Edited/Update:
First, thanks for all the great advice and support. Being a mom is all about knowing you have support and getting advice and I feel really blessed to know you guys are out there. Sometimes it just feels better to know you are not alone!
I use a medela pump in style from when my oldest was born, it could be that it is not working as well but I really don't think so.
Shira-don't feel bad pumping when he is this small is the smart thing to do! I should have done that when I was engorged but I couldn't get my act together.
Anita-it is great to have your perspective since you are the one feeding her the bottles. Thanks for the encouragement and you know I am all about making your life easier when you are taking care of my rambunctious children.
I do try to read and relax when I pump and that does help, I think this week I have been feeling more stress and anxiety and I am sure that is affecting my milk supply. Thanks for reminding me about food, she just had her 4 month check-up so we will be starting that relatively soon.
And that brings me to the update portion: M is 12lbs and in the 25th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height (could I have possibly made a tall child?). She is meeting all developmental milestones and ithe doctor says she is doing great. So really I am thankful to Hashem that everything is going well and that she is growing. And that is the MOST important thing!
Help!
Disclaimer: If you are a man (and you know who you are) please stop reading. This is a topic that pertains to women and if you keep reading don't say you weren't warned. In fact, if you are a woman who has not had children you might want to stop now too.
Ok, here goes: I need help with breastfeeding and pumping. It is so hard!
I am committed to nursing my baby for as long as I can (or at least until teeth, whichever comes first) but I am having a hard time with the pumping. I knew there would come a point where I wouldn't be able to keep up with her but I didn't think it would come so soon. She is 4 months old this week and she is already needing an extra bottle of formula throughout the day.
Let me give some background: I pump 2x a day and usually get 6- 8 oz. My body just has a hard time keeping up with the demand just by pumping. I pump in my locked classroom, once in the morning and once at lunchtime. I am always rushing and usually have a very limited amount of time to pump.
In the past I alway had to give up pumping from around 9 months to 5 months (depending on the child). But that has always meant giving up breastfeeding for good-the other girls were all or nothing. It was all formula or all nursing, but not some of each. I am not ready for that to happen yet. I enjoy feeding the baby (most of the time). I am not ready to give up the time we spend together.
So here are some of the tricks I have heard for keeping your milk supply up:
1. drink mother's milk tea
2. take fenugreek-until you smell like maple syrup and should probably go move to Vermont
3. eat oatmeal
4. brewer's yeast-either in beer or as a supplement
5. drink enough water
6. feed the baby frequently as supply correlates to demand
I know all of this in my head (and I have been following all this advice) but I am having a difficult time staying motivated to continue. My supply doesn't seem to increase as a result of all these "interventions."I certainly want M to get all the benefits of breastmilk and I would like to have the benefits of not having to pay for formula and not getting my "friend." But I would like my body (and brain back). Especially if I feel like I am going through all this effort for what feels like a minimal amount of "liquid gold."
So it's a balance but I find it impossible to find the right balance. If I stop pumping I know I will feel guilty for not giving M the best of what she needs. But if I keep going I struggle with the resentment of having to do it at all.
So I am asking for help. Anything you feel might help would be welcome. Anything you might have learned along the way and think is worth sharing I would looooove to hear.
9 comments:
wait, I'm confused on the problem. First of all, yeah you for pumping for so long. Second- are you sick of pumping, or just wondering how to keep the baby exclusively on breastmilk. Cuz I was never able to keep up with baby N. but I still pumped and nursed until he was 10 months old. We did a combo. And you know how I got motivation. Through reading the greatest book ever- Milk Memos!!!!!!
For me, not having to make bottles in the middle of the night and shlep bottles wherever I go is a motivator to continue. If u can keep it up a little longer, she'll start food, and the supply problem will be less of an issue. good luck.
I thought maybe this post was confusing-I am a little sleep deprived. I will try to clear it up-I am worried that if I stop pumping it will inevitably lead to no more breastfeeding. I really don't enjoy pumping and find it a chore.
Rach-maybe I should borrow the book, I think I might need it.
First, I do not think you mentioned if you use an electric pump or hand pump - I have no idea if it makes a difference either way, I always used an electric pump and would never get a good supply, however, while breastfeeding directly, I actually had an overabundance of milk. So maybe it is the mechanism that is not allowing for a good pumped supply.
In general though, I am a bottom line sort of person. The bottom line is, as much as we have hope for a specific scenario, we can not control everything (even with change in diet). Each baby will dictate a different outcome, and unfortunately, we sometimes have to relinquish the need to control the situation and let whatever happens, happen. Personally, I had to pump about 4 times a day or more to have a freezer supply worthy enough. Whatever happens, do not be disappointed or hard on yourself. Four months is already a great amount of time for baby to receive the benefit that breast milk offers. Good luck. (For more advice, you can take a look at the "la leche" website).
Oh, the joys of nursing. There are so many, but also so many trials. Truly, congrats on being able to pump as long as you have. Since I had to pump every 3 hours for the first 4 weeks of Jonah's life, I pretty much was ready to throw the thing out the window shortly thereafter. So we all agree, the pump sucks, since there is something so agricultural about it. Yuck. Hmmm...as for advice, I usually come to you, so I am stumped. But I would have to say, don't assume M will be like the other girls (I mean she is already WAY laid back) so she might do just fine with a hybrid breast milk/formula approach. I do agree with Chaviva though, that once you start her on food, she will hopefully be drinking less. Will you start her on food at 4 or 5 months or wait until 6? If you want, I can ask my friend Brigid for advice--she's well versed in nutrition and is a Mom. Just let me know! Also, try to stay relaxed while pumping (easier said than done) because I have heard that that can make a difference. Yoga breathing--inhale deeply, exhale completely. :) Miss you. XOXO
Ok, after reading this I feel like my baby is not getting enough because I pump once a day now (to increase my supply and to have milk for when my husband has to feed him when I go back to working nights) and I only get 2 oz. if I'm lucky. Maybe it's what Orah said though, maybe it's the mechanism. But anyway, I say try to keep it up until you absolutely can't stand it anymore. Also, drink beer.
You told me you wanted me to comment so here it goes. Is it the same pump you used for the other three? If it is do you think the pump is not working as well as it should? Since I see how M is with both the breast milk and formula, I can tell you she is not like the other girls were. She takes the formula, but she actually takes the breast milk a little better. So just keep pumping what you can and when we have to we'll give her formula, but some breast milk is better than none. Hope that helps!
Anita
May I suggest you listen to your Ipod while you pump, it may help remove the rushed feeling and give you a way to block out where you are. Relaxation will be the most helpful. If you can hold on just a little bit longer you will see M will fill up some on food and not need as much milk. Take a no guilt policy on having to supplement with formula, you are feeding your baby and helping her grow, you are giving her what she needs and keeping her healthy, there IS NO guilt in that! You can also try visualization while pumping - imagine her face and your abundant milk flow, picture the most relaxing place on earth and go there in your mind...This works well for labor why not nursing? Hatzlacha!
I don't want to burst your bubble about having a tall child, but I also don't want you to get prematurely excited. But, I don't think baby height/weight are indicators of what the child will end up being. My R., as a baby topped the charts in the 90 to 98 percentiles for height and weight. She just had her 7 y/o checkup and is down to 18% for weight and something like that for height. She's gonna be short like me!
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