now officially exclusively expressing...

[cowboys angel]

So not only does baby pass out in my arms when I try to bf....I have an insufficient milk supply....so I am exclusively expressing...and I HATE the amount of formula she is having to take due to my body failing at it's job....

I hate it. She loves to snuggle my boobs and sticks her hands inside my bra all the time...but she panics when I try to bf and passes out.....

And she is now taking 4ozs (GO BABY GIRL GO!) but I can only express up to 3ozs at a time...if I am even able to get that! Generally it is more 1-2ozs every two hours.........



I just feel like a failure currently, sorry for my mini-rant...

 

[kmac625]

Awww hun. Sorry you're having such a hard time. I had to take fenugreek and blessed thistle to increase my milk in the beginning because my supply was such crap. There's also a prescription you can get called domperidone that helps. Eating oats every day does wonders as well. Hopefully one of these (or all if needed) will help increase your supply.

 

[cowboys angel]

I tried fenungreek and blessed thistle...landed myself in the hospital with that one...I've had the prescription reglan twice...it works while I'm on the cycle of the meds but once the cycle ends it drops again...trying the oats now....not sure if it'll work...apparently I just fail at this...

 

[Ohmy4]

Domperidone worked WONDERS for me! Did you try that?

 

[cowboys angel]

Haven't tried that one yet. Waiting to talk to my doctor again. I just....feel like I can't do anything right. I had an awful pregnancy and a crazy delivery and now I can't freaking breastfeed. Isn't this what my body was designed to do????

 

[kmac625]

You're not failing your lo. You're giving her your best and if that means she has to drink some formula then so be it. You're still passing all those great antibodies and nutrients to her with the ebm. Try not to be so hard on yourself (I know, easier said than done).

 

[MelanieAnn]

You are an amazing mamma! I mean it! Any mum who puts as much into this as you have - the pregnancy, and now this.... - I know. Words sound hollow. But to your baby, this isn't hollow. She knows she is loved.

There are a couple of suggestions you can try.

1. Increase supply. Have you seen a good IBCLC, or just the regular MWs/Ob/Gyn/GP? While these have some training in BF, they don't generally know how to deal with big problems. It sounds like you have already tried a few galacatgogues. Acupuncture is well reputed for more milk, as is chiropractic and cranio-sacrial therapy. The Diana West book might be really helpful.

2. Supplementing at breast rather than at bottle. It will both protect and increase your supply, and mean that you ARE breastfeeding. A lact-aid is better than an SNS if you can get hold of one.

HTH

 

[cowboys angel]

I saw an OB...and I live in a small town where that's about the extent of what we have. I don't have many options. No acupuncture, no chiropracter, and I don't even know what that last thing is.

I just can't get my supply to increase AND stay increased. I can get it to increase, but then it goes back down within a day or two. I started pumping every hour for a week and it did nothing except make my boobs bleed and crack. Even nipple cream didn't help.

And I can't breast feed. LO panics and passes out and I have to revive her. Emotionally, I just can't do that. Let alone not knowing what it does to her health to repeatedly stop breathing for periods of time.

I'm at the point where yes, I feel like a failure, but at the same time, like kmac625 said, at least she's getting SOME breastmilk...it's more important to me that she gets it, not how she gets it.

 

[aquaflora2]

Haven't tried that one yet. Waiting to talk to my doctor again. I just....feel like I can't do anything right. I had an awful pregnancy and a crazy delivery and now I can't freaking breastfeed. Isn't this what my body was designed to do????

wow, I've gone through the same thing, hard pregnancy, hard delivery and hard time after delivery too (hence, leading to low milk supply). I'm in the same boat as you are and i'm also expressing, except i'm only getting this the same amount as you are with even taking Domperidone. The worst part is......my LO can't even take too much formula because of her sensitivity to Iron in the formula. So I'm left to nothing but trying to boost my supply.

I had many ups and downs too and I'm exclusively expressing too now because she too falls asleep on my boobs. So, i can completely understand what you are going through, but don't give up and feel crappy, I too feel so bad at one point and felt that I failed to provide the basic need to my baby. But I've learned to use that energy to try to boost my supply. Try domperidone, it works for most of hte people. I was only getting less than an oz before domperidone and am now getting what you are getting now and so supplementing a bit is okay. i was told that i have to start my LO solid in the fourth month......... sorry i'm ranting too. BUT try DOMPERIDONE.

 

[cowboys angel]

The worst part is......my LO can't even take too much formula because of her sensitivity to Iron in the formula. So I'm left to nothing but trying to boost my supply.

Try soy formula. My LO has an issue with the iron in formula too. Soy is the only formula she can keep down and not get constipated.

It's expensive and smells awful, but it works. Both my mom and my sister had to be on it too.

I'll talk to my doctor about domperidone. I think I was told it wasn't legal in the States though?

 

[MelanieAnn]

Soy formula has disadvantages, too.

Can you get to an IBCLC? Or get one to come to you? Because Ob/Gynaes, while they may know lots about pregnancy and birth, don't really tend to know much about breastfeeding. And yes, I would have thought that a IBCLC would recommend that you try some of the other therapists. The Diana West book is great, but you probably need help NOW rather than read through a book.

 

[cowboys angel]

Ibclc?

 

[aquaflora2]

The worst part is......my LO can't even take too much formula because of her sensitivity to Iron in the formula. So I'm left to nothing but trying to boost my supply.

Try soy formula. My LO has an issue with the iron in formula too. Soy is the only formula she can keep down and not get constipated.

It's expensive and smells awful, but it works. Both my mom and my sister had to be on it too.

I'll talk to my doctor about domperidone. I think I was told it wasn't legal in the States though?[/QUOTE


I think FDA didn't approve it in the US but you can order online from other country. Some doctors will not prescribe it for lactation but others will. Its much safer than other lactation meds and many moms in US uses it, some even use it for years. I heard about SOY works for some infants and I will look into that. But doesn't SOY formula has alot of iron in it too? my LO is now on low iron formula b/c pediatrician said infants doesnt' need that extra iron until 6 months, my LO will be supplemented with iron at that age. Low iron formula was hard to find too in Canada. I'm gona look into low iron formula, right now I can supplement her with 70% of breast milk, so that 30% of formula mixed in with breast milk is not as bad, i used to only supply 20% and that's when she get so constipated.

 

[cowboys angel]

I honestly don't know about iron content. We use Prosobee

 

[bky]

Domperidone is legal in the US but you have to get it through a compounding pharmacy because of FDA guidelines. So you can get a prescription from your Dr, but you'll have to have it filled by somewhere other than your regular pharmacy and it's likely to cost more.
A lot of the women I know who use it buy it from inhouse pharmacy in NZ and have it shipped and find that the cheapest. You don't necessarily need a prescription for that.
have a look here:
https://www.breastfeedingonline.com/domperidonewhere.shtml
is is an over the counter medication in small doses in the UK and can be taken long term, unlike Reglan
You can give these handouts to your Dr:
https://www.breastfeedingonline.com/Dom19abcombinedpdf.pdf
They are written by Dr. Jack Newman a BF specialist paediatrician in Canada.
I don't know much about the stop breathing issue, does your Dr think it's something she will grow out of? Do the premie moms have any advice?

 

[cowboys angel]

My doctor and her doctor have no ideas. If she starts doing is aside from when I was trying to bf, but randomly starts happening they will do some tests.

 

[MelanieAnn]

IBCLC = International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Google to find one....