A Myriad of Issues

[MoonMelody]

Hi, ladies. I'm really struggling.

I had a breast reduction a few years ago, and it's making it hard to build up an adequate supply. I also have flat nipples, so it takes LO two or three false starts before he can latch on properly. This makes me perpetually sore, swollen, and cracked. Things weren't looking good right from the get-go. LO had to be taken from me right after he was born as we both had developed an infection. So we got no skin-to-skin. I didn't get to hold him until hours after I delivered. My nipples were so badly damaged by the time LO was four days old that I could not put him to the breast for an entire week. This made my supply suffer even more. He wasn't getting enough milk so I was forced to supplement with formula, which, of course, put yet another damper on my supply.

He's three weeks old now. I nurse him as much as possible (pretty much nonstop during the day) and pump manually like crazy in between, hoping to increase my supply. My supply is so pitiful that I'm lucky if I can pump 2 oz in a day. Sometimes I cry through his feeds due to the pain caused by my flat nipples. And I have so much guilt from having to give him formula.

I really want to be able to nurse him. I'm up against a breast reduction, flat nipples, and him being taken away from me too soon after birth. Milk ducts can reroute themselves like veins, so I know that it's possible for me to build up a good supply, it's just finding a way to do it through constant pain that seems inescapable.

Sorry that this has turned into a huge post. I'm just at my wit's end, but I still feel so determined to do what's best for my boy. Any advice? Should I get an electric pump?

 

[satine51]

Hi, I would speak to a lactation consultant from NCT or la leche league, I think there are a few issues here. I am not experienced enough to advise, but remember that what you pump out is not what your Lo takes, babies are much better at getting the milk out and some ladies just don't pump out enough. This is NO reflection of your supply.
Good luck and hope you will find your answers.

https://www.motherandchildhealth.com/Breastfeeding/Becky/inverted.html

 

[Hannah]

Huge Huns hun, I have no real advice or experience but didn't want to read an run. Don't feel guilty, you are obviously trying so hard to make Bfeeding work that you don't need to beat yourself up about it!

On a side note, I have tried manually expressing and hand expressing but hardly get anything out at all, even though my LO is gaining weight etc. Some people just dint get alot when expressing.x