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Infant feeding

Boob job, domperidone, baby not gaining...help please :-(

40 replies

AngryBeaver · 13/05/2014 09:43

10 years ago I had a boob job.
With every child I've had there has been fb anxieties and I've ended up topping up and then giving up.
My 4 th child is 2 weeks old.
I thought I would eliminate any worries by asking my midwife for do peri done (had googled it and thought it sounded the a water to my worries) she did, I took it and my supply was great.
Baby gained 120g in two days. And all her birth weight back.

(There was no evidence that there was anything wrong with my supply before this, but it just felt that there must be)

Anyway, in a nutshell, it gave. Me stomach cramps and stinky farts!
It also seemed to give the baby the same trouble. She screamed in the night and only settled when she'd released wind.

I asked the midwife if I could just stop and she said I could.

The day after I chucked them, I got mastitis.

I have started taking fenugreek, not sure if it's made a differnce in supply.

The midwife weighed her and found she'd only put 40g on in. Nearly a week. She came back today (2 days later) and she'd put nothing on since then?!

I don't understand at all. She seems quite alert, and she wees and poos regularly (3 poos today)

Midwife and husband, and mother are all starting to suggest ff. I feel like they're closing in on me!

I'm really stressed by this. Of I have to ff feed her, I will feel such a fucking failure.
I really wanted it to work this time. I love feeding her :(
Help?

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AngryBeaver · 13/05/2014 09:45

Oh, sorry that's epicConfused

And forgot to say, midwife says I should wake her. Every hour or two to try and feed her, but she sucks for 3 mins and then is impossible to wake!

I have 3 other children and we don't live in UK, so no family support. Dh was back at work after one week and so I have had to cope with all four on my own since then.

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AngryBeaver · 13/05/2014 17:06

No one any advice?

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minipie · 13/05/2014 17:42

I don't know anything about the effect of boob jobs but are you sure there isn't another reason for the supply issue/weight issues... such as tongue tie for example? (runs in families so could explain difficulties BF the others too).

Honestly putting on nothing in 2 days and 40g in a week wouldn't worry me too much if she is alert and plenty of wees and poos. keep an eye on the weight but don't be guided solely by that.

waking every hour to feed is insane IMO. she won't be hungry. even for my titchy prem baby it was every 3 hours.

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minipie · 13/05/2014 17:45

PS is your DD's wind better now you're off the domperidone?

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PeaceLillyDoge · 13/05/2014 18:00

Oh you poor thing! I toohad a very sleepy baby with weight issues. If was horrible having to wake her every three hours but we really had to. Got so bad we were having to strip her off and bathe her in cool water in order to wake her :(

Breast feeding is bloody hard work in the first few weeks. You're doing really well, keep going x

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AngryBeaver · 13/05/2014 22:16

Thanks for the replies.
Midwife says definitely no tongue/lip tie.

Baby's wind was better when I came off the domperidone.
BUT, the fenugreek now seems to be causing the same problem!
Since yesterday I have been guffing like mad and so has she!
Last night I had tummy cramps, and it seems she did too,

I googled it and it seems a small percent of people who take fenugreek suffer "bad gas" and if you take blessed thistle with it, this may combat the effects.
I'm not really sure I want to take all this stuff, tbh!

I wish it wasn't so hard. Hmm


Possibly, what has happened is that I (along with millions of other new mums) panicked that I didn't have enough milk. Googled possible explanations.
Saw breast augmentation on the list and assumed that this is the reason for "lack of milk" .
And then driven myself mad for the last 8 years Shock
But as no one can say for sure that there isn't a supply problem, I, never going to be convinced that there is enough.

Forgot to say, when I had first baby, I tried to express and could only produce small amounts.
I persevered for weeks, pumping at different times with different pumps (spent small fortune! And even rented out a huge Iron Lung looking machine from NCT)
No good.
Just to make things worse, my friend gave me regular updates on how easy it was and how she expressed 8 oz in 5 mins and she just had TOO MUCH MILK etc etc Confused

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BelleOfTheBoys · 13/05/2014 22:40

Not an expert BUT

If baby is happy and content, I expect you have enough milk. If she was hungry, she'd be fussy and unsettled. TRUST YOURSELF. If you love feeding her, and she seems happy, keep going. She gained a little. Please stop worrying. A hungry baby will let you know. Waking her every hour seems extreme.

My hv told me to weigh NO MORE than every two weeks after 2 weeks of age. She said people fret too much if they weigh too often. Weight gain isn't steady, she will go up in jumps. So she didn't gain in that specific 2 day period. If she's happy and wetting nappies, and you want to feed, KEEP GOING. You're doing brilliantly. Tell dh and anyone else who undermines that that you're sorry they don't want to support you but you're doing what's best for you and your baby. YOURE DOING GREAT.

As for the fenugreek etc. If it's giving you both wind, stop. You're making milk so obviously your boobs are working just fine Grin If your augmentation was causing issues, I imagine that would be to do with breast tissue/milk ducts being severed/damaged in the procedure? So if you're making milk I reckon they're functioning great. Yay Grin
If she's very windy, her tummy may have been full of wind so less room for milk, so slightly slower weight gain this week. Drop the stuff giving you trumps. Feed her on demand. Loads of skin to skin and cuddles. Maybe try co sleeping - all things to boost supply without giving you wind.

So easy to worry, esp if you've ff in the past as you're used to knowing the numbers (how much milk, how often, how much weight)... Just look at your baby. If she looks fine, and happy, and is nursing well, then you're doing everything right.

Also: remember that a ff baby will gain more steadily as the amount of formula is often increased incrementally, regardless of how much the baby needs. Bf is a different kettle of fish altogether. She will increase your supply herself as she grows, and will have growth spurts and steady periods on and off - in the early weeks even every few days. Sometimes it will seem like she is nursing loads - this is to help increase your supply and stimulate your boobs to create the increased amount of milk she needs, which will be perfect for her. These are often the times when you will worry that you don't have enough milk - because she seems to be feeding more frequently you think she is hungrier - she kind of is, but by feeding she is letting your boobs know! It takes a good few months to settle down, this is normal and natural.

You love feeding her. She sounds alert and happy. You are doing brilliantly :)

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Midori1999 · 14/05/2014 00:06

I have had two augmentations. I've since breastfed two children, DD until she was 26 months and DS 7 months and going strong.

If birthweight has been regained and your baby is having plenty of wet and dirty nappies (she is two weeks old right?) then it is probably just best to just keep an eye on here but assume you have enough milk. Plenty of women worry about supply even without having had a boob job.

When I had DD I had gallons of milk, it was ridiculous. In comparison, when I had DS I didn't even notice my milk come in. (and he's my 7th baby, although only the second I've successfully breastfed, so it's not like I didn't know what to look for) his nappies were fine and his weight gain was fine, but I still wondered about my supply at times because my breasts have never ever felt full, never leaked and I could barely express this time. Very different to when I had my DD.

I suppose what I am saying is, you're not alone in worrying. But what you describe here doesn't seem worrying. Just keep an eye on things, but try and have confidence in your body. I know lots of women who have breastfed after augmentations.

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AngryBeaver · 14/05/2014 02:51

Aw, thanks belle that's a kind post :)

The reason dh and mum are both starting with the ff talk is that they live through my misery by proxy!
They don't want me to be upset and see no shame in ff, so don't see a problem.

She seems to gave fed a bit better today and it's definitely the fenugreek causing tummy probs for us.
I won't take anymore .

I think half of the problem is that I hear glug hime for a few mins, then empty sucking sounds after a while, then she falls asleep.

I know it's possible to feed after augmention, btw. Its just I know that sometimes if causes a problem and I wonder if this is me.

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Writerwannabe83 · 14/05/2014 09:20

Hello angrybeaver - I know what you mean about being surrounded by an anti breast feeding brigade!! My in-laws and my own grandparents are probably the worse, it must be a generation thing - My DS has gained well over 4lb in 7 weeks and they are still concerned that my breast milk isn't enough. So it seems like we can't win Smile

How long does your baby feed for?

I also have a very quick let down and for the first few minutes all I can hear is gouging, gulping and swallowing, but it soon settles down to silent sucking - is that what you mean by empty sucking? As the baby hits the hind milk, which is the fatty milk, it is much thicker than the fore milk hence why they feed much slower when they reach it, it's not as easy for them to extract it.

Feeding every hour is ridiculous in my opinion - I imagine doing that would mean that baby would only be getting the fore milk - due to her being full from her previous feed - and would account for her not gaining weight. I can understand waking her two hourly (and that's two hour from when she finishes her feed, not when you started it) but hourly is a bit much! If your baby is shattered from all this waking then they aren't going to feed effectively anyway.

You are doing fine - please do not lose faith in yourself and as has been said, have her weighed less often, it will give you a much better picture of how well you are doing. If she look swell, is settled, having lots of wet and dirty nappies then that is a good enough indicator that you're doing well Thanks

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AngryBeaver · 14/05/2014 10:13

Well she is having wet& dirty nappies.
But she does seem to cry a lot, but I think she likes being held!
And she likes being on the boob. She'll stop crying as. Soon as the nipple goes in, but doesn't always drink, just rolls it around in her mouth and then goes to sleep.

Sometimes she has a good feed. Other times she'll suck for 3 mins and go to sleep.

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AngryBeaver · 14/05/2014 10:15

She does have alert times when she doesn't cry. She seems to like being on the playmat.
But nothing else!

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crikeybadger · 14/05/2014 11:00

It's normal that she wants to held all the time -a sling may make this easier with your other dcs.

Try breast compressions when she stops sucking-google dr jack newman, he has a good video clip.

Keep going....5/6 wet nappies a day and 3 pooey ones are what you need to look out for.Z

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duvet · 14/05/2014 11:09

DD1 wasnt gaining that much weight after about 12 weeks and I got led to thinking i should ff and so the decline began, :-( so regretted it, and think I could have carried on given the right info. 2nd time around had read up more beforehand, kellymom.com and despite similar problem happening again I persevered with the mindset I can do this and I have smallish boobs, and I did! Did have to feed much more frequently for the first few months tho, it was hard going at night every 3 hours but I made it to 5 months before introducing some banana (horrors!) rather than resorting to formula and continued to bf til 20months. :-)

Fenugreek worked for me but smelling of maple syrup wasnt great, just took it occasionally when she was having a growth spurt

Keep going and believe in yourself. :-)

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duvet · 14/05/2014 11:09

Oh and drink plenty and try to relax and enjoy, stress doesnt help supply/let down I dont think.

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BelleOfTheBoys · 14/05/2014 11:26

Sounds like a normal, bf baby to me :)

Both my DS hated being put down. A sling has been invaluable - I even bought a water one so I could shower with ds2! It's natural that they want to be close to you all the time - you smell milky and lovely to them and they like the closeness. I still feed Ds2 to sleep - he will go to sleep in the buggy but otherwise it's feed to sleep. Sometimes he has a loooooong feed, sometimes it's pop the nip in and 2 mins later he's asleep. It's all normal and fine.

You sound like you're doing great. I loved

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BelleOfTheBoys · 14/05/2014 11:30

Sorry - bfing baby while I type and he pressed post!

I loved it when you said 'I love feeding her!' I bet she loves it too. Grin

You're doing great. Keep going. Get her weighed in a week or two but don't be pressured into giving up something so lovely Smile xx

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BelleOfTheBoys · 14/05/2014 11:34

Sorry one more!

Expressing is no indication of supply. I expressed with ds1 as I went back to work at 5mo (Hmm). I could pump a couple of bottles a day as I wasn't feeding him directly so I was getting engorged. This time I am feeding 8mo DS2 and have tried to express as going back to work soon. Haven't been able to pump more than 1oz. Ds2 is massive. Pumping and supply are not related.

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AngryBeaver · 14/05/2014 16:09

I had heard that about pumping. Fortunately it's not imperative that I pump, although dh would like to feed her once in a while.

I'm up at the moment feeding her. She's fussing. We co sleep (dh on sofa bed!) which I love. But she does fuss a bit between 2-5 on/off the boob and on/off, crying.
Midwife wife is coming today at 12 (we're not in UK, different time zone) to weight her. I'm already anxious!
I'll be so stressed if she says there's no gain again.

I just don't know how that can be physically possible!

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Writerwannabe83 · 14/05/2014 17:50

How did the weighing go?

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Newbie1050 · 14/05/2014 22:55

Hey from reading your post and the comments above, everyone is right do not be worrying! My baby was the exactly the same, she slept after only a few sucks of feeding and it was always so hard to wake her back up!my darling used me as a dummy sometimes so I completely understand what your on about, you have to remember even if she only a few times she is taking what she wants! My baby was a little jaundice when she was born which can cause the baby to sleep a lot too! And it's completely normal to be worried about their weight! But honestly don't fret, my midwife explained to me that a lot of babies normally lose weight before gaining it especially when breasted! It has nothing to do with your milk supply, I'm sure it's fine! If your baby is content and happy enough then you should be fine! If you are really stressed out maybe take her to a doctor and they might be able to give you more advice! However I think ever hour is extreme as we have to remember sleep is when the wee ones grow and develop so just take things at your babies pace, on demand! I hope everything works out for you and your doing brilliant on breast feeding and don't worry about expressing it takes me a near hour or more sometimes to get 3-4 oz!

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AngryBeaver · 15/05/2014 01:50

Well, I'm sitting here with red puffy eyes.
She's just been weighed and she's only put on 20 g :( midwife says I need to get a breast pump and express after every feed.
I have a feeling this is going to make me feel worse as it's never worked well in the past!

Dh was working from home today and has heard everything.
He wants to do an evening bottle :(

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Writerwannabe83 · 15/05/2014 04:42

Oh I'm sorry to see you are feeling sad. Why does your DH want to give a bottle? Is it because he genuinely wants to help and thinks it will give you a break, or is it for his own selfish reasons? Your Sad implies you aren't happy about it and nor should you be. What will stimulate your milk supply more than anything is your baby feeding from you and every time your baby is given a bottle it means an opportunity has passed to try and improve things. Breast pumps does not simulate a suckling baby and although they have their role in increasing milk supply it is not as efficient as actually breast feeding.

Expressing can be very disheartening for some if they aren't able to get much at first and if this is the case for you please don't think it is a reflection on your supply. There are many successful breast feeding mothers with thriving babies who are unable to express, it's just the way it is for some. Try a variety of pumps as you may find one that works better for you. I gave a Lasinoh manual pump and it's great. I started using it when DS was a few weeks old to relieve engorgement and found it to be really effective. By the time DS was 6 weeks I was able to get 4oz in about ten minutes.

I'm not going to say don't cry as your upset is completely understandable, I gave been in floods of tears myself over feeding and feeling like somehow I was failing my DS - breast feeding is a huge emotional pressure on a mother when we know the responsibility is on us to nourish our babies and I think a lot of self guilt comes into play. It's really horrible.

If I could give you a big hug, I would Thanks

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ForTheLoveOfSocks · 15/05/2014 05:35

Could you try a supplementary nursing system? That way if baby needs a top up, they get it but all the while your breast is being stimulated.

I was also told by my lactation consultant I shouldn't just stop taking domperidone, as it could result in my supply dropping back down again. You should be weaned off it slowly.

If it helps I've just gone through a shit time myself. I was topping up with formula as I felt my DD wasn't getting enough. After a gruelling few weeks we are back off the formula and now she is bf again.

It sounds to me your midwife isn't very supportive. Is there any bf support/lactation consultants you can speak to?

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AngryBeaver · 15/05/2014 05:43

Thanks writer.
Although I'drobably blub more if you hugged me!

Dh just hates seeing me beat myself up. He's not bothered how the baby is fed, as long as she's well and I'm happy.
It's like Groundhog Day for him, I suppose.

He just doesn't see the issue in saying "right, it's not working again, it's too hard for me mentally, we should just ff. baby gets fed, no stress " but he just doesn't/can't understand how important it is for me to do it myself.

She was doing so well at the end of week one.120g in 2 days? I'm thinking that it must have been the domperidone.

Bit of a coincidence that I stop taking them and then she stalls.

She's not looking chubby like she was. I just want her to thrive :(

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