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

[ljo1984]

No your doing great, it's hard to know how much they are getting bf, and of she wasnt carrying on for food your not to know. Just do as the mw said, and carry on as you are for increasing your supply. Xxx

 

[The Alchemist]

I think as long as you do what the doc advised, your lo will be fine.

 

[Bid]

I feel like we're taking 2 steps back!

Course you're not, don't be daft! Look how far you've come in TWELVE days, from not breastfeeding at all to giving her up to 80% of her daily feeds - you're doing an unbelievably amazing job!

 

[TheNewMrs]

I am so upset right now, I let my baby get dehydrated!!! What kind of human am I at all? She's been so sleepy today she hasn't had the energy to suckle too much... I am disgusted I've done this to her!!!

So im here trying to pump. Still just under the ounce.. I can't seen to get a let down.. Stil the nip stimulation should do some thing. I need to wake LO to FF her.... I despise formula.

 

[lisa1980]

You're doing SO well.

Try to keep in mind that it's not a race...you've got plenty of time to get to EBF and if small steps are what your LO needs then that's the way to go. You'll get there in the end - all the progress so far is amazing and really promising. Please don't think of it as going backwards...more a bump in the road

 

[Bid]

I am so upset right now, I let my baby get dehydrated!!! What kind of human am I at all? She's been so sleepy today she hasn't had the energy to suckle too much... I am disgusted I've done this to her!!!

How were you to know?! She wasn't acting hungry and as soon as you spotted the problem you put it right - it's not like they come with a big flashing sign telling you what's going on inside. My LO has got dehydrated before and I had to give him water when I noticed his pee wasn't right (he wasn't well and had been feeding all day so I thought he was fine, but obviously he'd not been taking much). That's a baby that's been EBF from the start, and it certainly doesn't make me feel like a bad mother. You're doing the very best for her and you've come so far, you should be proud!

 

[TheNewMrs]

Thanks for the support girls, I just can't shake this feeling of guilt. We'll keep at it though. We WILL get there eventually. :/ x

 

[The Alchemist]

You should def be proud! Don't beat yourself up. You're not the only mom in the world who has had a dehydrated baby! Dehydration is easily fixed. And from the looks of it, you're doing great with building supply. I have a medela symphony that hasn't been used since I started combi feeding. Like you, I should start pumping again and more bf. Again thanks for inspiring and don't worry...everything will work out so long as you keep doing what you've started. You've given me so much motivation and hope to rebuild my own supply. It just takes time and energy.

 

[Bid]

Thanks for the support girls, I just can't shake this feeling of guilt. We'll keep at it though. We WILL get there eventually. :/ x

Heck you're a mum, you'll always feel guilty for something! The other night I thought LO was just being fussy when he wouldn't settle after his midnight feed so I ignored his winging, rolled over and went back to sleep. Woke up to him screaming a while later and realised he was burning up with a fever, took his temp and it was 39 degrees! Ended up sitting up with him all night after that terrified he was going to have a fit or end up in hospital, and felt like the worst mother in the world. And today I dropped the tv remote on his head while he was asleep in my lap

 

[TheNewMrs]

Thanks for the support girls, I just can't shake this feeling of guilt. We'll keep at it though. We WILL get there eventually. :/ x

Heck you're a mum, you'll always feel guilty for something! The other night I thought LO was just being fussy when he wouldn't settle after his midnight feed so I ignored his winging, rolled over and went back to sleep. Woke up to him screaming a while later and realised he was burning up with a fever, took his temp and it was 39 degrees! Ended up sitting up with him all night after that terrified he was going to have a fit or end up in hospital, and felt like the worst mother in the world. And today I dropped the tv remote on his head while he was asleep in my lap

Thank you!! Lol, That made me chuckle!

 

[TheNewMrs]

Well she just spent the last hour pooping.... 3, yes 3!!!! FULL nappies.... I can only decsribe them as being yellow with little paler yellow tiny seeds in it?! I have never seen that before???

 

[DianaB]

Yellow seedy poo id good breast milk poo, definitely on the right track!

 

[somedaymama]

That poop sounds perfect! I think it's awesome that you are doing this for your baby. Have you thought about using an at-breast supplementer when you give the formula? Here they are called SNS or Lact-Aid. The baby nurses but is fed the supplemental milk through a tube into her mouth. That way the baby is getting the milk she needs, but your breasts are also getting stimulated, and the baby doesn't start to get a preference for the bottle. A friend with low milk supply uses one to feed her baby donor milk.

again, way to go!

 

[ljo1984]

The perfect breast milk poo!! And 3 in a row sounds about right too!! Ha ha. I felt guilty as hell when Freya was really poorly at 2 weeks, she'd got a cold of Imogen and one night she was screaming all night, next morning she went off to sleep, her breathing was harder but thought it was from crying so much, took her to my mums and she was saying I should take her to drs, oh started getting stressy so to shut them up I made an emergency appointment and she got seen with an hour, drs looked her over and told us to take her to peads a&e, ended up in resus having tubes down her nose to stomach, on cpap, needles everywhere, icu for 4 days, on the first night she was so so close to been ventilated! Ive never felt such a ahit mum in my life, she had rsv (a respiratory virus) and I was just gonna leave her!! I still can't believe I thought she was fine! I'm supposed to be a nurse for god sake!! So shit mum and nurse moments going on!!

So everyone can sympathise with them feelings at some point being a parent. Big hugs. Xxx

 

[TheNewMrs]

Thank you all do much for your encouragement. I really appreciate it.. They dont tell you horrible you'll feel as a mum when you mess up... :/

I also can't understand how, she gave that huge amount of poop, so she's obviously getting food, she could still get dehydrated? Anyway I'll stick to the advice I was given about offering her the 2oz of formula after each bf...

The whole 1am-5pm really is true though! She fed last night from 12.40-2.10 both sides, took 2oz formula, woke again at 4.50-6.05 and fed again!! I woke up this morning bursting out of this nursing bra... She's feeding now and the engorgement is easing.. Thank God!!

 

[lisa1980]

It sounds like you're right back on track. Those poos sound great (for want of a better word ).

I know what you mean about morning engorgement...ouch! It got much better for me once my supply regulated but in some ways it was useful as I could get loads out with a pump first thing in the morning if I needed to with minimal effort. Silver linings eh?

And mums are genetically programmed to feel guilt about everything. I've dropped stuff on my LO, not noticed when he's rolled over from sitting and face-planted himself in the carpet, put his clothes on back to front or inside out....I could go on Please don't feel guilty - you're doing so well.

 

[quirk]

You have nothing to feel guilty about. You noticed something wasn't right, even before the orange pee, and did something about it. You're a great mum and you're doing the best thing for her. You're changing her whole life. I've been following your posts, and even though I don't know you, I am proud of you. And I think it's great how you're inspiring other ladies too. The engorgement is great! It'll calm down though soon enough when your supply regulates.

 

[Bid]

Totally agree with quirk about feeling proud of you even though I don't know you, I told my husband and he's now started asking how you're getting on every day, I even told my mum about you on the phone last night

You're doing such a great thing xxx

 

[TheNewMrs]

Aw thank you girls. You have no idea how much your support means to me. I come from a culture where the health professionals are all for BF but society still finds it "strange"... So having the support here really means a lot to me.. So thank you!

 

[Kirei]

I told someone at breastfeeding support about you and it's inspired her too xxx