~*Abi's,Re-lactation,Journey*~

[Abii]

This is my re-lactation journal, a journey for you guys to follow with me.
I cant guarantee that I will write in this every day, but I will when I have time. Now that I'm re-lactating, it will become pretty much my days from now on
I cant wait to get back and try this again, I miss the bonding experience with my daughter, and when it comes down to it, it's whats best for her so I will do my best to do this for us
10|7|12 - 9:00pm; So far today I've only pumped once and didn't get anything[which I was expecting], but then I kinda squeezed my left nipple and some kind of liquid was there, not dripping out or anything but just inside the nipple, not sure what it was. Any ideas?

 

[loving_life]

Congrats There are a few of us relactating. Have a mooch through our threads, it's me (loving_life), babyfromgod and jessicatunnel that have threads going.
It was probably colostrum you squeezed out. I had it for a few days, it turns to milk with hard work, dedication and lots of pumping lol.

 

[babyfromgod]

Congrats on making the decision to relactate. it is hard work but very rewarding. You will have your ups and downs but we are here to support you when you do x

 

[Abii]

Awh thank you ladies:]
Its great to meet some people who I can relate to on here.
I will have a look at your journal's:]
10|8|12- 9:30am; I spoke to a lactation consultant from the hospital I gave birth at and she spoke to me about the kind of pump I was using and I told her I was the first years double electric pump, she told me it was not strong enough to re-lactate with so since my hubby and I will be going down to where its at tomorrow anyway, we decided we will stop to rent a pump from them, she also spoke to me about an hebal supplement that might help me more, so I will be getting that tomorrow as well.
After I got off the phone I decided to stop using the pump I was using and until tomorrow just put Zoai on the breast every 2-3hrs.
10:00am; We had our first latch in a very long time, it felt so good to know that she still is somewhat interested in my breast, we were cooing together and she was trying to laugh all while latched, I forgot how truly blessing it is to be able to bf and give them the best, even though she didnt get anything yet, it still felt great to have her there. Cant wait for the next latch

 

[Bevziibubble]

Best of luck with relactating. That's great that your LO latched on before for the first time in a whole, hopefully your LO will continue to latch on more and more now. Let us know how it all goes

 

[kissesandhugs]

good luck!!!

 

[CelticStar]

I've come on specially to see if you'd started a thread and you have!

So good to hear Zoai has latched on, I'm keeping everything crossed for a smooth journey for you

 

[Abii]

10|9|12 all day: I didn't get a chance to pump much or have Zoai latch, but GOOD NEWS, We finally rented the right kind of pump I needed from the hospital, the lactation consultant that I rented the pump from, told me to pump strictly every 2 hours for 15 minutes during the day and every 4hrs at night since she sleeps through, and then have Zoai latch for about 5-10 minutes after pumping during the day until I get my milk, if she will[sometimes she pulls away and wont latch but sometimes she does, I have a nipple shield I was going to try out]. Then we went to babies r us to get some extra stuff for when I start bf again.
When we got home it was pretty late, about 9:00pm so I only got to pump twice before bed time, and I forgot to set my alarm to wake up in 4hrs I feel guilty about it but trying not to let it affect anything.
10|10|12: -Will complete later as day goes on

 

[Abii]

10|10|12: Today was good, I kept up with my pumping every 2hrs for 15 minutes and my breasts kinda feel heavier but not much.
W tried latching again today and, well, today was just one of those days where she did not want to latch. I tried the nipple shield and that was the longest she stayed latched which was only about 3-4 minutes while squirming around, so im not going to lie, I kind of started feeling let down about it but then I remembered this is like my first official day of really pumping and being serious about it so it calmed me down a little.
Zoai finished her feeding with the bottle and is knocked out now.
Hopefully we have a better latching day tomorrow, and maybe see some sort of colostrum or something, fx'd

 

[loving_life]

All this pumping and latching will be doing wonders. Try not to feel down about it. I've had my days. Have you thought about trying and SNS? I use one and she latches on brilliantly now.

 

[Abii]

All this pumping and latching will be doing wonders. Try not to feel down about it. I've had my days. Have you thought about trying and SNS? I use one and she latches on brilliantly now.

I haven't even heard of it before you mentioned it lol, but I looked it up and it looks like something I want to try so hopefully I can buy it tomorrow when my husband gets paid. Thank you for letting me know about that.

 

[Abii]

Errgg..
Okay..so I dont want to sound like a complainer but today I have just been feeling really impatient with pumping and stuff, it feels like I've been working so hard at it and there's no progress[even though its only been 2 days]
And I have to get Zoai used to breastmilk again before she will latch for awhile, and I dont see or feel any difference in my boobs yet and she wont stay latched for more then 5 minutes, Ive been looking into the SNS so hopefully we can really get good latching soon and is there anything else I can do to help my body make breast milk? I am taking fenugreek[3 capsules 3 times a day] but is there anything else?
I am really trying to give this all I've got before I stop trying to produce again because I really think my body can do it, I just need to keep the patience with pumping and latching

 

[babyfromgod]

You really need domperidone. I have gone from producing drops to 12oz each day in 2 weeks

 

[Abii]

I looked into domperidone and im going to add it to the list of stuff to buy today hopefully I will get it all by Monday so I can start really seeing progress.
I decided to pump longer then they told me to, so I've been doing it for 25 minutes instead of 15, maybe that will help too..
Thank you for your help

 

[babyfromgod]

That's ok. I have heard that shorter more frequent pumping sessions work longer than better ones but in the end it is what works better for you and what you can fit in your day

 

[Abii]

Today started off verryyy bad. Just from the morning it was horrible, but got better tonight..
This morning the thing that set me off was, I was trying to pump and My dh was awake watching tv, Zoai started crying, so I asked him to make a bottle because I was pumping atm and he just ignored me, he just kept sitting there, so I had to stop my pumping session at only 6 minutes and re-start because I had to make the bottle since he was too lazy[and he was off work today so we all slept in].
After that, we went downstairs and I just started doing my pumping sessions, after about 2 of them, I tried getting Zoai to latch and she just would not, she screamed and cried so im hoping the sns will help her latch again.
After Zoai screamed on my breast, I called a lactation consultant who was not helpful at all! She actually told me to stop trying to re-lactate!, That pissed me off because I talked to someone who successfully re-lactated after not bf'ing or pumping for 5 months! and her job is to support women and encourage them to bf, not push them away from it! Anyway so that just set me off the edge, I broke down after that and couldn't stop crying, but after really thinking about it and talking with my dh, I've decided NOT to give up, and since I have this hospital pump for a month, I am going to make use of it and try my hardest for the month I have it, and if I dont re-lactate then, after everything I am doing, then okay I will be content because I know I at least tried with everything I had.
But now the good news, what made me feel better[even though its kind of weird lol] my breasts feel a-little sore, like after I had Zoai and they were making milk, it kind of feels like that so I am getting some hope:]
And I will be ordering everything tonight

 

[loving_life]

When I started pumping again, I started to get that heavy, sore feeling that I got when I first had Eva. I get it a lot more now if she hasn't fed from me or I haven't pumped in a while and especially in the morning. It's a good sign

I can't pump lots of milk off as I'm just not able to which is a shame but I'm definitely making milk and Eva will latch on now without the SNS so guessing she's getting something.
All good signs Can't believe what your LC said!! So unsupportive. I'd have told her to stick it and found a different one. So not on! Glad your keeping at it. X

 

[Abii]

Today is horrible:/
I just feel like giving up..Ive been crying all morning because I still haven't produced a drop of bm and even with the sns, Zoai refuses to latch and keeps crying, it is so frustrating

 

[CelticStar]

You got this girl, it's only been just over a week, give your body (and mind) chance to catch up x