RELACTATING- Gave up BF @3wks, she latched herself on this morning!

[evasmum]

Wonderful news

 

[TheNewMrs]

So I bought fenugreek capsules today. Anyone know how many I should take a day?

Fenugreek
Fennel tea
Oats
Min 2l water per day
Lots of dairy

Anything else I can do to boost my supply?!

Also when did your milk start to "shoot" out?! I saw a lady nip today and when her wee lad came off her milk was still shooting. She had to press her boob till it stopped. Oh Lord I just realised I sat watching a woman feeding her baby in a coffee shop, I bet she thought I was a creep! Lol

 

[DianaB]

I take domperidone instead of fenugreek it just seemed to work better for me. Obviously I put my lo to the breast whenever possible but when I do have to give her a formula feed or a feed of ebm I use a supplementary nurser to get the extra stimulation as well. On top of this I pump every 2 hours in the day and every 3-4 at night. Also I keep myself well hydrated and eat oatmeal I basically do anything I heard could help.

 

[ljo1984]

I used domperidone while I was pumping when Freya was in icu you can get it over counter(it's an anti sickness drug but boosts supply), fenugreek is natural although not sure of dosage, google should find something lol.
My milk doesn't shoot like it did in the beginning but still can do if I'm quite full and after let down. Xx

 

[TheNewMrs]

So I guess using both would be no harm then?!

 

[mrs.amillian]

Well done sweetie, I've been following your thread and your doing amazing

I use Fenugreek and Domperidone, with the Fenugreek I take 3 caps 3 times a day but when you start to smell like fenugreek then you've hit the right dosge and can reduce it a little.

Domperidone, the Dr's have let me set my own dosage I take upto 90mgs a day, but if I get stomach cramps then I have to give it a rest for a day or so.

I can never pump more than an once or so from each breast, but we are doing half and half with the formula, and would love to get back to exclusively BF, so gonna watch the advice your being given very closely, lol!!

 

[TheNewMrs]

Aw thank you dear... Im so thrilled to know that we're not alone!! It's hard sometimes but it'll be so worth it! I can buy the drug over the counter yes??

We're still taking over an hour to nurse.
She doesn't seem to want to stop at all unless she's fallen asleep. She keeps suckling even though she's not drinking all the time...!

 

[mrs.amillian]

Suckling is really good and even if she isn't gulping big mouthfuls she will still be getting something.

I went to the Doctor to get my Domperidone, cause I didn't wanna buy it lol!! But yeah you can get it over the counter.

 

[Bid]

I'm so glad things are going well for you, I can confirm that oats = water cannons, been eating a lot of flapjacks this week and poor LO is nearly getting his head knocked off

Just a note about dairy though, this won't have any effect on your milk. There's a saying "you don't need to drink milk to make milk" which is very true, just think about cows! Although the extra calcium is good for you it won't effect the amount of calcium in your milk as this is taken from your existing stores, and there are better ways to increase your calcium consumption through other foods or even a supplement if you think you need it. The only reason I mention this is that milk proteins come through your breastmilk and can cause a problem for some babies leading to an intolerace (causing diarrhea, reflux and other gastro-type problems) or outright allergy (sever gastro problems plus a rash, stuffy nose etc). The science behind allergies is very complex but in basic terms it works like this: as mammals we're not designed to drink another mammal's milk, whether it's cow/goat or any other kind. Although we a tolerate the complex proteins it contains and usually process them without problems, a baby's digestive system is still very immature and can struggle breaking these proteins down. For some sensitive babies this just causes diarrhea etc. But in others the body reacts to these 'invaders' by triggering an immune response which can cause the allergy symptoms. Some experts believe there may be a link between mum eating a lot of dairy (or any other complex food like soy, eggs, gluten) and an allergy developing, probably because LO's system is bombarded by these foreign complex proteins, although it's not been proven. But my son is allergic and I know I ate loads of dairy in the couple of weeks before and after his birth, much more than I usually would because I thought it would help my milk. So my advice would be just to eat a normal amount rather than going out of your way to consume more. I'd hate for you to end up having dietary problems after doing such a great job getting her back on the breast

 

[TheNewMrs]

Thank you so much! I had no idea , this is why I love this forum. I never would have known half the stuff I do now!

 

[eden smith]

This has really helped my friend, thanks for the post, really lovely news x

 

[TheNewMrs]

This has really helped my friend, thanks for the post, really lovely news x

Your very welcome! I'm glad to be of help to someone!

 

[TheNewMrs]

So the ouchy nipples have set in. They're starting to go a pale pink colour after she's been feeding for a while... My areola and nipples went from pink to brown in pregnancy so it looks quite strange to see my drk areola, usually bright pink nipple and then it goes pale pink almost grey when she's been feeding for ages.

I'm also starting to feel them stinging and almost throbbing after a feed. Lanisoh needs to work faster!

I'm feeling the need to seriously cut down on formula. But
I'm also afraid of a rapid weight loss if I do that? Right now I offer her formula if she's frustrated after emptying both boobs and still crying. She may only have 2-3oz. She was taking 5oz 5 times a day. Should I stop offering her formula and allow the extra demand on my body? I don't want to starve her though?! Any advice?

 

[littlestar85]

It's definitely possible! That's amazing, you must be so proud of her! Good luck with it. x

 

[blhanson1]

x

 

[TheNewMrs]

I am so extremely proud of my baby! She has been so patient,. She's just done her thing and only relied on me to put her to the breast. She isn't much of a crier anyway but I've barely heard her cry through all this she is a trooper!

A tip that worked really well for us was to hand express some milk and rub it around the nip so the baby would taste it even before she began to suck. It helped us with latching. So just now when I went to do that, my boobs must have been so full that it squirted LO right in the face!!! I laughed so much- needless to say she didn't look too impressed...

 

[ljo1984]

aw brilliant! you'll be ditching the formula in no time. xx

 

[TheNewMrs]

So it's 9.06pm and she's only had 5of formula today! She seems pretty content. She is still cluster feeding which is perfectly fine by me... She's taking big gulps at the start of her feed then small swallows every 5-6 sucks.
I am so thrilled though.... It looks like we may be able to EBF if my supply keeps this up!!

She is still quite sucky and will enjoy a paci if she isn't hungry. If she is hungry though she won't be long spitting it out when she sucks a few times and nothing is coming out...

I'm so glad now we stuck with it.

 

[lisa1980]

I'm so glad this is going well for you - you've done something really amazing (and your LO of course )

 

[eulmh82]

I was wondering about this and am going to give it a try - baby is 8 wks old and I stopped expressing at 3 weeks - he has a tongue tie but now he;s stronger it's worth a try right.