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[Sweedot]

Thanks ladies ....

I'll keep trying, so long as I keep pumping I shouldnt lose my supply....it's very hard and upsetting not being able to breastfeeding her, in some ways I take comfort in knowing she's still thriving by getting my milk, even if it is through a bottle, I really miss the bonding that comes with breastfeeding . Exclusive Pumping IS hard to maintain, especially whilst trying to get her to breastfeed, it's double duty basically...breastfeeding her first, hen topping her up with a nottle and then pumping to maintain my supply....it's not as natural and it takes time, which takes time away from me being able to just be with my baby.

I'm going to give it one good go, try to break her and if she's still not latching properly at 4 months, I'll keep pumping and then wean her to or formulna at 6 months...because I just am really struggling.

 

[DianaB]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone has any advice on relactation. For the first 6 weeks of LO's life we breastfeed and it was the most wonderful experience ever. At the time though I was suffering from a postpartum infection which ended up lasting the completely ridiculous time of 2 months. So because of this infection my milk supply dwindled and LO kept losing weight, and then I was told to switch to formula. Now my infection has cleared up and all I want is to be able to breastfeed again. I've tried her back at the breast and she still latches and sucks like a pro and I can still hand express drops when I try. I wonder if anyone has any advice or tips as my lactation consultant has been less then helpful pretty much telling me I can't do it and will never get back enough to breastfeed without supplementing whereas my public health nurse seemed to think it was a possibility. The thought of not being able to breastfeed her at all literally makes me burst into tears so I'd appreciate any help.

 

[summer rain]

I know Canada is a huge country but could you contact Dr Jack Newman? He is a breastfeeding specialist doctor and specialises in relactation-maybe he has someone under him who is more local to you? xx

 

[Joyzerelly]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone has any advice on relactation. For the first 6 weeks of LO's life we breastfeed and it was the most wonderful experience ever. At the time though I was suffering from a postpartum infection which ended up lasting the completely ridiculous time of 2 months. So because of this infection my milk supply dwindled and LO kept losing weight, and then I was told to switch to formula. Now my infection has cleared up and all I want is to be able to breastfeed again. I've tried her back at the breast and she still latches and sucks like a pro and I can still hand express drops when I try. I wonder if anyone has any advice or tips as my lactation consultant has been less then helpful pretty much telling me I can't do it and will never get back enough to breastfeed without supplementing whereas my public health nurse seemed to think it was a possibility. The thought of not being able to breastfeed her at all literally makes me burst into tears so I'd appreciate any help.

I'm pretty sure you'll find some helpful information on Kellymom. Here's a link to the pages on Relactation https://www.kellymom.com/bf/adopt/relactation-resources.html#linksrelactation Really good luck!

 

[Joyzerelly]

I need some help! I'm at my witts end! Ok, here's my situation...I had Esme and she latched straight away, however after 7 days my milk supply still had not come in and she had lost almost a pound (down to 5lb 2oz) from 6lb and so I was forced to supplement with formula...I tried to get her back onto the breast and she did take the boob but my milk was slow coming in due to formula supplementing. I purchased an electric breast pump as I didn't want to completely lose my supply and managed to get the milk flowing. After a 2 weeks of continuous crying and fussing at my breast I gave in and stared exclusively pumping, I was making enough to meet her demand and continued doing this until she was 9 weeks, with the odd supplemental formula feed, maybe once every 2 days...

I was very upset that I could it breastfeed as I finally had the milk supply but a lazy baby who would not latch...I went to see a loctation consultant and she advised just putting her to breast and trying to break her will as she had obviously gotten used to the fast flow of the nipple, but since I had the supply...if she was hungry she would latch, she told me it would take a few days.

Well, I took her advice and started putting her to breast....she would latch for maybe 20 seconds and then give up and then fuss and then scream, I persevered and it got a little bit better, but after three days I noticed she was ot wetting as many diapers and seemed lathargic constantly, I was so worried she was ot getting enough milk I started supplementing again. I kept trying to put her to breast and she will latch but not always, she gets so fussy and I just really don't know what to do anymore.

Trig to reestablish the breastfeeding severely impacted my supply and it started dwindling almost immediately without the pumping 7/8 times daily...I could not deal with the breastfeeding and pumping at night, I was exhausted. Now I am supplementing more formula than before I attempted to get her to go back to the breast as my supply has dropped.

She is 11 weeks old now and I'm just beyond confused, I'm not sure if I an keep up with all the pumping that she requires, I usually pump at 1 am, where I get 4oz, 6am 6oz, then 10 am, 5oz, then 1:00pm, 4:00pm and 8pm where I get between 3-4oz per session...I'm just exhausted with it.

What can I do? I feel like a human cow, constantly hooked up to my breast pump to maintain my supply, and then trying to get her to latch and then doubting myself about breastfeeding and worrying constantly if she's getting enough.

Does anyone have any advice? I've tried the sns btw and failed with that miserably, I get the tubes tangled, can't get the tube in her mouth, get milk everywhere, it's even more additional work!

I'm sorry you've had a struggle so far. Can I suggest that if you supplement, you do so using an 'at breast supplementer'? https://www.expressyourselfmums.co.uk/Expressing-breastmilk/Medela-Supplemental-Nursing-System-- Scroll down the page to see someone using one. Also here https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=medela+supplemental+nursing+system&oq=medela+sup&aq=0&aqi=g2&aql=&gs_sm=1&gs_upl=760l9466l0l10499l18l18l6l7l13l0l324l1082l1.1.2.1l5l0 is a link to youtube videos about nursing supplementers.

Using one of these should allow your baby to be satisfied while maintaining the closeness of breastfeeding and encouraging familiarity with breast feeding for your baby. It will also help prevent any further nipple confusion while at the same time stimulating your supply.
I say keep pumping, you'll up your supply making the milk come faster (I ended up with jet force milk supply from pumping) and you can also then use your own milk in the supplementer instead of formula.

Good luck!

I have one of these, I mentioned it in my original post and it has not worked for us at all, she spits out the tube, it actually makes breastfeeding even more stressful, it is also ncredibly cumbersome to use and as she is nt opening her much wide to ltch ts near impossible to get in her mouth without literally trying to shove it in, nt successful at all.

There are moments when she will latch, but it's not consistent and I ALWAYS hand express to let down before I try to latch her...if my breast are very full, I hand express milk off to avoid the jet stream, but as she is used to a fast flow bottle, the forceful let down snt the problem, I don't really know what the issue is.

I think I've pretty much tried everything

I another suggestion for you. Have you thought about trying co-sleeping? This would mean your baby was very close to you in the night, she would very likely be far more relaxed at night and in semi sleep and would probably be less impatient and might just latch and feed properly...? Co-sleeping is well known for being very helpful in establishing breastfeeding. Here's a leaflet from Unicef which you might find helpful if you consider this. https://www.homestartwirral.co.uk/sharingbedleaflet.pdf

 

[summer rain]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone has any advice on relactation. For the first 6 weeks of LO's life we breastfeed and it was the most wonderful experience ever. At the time though I was suffering from a postpartum infection which ended up lasting the completely ridiculous time of 2 months. So because of this infection my milk supply dwindled and LO kept losing weight, and then I was told to switch to formula. Now my infection has cleared up and all I want is to be able to breastfeed again. I've tried her back at the breast and she still latches and sucks like a pro and I can still hand express drops when I try. I wonder if anyone has any advice or tips as my lactation consultant has been less then helpful pretty much telling me I can't do it and will never get back enough to breastfeed without supplementing whereas my public health nurse seemed to think it was a possibility. The thought of not being able to breastfeed her at all literally makes me burst into tears so I'd appreciate any help.

Here is the lactation protocol by Dr Jack Newman; it is a very lengthy read but worth it-this is really aimed at inducing lactation from scratch for those that never BF but it does also contain info on relactating if you were BF as well

https://mamadearest.ca/en/info/newman/induced-lactation.htm

good luck!

 

[DianaB]

Thanks for all the links getting started now over today and tomorrow. Restarted my old domperidone prescription and getting a breast pump tomorrow for when she's asleep at night and if I can't get her on long enough. So far so good though, I will remain optimistic!

 

[lisaf]

Thanks ladies ....

I'll keep trying, so long as I keep pumping I shouldnt lose my supply....it's very hard and upsetting not being able to breastfeeding her, in some ways I take comfort in knowing she's still thriving by getting my milk, even if it is through a bottle, I really miss the bonding that comes with breastfeeding . Exclusive Pumping IS hard to maintain, especially whilst trying to get her to breastfeed, it's double duty basically...breastfeeding her first, hen topping her up with a nottle and then pumping to maintain my supply....it's not as natural and it takes time, which takes time away from me being able to just be with my baby.

I'm going to give it one good go, try to break her and if she's still not latching properly at 4 months, I'll keep pumping and then wean her to or formulna at 6 months...because I just am really struggling.

Hey, I wanted to tell you that I've been there. Having someone observe you feed in person is a really good idea in case its something as simple as adjusting your hold so that you aren't touching the back of her head etc.
Also as someone suggested, have her checked for tongue and/or lip-tie. If she doesn't ever stick her tongue out past her gums, or if the tip is heart-shaped or turns into a heart shape when its stuck out, that is a major sign.
Tongue and lip-tie were the major problems behind me not being able to nurse at first and once we got those fixed, it was like a whole new world. Before it was fixed and we finally got a latch going, it would break way too easily and it hurt really bad because it wasn't deep enough.

I did want to give you some reassurance that you can work on this issue later if you need to and just focus on supply and survival right now.
If you want to work on breastfeeding during the day, but at night just feed a bottle, pump, then get back to sleep, that is a great option and was my choice until breastfeeding became easier (though of course trying occasionally while she is tired and not as impatient might be helpful too).

Maybe also start off with a bottle to get her initially satiated, then put her to the breast when she's starting to get calmer? Then you can gradually reduce the amount she gets from a bottle until she is entirely on the breast?

You can also try cup or syringe feeding to break the nipple confusion/preference that it sounds like is going on a bit with you guys.
Make sure you are using the slowest flow nipple you can get.

This last suggestion is just an idea that popped into my head, but perhaps you could also try serving the bottle at a slightly cooler temp than you normally would? So the milk straight from the breast is a more desireable option?

Hang in there, PM me if you want or message here, I haven't been on much lately but I'll check back to make sure I don't miss your message.

 

[3boys]

bfing is going really well for me but i was wondering if anyone had any tips for bfing lying down, i cant seem to get him latched on but i could do with the extra rest. thanks

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I only mastered this as Alex gained more head control. It's tricky to get the right position. Have you tried folding a blanket under LO to raise him up more?

 

[Lilly12]

Just have LO lay on your arm and you lay on your side.. Easy as pie

 

[3boys]

i have tried that but it seems really awkward to get him latched on and he just gets fustrated.

 

[Lilly12]

Maybe try your arm under your side so your boob kinda lays on your arm iykwim ?

I did that when DD was just born

 

[3boys]

ill try that tonight thanks xx

 

[Lilly12]

Found a pic

 

[3boys]

thanks hun, my problem is i cant seem to latch him on with only one hand.

 

[readynwilling]

im sorry you are having issues. its probably just his head control as he's so young. With J i was lucky cause she had very good head control from birth so i just layed on my side and her on her side and i used my hand to guide my boob to her mouth and she would just latch.

 

[3boys]

thanks hun, maybe it will just take a while for us to manage it lying down, every other position is going great and its the first time i have made it so far and im chuffed, normally i would of given up by now because of cracked and bleeding nipples. I just thought that if i could figure out how to get the latch right for lying down it would help me to be more rested to deal with my other 4 children during the day.

 

[caro103]

hun, I never managed it, I think due to having larger boobs. The angle was just all wrong no matter how much I tweeked things. But I did perfect a semi lying/semi sitting position where I could cradle hold him and used a travel pillow for my head so i could dose a bit more. Hope you get there soon! xx

 

[Maid Marian]

Feeding lying down - if I'm lying on my left side, I have my left arm up above my head, sorta facing diagonally away from me, on the pillow. Then I hold my boob with my right hand, and if I need help positioning baby/bringing him close in to me, I bring my left hand down for that.