Relacation - Breast milk. Anyone tried it?

[EOP2020x]

Hey!

My little girl is 6 weeks old. I started off trying to breast feed her and pump, but she really struggled to latch and the pumping became a struggle for me. I stopped pumping after around 2 weeks.

I then started to get a really overwhelming feeling that I wanted to breastfeed and keep trying, and give her my milk where possible for her health.

So I've read up as much as I can about it (there's not much info) and you can potentially bring back your milk supply. I've started pumping and offering her breast whenever she wants it/will take it.

I've been pumping for about a week and I have very little milk so far. Beforehand i used to pump for around 10 mins and get 4-5oz per session.

I know it takes time but I'd just like to hear some experiences if anyone's done this and succeeded or not been able to bring back supply? And how long etc?

Pumping isn't a good indication of supply.
I'd just attatch the baby permanently to the boob boob. Monitor output of pee and poop but yes it can be done.
Lots of oats helps my supply.
You can do it.
Ring la leche league for more tips

If you are thinking of relactating I would suggest phoning one of the BFing Helplines and talking it through with a BFC.

Also agree that how much you pump is absolutely no indication of how much you are producing

I would contact LLL or a private lactation consultant. The general advice is to stay in bed/sit on the sofa with your boobs out just keep offering her breast milk all the time she is awake.

I began re-lactating when dc1 was 6w. I basically kept going back to bed with him so that we could be skin-to-skin as much as possible. I offered breast until ds could no longer be satisfied, and then I would top up with formula, but continue to offer breast first.

Within a few days we were getting to lunchtime before I needed to add formula, and I was able to drop the night-time formula almost immediately.

I avoided feeding to sleep, but would either feed ds when he woke, or wake him if it had been more than 3h since he had last fed (except at night). That way he always had a big ‘meal’, rather than a little ‘snack’.

I did not succeed in fully relactating, but got to the point where ds was having about 1.5 bottles out of 5-6 feeds in 24h. Which was OK, I was happy with that.

I found BfN counsellors wonderfully helpful, and Kellymom was a brilliant website. This was before I discovered MN, but with my subsequent babies I found wonderful breastfeeding supporters here, too.

Please bear in mind, though, that the important thing is that your baby is fed and cherished. You’re also an good mother if you bottlefeed. Relactating is for your benefit. And that’s also OK.

And I only ever pumped if I felt ds could have had more but hadn't, for whatever reason. So he had 'snacked'. I have never had much success pumping, with all my babies it would take me a couple of days to accumulate one bottle for a babysitter. I found that the best time to pump was immediately after the baby had 'snacked'. Alternatively, I would start the baby off on one breast, switch them to the other and pump the first breast while the baby was feeding from the second breast.

Maybe I needed the baby to stimulate letdown?

Pumps arent as effective as a baby is for supply. Just put her on and keep offering her the breast until she increases it again. In between feeds you can pump to try and stimulate your breasts but dont worry if only tiny amounts come out

Thank you everyone! Didn't realise that pumping isn't necessarily indicating what I'm producing. Will deffo have a look at those contacts too!

Just to add I can’t pump at all. I would only get 1/2 oz from both boobs together yet I managed to ebf DD2 from 6 weeks until 6 months.