grrrrrrrrr!

[Dopeyjopey]

I feel so sorry for myself. So this is a bit of a rant/plea for advice please.

I'm not well and have been in hospital for a few days. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink for hours and hours and was only able to express twice and feed albert 3 ish times. Before going into hospital i only fed him twice in 24 hours because i was in too much pain. My mum was giving him EBM.

I'm home now and albert clearly isn't getting enough milk from me. He is constantly at the breast, fussing a lot and getting really stressed out. After having him on both breasts for 20 minutes each (he's normally a very efficient 10 minute feeder) i offered him a bottle of EBM and he glugged at it like he was starving i keep offering him the breast though to try and keep my supply going.

My mum and nan (who is here to help out while i'm still poorly) keep telling me it's because i'm not drinking enough (i've already had about 2 litres of water today ) and should consider formula if he needs more and we run out of EBM. I want to avoid this if possible so have got some fenugreek - can anyone tell me how much i should take?

I'm also really angry with the hospital for a) keeping me so long without food or drink when i had told them i was nursing, b) the doctors forgetting to see me, resulting in me writhing around in pain and needing an injection in my bum , c) not providing me with an electric breast pump until i'd been in for over 12 hours and d) not allowing me to have albert with me so i could feed him (until i found a helpful nurse who allowed him in for 20 mins).

Does anyone know if i could borrow an electric pump from the hospital to get my supply back up? I'm getting nothing from a hand pump and only managed a very small amount with an electric one just before i was discharged.

I'm so upset about all this. And i swear to god, if i'm told one more time to have a glass of water i'll be locked up for murder

 

[Twiglet]

Hey hun!

Lemme check my electric pump and if it's all working etc I'm willing to lend it to you

Hope you get your supply all sorted again soon!

 

[Dopeyjopey]

Aw thanks michelle. It is just the icing on the cake. If it doesn't improve i think the nhs should fork out for the formula!

 

[cutie4evr01]

Since you need your supply up in a hurry, I'd suggest taking 3 tabs of fenugreek 3 times daily. Hopefully you will see an improvement in a couple days. Sorry your hospital was so unaccommodating!

 

[MelanieAnn]

GRRRR.... I'd be mad hopping furious, too!!!

Did they not really "get" the realities of nursing????

GRRRRRR!!!

In terms of practical advice, you can probably hire a hospital grade pump. If you google "breastfeeding + pump agents +your hometown" you'll probably get some hits. The NCT, for instance, have a pump hire service.

I'd stop drinking the water. Too much water actually inhibits milk production. Too little does, too; that's why they say "drink to thirst".

Can you get a prescription of domperidone? But the fenugreek would probably do the trick. Or a bowl of porridge. Skin to skin is massively efficient at upping milk production.

Now that your supply is established, I'm sure you'll manage to get back to EBM even though it's been a rocky few days.

I'm still Grrring with you!

Mel

 

[Dopeyjopey]

I didn't know too much water was bad. Unfortunately it is good at getting rid of kidney stones which is what i need to do otherwise i'll be back in hospital again.

Mel, any idea of how much water is too much?

I'll start the fenugreek now... is it weird that i LOVE the smell of it?

 

[jess3012]

Hey jo! I'm taking 3 tablets 3 times a day!
Arn't hospitals arses! they promote bf enough you think they would try and help you!
You can also hire a hospital grade pump for £40.00 a month.
I never new about too much water being bad either i am always drinking water i get really thirsty when bf!

 

[Pretty Sakura]

You can't over drink water. You need plenty of water to produce milk. Even more then when you were pregnant. So I'd love to see some evidence of drinking too much water can hurt your supple out of curiosity... Anyways, you can definitely rent a pump. Hope those pills do the trick and your milk is thriving for your sweet baby soon. I'm sorry the hospital treated you so poorly, there is no excuse for that!

 

[MelanieAnn]

https://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/00016344009156141
"Conclusion: Even very great variations (both increase and
decrease) in the daily supply of fluids, does not, as a rule, affect
the daily quantity of breast milk, and increased quantities of
liquid are not necessary to lactation.
When on a diet poor in liquid, the mother, nof Ihe child, will be
ihirsfy and therefore, as a reflex action, will drink accordingly.
A deliberate increase in the supply of liquid is not capable of
arresting the development of a hypogalactia.
Deliberately increased quantities of fluid thus are neither
necessary nor as a rule advantageous to lactation, and they may,
even, be harmful."

I know this isn't popular wisdom. But to my mind it reinforces the "drink to thirst" suggested by LLL.

 

[Missy86]

 

[tannembaum]

I'm so shocked!! At my mums hospital she always puts nursing mothers in their own room and allows the baby in when it needs feeding!!
Most hospitals just don't understand breastfeeding (which is stupid!) When Elsie was in the childrens hopsital I asked a nurse some Qs regarding Elsies feeding as she was struggling cuz she was poorly but she had no clue!! She had to ask all the other nurses to find one that had BF to see if they could help!

I really hope you get back on track and that it isn't too hard!! Also get well soon!!

 

[Dopeyjopey]

I know. I'm putting in a complaint about my treatment anyway so might just add in the effects on my milk supply due to lack of food, lack of pump and lack of baby!