Please convince me I can do this (warning- a bit long)

[[e-mail]]

I posted about this a couple of months ago, but I just don't know what to do. Okay so I am 34 wks preggo and on bed rest due to IC, emergency cerclage, possible PPROM they never did find out for sure but fluid levels have been low end of normal, but thats all a story for another forum.

Anyway I am obsessing over BF this baby. I had planned to EBF DS#1 (4-14-08) but I ended up having serious supply issues. I had a natural birth, baby had a great latch, was at the breast frequently, no bottles or pacis. But no milk ever came in. I mean like none - if I pumped instead of feeding I would get 5-10ml, test feeding weights before and after feeding showed no weight gain at all, not even an ounce. After herbs, pumping, Reglan, oatmeal, and severe depression and guilt over not having enough to feed my son (dropped over 15% of body weight and went below 5lbs), LC diagnosed IGT and extremely low supply. It was an easy diagnosis. After some questions we realized I had had no breast changes to speak of during pregnancy and my breasts were uneven and widely spaced - classic IGT. So DS got a small amount of breast milk from me (whatever I had) and we supplemented the rest (20-24oz supplement a day). This continued until DS was 4 months old and I was pregnant again and my extremely low supply disappeared completely. BTW DS is doing quite well now on formula and my depression has resolved.

So can I do it with this new baby? I have read "Making more Milk" cover to cover twice. I know what I have to do - Herbs, Domperidone, breast compression, frequent nursing and pumping round the clock, supplementing at the breast. And even with all this I might only be able to build up half enough to feed him if I am lucky. Is it really worth it, really? I will be honest - money is tight and I cannot afford a good supplementer for long term at the breast supplementing. We cannot afford hospital pump rental. I cannot afford the more milk plus and the domperidone. Getting all this would put us into debt. And I don't have the time to devote 24hrs a day to increasing my milk supply. I have a high needs 1 year old who has been attachment parented and needs my love and attention as much as his brother needs my paltry amt of milk. So I am ashamed but feeling like maybe I shouldn't try at all. Or maybe I should just put the baby at the breast frequently and if there is no milk within 72hrs and he loses more than 10% of his body weight- then stop and formula feed - no pump, no herbs, no supplementer. But should I even wait, force my baby to loose too much weight before feeding him? Doesn't that sound horrible?

Okay, enough.

Oh and one more note. No breast changes this pregnancy either.

[thepeach80]

I've never had breast changes, wide spaced breasts, sx of PCOS etc. I'm successfully ebfing my first baby, this is #4 for me! All the others had to have formula, but were still bf anywhere from 9-13 mos.

Call your insurance and see if they'll cover a pump or a rental. I know Medicaid does if you or baby happen to have that.

What worked for me was Saw Palmetto Berry and Milk Thistle, but I think it was mostly the SPB. I got it from Target, it was $8.50 for 100 pills and you take 6 a day, so it'll last. I've taken it for 2? wks now and just stopped last night after weaning down to 2 pills a day. Plenty of milk still. I'm down to just pumping 2x a day and that's for freezer stash only. We did have to work hard for a few wks, we didn't see the bfing DR till day 10 and getting in as early as possible helped (we have to see her again on Friday for random pain). She found out Olivia is slightly tongue tied, was a lazy feeder, and she has a small mouth. She's getting fat, but her mouth is still small, lol. We had to feed her, then pump, then feed her that and give formula when necessary for 2 wks. From 3-4 wks I was able to just bf her. Moms who don't make much milk, it doesn't take much to kill their supply. My last dd had a very weak suck and was happy to starve and we didn't realize all this till she was 4 mos old and not even 10#, it was too late then for my supply I think. I tried hard. I'm just one where everything has to be perfect to get milk. Good luck!

Oh, your feelings are normal IME. I wasn't even sure I wanted to try and bf Olivia when I first got pg w/ her. We hadn't planned on more children and supply (plus they've all had food allergies) were the main reasons. I knew I couldn't do that and did try and it's been easier than I thought it would be.

[[e-mail]]

Originally Posted by thepeach80

...What worked for me was Saw Palmetto Berry and Milk Thistle, but I think it was mostly the SPB.

Saw Palmetto - I am going to go look it up in my herbal book right now. I was planning on just more milk plus with goats rue, but it is costly. Maybe I'd be better off getting the individual herbs.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Oh and the BF Dr. ? Where do I find one of them?

[Megan73]

All I can suggest is what I would do.
I hear you on both time and money – we spent literally thousands on LCs, pumps, scales, Lact-Aids, etc. And there is no WAY I could have been nursing or pumping almost 24/7 with a toddler, too.
I'd focus on keeping baby at the breast, and using whatever galactagogues you can afford, even if you can't spare the time spent pumping or cash for domperidone. Even if you have very low supply what you will spend on a Lact-Aid you will save many times over in formula and it will take you no more time to feed your babe than if you bottle fed. You babe will get your milk and nurturing at the breast even if you don't have a full supply and it would be do-able with a toddler.
I know you can do this, mama.

[thepeach80]

Originally Posted by [e-mail]

Saw Palmetto - I am going to go look it up in my herbal book right now. I was planning on just more milk plus with goats rue, but it is costly. Maybe I'd be better off getting the individual herbs.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Oh and the BF Dr. ? Where do I find one of them?

Remember not all herbs work for all people and some herbs work better for specific things. SPB is reccomended for moms w/ IGT or PCOS b/c of it's breast growth properties or whatnot. Look at the table of sx in the back of Making More Milk to see what is reccomended for different things you might have. I only picked up SPB b/c I wanted something I could find easily and we're at Target a lot, lol. It just happened to work for me! :

I don't know of other bfing Drs, I just don't know what to call her. Just calling her Dr leaves out the fact that she's a former ped turned IBCLC, but calling her LC doesn't give her credit for being a ped, lol.

[Taryn237]

nak

Alfalfa helped me a ton - $4 for a big bottle (like a months worth) at wal-mart.

Here is my game plan:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...363&highlight=

You can also make a tincture:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art..._tincture.html

It cost me about $40 to make a HUGE jar of goat's rue tincture.

Mountain rose herbs has goat's rue

[MaryJaneLouise]

No specific advice just a and a for all your efforts. Breastfeeding is more than just the milk.

Do you have friends or a way to get donor milk, at least for the first week or two?