About to start re-lactating, advice? and... Expressing/sterilising/frequency question

[ThunderPearls]

Hi,

Im a first time mum and my baby boy is 8weeks2days old, I am desperate to breastfeed again!

We only managed 4 days ebfing before the hospital gave me a bottle for him because I was in so much pain with bleeding nipples. Since then he has been combi-feeding but since around week4 he has shown preference for the bottle and now refuses my breast. He still latches a couple of times a day but only stays on for a few minutes before becoming frustrated at slow flow of milk/not enough milk due to my supply dwindling. Im actually really angry about the lack of help/support the hospital and my local HVs have shown me. But I wont get inti that as it really boils my blood!

I am currently hand expressing as I get more out that way compared to my tommee tippee pump, and am doing this 5-6 times a day for 10-15 mins... I am now only able to get between 5-10mls each time both breasts combined, which is so pathetic as I used to be able to hand express 1-2oz just from one breast! Im alsi taking fenugreek which has helped a bit I think but I may be imagining it... Does anyone know how easy it is to get domperidone from the GP? And how effective it is?

I have been put on the surestart list to get a hospital grade double pump which hopefully will be more effective at building my supply back up but I am wondering how people find the time to exclusively pump whilst also looking after a clingy newborn!? I will be hopefully pumping every 2-3 hours for 15-20 minutes. Then will need to disassemble,wash,rinse,sterilise, reassemble the pump... Doing this every 2 hours whilst also having to make bottles, feed baby, sterilise bottles, change nappies, entertain baby, feed myself etc... It just seems impossible!! :/ How do you do it!? If someone can please give me an example schedule it would be greatly appreciated!

Also anyone who has relactated, any tips to get a baby who prefers bottles to start liking to latch again!? Ive bought a lact-aid sns which should be here in about a week... Any reviews? Hopefully it will help. Im hoping if my boy gets milk straight away from my breast it will encourage him to stay there longer, thus stimulating my milk production to produce more and eventually wean him off the sns... Fingers crossed!



Thanks

 

[Janers]

I never had to relactate, but I did need to wean my daughter off bottles and onto the breast. I pumped for the first 9.5 weeks of her life. I never thought I would get her back on the boob. Here are my suggestions:

-LOTS of skin to skin contact, bathing with your LO is a good way to do it, its warm and relaxing
-Offer him your breast every time he looks hungry, even at the slightest cue even if your offering every 15 minutes.
-Offer him boob before you offer a bottle
-No soothers/pacifiers/dummies
-Once you start cutting down on bottles watch to see how many wet diapers he has, and keep an eye on weight (when I completely dropped bottles I weighted my daughter at the nurses office every two days)

In the end I think going overboard on how much I nursed and all that practice (and patience) paid off! I would still give my daughter a bottle every three hours or so (of pumped milk) but would offer boob beforehand.

I quit a few times in those two and half months, it was very tiring, and often frustrating but now I have a 8 month old who nurses and refuses bottles! What a switch! It was so worth it to get her off bottles!

Good luck!

 

[New Mrs W]

Good luck! I have no advice but there is a member called The New Mrs who has relactated successfully x

 

[Janers]

Oh I also put all my pump equipment in a clean ziploc bag and pop it into the fridge after every use and then I would only wash and sterilize it once a day.

 

[cat lover]

Thenewmrs is your woman! she will know exactly what to do, im sure she will see this thread soon good luck

 

[ThunderPearls]

Thanks so much for all the advice hopefully things will all work out but the past few days havent been very good at all :/ he just wont latch at all! So disheartening!

I didnt know about storing the pump in the fridge! Thats such a useful tip and im feeling much more positive about it now and less stressed!

We dont have a bath at our house just a shower, but ive heard positive things about baths being like a 'rebirth' and stimulating baby to want to latch and suck so I may go hijack my mums bathroom for a bit!

Once my lact-aid gets here and my pump I will start a journal on here and hopefully have something successful to record!

 

[clairerachel]

I relactated - I fed for 6 weeks, and then had a six week gap of no feeding and my milk drying up completely.
I managed to build up a complete supply again and with tons and tons and tons of effort I managed to get my baby to latch on, and by 5 months we were feeding normally and exclusively.

So there are 2 parts to relactating - getting a milk supply and getting the baby to latch on.
My milk had totally totally and completely dried out. I managed to get a full supply with a lot of effort. I am telling you this so you know that it is possible.
I took blessed thistle, fenugreek, mothers milk tea etc etc, but the only thing that really worked was domperidone. A lot of it. 16 tablets a day, as per Jack Newmans advise.
I also pumped round the clock. But I only washed the pump parts twice a day as breast milk is ok for 6 hours room temp. Nothing will happen if you don't wash it for each pumping, besides that you will go crazy.

Eventually, with the very high doses of domperidone and the pumping, I had enough of a supply back. But getting the baby to latch on was a nightmare. He was already "big" and loved his bottles. It was very. very. very. difficult. But I would not give up, and it did work.

Now my baby is 9 months old. I am still feeding round the clock. I love EVERY SINGLE feed. I treasure every single moment. I worked so so so hard for this, and it's one of the best things I have done in my life.

 

[ThunderPearls]

Thanks so much clairerachel for your reply! Well done to you for being sucessful! It is is motivating to hear how you managed to do it! My puml is arriving tomorrow and my breastfeeding support woman is bringing it and is going to give me an 'action plan' sort of thing. If pumping alone doesnt really boost my supply she is going to support me in getting domperidone from my GP as its quite expeblnsive over the counter! Especially if I need to take as many as you say!

I think getting baby to latch ia going to be so tough for me too! I hope I manage it as I miss it so so much!

 

[NurseSooz]

I recommend nipple shields to help with latching xx

 

[ThunderPearls]

I bought the avent nipple shields a few weeks back and he went on with them fine but again because I dont have much milk he just got frustrated and came off and now he totally refuses hem as he knows he wont get much food from then! Maybe once my supply is up we wull have more sucess with them but he just purses his lips at the moment!

I also bought a nipple shield ftim my chemists as it had a more 'bottle like' teat but the base of it is dolid plastic :s !?? So he cant even latch onyo my actual boob its just like a teat and he just chews on it :/ lol... Good job it wasnt expensive!

I cant wait for my lact-aid to arrive! Im thinking maybe to combine it with the nippleshield? As it will help hold the tube in place and he did have a good latch when he was happy using it...