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Anyone have any advice?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Breastfeeding Not Going as Planned!
I guess this is technically another update from my "Breastfeeding Challenges" post. It has been almost three weeks since I saw the lactation consultants. Am I where I thought or wanted to be? Absolutely not!! Breastfeeding has definitely been a rough experience. Currently, I am only able to latch Hunter on once a day. The rest is pumping breast milk into bottles. I wonder if I will ever get to breastfeed exclusively. I also wonder if I have to keep going like this, how long I will actually get to give my son breast milk. I really want to make it to that one year mark, but I just don't know if it will be possible with almost exclusive pumping.
Anyone have any advice?
Anyone have any advice?
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3 comments:
Is it stressing you out? If so, just relax and recognize that IF NECESSARY you can BF and FF. The stress will only make it worse. Have you tried to heat them before using them? That helped for me when I was EBF. I got Mike's sock and filled it with rice and tied it off at the end. Then I heated it in the microwave for 1 minute and put it into my nursing tank so the heat could help with maybe a clogged duct or something. It seemed to help - the longer I heated before feeding the less it hurt.
Have you tried all of the recommended things to increase your supply? I worked after 8 weeks and still nursed until she was 13mo. I used Fenugreek and drank Mother's Milk Tea and it worked to keep my supply up. It also helped to drink as much water as absolutely possible. When I was pumping, I tried to relax as much as possible which is easier said than done when you are holding suction cups to your boobs. Since you are at home with him, try to pump w/ him asleep in the same room. When I was away, I would look at her pic and also read. Reading helped w/ the relaxation. So many people laughed at me when I said I was going to read, but I read more in that year than I have in years. That was a good 2 hour window that I had nothing else to do so it worked. And also remember, that the more you stress the worse you will feel about it. Know that you are doing everything you can do and if in the end you have to go to formula, it will be what is best. The most important thing is that he is getting adequate nutrition and LOVE!!!!
lovejoy, thanks for your comment and the encouragement. I think I am going to try the Mother's Milk Tea. It sounds like it really helped in your situation. Right now my supply is fine, but I am worried it will dwindle the longer I pump. Also, the tip about pumping while he is asleep in the room is a good one, I am going to try that. Thanks!
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