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11-13-2012 at 8:38 AM
christinas...
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christinasullie37 is not online. Last active: 05-23-2013, 8:06 PMBronze

Unable to breastfeed/pump :(

Is there anyone else out there that is not able to breast feed or pump?  I feel like I am the only one out there and my other breastfeeding friends don't seem to understand the predicament I am in. 

I wanted to EP but each time I try to pump I am lucky to get about a tbsp. of breast milk.  I have to pump all day long to get about two ounces a day.  I even consulted with a lactation consultant who told me to pump every 1.5 hours.  I tried and still nothing.  To make matters worse, my milk didn't come in till about 8 days after baby was born and I wasn't producing any colostrum.  So, we had to resort to formula becuase my LO needed to eat.  I finally gave up on trying to pump becuase I was doing it for nothing and now I am stuck wth at $300 breast pump I can't use. 

 Has anyone else experienced anything like this?  I am not surprised that I couldn't breastfeed as I wasn't able to go into labor on my own due to lack of ability to product oxytocin.  To me it is just one more dissapointment as i really cannot afford formula and I wanted so badly to breastfeed.

 

 


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11-13-2012 at 8:48 AM
Jessica Sw...
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Jessica Swanlake is not online. Last active: 05-24-2013, 6:51 AMBronze

I had the same problem- my milk did not come in until day 7, so we had to supplement formula. Basically I would nurse her, feed her a bottle, then pump. It was a real PITA, but it worked out. We gave up on nursing because she had problems with a "weak suck," and I only got miniscule amounts at first, but within 3 weeks I slowly built up enough of a supply so we could EP and ditch formula all together.

Drinking water and eating oatmeal helped, but if your body is not producing the oxytocin then you might ask your doctor about a prescription. A co-worker had a script for pills that helped her- I am not sure what it was for, but she went on to successfully pump for 9 months. Good luck!


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11-13-2012 at 8:50 AM
sarah62584
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Don't beat yourself up, you did everything you could! It sounds like it is a medical problem and there is nothing you could have done differently. Millions of babies are formula fed and are happy, healthy babies!  I don't have the exact same story as you, I am facing the reality that I will have to supplement more formula than I would like because I simply cannot keep up with my LO's demand. It stinks and I get a little discouraged at times but then I think of how formula feeding her takes a lot of anxiety off of me. I can tell the hubs, mom, sister, friend, etc.... to do it and I get to relax a bit. :)  And don't worry about your 300 dollar pump, someone will buy that from you.

 
11-13-2012 at 10:07 AM
Carla6394
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I was in the same boat.  For weeks 1-3 I was only pumping a very miniscule amount, despite pumping every 2 hours around the clock.

Around week 3-5 I got prescription for domperidone and was pumping about 2 oz a session and now am pumping 4-7 oz. 

Hang in there if you can.

 


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11-13-2012 at 2:11 PM
saradanows...
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I had difficulty with this too. I called the hospital and spoke to the lactation nurses that I had while in there and they gave me lots of tips and after trying all of them, nothing seemed to work. I had my post-surgery appointment with my OB/GYN and she assured me that I shouldnt feel guilty and it's a different experience with different women. After a little self-loathing, I decided to not let it get me down and do what I can to make formula feeding the best alternative. I signed up for free samples of different ones on their websites, talked to baby's doctor about amounts over time and tried to look at everything positively. You can sell your pump online on craigslist and I'm sure someone will buy it. Let yourself be supported by your significant other, friends and family. Having my husband do one of the night feedings has helped so much! Just don't feel bad-you did all you could and now you can make the best of this situation. Not everything we try as mothers will always pan out as we hope so just look at it as a taste of what's to come :) 
 
11-13-2012 at 2:12 PM
526SadieSa...
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526SadieSadie is not online. Last active: 05-23-2013, 2:30 PMGold

I wanted to EBF but my milk never came in.  I was lucky to get 5 oz first thing in the morning and got very very little throughout the day.  I met with a lactation consultant, ate more, took fenugreek - everything that was suggested to me, I did with no result.

Don't beat yourself up.  You are not a bad mom, even though it feels like a major failure - I know that's how I felt.  It's most important for the baby to be fed, if it has to be formula, that's what you have to do.  Give the baby as much as you can manage and supplement with formula.  The more you stress about it, the worse it will be for your body.


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11-13-2012 at 3:58 PM
mommybear7...
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I was never able to establish a good supply.  I am hoping I can keep pumping at least a couple ounces a day until my 6 week follow up in 2 weeks when I can discuss the problem with my doctor.
 
11-13-2012 at 4:56 PM
AmyG*
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If you have no milk you should go see your doctor.

A piece of retained placenta can cause you to not have milk, as well as lead to infection. It could mean you need a D&C, or that after a few weeks of pumping, your body will reabsorb the piece of placenta if it's small enough, and then your supply will increase.

You can also ask that they run a full thyroid blood test, as thyroid may swing from hyper to hypo and back again after delivery which can impact supply.  If you get meds to stabilize your thyroid you may be able to breastfeed normally.

You can ask for hormone testing. If you have too low of prolactin levels, you will not have a good milk supply.  You can take domperidone to raise the level. 

If you are not having a good oxytocin release, which oxytocin causes let down, you can get meds for that as well.

 You may also need a different pump, a better/longer pumping schedule.  most women have to learn to let down for the pump, and will struggle to pump at first. consistently pumping every 2 hours around the clock for 15-20 minutes after the milk stops flowing will stimulate a higher milk supply.  while establishing your milk supply, not pumping often enough may signal to your body to dry up your milk. 

Remember when born baby's stomach is the size of a marble, a teaspoon of colostrum is all they need.  After your milk comes in, they still should never need much more than 2.5-3 oz every 2.5-3 hours, as breastmilk changes in composition so a breastfed baby rarely will eat more than 3-4 oz, even when similar aged formula fed babies will eat 5-8 oz bottles, cause formula is stuck at the same amount of nutrition and calories per ounce, while breastmilk can vary from 15-40 or more calories per ounce.  so amount is not all that with breastmilk.

know that I could never pump more than enough to cover the bottom of a bottle, well one time I did pump 4 oz, but that was a fluke.  I nursed my babies for 22 and 29 months.  what you pump is never an indicator of what baby can get when nursing. A baby uses manual manipulation of the milk ducts under the areola to get milk in addition to suction.  that is why baby's latch is so important so they latch on deeply enough to get to the areola.  A pump only uses suction.  and not all pumps are created equal, some women need a hospital grade pump, some a double electric, and some women let down and pump better with a small handheld pump like an avent isis.  and some pumps suck!

 

If you want help with your breastfeeding come to the breastfeeding board, and go see an IBCLC lactation consultant for more help.  if baby will latch on they can do a pre and post nursing session weigh in on a very accurate scale, that plus info on how much and how often you pump can help them to figure out what is going on.

 


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11-13-2012 at 6:24 PM
mabenner1
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It is really hard to start eping right off the bat. The pump IS very inefficient as compared to a nursing child. If you want to stimulate milk production, get that lo on the boob as much as possible. You can still supplement at first, but the more you rely on formula, the less milk you will produce. I also agree with pp, get into the doctor. It is very rare that women just don't create milk without an explanation.

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11-13-2012 at 7:03 PM
elismee
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Breastfeeding/pumping didn't work for me.  LO couldn't latch since nipples were so flat, so that went out the window.  Tried pumping in the hospital and got nowhere.  Came home and had really no desire/no time (due to visitors) to pump.  Didn't try again until the second night home because I was feeling ridiculously engorged and maybe got 3 oz of colostrum.  And that was about that.  Never got more than a few drops for the next 3 days and said the hell with it.  I was never fully sure I wanted to BF so giving up was a pretty easy decision for me.  I figured it was better for me to not stress about it and know that LO was fed.  Also, my mom and her mother were not able to BF so I suppose it shouldn't be surprising it didn't work out for me.

I use Enfamil and it's a little expensive, but I try to work it out so that I can use a check, a coupon (if you can find one) and combine with a sale.  I've heard store brands are just as good as they are also regulated by the FDA and cheaper so that might be worth looking into. 

But don't beat yourself up.  You tried and you gotta do what you gotta do.  Plenty of kids are FF and are just fine.  Hope this helps. {{hugs}}


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11-13-2012 at 8:31 PM
beckcour
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I was also unable to breastfeed.  I never had a problem with supply or the latch.  DD is allergic to something in my breastmilk.  I tried elimination diets and couldn't make it work.  I pumped for another month, stored it in the deep freezer (hoping I can feed it to her when her digestive system matures) and called it quits.  I felt enormous guilt at first.  I so badly wanted to breastfeed and really enjoyed the bonding and closeness with DD.  But it's not worth having a colicky, unhappy baby to me.  I read somewhere online that being a mother is much more than breastfeeding.  I totally agree, made my peace with not breastfeeding and moved on.  Good luck!  You will get past this.

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11-13-2012 at 9:49 PM
amy052006
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I can't reiterate the PP enough.  If your milk truly never came in, or your really can't "make enough", it really is important to see a doctor ASAP, even if you don't want to breastfeed.  That isn't normal, and you need to get to the bottom of the cause for you own health.

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11-13-2012 at 10:57 PM
moonrose27...
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First off, don't beat yourself up. Second, if your primary issue is cost of formula, contact WIC as you might be able to get some help.

If however you really want to try to get some supply, you have options. First try the natural galactagogues such as fenugreek. If that doesn't work domperidone does. I went from a super low output daily maybe 8 oz at 8 weeks to nearly meeting her 30 oz needs with DD.

The best advice and info is on www.kellymom.org. Find an article on relactating. You can do it if you want to!
11-14-2012 at 8:31 PM
byrne15
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byrne15 is not online. Last active: 05-24-2013, 10:19 AMGold

I didn't have the same issue, but I too am stuck with a $300 pump that I used for 3 weeks.

I felt bad about it for a while, but I am very happy FF'ing now.


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