Traumatic birth experience and milk supply

[brightside11]

Trigger warning for birth trauma

Wondering whether having a fairly traumatic birth experience and an awful experience of postnatal care in hospital might have stopped my milk production? My baby girl arrived at 36 weeks. I have Tokophobia and had planned an elective c section but last Sunday I suddenly began bleeding heavily. When I got to the hospital I was already 3cm dilated and membranes ruptured so I had an emergency c-section. The c-section was rushed but straightforward and I heard my baby girl cry immediately after she was born. However she then stopped crying and there was a long delay at the time I was expecting her to be given to me for skin-to-skin (a few minutes). I asked the anaesthetist where my baby was and he told me that she had stopped breathing and that the doctors with her. A few minutes later she was brought to me. We stayed in hospital for several days and I found the care I received on the ward both insensitive and intrusive but we are thankfully home now.

I’m now on day 8 post c-section and barely producing anything more than colostrum, despite using a hospital grade pump. My baby isn’t able to latch properly despite me having help from several midwives and a breastfeeding specialist in hospital (I use the term “help” loosely in some cases too as one midwife’s idea of help was to express aggressively from my nipples even after I said she was hurting me). Baby is currently being formula fed as she lost more than 10% of her birth weight so the feeding specialist set us up on a three hourly formula feed schedule. She’s now put weight on but it’s all through formula and the odd syringe of colostrum. The only way she’ll get anything from me is if I express but my milk seems to not be coming in.

I am doing lots of skin to skin with my baby and still trying to find time to help her to breastfeed but I feel like I’m on a tight schedule with her formula feeds, as even taking a bottle can be challenging for her (as she’s premature) and so it’s very time consuming meeting her daily formula targets. It doesn't feel like I have time for self-care or much breastfeeding practice. My husband told me off for not pumping enough yesterday even though we had hospital appointments all morning and his family round yesterday afternoon. Feel like
I’m giving all I have and still failing! I think I have seen all the local NHS feeding specialists now and they are just repeating themselves at this point and not telling me or showing me anything new.

I am just venting really but any advice or support would be welcomed.

Poor you, that sounds really hard. Yes, trauma and stress can cause problems with bf and supply. I was on prem wards for months and saw it often. The other thing is that the machines really don’t work like a baby, even the hospital ones.

Could I suggest that you limit visitors as much as possible? Especially on days that you have appointments. On neonatal wards they have limited visiting hours and you are encouraged to spend hours every day doing kangaroo care. Can you recreate this at home? Don’t worry about self-care- stay in your pjs and eat take away!

Getting a premie to feed is different to a full term as they are often sleepier, after all they should be inside you still! We had lots of practice with neonatal nurses, and it took weeks. Try putting baby to the breast before the bottle, when they are most awake. Nothing will increase your supply as well as your baby suckling, even if there’s nothing there. Of course go to the bottle before they are too tired or distressed. I would aim for every 2 hours when you’re awake, just a few minutes depending on babies stamina.

You might be able to find a breastfeeding group nearby- these are amazing for finding volunteers who can sit with you and take time when baby is ready.

Finally, don’t be distraught if breastfeeding doesn’t work for you. It is out of your control and if you have given it your best shot then you’re not a failure.

Oh, another thing. Do you express with baby on you? You can latch her on one side and express from the other at the same time (takes a bit of practice). This can increase your supply as your hormones are in the right place. Hope it goes well

How much are you eating and drinking?

How much are you pumping? When dd was in scbu I set up a pumping schedule as it was important for me not to miss getting established. In the end she couldn’t bf, but I had a great supply of milk to bottle feed with.

Go easy on yourself.
I recently had my first baby and had all intentions on breastfeeding, but then had quite a large bleed after giving birth. We were on the postnatal ward a week after she was born so had plenty of support and I was doing the same - 3 hourly pumping with hospital grade pump, which we also went home with. Baby also wouldn’t latch and lost a large amount of weight before they would finally let us top up with formula.
By day 14 I was still only expressing off 10-15ml and my supply almost appeared to start failing off. Someone eventually told me that bleeds/traumatic births can really affect milk supply (which mentally helped me feel much better!). If I missed pumping for a few hours, I never became engorged or had painful breasts.. it just seemed like the milk was never there.
I’ve taken the stress off myself by expressing as and when I want to now, which is working for us because it’s so gutting just constantly pumping and getting such teeny amounts!