Hey mama's, I'm looking for some help. I'm pregnant with my second baby and I must make breastfeeding work this time. Let me give you all the background information from my nursing experience with my daughter. I'm sorry it's such a long post, but I really want to explain.
I was admitted for pre-ecclamsia (blood pressure 190/110) and induced at 38 weeks. I labored for 17 hours and was deemed "failure to progress" (please don't even get me started on that......), plus even with the mag sulfate my BP was hovering at about 180/90 and I was very, very sick and had a c/s. I didn't even get to hold my daughter for nearly an hour, much less nurse her. When they finally brought her to me, we tried to nurse. I have very, very flat nipples. They aren't inverted at all, but they do blend into the areola completely - I have nothing protruding at all. Immediately without even trying to help me latch her alone, they stuck a nipple shield on me and told me that was the only way I could ever nurse. My daughter lost from 6lbs 13oz to 5lbs 1oz in two days. I was in the hospital 4 days and my milk still hadn't come in by day 4. The NICU pedi on call said to send me home with formula and if I didn't take it, they would call CPS. On day 7 I met with a LC and she weighed Ava and Ava was only 5lbs 2oz and very, very weak - at this point, she had had no formula at all. At that point we began supplementing and the LC told me to NEVER put her to my breast, and started me on a pumping schedule with a hospital grade rental. For FIVE MONTHS I didn't put my child to the breast because the LC said I would starve her and that the pump would help me much better. She told me I could get my daughter back on breastmilk if I would just pump. She told me I would never be able to nurse her regularly, but I could put her to the breast for "comfort" and use a nipple shield. By day 7 my milk also hadn't come in, I was still pumping tiny amounts of colostrum. I pumped ever TWO HOURS for 45 minutes, 24 hours a day. My milk finally came in 9 days PP. At my best I could pump 2oz/day and my DD was getting the rest in formula. I took reglan, than domperidone (sp?), fenugreek, marshmallow root, goats rue, brewers yeast, mothers milk tea - I think that is all - religiously without fail and it just did nothing. I tried a SNS at the urging of my daughter's pedi and my OB during my PP visit. This didn't work because at this point my daughter was so used to the nipple on a bottle that she wanted nothing to do with my breast - shield or not. I did this rigorous schedule of medications and herbs and pumping every 2hrs around the cloth for FIVE MONTHS and then I reached my breaking point. My daughter was getting 1-2 ounces of breastmilk daily, and all I did was pump. I hardly could do anything else with her for pumping. I was in SEVERE depression because of it. I didn't leave my home. I sat and cried and cried and cried over failing my daughter. My body couldn't do the simple, natural task of vaginally birthing a child, and now it couldn't do the natural talk of feeding that child from my breasts.
I know now, in retrospect, that I should have IMMEDIATELY found another LC because her advice was stupid. I shouldn't have given up so easily. I should have fought harder and longer than five months and I felt and still do like I completely failed my daughter. Luckily, my daughter is now a happy, healthy 1 year old who has been sick once with an ear infection and that's all.
My greatest fear for my next pregnancy/delivery is not pre-e again, or even a c/s, but not being able to breastfeed. It's such a beautiful, natural, perfect gift that I felt robbed of giving myself and my daughter. I just wish I could have done more.
Is there anything I can do to help this time? Something I can do for my flat nipples? Something I can begin taking during pregnancy to encourage healthy milk production? Anything - I'm open to anything. I just can't go through this again.
I was admitted for pre-ecclamsia (blood pressure 190/110) and induced at 38 weeks. I labored for 17 hours and was deemed "failure to progress" (please don't even get me started on that......), plus even with the mag sulfate my BP was hovering at about 180/90 and I was very, very sick and had a c/s. I didn't even get to hold my daughter for nearly an hour, much less nurse her. When they finally brought her to me, we tried to nurse. I have very, very flat nipples. They aren't inverted at all, but they do blend into the areola completely - I have nothing protruding at all. Immediately without even trying to help me latch her alone, they stuck a nipple shield on me and told me that was the only way I could ever nurse. My daughter lost from 6lbs 13oz to 5lbs 1oz in two days. I was in the hospital 4 days and my milk still hadn't come in by day 4. The NICU pedi on call said to send me home with formula and if I didn't take it, they would call CPS. On day 7 I met with a LC and she weighed Ava and Ava was only 5lbs 2oz and very, very weak - at this point, she had had no formula at all. At that point we began supplementing and the LC told me to NEVER put her to my breast, and started me on a pumping schedule with a hospital grade rental. For FIVE MONTHS I didn't put my child to the breast because the LC said I would starve her and that the pump would help me much better. She told me I could get my daughter back on breastmilk if I would just pump. She told me I would never be able to nurse her regularly, but I could put her to the breast for "comfort" and use a nipple shield. By day 7 my milk also hadn't come in, I was still pumping tiny amounts of colostrum. I pumped ever TWO HOURS for 45 minutes, 24 hours a day. My milk finally came in 9 days PP. At my best I could pump 2oz/day and my DD was getting the rest in formula. I took reglan, than domperidone (sp?), fenugreek, marshmallow root, goats rue, brewers yeast, mothers milk tea - I think that is all - religiously without fail and it just did nothing. I tried a SNS at the urging of my daughter's pedi and my OB during my PP visit. This didn't work because at this point my daughter was so used to the nipple on a bottle that she wanted nothing to do with my breast - shield or not. I did this rigorous schedule of medications and herbs and pumping every 2hrs around the cloth for FIVE MONTHS and then I reached my breaking point. My daughter was getting 1-2 ounces of breastmilk daily, and all I did was pump. I hardly could do anything else with her for pumping. I was in SEVERE depression because of it. I didn't leave my home. I sat and cried and cried and cried over failing my daughter. My body couldn't do the simple, natural task of vaginally birthing a child, and now it couldn't do the natural talk of feeding that child from my breasts.
I know now, in retrospect, that I should have IMMEDIATELY found another LC because her advice was stupid. I shouldn't have given up so easily. I should have fought harder and longer than five months and I felt and still do like I completely failed my daughter. Luckily, my daughter is now a happy, healthy 1 year old who has been sick once with an ear infection and that's all.
My greatest fear for my next pregnancy/delivery is not pre-e again, or even a c/s, but not being able to breastfeed. It's such a beautiful, natural, perfect gift that I felt robbed of giving myself and my daughter. I just wish I could have done more.
Is there anything I can do to help this time? Something I can do for my flat nipples? Something I can begin taking during pregnancy to encourage healthy milk production? Anything - I'm open to anything. I just can't go through this again.
I pumped every 2 hrs and luckily unlike you my milk came in pretty quickly and I was able to pump successfully for 11 months (pretty much 99% of his milk was expressed as he screamed when ever he went near my boobs-so I gave up trying).
