im trying again

[cassi]

God you all muct be sick of hearing about my breastfeeding not breastfeeding nonsence...since i decided to stop i just dont feel right about it, in my heart breastfeeding is what i want to do, not because anything is wrong with bottlefeeding, just because its another way for me to be close to my little angel

so im going to try and bring my milk supply up. I have decided to express 15 mins on each time, or will 10 be suffice? every 3 hours, taking a brake at night leaving 5 hours between 12.15am and 5.15am then back to every 3 hours again during the day and night. And i will also put him on the breast before each feed but try not to let him fal asleep on the breast. During all this he will still have his bottles 4oz, and as my milk supply increases i will decrease the bottles to 3oz so on and when i feel my milk is in fully again i will feed off the breast for as long as he wants and drop the top ups down to 1oz before i fully drop them?

Any other advice would be much appriciated. well im off to pump to eastenders now!! haha

i will use this thread as my daily *sucsess/fail* thread and hopefully it will motivate me....i just really need support and i dont think alan understands enough about breastfeeding and hasnt given me the support with it that i really need and the breast feeding clinic is great but it gets so busy and for them to get round everyone in 2 hours means everyone gets very limited times...and i dont drive so its hard to get to others

cas xx

 

[bagpuss]

Good on you Cassi,I think the trick is perseverance.Finn had problems too at around three or four weeks old,just like Jakob,it seemed as if he was on the breast all the time,and still crying for more,but I was told to expect it,so just carried on through all the stress and tears....I was told that Finn was using the breast as a comforter by my HV,and told to not let him feed for longer than half an hour each time Poor little man would have starved if I had listened to her.I was so glad that I asked for advice on here!
I also expressed to bring my milk supply up,but I used to do it after he had finished feeding,so as to fool my body into thinking Finn was greedier than he was,so needed more.I also used to express of both sides at the same time,so my body thought I was feeding two babies,it all worked for me!The support I got from here was great,it was nice to know that I wasn't on my own.
I think you're great for giving it another go Cassi

 

[Freya]

Can't offer any advice I'm afraid but just waned to say you go girl!

I think you have been great with this! Keep going and do what you think is right for you.

And a big for what you have achieved so far.

 

[Emma C]

I am afraid I can't give much advice either apart from go with whats right for you and your baby. I really wanted to breastfeed but didn't have the support and failed and I have had a big guilt trip over it ever since (nearly 11 months) and wish I had done what I wanted and not listened to others.

You go girl...... good luck.

 

[cassi]

thx very much well i just expressed 15 mins each side and got less than half an ounce lol not much on the 4oz i got in 10 mins on 1 side when my milk was in!, so i know there is work to be done..but that was with my handpump because my medela swing is packed up unused ready to go back to the shop so im gonna give it a few days and make sure it starts working before i use it and waste £90.

thanks so much the support i have got on the forum is great.

cas xx

 

[budge]

good luck cassi!

 

[sarah113]

good luck this time cassi!!!!

 

[xSuzx]

Hi cassi good luck

It may be abit of hard work but it's really worth it if thats what you really want.

Have you tried hand expressing for abit after pumping as you can normally get some more milk out once the pump can't get anymore.

xSuzx

 

[lauramumof2]

I can only say keep trying. Please do all you can, im gutted i couldnt and am starting to accept I did my best but If I could get a wee machine to take me back to the stage you are at now I would keep going.

If I can encourage even one person to keep going then I will be glad. Is your iron count okay?

You are a wee star, keep your chin up.

 

[cassi]

not sure about my iron count? im guessing so.

cas x

 

[Lucy]

Hi ya Cassi

Well done honey. Do what is right for YOU and YOUR family.

I know you don't drive, however for extra support there are lots of helplines open to give you advice and support for those times when you might need to talk to a real person with expert advice and guidance:
La Leche League 0845 120 2918
NCT: 0870 444 8708

I would try and get a "word in edgeways" at the breastfeeding group - ask them about the piggy back way as this could help to lessen the amount of pumping you are doing.

Good luck, don't worry if things don't turn out how you want, I admire you for trying

Lucy
p.s apparently the hormone Prolactin that is needed to maintain supply is really active between 1-6am so if you can get Jakob to feed off you or pump during this time.

 

[skatty]

Hi Cassi and good luck! taking evening primrose supplements is meant to be a good way to increase the quality of breast milk and also helps with breatst soreness for mums. Also keep drinking plenty! I make so much more milk when I'm hydrated.

I really hope you achieve what you want. Have you seen your doc, I think he can prescribe something to help. I look forward to hearing about your progress

 

[lauramumof2]

i would ask them to check your iron, it might affect your supply and general health, making you tired etc if ts low.

 

[Strangeness]

How's it going Cassi? I think you're doing brilliantly! I really hope the breastfeeding works out for you. I know how gutted I was when I couldn't breastfeed Aaron when I had my heart set on it.I'm lucky I stopped though because I would have literally starved Aaron, I had no milk whatsoever. I didn't get the engorged boobs everyone talk about and I never leaked except the colostrum stuff. I did feed Aaron on that for 3 days though which I was glad about because that is all the goodness but I just had zero milk.

 

[cassi]

hi, thanks for all your support, alan is doing a load of overtime for the next couple of weeks so im staying at my sisters for abit and she is going to help me along, instead of expressing to keep my supply up im trying to use Jakob more im guessing this is the best way of getting my milk in ? So between feeds im letting him latch on and before feeds too. Im guessing that will be more efficient at getting my milk back than expressing?

Cas x

 

[gingerpig]

Hi I'm not sure whereabouts in Reading you are Cassi, but I think the Battle library have drop-in breast feeding classes - in fact I found a link here: http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/ ... wcentre=43

I may go to them in a few months time.....

 

[cassi]

oh thx might try tht one

 

[lauramumof2]

I thought when I first saw your subject line on this post you were trying again for another baby. You must still be at the stage where you think no, never again.

 

[Jadie]

Hiya Cassi. Well done for trying again. Yes let jacob suck on you more as this will produce the hormones you need to get your milk surply back up. Just sit down with him all day and let him feed. drink and eat plenty and relax!!!!!!!

Have you been show how to hand express?? This is a softer way of expressing than using the pumps. Some woman get more milk from hand expressing.

http://www.lactationinstitute.org/MANUALEX.html

There are loads more links in the breastfeeding thread.
Jade

 

[cassi]

hi just an update
well after i gave up for that week my milk supply dropped right down so i hired a double electric breast pump the one i used in hospital and i let him suck on me before each bottle then i give him the bottle and express but he is terrible at night he eats eats eats and gets so upset. if i put him on me he keeps pulling off, i have been told it may be colic it is constant crying only comforted by milk in a bottle. lots of it from about 10pm-3am, or if he dosnt do that he will feed off me for 5 mins, fall asleep so i put him down and he wakes up screaming still hungry or so i think so i put him back on and he does exactly the same thing over and over again . so today i gave him his early morning bottle and feed and now i am trying to not give him a bottle untill this evening and just let him feed off me and he is doing it again, feeding, falling asleep on me then losing latch and waking up 5-10 mins later crying because he is still hungry. he has been doing it for the past 3/4 hours now.