Jellytot - Operation Relactation

[LYLLJellyTots]

Hey everyone x

Right, where to start. For those of you who don't know me / jellytot... My little princess was born by emergency section on Friday 10th of may. At first she appeared fine but ended up with hypoglycaemia, neonatal sepsis and a group B strep infection and came home yesterday after a stay in neonatal intensive care / special care. She is doing really well now but because of everything that went on, I wasn't able to establish breast feeding with her at all.

Don't get me wrong I tried, I tried visiting neonatal numerous times a night every time she woke to help her latch. It was really difficult to hold her because of the cannula's and drips and machines. She latched a few times but not enough to keep things going. I constantly felt like I was going to hurt her holding her

I tried hand expressing 8 times a day on the ward, holding onto Jellytot's baby grows and smelling them but my milk just dried up I think a lot of it was the emotional stages of post delivery, being on a ward full of mums and babies and feeling tortured by empty hand syndrome. Either way, despite a breast feeding advisor helping me, I couldn't even get a drip of colostrum

Since coming home yesterday I have made the decision to try relactation. I know this isn't going to be easy and I know I may never catch up with her milk demands. But I want to try. I have no problem with her having formula, at the end of the day it saved her with the hypoglycaemia, but I just want her to have something from me, even if its a bit.

I have been getting her to latch at every feed so far and she's getting some colostrum again. I'm going to start skin to skin tonight and expressing after each feed she has x tweety has given me some fantastic advise about increasing milk supply and I'm very thankful for any help given xx I'm going to do a lot of boob massage, anything I can do to help supply xxx

So here goes - operation relactation

Positives so far :-

Jellytot is latching on
She searches for the boob for milk first
She is getting colostrum when latching


Things to work on : -

Jellytot is used to getting milk a lot faster now, maybe getting a bit frustrated?
She is having between 70 / 130mls at any given feed, catching up with this demand might be hard? X



We can do this xxxxx

 

[SaraLouise]

I cant give any advice but just wanted to wish you all the luck in the world!!

I am sure that perserverance is the key, and you seem to be ready for the challenges

Good luck hun x

 

[knopk@]

Hun, there is a great FB page - Dispelling Breastfeeding Myths plus Kellymom has great advice. Will you consider galactagogues?
Its possible but will require commitment. There is also a page Human Milk for human babies if you are considering donated milk.

Tapatalking so cant see signatures

 

[knopk@]

Sorry has a toddler next to me. You need skin to skin/feeding as much as possible, then top up. Maybe pump after feeds? Reducing top up quantity gradually as more suckling means more milk. Fenugreek.is supposed to be good ( i am on.Domperidone for low supply but you need to speak to a doctor about it - it worked for me though).
Baby is the best way to stimulate your supply. Good luck hun, its possible!

Tapatalking so cant see signatures

 

[l_maclean]

If you wanted a quick boost you can buy domperidone over the counter, (motillium for sickness contains it) if you can get ur milk in then that might be enough to get it up to lower the top ups a fair bit. Xxx


On my iPhone - so cant see tickers

 

[BevG]

most important is to always offer breast first before bottles, especially at night and to drink plentyof water, eat oaty cookies or flapjacks, take fenugreek, domperidone if you can get it, pump in a routine and lots of skin to skin, besides that just keep at it, i combi fed as i couldnever up my supply enough but i kept doing the breast first option, cut it to just breast at night and by 6 months she had pretty much cut out the bottle top ups as she preferred breast to formula.

your doing fab hun

 

[HL28]

I've got nothing to add but just wanted to wish you luck and tell you how much I admire you!!! Glad your little lady is well and with your determination you'll be fine. Just keep latching her on as much as possible even between feeds. Lots of love xxx

 

[Karate Kid]

Dispelling BFing myths is brilliant.

I would also try 'rebirthing' It helps release the same hormones from the birthing process.

Co bathing in general really helps with latching.

Majorly impressed Hun its going to be tough but where there is a will there is a way. Xx

 

[Nicnax]

Good for you- I really hope it works! But even if it doesn't, anything at all you can give her is a miracle.

By the way, my little lady had to go to neonatal after she was born, but the staff were careful to put me in a private room- to leave you on a ward with mummies and babies is just cruel.

 

[mrswoody]

I don't have much advice apart from what has been suggested but a massive good luck and I really hope the bfing works it for you and LO after everything you went through.
We are always here for any questions you have x

 

[Scattyash]

Can I just ask how you are feeding now along side the fomula,
I'm desperately trying to breastfeed my twins but my supply is rubbish, they were in hospital for treatment for jaundice and as they were so sleepy from it they lost so much weight and I had to fomula feed, now I'm trying to get back to breast feeding but obviously having to give them fomula too as my supply isent enough, but I'm not sure how to feed them now as I don't want them to get hungry, I'm taking them anti sickness pills from dr as they are ment to help, and fenugreek but I know it's supply and demand but I don't know how to offer boob and bottle and make sure my supply works and they are getting enough, so stressful

 

[knopk@]

scattyash, always offer breast first but dont put too much pressure on yourself hun. Are you feeding them from the breast and then topping up? The way i.did it was i was topping up say 60 ml after a feed, then would offer breast again as they are not as hungry so start at the breast and finish off with a breast. Then i offered 30 ml (you can do it gradually), the last feed i.stopped topping up was in the evening.
I also found that supply is best in.the morning so.if.you can express after that feed, would be great

Tapatalking so cant see signatures

 

[knopk@]

Plus domperidone starts working after a week or 2.

Tapatalking so cant see signatures

 

[glowing]

Well done on trying to re-establish your supply. Your hormones that produce milk are higher at night so might be worth if lo not waking much at night to get up and pump/hand express. Remember she will have a growth spurt at 2 and 6 weeks so might cluster feed. Don't feel that you can't cope with her demands it is the way they try and get your supply to move up a gear.

 

[missyeovil]

I have no advice but just wanted to say good luck and I hope you manage to get your supply up! All these ladies have really good advice so hopefully it works for you! xx

 

[Scattyash]

How you getting on? X

 

[LYLLJellyTots]

Hey Hun, sorry its taken me a while to update x well, it's not as positive as I would like it to be, in fact right now it's not so positive at all

I was latching her before every feed, having loads of skin to skin time, hand expressing directly into her mouth, using the electric pump (getting a couple of drops this way, literally nothing) I spoke to the gp about medications to help and he said just to latch her more. Was going well until jellytot stopped latching no matter what I do she will not latch on now at all. The hospital team have said its because she's too used to getting instant milk from a bottle. She also might be lactose intolerant, we're awaiting sample results ATM. I'm still expressing the bits I can into her mouth directly but basically drying up again hand expressing and using the pump isn't enough. I know the milk she has had is better than nothing and I know we have tried but I can't help but feel disappointment x I am going to keep hand expressing what bits I can into her mouth each feed and wait for these results to come back and figure out where to go from here x

Really hope you are managing to get somewhere Hun, how are you doing? X