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Boob Log First Entry.
- Apr 2, 2010 at 2:16 PM
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HK is five weeks old and and still weighs less than when she was born. Week 1...couldnt get her to latch on properly. Nipples were cracked bleeding...PAIN! Called help line....talked to friends...bought nipple shield. She latched!!!! Week two...still hadn't made it to birth wieght. Doc said pump and supplement....Week 3 SHE WAS BIRTH Wieght!!! Whoo hoo. Fenugreek and expensive pump did it!!! Week 5...see lactation counsoler to help get off nipple shield. Find out she's lost wieght. She is now under her birth wieght. LC gets her latched on and we begin to use SMS....a supplement breast system that makes me feel more like a cow than the damn pump.
Next week we will see if she has gained wieght. I have to cont to pump and breastfeed and supplement. My whole day revolves around feeding her. My two older kids are fustrated and feeling left out. My hubby is tierd of me crying. I am sad...really really sad. They say breast is best...but is it really??? I am a woman and I should be able to do this with ease...but I can't. I don't feel much like a woman right now. FML.
Comments:
It's so horrible to struggle with breastfeeding---it's NOT as easy as it should be. I think that you've been doing such a great job working so hard at it. I feel as if I need a little more information to start to give suggestions.
How often is she eating? How long does she eat each time? When do you pump? Is she able to latch on now?
This isn't going to solve the problem, but it can help give you a little extra boost: Mother's Milk tea. It may sound silly, but really make sure that you are drinking enough water. Drink a glass before you breastfeed.
You can do this! The first 6 weeks are the hardest, for most women, and once you get everything figured out, it will be a breeze!
Keep taking the fenugreek, drink Mother's Milk tea, eat lots of oatmeal, drink lots of water, and keep taking your prenatals. Make sure you're eating well, and add fatty foods to your diet, like avocados, raw nuts, etc. (not junk foods, but the good kind of fatty foods). Nurse nurse nurse! Let baby have both sides as long as possible before giving a bottle, and if you have anyone around you that can give you pumped milk to use in your SMS, that'll help your supply much more than using formula. Make sure you're not giving baby a paci, as you need your breasts to be stimulated as much as possible to increase letdown.
Tell your body to produce more. Just talk to yourself, encourage yourself. "I can do this. My body is designed to feed my baby, and I will do it.
Don't let your doctor discourage you, and don't look so much at the weight. Yes, he should start gaining soon, but is he wetting enough diapers? The breastmilk comes in 2 forms: foremilk, which is watery to quench baby's thirst, and hindmilk, which is fatty, essentially the food. If baby's not getting enough hindmilk (which can happen if he's not staying on the same side long enough), then he's not going to gain weight well. You could even try nursing from the same side for 2 feedings in a row, then switching to the other side for 2 feeding (called block feeding).
Good luck, sweetie! You can do it! :)
It was tough for me when I was breastfeeding my first baby. I too got the SNS, the expensive pump, the fenugreek, the pumping-every-2-hours every day...
My son actually got a good latch on by 6-7 weeks of us trying to figure it out. But because I had "Raynaud's of the nipple" it hurt so bad to nurse that my milk wouldn't let down (compression of the nipple caused it to blanch white, all the blood left them, it's basically like putting your nipples in a vice-grip with ice cubes). So I ended up pumping exclusively, beginning when my son was 2 months old for 3 months... Found out that a Vitamin B supplement, and cutting out caffeine would help the Raynauds. At 5 months old my son started nursing full time (mind you, this is after him not nursing from the breast since he was 2 months!!). We got rid of the bottles, I put the pump in the closet and that was that... He nursed till he weaned himself.
Usually it doesn't take that long!! But in my case I really just decided to use the pump instead of trying to nurse, because I had such a painful condition in my nipples, and didn't know how to treat it until MUCH later.
Good luck, and keep at it. It will work out mama. HUGS I know how hard it is when the baby won't latch on.
MelanieLouise really said it best. I feel you, mama. I am breastfeeding twins and am having trouble keeping up. But I am taking the advice Melanie gave. Breast is best.
Most of all, stick with it. Keep a positive attitude because it will get easier. Drink lots of water and stay calm. Your mental health is so important.
The more you feed your baby, the more milk you will produce. Has your baby latched on better now without the help of the LC?
I am still using the nipple shield. And using the sms and pumping 3 times a day 4 20 min. LC says we will use nipple shield till she gains wieght. Thank u for the support and stories...I need it!!
I don't really have much else to add, but DON'T beat yourself up about this being hard! It really isn't such any easy thing, for lots of women, and you are doing SO great jumping over these hurdles that you have had to face.
Hang in there, I know you can do it ;)
When I had problems with my latch (and believe me, I sympathize with the pain and hurting), my issue was that because my daughter's mouth was so small, she wasn't getting enough of the nipple into her mouth. I had to squeeze my breast just behind the nipple so that she could fit it into her mouth properly. I also held her mouth open with a finger (yes, I did manage to figure out how to do these at the same time with only 2 hands and still not drop her!). So, that's one thing to try.
As for pumping, try pumping directly after you've finished a nursing session. Baby comes off and pump comes on. That will trick your breast into thinking that your baby is demanding even more from you per session.
Make sure that you are nursing every 2-3 hours. 3 would be more normal, but 2 during a growth spurt. More importantly, feed whenever she asks for it. Always offer both breasts (unless you're trying Melanie's suggestion).
Use Lansinoh on your nipples before and after nursing sessions to keep them healthy.
Try lots of different positions to find the one that works best. It is different for everyone.
Use a nursing pillow to help keep your baby in the right position. Lots of people use a Boppy, but I didn't think that it gave me the support that I needed. Maybe I'm just too tall. I thought that the My Breast Friend was fantastic. It doesn't give way in the middle like the Boppy does, so the baby is evenly supported across her whole body. I put a thin pillow underneath the My Breast Friend to hold it up even a little higher. Using the right support could be important to getting baby in the right position to latch on well.
I'll add more tips when I think of them.
I will add one thing. There are worse things than having to use a nipple shield. We simply could not get my first dd to latch, and she used it until she was four months old. Then, I took it off and her mouth was big enough that it wasn't a problem. It was a pain to remember to take everywhere, but it worked. Getting off it is best, because I do think it helps get you milk supply up, but if you can't, there is still hope!!!
If your daughter is having problems latching you might want to see if she is tongue tied. I had a lot of problems nursing my youngest. It wasn't until he was weened at 15 months that I figured it out.
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Oh honey. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time...I'm going to show this to some of my super smart BFing friends...I BF'd but I didn't have trouble like you're having. Maybe one of them can help.
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