Breastfeeding after a blood transfusion??

[jackiea85]

Hi,

My baby was born on Monday (29th Sept) and I needed a blood transfusion after birth. I took about 2 units and my iron was down to 7. I really wanted to breastfeed my baby and tried to do so for 2 days in hospital, but he was getting more and more hysterical every time I put him on the breast and spent a whole night just screaming until 5am when I finally gave in and gave him some formula. As soon as he was put on the bottle he was a completely different baby so I was worried there was something wrong with my breasts.

I tried hand expressing in hospital with the help of a midwife, and we could get nothing out. I decided to give him formula and then express my milk when I got home so I could attempt to bottle feed him that. However, since getting home I've been unable to get a drop of colostrum out of my nipples and have given him formula.

The midwife came today and said that it's unusual but it can happen that some women just don't produce milk, particularly after a traumatic birth when their body is run down. She also said if my milk isn't in by Saturday then it might not ever come at all. At the moment my breasts feel exactly as they did before I was pregnant, they are not any bigger or harder.

Basically I just wanted to know if there is anyone who has had this problem and what happened, whether their milk actually did come in the end or whether it never will?

Thanks a lot,

Jackie x

 

[Samantha675]

I have not, but wanted to wish you lots of luck!

www.kellymom.com is a great website for BFing.

 

[ryder]

Good luck hun! You can always attempt to try seeing if you can get your milk supply up... Have you tried getting him to suckle or feed off you? Your LO is only 4 days old so there is no harm in trying, you may be able to start.

 

[jackiea85]

Thanks for your messages. He was trying to feed from me for 2 days which is when he was becoming very upset, it got to the point that he would cry on the breast. I spent one of my nights in hospital where he was crying from about 10pm to 5am, the midwives took him from me to settle him and they couldn't, the only thing that helped was the formula, which made me think that he wasn't feeding properly. The expressing came after these 2 days of trying to feed him.

I thought that I would at least have colostrum by now, even if my milk is delayed, but there is nothing at all. I am intending to keep trying with the breast pump but it is quite disheartening when you pump for ages and literally dont get a drop x

 

[sam's mum]

My breasts felt no different for the first few days either. I think it was the morning of day 5 that I woke up and my milk had come in - they were suddenly massive and like rocks! I would definitely have had enough to express, so yours might still come in in the next couple of days (most mums will have trouble getting much before then though). Good luck

And congratulations! x

 

[Carolyn]

me! that was me!

pm me, i'll tell you what happened..

bf bubs now and i'll forget to check this thread later...hugs

 

[Hevz]

Sorry you had such a traumatic birth sweetie


Last Christmas Day my sister had her baby and suffered severe bleeding afterbirth, she was transferred to theatre and had an emergency removal of her placenta and a d&c which worked thank goodness.

She is only 19 and was very shaken up from the whole experience not to mention all the blood she had to have but somehow she managed to breastfeed successfully and has only just stopped last month.

It's not unusual to struggle to express milk the 1st few times of trying, especially such a short time after birth. Try expressing while you're relaxed in the bath or just after. I couldn't relax enough to express if anyone else was around so maybe ask hubby to take baby for a walk and look at a photo of baby to encourage milk flow while your doing it.

Ask your midwife if she can refer you to a local lactation consultant asap as she will have so much more to offer you and hopefully help you to breastfeed successfully.


Good luck babe

 

[jackiea85]

Thanks for your messages, I have managed to express some colostrum for the first time, still definitely not enough to keep him satisfied but I'm getting more hopeful that my milk will come in eventually! At the moment I am giving him my colostrum then giving him some formula to make sure he gets enough. I'm hoping if/when my milk comes in that I will be able to stop the formula and just breast feed. At the moment I'm happy knowing that he is getting at least some of the benefits, I just wish I could give him all the feeds by myself x

 

[Hevz]

Good luck babe

 

[MissPolley]

i think that midwife should be re-educated, every woman has the ability to breastfeed, how does she reckon we did it in the stoneage??? just keep at it, i swear it will get easier to bf its just a matter of time before the hormones kick in and u start producing milk at a phenominal rate

 

[leedsforever]

hey jackie... just wanted to wish you luck and its good your still trying!! your like me... persistant!!

 

[jackiea85]

hey jackie... just wanted to wish you luck and its good your still trying!! your like me... persistant!!

Thanks hun, I'm really trying, I put him to the breast first and then give him a bottle, I expressed for AGES last night and got about an ounce of colostrum out, but he is used to about 2oz of formula so it's just not enough for him! I'm hopeful that as long as he has a breastfeed first that eventually we will get there, I let him feed for as long as he wants from me first x

 

[jackiea85]

i think that midwife should be re-educated, every woman has the ability to breastfeed, how does she reckon we did it in the stoneage??? just keep at it, i swear it will get easier to bf its just a matter of time before the hormones kick in and u start producing milk at a phenominal rate

Over the last few days I've become convinced they have no idea what they are on about! I've been looking online and apparently it is quite common to have delayed lactation after a haemorrhage, but none of the midwives I've seen have a clue about it! If I had known before that it might be late then I wouldn't have been so upset and convinced it was never coming! We are slowly getting there now tho x

 

[MissPolley]

there just isnt enough info about birthing and BFing and all that in between, like for instance i didnt know that there was a way that the child should latch on before i joined this forum and had a chat with my mate tash who has a child.

they really should teach teenagers about this sorta stuff, its like, if they dont know about it, then they wont get pregnant,

eeeh wrong,

because they dont know about the financial side of having a child not to mention the stress of worrying about every little sniffle, they only see the lovely chubby baby and the happy caring parents, they dont see the puke, poop and wee that comes with it, not to mention the responsibility of having a life in your hands for at least 18yrs.

saying all that i still want a little babe, i just wish there was more info for children, thats all.