Re Establishing Milk Supply After Almost Weaning
4 Replies
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hi all. My baby is now 4 and a half months and I breatfed him exclusively for the first 8 weeks- I loved a lot of it but also constantly had cracked nipples, VERY painful and I ended up miserable and basically weaned. I can now only pump about 40mls per day but my nipples are much better- I"m over the tired feelings and I feel much more ''ready'' and educated and confident with my baby. I'd love to be able to increase my supply again so that I could AT LEAST br___tfeed him a couple of tiems a day instead of pumping the tiny 40mls and giving it to him in a bottle and then formula for the rest of the feeds. I miss br___tfeeding. I am not returning to work for at least a year so that is not an issue. Anyone been in this position? Is it hopeless? Should I just give it up and really commit to br___tfeed my next baby>? I just started him on solids this week- a little bit of banana a day....so he's well fed and happy but I still have those moments when I'd love him to take the br___t again.....sorry long story but I'd LOVE any advice from you lovely ladies!
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I know it is possible for you to nurse again...it just happened to us. In our case, dd got a cold and refused the b___st. She got so many bottles (w/ b___st milk) that she decided she liked them much better then "mom". This is called a nursing strike. Every day that she did not nurse, my supply decreased more and more. To top things off, my dear dog got sick and eventually had to be put to sleep. In short, the stress in my life caused a further decrease in my supply. I honestly thought I would have to give dd formula because it was dwindling that fast. I remembered in one of my nursing books that taking a warm bath with your baby can encourage them to nurse. At first she was not interested and then "boom" she was latched on and nursing. Please try the bath idea. I do have several suggestions though. Get the bathroom good and warm...unless you have nice deep tub. Have the towels all ready so you can move the baby out of the water easily or have dad near by to help. Know that it will likely be ackward for you to nurse in the tub. Holding on to a little wet one while trying to keep both of you warm while he nurses is definately a challenge. Try nursing him when he wakes in the night and is still drowsy. Eventually work in some early morning or late evening feedings. If he cries at the b___st because he does not want it, but you know he is hungry then offer him an ounce or so of milk first to take the edge off. Try to have others give him a bottle instead of you. I know this is unrealistic for some of us, but he should learn to a__sociate you with b___st feeding. I get dh to give dd her morning bottle and I stay away. Keep trying...even though he is rejecting you. He will come around.
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great advice kellens mom. You may also want to get in touch with a lactation consultant. They can help with increasing your supply and getting the baby latch on.
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There is some different things you can take to increase your milk. I am not sure what all they are you can search online. I know they sell tea at GNC that is supposed to increase your milk, drink lots of water and eat oatmeal. I know there is other stuff you can take but I am not sure what. See if you can get in touch with a La Leche nurse they should be able to help you too.
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My supply has really been strengthened with Healthy nursing tea. I drink 3 cups a day. Before using this, I never felt like my supply would replenish before baby needed to eat. I have even been able to have enough left over that I can pump for storage.
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