To think comfort nursing isn't weird, even when you have no milk?

[BatmansBoxers]

I've posted about my daughter before, she's been very ill and currently receives most of her food through an NG tube due to having severe bronchiolitis. I did breastfeed initially but didn't make much milk and so stopped at 10 weeks.

Since having her NG, she wants to nurse. She can take some orally and I don't make lots of milk any more, so I let her comfort nurse. She won't take a dummy and it soothes her.

I mentioned this casually (because i was taking her off to bf) that I've restarted breastfeeding mainly for comfort and a relative commented that it's weird that I let her do this when she's only getting minimal milk. It actually really upset me, because she's been through a lot and if this is something I can do to comfort her then I am happy to do it. I wish I'd just said I was changing her happy or something now.

AIBU to think this is fine or is it in fact, weird? My entire family bottle fed.

You are clearly a wonderful mother and know exactly what your baby needs

Not weird at all.

'Yes I've also been told that I hold her too much  and that I'll have to let go one day. '

I was told this too. I just responded isn't it better than the alternative? I'm a great believer in holding them until they want to go their own way. And letting them come back as they wish. Why force unnatural separation on a child and their mother?

She's still a small baby ignore them, if she was a preschooler it might be weird for some.
You're right if it brings her comfort then why not.

Dont beat yourself up, and don’t be too quick to assume that you aren’t producing and milk just because you can’t express any. It’s really common to be pretty much unable to express and yet fully feed a baby (babies are way more efficient than pumps!)

Letting her latch is the absolute best thing you can do. You will be stimulating milk supply, she will be strengthening all those muscles she needs to feed.

(I had a ng tube fed baby that we managed to breastfeed eventually)

I think you're relative is the wierdo in this scenario.

Breastfeeding a 6 month old baby is so normal it doesn't warrant any comment whatsoever.

Not weird whatsoever. My DC have all used me as a dummy and I am happy to be used . It’s perfectly natural and normal.

What you and your baby are doing is brilliant op. There will be so many positives, the closeness and comfort, the boost to her immune system and gut flora (it doesn't have to be much milk, even the bacteria on the nipple and areola are shown to be beneficial) , and also keeping oral muscle tone through the sucking and swallowing. Well done!

@WithAllIntenseAndPurposes

While certainly a baby will do much better than a pump, at the moment op is hand expressing 0.5ml at a time. It is likely that with a hospital grade double electric pump shell get more than that, and on top of that she'll know that what she gets is less than what a baby could potentially get .. it could be very encouraging at this time to see more milk than the hand expressing has produced to date.
Could also be helpful to build supply. Once supply had been built, it could be dropped (as I did).

Op could pump on one side while nursing baby on other.

Holding or having the baby close at hand while pumping, looking at them and playing recorded sound of them crying (earphones of necessary) would help as well.

*if

Also op some women swear by oats and brewer's yeast for helping supply (as well as loads of fluids of course); I made flapjacks with both (and lots of nice things to cover up the yeast taste, which isn't horrible but not my favourite flavour).

Your relative is weird for thinking it's weird!!!

Enjoy your snuggles op x

Morality I don't disagree about it being help just wanted to say sometimes you can think you aren't producing at all when you go by what you can pump

Morality I don't disagree about it being help just wanted to say sometimes you can think you aren't producing at all when you go by what you can pump

If op is producing only a few drops/0.5ml by hand expressing, she could be getting the impression that she's producing next to nothing.

If she pumps using a good quality double electric pump, it is extremely likely that she'll see more - which gives a better impression of producing milk and is more encouraging than some drops squeezed out by hand.

(Certainly what is produced by a pump is less than what a hormone triggering little one will get. Knowing that would be even more encouraging).