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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

To feel sad that this might be the end of expressing

28 replies

pigletmania · 09/06/2012 15:01

In a nutshell, ds is 4.5 months, and after a rocky start to bf, hospitalised, and ds refusing to latch on i found myself expressing and suplementing with formula. All was good for the first few moths supply wonderful, than a month ago it starts dropping so i had to supplement even more with formula. I now express 5 times and produce 2x6floz bottles of bm for ds. I can only manage to express 5 times as i have a dmanding dd with SN who also needs my time, so i cannot spend loads of time expressing. I am no giving him what i have and hope that i will limp to 5 months and stop. I feel sad as i wanted to dictate when i would stop not my supply. But hey ho

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Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 15:05

I know that the advice would be to express every 2 hours but really that is not possible due to dd, and also in the middle of expressing ds might need my attention do have to drop what i am doing and see to him.

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EauRouge · 09/06/2012 15:44

Piglet- you have moved mountains to give your DS breastmilk and you should be massively proud of yourself! It is sad that things are not going as you want them to go- no one wants to compromise on how they raise their children.

I'm sure you've looked into every option but just wanted to check that you'd looked at those hands-free pumps, do you think one would help?

Have you seen the NCT Reasons to be proud leaflet? Look at all the wonderful things you've done for your DS.

Have you been in contact with a BF counsellor that can help you through this? Whether you decide to carry on and see how far you get or whether you decide to call it a day now, it will be nice to have someone to listen and bounce ideas off.

Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 16:02

Thanks Eau, I dont think hands free would help as dd would need me to leave the pump and go and do something with her or take her out or calm her down. I dd see a lactation consultant in the hospital who drew up an action plan for feeding, but as time went on ds just did not want to latch, and when he did latch dd would leap at me causing ds to delatch as she was quite jealous of ds. I think that this put him off too. Whilst i still have some milk left i will continue. I do occasionally try ds at the breast but he seems to have forgotten, and i know that he culd but it would mean all day sitting on the sofa which with dd and dh at work i dont have.

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Spiritedwolf · 09/06/2012 16:12

You could always keep expressing whatever you can till you are happy to give up. Two bottles a day is good going :)

I don't know your history with this, so sorry if you've already tried or whether there is a reason why you cant, but have you thought about trying to get him onto the breast now? Maybe getting him there via an at breast supplementor? Because if you could get him to suckle from you directly then you wouldn't have the double time of having to express and having to feed the expressed feed.

Sorry if thats not possible after this length of time, I'm a newbie to all of this.

Spiritedwolf · 09/06/2012 16:14

sorry for the cross post, you've answered this now :)

Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 16:19

that is a great idea and spirit, i could try now he is older that is also whgy i kept my supply going so at a later date i could. everytime he wants a feed i could offer my breast, i feel a bit Blush now hes older though. would my supply increase if i do this

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Bellakins · 09/06/2012 16:52

Your supply will definitely increase because of the skin to skin contact. Baby will stimulate the milk flow far better than a pump.

No harm in trying to put him to the breast, you never know.

Good luck but for what it's worth, you have done very well to get this far and you should be proud of yourself regardless.

Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 17:29

Thank you Bella definitely will try

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showtunesgirl · 09/06/2012 17:34

piglet I've followed your story and a big hand to you. You have worked so, so hard to get this far and if this is it, you have every reason to be massively proud of yourself.

GlaikitFizzogKnitterOfTheRealm · 09/06/2012 17:42

Piglet I was in you shoes a year ago and a wise mner told me to count every oz ds got from me as a bonus. I got to 18 weeks with only a few formula top ups in the very beginning then just kept giving him what I could get and supplementing with formula until 22 weeks I think when he went on to all formula. You have done fantastically well. I took each pumping session as it came, and no one can ever take away what I did for ds. And likewise for you. :)

helenlouisey · 09/06/2012 21:29

Piglet, you've done an amazing job, I know how hard expressing is, my DS was born 7 weeks prem so I spent a lot of time expressing for him, as he never got the hang of breastfeeding even once home & endless help and support from a fantastic lactation consultant. The main two things that helped my supply was lots of skin to skin and in the end domperidone, as expressing alone just wasnt enough to maintain my supply, I needed a little help.

Just keep reminding yourself how amazing every drop of breast milk is, and that ever feed and ozs of breast milk counts, and to get this far is brilliant, be very proud of yourself.

Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 21:31

thanks everyone for all the lovely support, its really cheered me up Smile. i did put ds near my chest, thought when i offered him my breast he started to get upset and thrash about. it did stimulate my milk though so wll be doing that a bit more

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YoulllaughAboutItOneDay · 09/06/2012 21:42

I've seen lots of threads by you Piglet and often thought what an amazing job you are doing. You have done so, so well to get as far as you have with all the other demands on your time.

Also, there is a reason that the NHS don't actually use the slogan 'breast is best' but instead talk about every breastfeed counting. It really, truly does. Well done!

Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 22:16

Thanks a lot yourllaugh your post really made my evening [smile[. Yes a much better promotion would be every breastfeed counts. I'm sitting here typing whilst I do my last pump of the evening

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Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 22:18

My dd has ASD and really needs a lot of time so to pump 8-10 tomes a da would be impossible for me, if I just had ds I old just about manage but you would have no life or sleep

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Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 22:20

Dd has been biting at her MS school recently so we have had endless meetings and got to find her a new school, and looking round more specialist schools. The stress probably has meant a dip in my supply

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YoulllaughAboutItOneDay · 09/06/2012 22:25

They do say that, honest. I have a fridge magnet to prove it! 'Breast is best' is a v v old slogan that somehow got lodged in the public consciousness. Bit too catchy for its own good!

Two big feeds is such a lot of BM for your DS. That must be great for the immune benefits, etc. You should be so proud. I bf DD1 to 21 months and am still going at one with DD2. I have made a fraction of the effort you have to give your son BM. And that's the measure of a great mother isn't it- that you'll do anything within your abilities, and stretch yourself to the max, to give your child things you think are important for them. I can't stress enough how amazing I think people like you are.

Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 22:30

Wow that is fantastic you have done really well getting g this far. When I waspregna t with ds I wanted to bf until 2 years with him. It's sheer bloodiemindedness that keeps me going

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Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 22:31

And all of your wonderful support of course Smile

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metalelephant · 09/06/2012 22:37

Well done pigletmania, you're an inspiration!

YoulllaughAboutItOneDay · 09/06/2012 22:43

I haven't though. I don't mean this in a nasty smug way, but other than the first couple of weeks with DD1 I have found feeding a walk in the park. Even the first weeks were just a bit of oversupply. I have faced no real challenges to BF. Point baby at boob, relax. DD2 currently pretty much undoes my top for me, so I barely need to move! I am in awe of people who, day in, day out, make the amazing, humungous effort of exclusive expressing. I would love to say I would have been so determined with the same challenges, but I'm not sure would have been. I second Metal - it's inspirational.

Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 22:43

Wow your all so kind I really don't deserve all these wonderful comments Blush. I am just trying to do the best I can for ds. I do feed ds formula when what I have pumped has gone, but it's not all that great, gets all clogged up sandy kind of stuff and bloody expensive.

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Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 22:47

I wish it was that easy for me yourllaugh. Imtried that and ds was getting dehydrated before my milk had properly come in and jaundice so had to have ,ight therapy. He just preferred to suck from a bottle after that and would fuss and scream when I gave him my boob

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YoulllaughAboutItOneDay · 09/06/2012 22:48

You do deserve it, you do, you do . It's not about whether he has any formula. It's about everything you are doing to give him the benefits of some BM. Go on, take the big pat on the back and remember it next time you're beating yourself up.

We all have our challenges. Mine is sleep.

Original poster
pigletmania · 09/06/2012 23:08

Thanks so much you laugh Smile big [hugs] to you

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