my bfing journey may be over. :( update

[meagan0716]

I have been going strong for 9 months and 16days. But I think my milk is starting to dry up. Monkey is nursing more and for less amount of time. 15-30 mins after she nurses she screams and screams I put her back to the breast and she stops. Nurses and then 15-30mins later she is screaming again. She use to eat 6 times a day 30-40 mins at a time. Now it is like 5-10 mins flat both sides. Her diaper count is good though. Plus before I switch her from one breast to the other she bites me as if she is made that my breast may be empty. I tried hand suppressing and I got barley anything. I have been taking fenugreek like 4 times a day. I wanted so badly to make it to a year. Even Dh is trying to talk me into weening her and putting her on formula. His is because mainly the biting. I know this is a babbling mess of a post my thought are all over the place. I am just not ready to give up the bond we share. Or pay for the price of formula. And I also feel like a failure.

Update6/21
OK sorry I haven't replied yet. I've been busy. Where to begin is the real question. Kahlan doesn't get alot of food she refuses to eat any jar food. But she likes the snacks and she doesn't get a lot of those. She won't eat baby cereal she refuses that. I have given her table food she picks at it some she eats but most of it goes to the floor. I tried formula the other day because I was desperate. She drank 1 once and that was it. But that was because she refuse to nurse at all yesterday. I was leaking yesterday and this morning. She nursed a few times today. When we went for her 9 moth the Dr said her iron was low and she needed iron drops since she refuses to eat any foods for the most part that seemed to be the start of her problems along with her teething. I have given her teething tablets for her teeth rubbed her gums. she don't like anything cold. Today I broke down and gave her tylenol for her teeth. Waited 30 mins and nursed. She nursed for 40 Mins. And is currently sleeping. I don't like giving her medicine. But it helped. I alway offer the breast before any solids are given or snacks and before water or juice. I also haven't given her the iron drops for the past 2 days. Idk what to do about those. It seems to be affecting her nursing along with her teeth. That's all i have for now. Thank you ladies for the help. I greatly appreciate it.

[larissalarie]

When my boys had their iron checked a few months back, the 1 year old was 11 and the two year old was 12. I was told that was a healthy number.
They don't get fortified food or supplements.

Not eating baby food & cereal is actually great. And not eating much table good is fine still as well. My youngest would only take a few bites a few times a week until a month or two past his birthday. He weighed almost 30 pounds at 1, so obviously it was fine, lol. Solids are for fun right now, breastmilk is all they need for nutrition.

Quoting meagan0716:

He said it was 11. Tonight I offered her table food and she didn't want any of it.

Quoting tabi_cat1023:

HUGS momma...did doctor tell you the actual iron levels, often they expect too high levels.

MOST babies this age prefer to self feed, if you give baby time and the experience more and moer will go in the mouth and not on the floor!

Tylenol is not evil, though I would give ibuprofen over tylenol because tylenol is linked to asthma

[tabi_cat1023]

because its on the low end of normal and doctors have no BFing training

Quoting meagan0716:

I don't understand stand why he said she needed the drops then

Quoting mollysmom328:

11 is actually still in the normal range

Age	Hemoglobin concentration (grams per deciliter)	Hematocrit (Hct) %	[measures iron stores] Serum Ferritin (micrograms per liter)
newborn	13.5-24	42-68	-not available-
One week	10-20	31-67	-not available-
1-2 months	10-18	28-55	-not available-
2-6 months	9.5-14	28-42	-not available-
6-12 months	10.5-14 (12 average)	33-42 (37 average)	15 is minimum (30 average)
1-2 years	11.0-13	32.9-41	(30 average)
2-5 years	11.1-13	34-40	-not available-

Quoting meagan0716:

He said it was 11. Tonight I offered her table food and she didn't want any of it.

Quoting tabi_cat1023:

HUGS momma...did doctor tell you the actual iron levels, often they expect too high levels.

MOST babies this age prefer to self feed, if you give baby time and the experience more and moer will go in the mouth and not on the floor!

Tylenol is not evil, though I would give ibuprofen over tylenol because tylenol is linked to asthma

[LadyBugMom09]

Bump

[larissalarie]

A few reasons: doctors like to look for any reason to think breastfeeding alone isn't good enough (those formula reps spend a lot of money "educating" doctors), and also doctors are trained to handle medical problems, so they tend to try to find things to "fix" when everything is a-ok.

Quoting meagan0716:

I don't understand stand why he said she needed the drops then

Quoting mollysmom328:

11 is actually still in the normal range

Age	Hemoglobin concentration (grams per deciliter)	Hematocrit (Hct) %	[measures iron stores] Serum Ferritin (micrograms per liter)
newborn	13.5-24	42-68	-not available-
One week	10-20	31-67	-not available-
1-2 months	10-18	28-55	-not available-
2-6 months	9.5-14	28-42	-not available-
6-12 months	10.5-14 (12 average)	33-42 (37 average)	15 is minimum (30 average)
1-2 years	11.0-13	32.9-41	(30 average)
2-5 years	11.1-13	34-40	-not available-

Quoting meagan0716:

He said it was 11. Tonight I offered her table food and she didn't want any of it.

Quoting tabi_cat1023:

HUGS momma...did doctor tell you the actual iron levels, often they expect too high levels.

MOST babies this age prefer to self feed, if you give baby time and the experience more and moer will go in the mouth and not on the floor!

Tylenol is not evil, though I would give ibuprofen over tylenol because tylenol is linked to asthma

[gdiamante]

Quoting meagan0716:

Update6/21
OK sorry I haven't replied yet. I've been busy. Where to begin is the real question. Kahlan doesn't get alot of food she refuses to eat any jar food.

Heh heh... taste the stuff and you'll see why. Save your money... she can eat table foods. Has been able to since six months. Try cutting a banana into chunks and putting it in front of her.. AFTER nursing, of course!

But she likes the snacks and she doesn't get a lot of those. She won't eat baby cereal she refuses that.

Smart girl you've got there! 

I have given her table food she picks at it some she eats but most of it goes to the floor.

Pretty normal for the age. I do recommend solids that are color coordinated with your kitchen. **grin**

I tried formula the other day because I was desperate. She drank 1 once and that was it.

Oooh, is she smart!

But that was because she refuse to nurse at all yesterday. I was leaking yesterday and this morning. She nursed a few times today.

Good! This is pretty normal stuff for the age.

When we went for her 9 moth the Dr said her iron was low and she needed iron drops since she refuses to eat any foods for the most part

Was the iron count done from a finger prick? That is often inaccurate. When low iron is diagnosed it's a good idea to get a blood draw for verification. Problem with drops is that they can interfere with iron absorption from breastmilk. And then there's the spitting it out issue... iron drops taste icky too.

that seemed to be the start of her problems along with her teething. I have given her teething tablets for her teeth rubbed her gums. she don't like anything cold.

Hmmm... raw onion can help.

Today I broke down and gave her tylenol for her teeth. Waited 30 mins and nursed. She nursed for 40 Mins. And is currently sleeping.

EXCELLENT!

I don't like giving her medicine. But it helped.

And you have to do what works. Teething can really be a pretty miserable experience for them. Mine didn't do so well with teething tablets either.

I alway offer the breast before any solids are given or snacks and before water or juice. I also haven't given her the iron drops for the past 2 days. Idk what to do about those. It seems to be affecting her nursing along with her teeth. That's all i have for now. Thank you ladies for the help. I greatly appreciate it.

OK, you're really doing quite well. I know you don't like doing the tylenol, but I think it's the lesser of two evils here... the other evil being baby not eating.

[meagan0716]

Thank you for the advice. Today she nursed around 6 this morning. We got back up at 830. I offered her the breast she only nursed for 5 mins. Went upstairs made breakfast split a banana and a little of my yogurt with her. She ate a little then was done. She nursed for 5 mins after that. And now it is her nap time and she has nursed for 32 mins so far. Idk how much of it is her using me a a paci or that she is actually nursing because she is a sleep.

Quoting gdiamante:

Quoting meagan0716:

Update6/21

OK sorry I haven't replied yet. I've been busy. Where to begin is the real question. Kahlan doesn't get alot of food she refuses to eat any jar food.

Heh heh... taste the stuff and you'll see why. Save your money... she can eat table foods. Has been able to since six months. Try cutting a banana into chunks and putting it in front of her.. AFTER nursing, of course!

But she likes the snacks and she doesn't get a lot of those. She won't eat baby cereal she refuses that.

Smart girl you've got there! 

I have given her table food she picks at it some she eats but most of it goes to the floor.

Pretty normal for the age. I do recommend solids that are color coordinated with your kitchen. **grin**

I tried formula the other day because I was desperate. She drank 1 once and that was it.

Oooh, is she smart!

But that was because she refuse to nurse at all yesterday. I was leaking yesterday and this morning. She nursed a few times today.

Good! This is pretty normal stuff for the age.

When we went for her 9 moth the Dr said her iron was low and she needed iron drops since she refuses to eat any foods for the most part

Was the iron count done from a finger prick? That is often inaccurate. When low iron is diagnosed it's a good idea to get a blood draw for verification. Problem with drops is that they can interfere with iron absorption from breastmilk. And then there's the spitting it out issue... iron drops taste icky too.

that seemed to be the start of her problems along with her teething. I have given her teething tablets for her teeth rubbed her gums. she don't like anything cold.

Hmmm... raw onion can help.

Today I broke down and gave her tylenol for her teeth. Waited 30 mins and nursed. She nursed for 40 Mins. And is currently sleeping.

EXCELLENT!

I don't like giving her medicine. But it helped.

And you have to do what works. Teething can really be a pretty miserable experience for them. Mine didn't do so well with teething tablets either.

I alway offer the breast before any solids are given or snacks and before water or juice. I also haven't given her the iron drops for the past 2 days. Idk what to do about those. It seems to be affecting her nursing along with her teeth. That's all i have for now. Thank you ladies for the help. I greatly appreciate it.

OK, you're really doing quite well. I know you don't like doing the tylenol, but I think it's the lesser of two evils here... the other evil being baby not eating.