first two. I would have felt like a failure if it was my first, but lucky for me it is not. I do both formula and supressed milk. I feel proud that I am giving him healthy breastmilk and that he is not going hungry. Best of luck, but remember you are a great mom!!!