persa I had my thyroid checked a few years ago and it was normal. I would be willing to try domperidone depending on the cost (haven't really looked into it yet).
laurenh as far as I can tell these flanges fit. What is the best way to tell if I need a bigger or smaller size?
Post by catscatscats on Mar 4, 2015 6:19:49 GMT -5
estrellita my due date buddy! I have been going through a similar situation with dd, who was 3 weeks early. We had her tongue tie clipped and have been working with an LC and I was able to get a prescription for don peridone from a naturopath, which has helped. All of that, and we still supplement. 4 weeks in and I'm finally getting ok with it. Baby is fed and we are both so much happier when she is not screaming from hunger frustration.
It is so, so hard not to beat yourself up and feel guilty, but once you open up about this stuff you realize you are not alone. And it is all ok! You are raising a baby! Feeding is effing hard! I have no doubt you are a great mom. Real people don't judge about how your baby is fed. If they do, screw them!
Have you tried letting him comfort nurse and using a syringe to get a little? It might be hard if you are using the shield, but I'm sure it has been done. We used the shield in the beginning when DS would nurse, then get a pumped or formula bottle. Then later when we transitioned away from the shield and the pumped bottle, there were times, even as late as five months, I had to go back to a formula bottle after nursing because he was still hungry. To transition away from the extra bottle and to get him to nurse more to help my supply, we would use the syringe to give him more milk while nursing so he wouldn't get so frustrated. The syringe is tough to keep in place, so if your dh can help you, or even try a piece of tape to hold it in place. The blue painters tape was the best for me.
Just piping in with domperidone pricing. It was $60 for a 3 month supply for me, so definitely affordable! I ordered from in house pharmacy too with no prescription.
Post by thebreakfastclub on Mar 4, 2015 8:24:31 GMT -5
I don't know anything about pumping, but I do know about formula. You mentioned cost specifically; maybe look into qualifying for WIC.
Some other tricks to reduce the cost: - ask the pediatrician's office for samples at each visit - try generic (same regulated ingredients) - consider joining a warehouse club for bulk quantity
I used Up & Up from Target, saving 5% with the Target card at every purchase. It was often on Cartwheel for an extra 5% off, and they will print $1-2 off register coupons from time to time. Watch their ads as well, sometimes they would offer a $10 gift card if you bought 2, or there would be a $25 off $100 baby purchase coupon. Sign up for their mobile text coupons.
I generally spent under $20/week for the first 5 months, then it peaked at maybe $25/week. After 9 months, it went down considerably as DS got more interested in table food.
I waited a long time to try Target diapers, and I found those work well too for my son, at a big savings. I don't think they offer the wetness line, but they are great once they get a little older.
I know where you're coming from. I posted pretty much the exact same thing 9 months ago. (pandce.proboards.com/thread/344220/moms-low-supply) I am all too familiar with the tears and guilt and feeling like a failure because my body couldn't feed my baby. (And the desire to put a post-it on my daughter's bottle that said, "I tried everything, I swear!")
In addition to all the stuff you're already doing, I also took goat's rue three times a day and drank raspberry leaf and nettle tea three times a day. I don't know if it helped -- I certainly did not become a magically lactating goddess as a result -- but it didn't hurt. I investigated Domperidone and Reglan but decided not to go pursue it. I felt like I was at my wit's end with BFing and was nervous about Reglan making me nuttier. One of the side effects of either Dom or Reglan (I can't remember which) was heart problems and my dad died at 43 from a heart attack, so I just didn't want to play around. (Of course, I totally bristled when a woman in my mom's group said *she* would have tried it, anyway. Ugh, thanks.)
As for anecdotes, I do have one friend who had a heck of a time BFing in the beginning and was able to magically increase her supply after two weeks. Her milk just took a loooong time to come in. I held out hope that I'd be like her, but it didn't happen.
Anyway, big hugs. It sucks. But like so many others have said, how you feed your baby is not indicative of how good of a mother you are. You are feeding him and you love him. You are doing great.
Also, there are ways to not spend your life savings on formula. Sign up on the Similac and Enfamil websites and they'll send you samples and coupons. Sign up your husband and also grandparents!
on formula- at our peak when we EFF we were going through a can a week and since we used generic it was only about $65 a month. We used the Costco brand but they are all good.
I probably was judged when some saw me mix formula. In fact a friend in my crunchy moms group actually admitted that kind of sheepishly recently. But she said once she learned what was going on and got to know me she realized she was wrong to judge. So it was a "teachable moment", heh.
sh10 he won't even comfort nurse at this point. He tries to and gets pissed off almost immediately. We spent an hour or two one night using the SNS and shield and it was such a huge hassle. I don't think I can do that every feeding.
thebreakfastclub I think we are just over the limit to qualify for WIC unfortunately. I might see if we can try the Target brand formula. I'm usually all for generic brands!
Big hugs to you. I had the same struggles and had to combo feed; there was no way for me to increase my supply enough, and I tried everything. It is hard, but you are doing great. I'll ditto using Costco for formula if you end up needing some. When he was completely FF we went through roughly a can a week and it is $17.00.
Please don't beat yourself up about this. I had a hard time with BF in the beginning too and I wish I hadn't put so much pressure on myself. My supply recently dropped to almost nothing and I tried all kinds of things to get it back but finally decided it just wasn't worth it anymore. The first few months are so hard anyway without adding this to the mix. If anyone thinks less of you for FF they can just go screw themselves. It's none of anyone's business how you feed your child. I know you really want to make BF work but please don't make yourself crazy over it. FWIW my DD loooves the Target formula, I think she prefers it over BM!
sh10 he won't even comfort nurse at this point. He tries to and gets pissed off almost immediately. We spent an hour or two one night using the SNS and shield and it was such a huge hassle. I don't think I can do that every feeding.
thebreakfastclub I think we are just over the limit to qualify for WIC unfortunately. I might see if we can try the Target brand formula. I'm usually all for generic brands!
Even if he's already had a bottle he won't comfort nurse? I know what I detailed was quite the production but we only had to don't for a week and then he got the hang of it. And it wasn't every feeding, just the evening when my husband was home to help. I get it, it definitely was sustainable to me either, which is why I set a deadline for myself, he was either going to nurse without all the extra stuff by the end of one week or we were switching to formula. Just anther idea, but look at it this way, it can only get better from here. He'll ether figure out nursing or you'll formula fed.
Just piping in with domperidone pricing. It was $60 for a 3 month supply for me, so definitely affordable! I ordered from in house pharmacy too with no prescription.
Djc13 -- where did you order from and are you in the US? Mine was around $200 for a month. Would love to order for less!
Just piping in with domperidone pricing. It was $60 for a 3 month supply for me, so definitely affordable! I ordered from in house pharmacy too with no prescription.
Djc13 -- where did you order from and are you in the US? Mine was around $200 for a month. Would love to order for less!
inhousepharmacy.biz (now inhousepharmacy.vu). It was 500 pills for ~$60, which got me roughly 3 months worth of pills. And yes, I'm in the US. I specifically used the Vomistop brand. Shipping is slow, it takes approx 2 weeks to the US.
sh10 he won't even comfort nurse at this point. He tries to and gets pissed off almost immediately. We spent an hour or two one night using the SNS and shield and it was such a huge hassle. I don't think I can do that every feeding.
thebreakfastclub I think we are just over the limit to qualify for WIC unfortunately. I might see if we can try the Target brand formula. I'm usually all for generic brands!
Even if he's already had a bottle he won't comfort nurse? I know what I detailed was quite the production but we only had to don't for a week and then he got the hang of it. And it wasn't every feeding, just the evening when my husband was home to help. I get it, it definitely was sustainable to me either, which is why I set a deadline for myself, he was either going to nurse without all the extra stuff by the end of one week or we were switching to formula. Just anther idea, but look at it this way, it can only get better from here. He'll ether figure out nursing or you'll formula fed.
Nope. We've fed him a pretty full meal and laid him on my chest. He starts looking to nurse within a few minutes so I would let him try to figure it out but within a minute or two he's already screaming. It got to the point I'm afraid to even lay him on me because I felt like he hated me
I am starting to get more while pumping though. Last night I got a half ounce and the last session I got almost 3/4 an ounce. I really hope it keeps increasing!
I am so sorry. Low supply and a baby mad at the boob are the worst. I had no milk for at least a week and got less than an oz a day from pumping at every feeding. .....
You are NOT a failure. These early days are so very hard. It will get easier, i promise.
All of this.
I had milk, but very little. At one point, I was pumping both sides 5 times per day for a combined total of 3-4 ounces. My CW would come back from one pumping session with 10 ounces.
She had a great latch, and I tried all sorts of things, including laser procedure for a lip tie.
We finally started supplementing at 3 weeks and I combo-fed from there, breastfeeding for the last time at 4.5 months.
Now looking back, the thing that haunts me the very most were those first 3 weeks where I refused to supplement yet and she just wasn't getting what she needed. I hate to think of how hungry she was, and she was losing weight, etc. UGH.
Next time, I will probably supplement even sooner assuming my milk is also a no-show. You are doing a great job, and I know it is so hard not to go down the rabbit hole on this one.
This board was a saving grace for me, and I hope it can be for you too.
My experience was very similar to yours! My milk didn't come in until day 5/6. My baby had a terrible time latching and I have flat nipples. I've also had a breast surgery which I'm sure did not help. I was doing everything I could to try and get my milk supply going and get off formula. I was pumping with a hospital pump every 2-3 hours around the clock in addition to "nursing" before feeding a bottle of formula. I was also eating all the right supplements and drinking the teas, etc. I put "nursing" in quotes because I really don't think she ever got much at the breast, and usually it angered her. It was exhausting and I was hardly sleeping because there wasn't time in between all the pumping, feeding and washing of the pump parts.
About two weeks after my milk came in my supply was the highest it ever was with the pump. I would get 2 oz from each side, but only every 4-6 hours. So, I was not able to get rid of the formula. I continued combination feeding until 4 months, then stopped pumping and nursing and went to only formula. What a relief.
I was disappointed in my local LLL group and the hospital LCs. It seems their advice was only helpful to someone who maybe needed a little encouragement, but who wasn't having serious problems. And with the sleep deprivation and general insanity of having a newborn, I just wasn't able to go to any support groups.
If I have another baby, I'm not sure what I'll do.
I just want to say that I feel for you, it is exhausting in many ways. Please be kind to yourself.
You've received a lot of good advice already, so there's nothing new I can add. You are a great mom! Your dedication is seriously amazing. Your son is so lucky to have you.
curlysue82 that's how I feel too about the LCs and the person I've been in contact with at LLL. It's mostly "oh keep trying, it will work!" No, it's not working. It's not just one minor issue, it's two pretty major ones working against me and against each other. Nursing can help increase my supply but when he refuses to nurse, I need more ideas than "just keep trying". I would think people trained in breastfeeding would have seen these issues before and have more ideas or be able to offer more support.
Thank you everyone for the advice and good thoughts so far. It really means a lot and although I'm not happy that any of you have had a similar experience, it's nice to know I'm not alone. It's not fair that something that's supposed to be easy and natural isn't at all for some people!
Please be kind to yourself. I had a hell of a time with my first getting my supply established. It was never enough for my DD and I had to supplement. I gave myself the hardest time about and it gave me PPD. I think I was miserable for the first 5 months of her life. We did end up combo feeding and she started to gain and was a much happier baby. I know you want what is best for your baby. This is okay but also realize that sometimes it doesn't always work out the way that you envision it to work out. I think you are going above and beyond on trying to figure out what the issue is. Great job mama!
I also can completely relate to the mama guilt. I have it all the time. Especially with this baby whom is still less than 11 pounds at 5 months and has a terrible case of reflux and a milk allergy and is not at all interested in BF due to these issues. But ultimately my goal is getting her to gain weight and be healthy. So I am doing that with the use of formula (only) at the moment.
Ugh I'm just so bitter and upset over this. It's just not fair that this isn't working and it's not helping that I don't know where to turn to. I wish there were someone around here I could go to and find out what the problem is and how to fix it. But no, I'm left to Googling and posting here in hopes I can fix this. I would just totally switch to formula but I'm afraid I'll be even more depressed about it. Why does this have to be so damn difficult?
Hugs, hon. It's HARD. Please, please be kind to yourself. Whatever you decide -- to keep trying with breastfeeding or to switch to formula -- you are still feeding your son and helping him grow strong. One thing that a friend said to me gave me a little bit of comfort: When our kids are 16, how they were fed as an infants will be the last things on our mind.
Also, one quick thing re: pumping, if you decide you want to keep doing it. The leader of the BF support group I went to told me about "Massage, Stroke, Shake," which helps eke out a bit more milk when you're pumping. You look like a fool when you're doing it, but it helped me get like an extra quarter ounce sometimes. When you're working with nothing, every little bit helps: lllrochester.weebly.com/uploads/7/9/5/4/795404/marmet_technique_tearoff.pdf
Ugh I'm just so bitter and upset over this. It's just not fair that this isn't working and it's not helping that I don't know where to turn to. I wish there were someone around here I could go to and find out what the problem is and how to fix it. But no, I'm left to Googling and posting here in hopes I can fix this. I would just totally switch to formula but I'm afraid I'll be even more depressed about it. Why does this have to be so damn difficult?
I was thinking about you and looking for an update. I never successfully breastfed or owned a pump, so I have nothing there.
What I can tell you, is that in the first couple of weeks after having a baby, your tolerance for things not going well is very low...like the lowest in your whole life. Everything is magnified, everything feels monumental. I had an unplanned c-section, and I was really so, so upset about what had happened in the days following. I am normall a shake it off, move on type person, and I was really knocked down, in a bigger way than I ever thought.
It becomes less of a big deal over time, less emotional. You will start to get into a routine, and start to get used to the baby, and actually enjoy having the baby! Probably 99% of us had things that didn't work out the way we planned, so you are in good company.
If you feel like you are slipping into a PPD situation, I would talk to your doctor though. Hang in there.
Ugh I'm just so bitter and upset over this. It's just not fair that this isn't working and it's not helping that I don't know where to turn to. I wish there were someone around here I could go to and find out what the problem is and how to fix it. But no, I'm left to Googling and posting here in hopes I can fix this. I would just totally switch to formula but I'm afraid I'll be even more depressed about it. Why does this have to be so damn difficult?
I was thinking about you and looking for an update. I never successfully breastfed or owned a pump, so I have nothing there.
What I can tell you, is that in the first couple of weeks after having a baby, your tolerance for things not going well is very low...like the lowest in your whole life. Everything is magnified, everything feels monumental. I had an unplanned c-section, and I was really so, so upset about what had happened in the days following. I am normall a shake it off, move on type person, and I was really knocked down, in a bigger way than I ever thought.
It becomes less of a big deal over time, less emotional. You will start to get into a routine, and start to get used to the baby, and actually enjoy having the baby! Probably 99% of us had things that didn't work out the way we planned, so you are in good company.
If you feel like you are slipping into a PPD situation, I would talk to your doctor though. Hang in there.
I'm pretty stubborn and have a hard time sometimes when things don't go as planned, so that plus the hormones and everything I'm sure isn't helping. I just don't like when there is a problem I can't fix. I'm having H call the LC again (I've been having him call for me because I keep getting too emotional to even talk to them) as kind of a last effort in trying to get help. I know there are stories out there where 2 weeks or more PP people were able to successfully start BFing or got their supply up. I want that to be me so badly.
It's possible that this might get into PPD territory. I think if I run out of options and we end up just going to formula, I will probably get some help for that. It's not ok or normal to feel like this
I think the LLL person I was in contact with even gave up. I haven't heard back from them in a few days.. glad to know they even think I'm a lost cause!
I think the LLL person I was in contact with even gave up. I haven't heard back from them in a few days.. glad to know they even think I'm a lost cause!
No!! At least in my town our lll was very flaky. I tried to Meet with then But it never worked out. Is there no lc in your area? Does your pedi have any recs of someone even somewhat close?
I think the LLL person I was in contact with even gave up. I haven't heard back from them in a few days.. glad to know they even think I'm a lost cause!
No!! At least in my town our lll was very flaky. I tried to Meet with then But it never worked out. Is there no lc in your area? Does your pedi have any recs of someone even somewhat close?
I haven't asked the pedi yet but we have an appointment on Monday and I was going to maybe ask about that and maybe domperidone too to see what she says. There are LCs at the hospital but they apparently don't take appointments. We've called them a few times for advice but their suggestions aren't working. H left a message for them so we're waiting on a call back. I'm going to see if they could meet with me or if they have any other ideas about why I'm getting so little milk almost 2 weeks PP. They did mention seeing if I qualify for a visit from a public health nurse but I don't think that will be helpful. I need someone trained specifically in BFing, not just a general nurse.
No!! At least in my town our lll was very flaky. I tried to Meet with then But it never worked out. Is there no lc in your area? Does your pedi have any recs of someone even somewhat close?
I haven't asked the pedi yet but we have an appointment on Monday and I was going to maybe ask about that and maybe domperidone too to see what she says. There are LCs at the hospital but they apparently don't take appointments. We've called them a few times for advice but their suggestions aren't working. H left a message for them so we're waiting on a call back. I'm going to see if they could meet with me or if they have any other ideas about why I'm getting so little milk almost 2 weeks PP. They did mention seeing if I qualify for a visit from a public health nurse but I don't think that will be helpful. I need someone trained specifically in BFing, not just a general nurse.
That is so weird about the hospital lc. I would call your pedi receptionist now and ask for a lc rec. The should be able to give you the name and number of someone who can help face to face.