I think Iâ€™m giving up nursing

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ShakleeMom

Tue, Nov 18 2008, 9:43 pm

I have the medela electric, I always thought the electricity part of it turned me off which is why I never got anything. So I bought the manual one which you can control and bam, nothing.

Marion

Wed, Nov 19 2008, 1:20 am

5 minutes is not long enough to pump. With my first I could fill a bottle on one side in 5 minutes. With my second, I could pump for 5 minutes and hadn't even activated my letdown yet. I've given up pumping since DS is over a year now, but it used to take me 10 minutes just to get letdown. I would go back and forth between sides, and finally I'd start to squirt.

grin

Wed, Nov 19 2008, 1:35 am

chanagital wrote:

well do what is best for you and the baby... if it is not nursing than don't do it. There are plenty of other bonding activities that moms can do with baby... holding them rocking them to sleep giving them a bottle... all are great. You can even put the baby next to your skin while you are giving a bottle... if that makes you a little more happy. But you shouldn't let your health or the baby's health suffer.

Speaking as a mother of 10 ka"h who never bought a container of formula - I agree with this. Nursing has a lot of advantages, but if you feel like you're tried and it's just not working, it's really not the end of the world to raise your baby on formula. Mothers have done it successfully for many years - I myself was an exclusively bottle-fed child. I think it's more important to feel relaxed while caring for her.

Health is a Virture

Mon, Nov 24 2008, 5:05 am

you say you have tried everything to increase milk supply? I find that hard to believe. There are special hospital pumps that cost a lot and one can rent. You should go rent one. Pump every 2 hours for twenty minutes both sides...using a dual pump. Even if nothing is coming out, keep the pumping going, as this will stimulate the body to eventually produce milk.

When nursing the baby, you can at the same time, be supplementing him with either your milk (if you get any) and or formula. Baby sleeping so much may be because your baby is hungry. You should also learn suck exercises for your baby and before nursing, do these exercises with your baby.

In addition to pumping if you still can't get your milk supply to increase, keep up the pumping but there are a number of herbs and medication that you can take. If you have PCOS, there is specific meds that one should take for that.

Giving in the towel at 6 days of age seems very premature. An IBCLC should be able to teach you and baby how to use a nipple shield which may help with the sucking, as well as doing different exercises.

I just read in a different post of yours that you put your kids on a schedule and are very strict about it, that may be why at 5 months you don't have enough milk btw.

There are ways to get you and your baby to nurse properly. Giving up at 6 days of age is quite premature for the amazing benefits that breastmilk gives to a baby and an adult in the future. Many people say that the kids that nursing was the hardest for, but then they worked at it and they succeeded, the mothers now have a closer relationship with them than with their others (who did also nurse). Especially in the winter the antibodies that breastmillk can provide cannot be duplicated by anything else, nothing, natta, no flu shot, no immunization, and no formula. Are you sure you want to take such a risk?

as the famous saying goes, KOL HATCHALOS KASHOS, all beginnings are hard.

It is hard in the beginning, very hard, my babies are teeny weeny things and believe me nursing doesn't just go, but in the long run, the health benefits and emotional benefits are so far reaching, it was worth it!!

shabbatiscoming

Mon, Nov 24 2008, 6:00 am

Health is a Virture wrote:

about those hospital pumps, they are the same as most other electric pumps. I had to pump for 2 weeks while my baby was in the hospital and then when she came home I also had to pump (she was used to a bottle) and I had a different make at home and they both worked the same.

about the milk supply drying up so quickly, I can also tell you that that happened to me. I cant tell you why and I did many things. but a little while after I brought my daughter home from the hospital it got harder and harder to pump any milk out.
I gave up at three months when I saw that for my baby is was becoming very difficult and not at all an enjoyable time for her to nurse. it was painful for me and she was falling asleep before she was even drinking anything.
I asked the doc and a lactation consultant about stopping and they both said that the health of the mother and child are MUCH more important than actually nursing her. and about bonding, there are so many other ways that one can bond with a child. I make sure that I do other things to bond with my baby throughout the day as I dont have that bonding with nursong time.

do what you feel you need to do in order to stay sane and healthy and feel good about it. in the begining (after three months) when I was solely bottle feeding, I felt guilty but everyone was telling me that as long as you feel ok and teh baby is gaining weight, dont feel guilty about it.

what emotional benifits are there to nursing a baby?

hadasa

Mon, Nov 24 2008, 6:06 am

My milk always comes in only around the seventh day. It took a few hungry babies until I learned that that's just the way my body works. So for the first week, I nurse as much as I can, and supplement when necessary (often after every nursing). After the first week, I can drop the supplements and nurse exclusively.

catonmylap

Mon, Nov 24 2008, 6:48 am

My milk also didn't come in until day 7. I would at least make sure your milk has come in before throwing in the towel.

littles

Mon, Nov 24 2008, 10:44 am

Ultimately, I think your mental health is most important. Especially with three other kids to look after. However, I must say I agree very strongly with what Health is a Virtue said.

I may only have had two children so far, but I feel I have had enough nursing issues to become pretty knowledgible. I have used the SNS ( I like Chavamom's idea better and wish I would have known about it), just about every hospital grade pump and have seen 5 lactation consultants in my 2.5 years as a mother.

I almost sopped nursing a 3 days with my first and it wasn't until he was close to 4 months that he was exclusivley breastfed (due to SNS and pumping), but after that he nursed till he self-weaned at 21 months and I was pregnant.

With my second, it took hours for her to latch on and I had to supllement for the first few weeks, but I saw an amazing IBCLC (whoever said they are not all alike is so RIGHT ON) and told her I was going to quit and needed help with weaning. She helped me create a plan, gave me some new techniques and told me if I really tried for a week and didn't want to nurse anymore she would help me wean (this was after six nightmarish weeks). It wasn't an easy week, but it got me over the hurdle.

I have had a very hard time, but I do think sticking it out was worth it. You'll have to weigh the pros and cons for yourself. I found that drinking Mothers Milk tea and eating baby oatmeal helped to increase my supply.

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Nov 24 2008, 11:40 am

Shabbatiscoming, I don't know what hospital grade pumps there are in Israel, but in America, the motor is a much better quality for the hospital rental pumps than personal ones.

Mama Bear

Mon, Nov 24 2008, 1:46 pm

Health is a Virture wrote:

There are ways to get you and your baby to nurse properly. Giving up at 6 days of age is quite premature for the amazing benefits that breastmilk gives to a baby and an adult in the future. Many people say that the kids that nursing was the hardest for, but then they worked at it and they succeeded, the mothers now have a closer relationship with them than with their others (who did also nurse). Especially in the winter the antibodies that breastmillk can provide cannot be duplicated by anything else, nothing, natta, no flu shot, no immunization, and no formula. Are you sure you want to take such a risk?
!

my four month old breastfed baby is on his 2nd ear infection. where are those amazing antibodies???

my older one, wo was bottlefed, didnt have his first ear infection til he was 14 months old. go figure.

GAMZu

Mon, Nov 24 2008, 2:28 pm

You don't know their immune systems' strength. You older one might not have gotten that infection at 14 months had he been nursed, and your baby might have had many more infections on formula. You just can't compare 2 different kids.

chavamom

Mon, Nov 24 2008, 2:29 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

Health is a Virture wrote:

Sometimes genetics (in the form of allergies or structural issues) trumps antibodies. Look, it could be much worse if he was bottle fed!

BeershevaBubby

Mon, Nov 24 2008, 2:30 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

In addition (and please believe me, I'm not saying this to be mean) your older one didn't have an older sibling in school coming home with all sorts of germs.

chavamom

Mon, Nov 24 2008, 2:32 pm

YESHASettler wrote:

In addition (and please believe me, I'm not saying this to be mean) your older one didn't have an older sibling in school coming home with all sorts of germs.

You know, I typed that out and accidentally deleted it while editing. Great minds think alike Wink

.

I know my first was never ill and my second was in the hospital with a fever at 8 days of age and had CHICKEN POX (both courtesy of his older brother) at 2 mos of age. He had a lot more illnesses than his older brother.

Mama Bear

Mon, Nov 24 2008, 3:14 pm

YESHASettler wrote:

Mama Bear wrote:

In addition (and please believe me, I'm not saying this to be mean) your older one didn't have an older sibling in school coming home with all sorts of germs.

very very true.

GAMZu wrote:

Heaven forbid - when did he have timeto have morethan 2 ear infections in 4 short months?!

ShakleeMom

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 9:03 pm

I’m wondering if there is anyone who can tell me the virtue of breastfeeding at this point, where she probably gets no more than 4 0z. total in a day. B’H it’s more relaxing at this point, I’m figuring out how to feed her and then give a bottle about 20 minutes later. but I love nursing so much, I could just cry.

chavamom

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 9:14 pm

She still gets benefits from nursing, even if it is only 4 oz a day. If you are happy with it and want to continue, why not?

BeershevaBubby

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 11:12 pm

So you never mentioned if you actually had her checked for a tongue tie...

ShakleeMom

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 11:18 pm

oh oh, yes. she is ok b'h

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