Is it time to give up nursing? Update *last update*

amother

Glitter

Sun, Nov 20 2022, 9:47 am

Ema of 5 wrote:

That’s my concern- that he’s not getting enough. He is having wet and dirty diapers, but does that mean that he’s getting as much nutrition as he needs?

A baby can not be getting enough even with wet and dirty diapers. They may be getting enough to survive, but that's not really enough for a baby who's supposed to be growing rapidly and whose brain should be developing quickly.

Ema of 5

Sun, Nov 20 2022, 1:22 pm

amother Pistachio wrote:

The most important indicator is weight gain. Keep checking weight to be sure. Good for you OP for not being "married" to breastfeeding at the expense of your baby's health.

We went to the doc last Monday for his first visit. We went back Thursday to check weight, and we are going back again tomorrow. I guess after I see where he is holding tomorrow, I will decide what to do.

amother

Cyan

Sun, Nov 20 2022, 1:39 pm

My last baby was having wet and dirty diapers but was only gaining minimally. It's not a good indicator.

Between the latch and not getting anything from pumping I would personally switch to formula, but I'm not a big nurser to begin with.

Ema of 5

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 11:13 am

So I just came from the doctor. He gained approximately 2-2.5oz since Thursday. Doctor says it’s good he’s gaining, but he would have liked to see him gain more. He gave me a few options, and he wants to weigh him again on Monday. I can supplement with formula, I can try to pump and supplement with pumped bottles, or I can just switch to bottles. Is there a trick to pumping and actually being able to get something? He nursed one side at a time, 15-20 minutes usually. Should I pump the other side while I’m nursing/after I finish? Will that help me get more?
I’m also waiting for a call back from the LC

amother

Lawngreen

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 12:00 pm

Some people don't do well with pumping no matter what they try. I was never successful in building a supply with pumping, even though I pumped often, tried "power pumping" etc.
A very experienced LC told me to nurse 20 minutes and then give a bottle if baby still needs more. Then, if I want, pump once or twice a day. She said that I need to stimulation from the baby's sucking to get the milk coming, something that pumping can't do.
I personally love nursing and wouldn't give it up so fast. I'd rather continue nursing and supplement with formula.

scintilla

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 12:02 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

Flange size is important, it's rare to actually be the size that comes with the pumps. But really an LC seeing you in person or by video call, analyzing the baby's sucking and your pumping, will be much more helpful than any suggestions we can give without seeing you.

amother

Glitter

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 12:02 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

According to all the lactation consultants that I've worked with over the years (I think 4 different ones) a breastfed baby should gain between .5-1 ounce per day. So it seems like your baby is there. Yay!! Sunny

you're doing great!!

It's still a good idea to work with a lactation consultant to correct the latch. Right now, your milk supply is very much hormone driven. As you get further away from birth it becomes more supply and demand. If baby isn't transferring milk efficiently due to poor latch, it may cause your supply to dwindle somewhere between 6-12 weeks.

I found that just one or two sessions of craniosacral therapy can help a lot with feeding and digestion. I'm not usually into such things but I feel like it makes a big difference with a baby.

mommy3b2c

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 12:04 pm

I had major issues with my first and was just about to give up when my mom came up with an idea and I ended up nursing for a year. Take a bottle nipple and put it over your nipple. It’s really easy for the baby to suck on and the milk comes through easily.

amother

Mintgreen

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 12:11 pm

mommy3b2c wrote:

You can buy nipple shields for that. They were very helpful for me when my baby couldn’t latch.

amother

Lemonlime

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 12:13 pm

you should try to use a nipple sheild
I pumped for 8 weeks and then my baby finally learnt to laatch on. Try to pump with a good hand pump. I got nearly nothing with an electric pump and got 4 ounces withen a week of using the hand pump. was able to nurse for over a year after that.

Ema of 5

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 12:30 pm

You guys are amazing, thank you!!! So much encouragement, and so many good idea….
Obviously this is not my first rodeo, I mean….just look at my name!! And this isn’t even my first low weight gain child. Unfortunately (or rather, fortunately!!) for me, that was over 10 years ago, so I feel like I’m a newbie….

basyisrael18

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 12:54 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

The tongue tie was already snipped. His top lip is latching properly, it’s his bottom lip that isn’t. I will call a LC in the morning, and see what she says. BH my other kids are in school all day, so I really have time to focus on him without taking away from anyone else.
And I am doing the exercises as best as I can, I hope it doesn’t grow back. He doesn’t really like me putting my finger in his mouth…..

I would definitely recommend taking the time to figure out what's wrong with his latch. Don't just give up - give it a few weeks.

My baby, now 4 months old, had a tongue tie at birth that got noticed right away by my mother, BH. We had it clipped when he was 6 days old and supplemented with formula for a few weeks while he relearned to suck well.

Ties don't just interfere with nursing - they make it harder to learn to speak properly. My brother had a tie that didn't get clipped and he needed a lot of speech therapy as a kid because he had a lisp. It's not something you want to leave for your baby's sake.

Can't hurt to have him keep latching onto you and getting some milk out while supplementing with formula. Seek out the help you need. Bother that lactation consultant. Anyway, formula is so expensive these days that I think it's worth the energy to figure out and correct his latch if possible.

Ema of 5

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 1:19 pm

mommy3b2c wrote:

An actual bottle nipple works much better then a nipple shield

An actual nipple as in a bottle nipple, or a mom’s nipple? How do nipple shields work, you use a new one each time? Or you wash them out like a bottle nipple? And you just put the nipple or the nipple shield on every time you nurse?

amother

Seagreen

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 1:30 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

I used this temporarily until my baby was able to latch. https://www.medela.com/breastf.....hield
It was given to me by the lactation consultant in the hospital and it really worked. I think you're supposed to sanitize between uses.

amother

Aqua

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 1:33 pm

Listen I personally have a hard time giving up nursing. I nursed a baby who didn’t latch for 5 weeks because I refused to give up (before you ask- I hand expressed into her mouth and then pumped the rest and fed by sns to make sure she got what she needed). I would never put that on anyone else though. It’s really personal and only you can know if you had enough.

Raindance

Tue, Nov 22 2022, 1:20 pm

If you want to try a bit longer, you can try pulling his bottom lip a bit downwards with your finger when he latches. I did that to my first and it helped get the lip out. Also make sure that the tongue does not regrow, you mentioned that you pull out his tongue.

Another option is to try an sns tube if the Dr says he's not gaining enough, I'm very surprised that not more people know about that. (better to make your own with a 5ch tube and a cheap bottle than to buy the expensive one from madela that many complain about too many parts and leakage)

Also, if you have youtube access, look up a hour long speech by Dr. Jack Newman who is the leading expert in breastfeeding (there are many videos showing right and wrong nursing, so watch when you don't have people around you..) where he also talks about the stress they put on weight gain instead of recognizing proper latch and proper eating. I found it very informative and calming.

If you decide that you've had enough and the stress/pain it puts on you and the baby isn't worth it, then switch to bottles and continue to be the amazing mother who gives your baby what it needs.

Hatzlacha!

Ema of 5

Tue, Nov 22 2022, 1:25 pm

Sommerfugl wrote:

Thank you for all this!!! I hugged because I want to hug you :-)