Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Restarting BF at 4 months?

78 replies

Puddlelane · 25/03/2013 08:02

Ok bear with me here.
I have a 4 month old dairy free formula baby.
Currently it was thought he may have silent reflux which infant gaviscon...it's not really made any difference. He was never sicky or cried after feeds just very mucusy.
So I am now at the stage where we are going to ask to change his formula to neocate to see if it's the
Milk. He is thriving, putting on weight and meeting milestones.
Due to reasons I would rather not get into right now I breastfed for not very long then was moved over to dairy free formula due to history of previous children under medical advice etc.

Could I restart breastfeeding at this stage? I would give him formula until I have milk obviously. Google leads me to believe its possible but google isn't always right!
Am I mad? I really want to do this for him. I'm dairy free anyhow!
Please be gentle I really don't want a bun fight or to be attacked due to decisions that have been made re formula.

OP posts:
DeputyDeputyChiefOfStaff · 17/04/2013 14:29

I don't know about mothers' milk tea, but my guess would be that no clinical trials have been done so it would be impossible to say for sure whether or not it has an effect. Presumably it's safe to use though, so if you wanted to give it a try, it wouldn't do any harm. Other 'home remedies' for increasing milk supply are fenugreek, oats and brewers' yeast extract - I'm sure there are more. Again, no trials have been done but some mothers find them helpful.

DeputyDeputyChiefOfStaff · 17/04/2013 14:31

It's a shame that your hv isn't supportive :( Maybe she just has no experience of it - it may be that you know more than she does now!

Original poster
Puddlelane · 17/04/2013 17:21

She just outright said it would never work.
Such a shame.
I got the tea on a whim tbh! Fenugreek scares me a little bit I'm hoping to use it once I see some milk and use it to increase supply.
Hoping the NCT BF councillor will call soon.

OP posts:
bettybyebye · 17/04/2013 17:33

Hi puddle,

Gatorade (or powerade) can help to increase milk supply, didn't try it personally but have several friends who have found this. Not sure if it would help you relactate but no harm in trying? Also there's something called "power pumping" which can help increase milk supply when expressing - if you google power pumping there's some useful links.

Hth and good luck!

Original poster
Puddlelane · 17/04/2013 17:36

That's interesting to know! Will look at power pumping now.
I'm so annoyed by that HV it's made me even more determined to success.

Thanks everyone you are all being so kind and helpful. Nest of vipers, pah!

OP posts:
Original poster
Puddlelane · 17/04/2013 17:58

Doing power pumping tonight for the hour suggested.
Will do it twice a day

OP posts:
Original poster
Puddlelane · 18/04/2013 07:53

If pumping is making me thirsty that's a good sign yes?

OP posts:
DeputyDeputyChiefOfStaff · 18/04/2013 13:36

I don't know tbh, but breastfeeding often seems to make mothers thirsty so could be!

Did you get through to the nct person?

squidkid · 18/04/2013 14:21

I have no expertise but I just wanted to say I really admire you and hope so much this works out for you.
My boyfriend was fed by his adoptive mother - it is possible!!

Original poster
Puddlelane · 18/04/2013 15:00

Still waiting for her to call me. I'll email her again tomorrow I really need to talk to someone!
I'm looking at getting a supplemental nursing system too- £30 but worth it I think.

Thanks squid!

OP posts:
SchroSawMargeryDaw · 18/04/2013 15:06

You could ask your Dr for Metoclopramide, this should help you re-lactate.

RedKites · 18/04/2013 16:00

While you're waiting for the BFC to call you, you could try one of the breastfeeding helplines? While they won't actually be able to see you, they will be able to share useful information and talk things through with you. The different phone numbers are listed at the end of this page.

Original poster
Puddlelane · 18/04/2013 16:53

Thanks Redkite I will.
I'm taking (as of today domperidone) Schro

OP posts:
HerrenaHarridan · 18/04/2013 17:06

Midwife is a tit, I have seen women relactate, my best friend still leaks whenever she spends anytime with a baby and her dd is 11!

One of my midwives told me it would be impossible for me to fully bf dd and that I would have to supplement, I didn't!

Keep going,Smile
lots and lots and lots of water, massage your breasts before pumping,
skin to skin as much as you can.

Easy to say but don't get stressed about it or it will never work!

Try and be a bit blase, either it works and great or it doesn't and you tried.

Have you contacted whoever runs your local bf support group?

ChunkyChicken · 18/04/2013 17:14

Just offering support. A RL friend tried this unsuccessfully unfortunately due to similar issues after stopping bf at 6mths & finding her DD was intolerant to normal f. Hopefully it was because her DD was older that made it too hard...

Of course relactation is possible, its just hard work!! If inducing a milk supply wasn't possible, how do adoptive mothers do it??! Stupid HV.:(

DeputyDeputyChiefOfStaff · 18/04/2013 17:21

Puddlelane, def worth calling one of the helplines in case the nct person is unavailable for any reason. They would be able to talk you through all of the same things and will probably be able to find out where you can go to get local support.

Original poster
Puddlelane · 18/04/2013 18:22

Thanks everyone feeling a bit low right now so thank you for perking me up.
I'm going to our local group next week, feel a bit of a fraud though.
I will call a helpline tonight if they are open, there is so much conflicting advice out there- my brain hurts!

I did get a tiny drop of milk this afternoon!
I have been power pumping 10 mins on each boob for an hour for 3 times today.
Have this tea to try this evening.
I'm chuffed I got a drop of milk!

OP posts:
WouldBeHarrietVane · 18/04/2013 19:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MsJupiterJones · 18/04/2013 20:14

Well done on your drop! Hopefully first of many Smile

HerrenaHarridan · 18/04/2013 20:23

Omg!

I'm so excited for you I'm dancing round the kitchen!

You've done it! Well done!

Just keep going.

Next time you offer it do ds, squeeze a drop so it tastes yummy and come back and tell us all about it.

Crocodilehunter · 18/04/2013 20:32

Aww well done, I'm rooting for you!!! (No pun intended haha) keep us posted

Goodkingwalkingslass · 18/04/2013 20:37

It can be done! It sounds like you're doing really well. I really recommend calling one of the helplines (only have first hand experience of LLL & NCT) they are brilliant and I found them so helpful although I wasn't in your situation.

Just wanted to say well done really

Original poster
Puddlelane · 18/04/2013 20:41

Thank you, you lovely people!
Hopefully now I will get more, I have to say I was very surprised to see a tiny wet drop on my boob!
My boobs are sore from all the pumping but it's so worth it!
I'm hoping DS will be much more interested now I may vaguely smell of milk.

Thanks for being here with me, I really appreciate it. Annoyingly RL has got in the way this evening so I'm just drinking my milk tea and having another 15 minute pump.
I'm not sure of the best pumping schedule tbh I'm power pumping twice a day should I be doing every two hours 15 minute blast each side as well?
Its the pumping during the day I find the hardest.

Thanks again :)

OP posts:
Original poster
Puddlelane · 18/04/2013 21:07

Ok the tea, smells like sherbet fountain... Doesn't taste that way!

Fenugreek- any good? Or will I smell like maple syrup or just smell?

OP posts:
Original poster
Puddlelane · 19/04/2013 08:39

Pumping has made my nipple bleed :( ow! What do I do? I'm calling LLL at 9!

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread