in search of success stories - Page 2

[AllyRae]

Originally Posted by alijased

That is all i have to say. Don't use formula! That will only make things worse. It will lower your supply, etc.
Just keep the baby on there. I know it is so hard, they cry, wiggle, etc. But they will get the hang of it. I just kept reminding myself that mothers back when formula was non existant did not starve thier children by breastfeeding, why would we??

Well, yeah, babies like mine would have starved without formula. I did not make enough no matter how much pumping, etc. so we used a supplemental nursing system to use WITH formula so he'd at least get SOME breastmilk.

Formula was designed for babies who couldn't get breastmilk--that includes people with very low supply. I learned (through a LOT of tears) that some people do NOT make enough milk due to hormonal issues or whatnot. By using formula through a SNS/lactaid, your baby can get the benefit of getting every last drop of milk you DO produce.

[TurboClaudia]

Originally Posted by alijased

That is all i have to say. Don't use formula! That will only make things worse. It will lower your supply, etc.
Just keep the baby on there. I know it is so hard, they cry, wiggle, etc. But they will get the hang of it. I just kept reminding myself that mothers back when formula was non existant did not starve thier children by breastfeeding, why would we??

and back when formula was not availabe, in many cultures it was acceptable for ANY mother to pick up a hungry baby and put them to breast.

there were SOME babies who did not thrive and who DID die because their mothers could not make enough milk to sustain them and the alternative milks they were given were not properly fortified for optimal human growth.

please do not lecture a mama struggling to breastfeed her baby as much as possible and still not getting enough to sustain that baby and so needing to supplement with an alternative milk on the dangers of formula. we have enough guilt over it already. as i understand it, this forum was created for us to share our stories and experiences to help support mothers who are struggling with the same issues despite knowing the "dangers" of formula.

off my soapbox now...

~claudia

[Citykid]

Originally Posted by alijased

I just kept reminding myself that mothers back when formula was non existant did not starve thier children by breastfeeding, why would we??

Certainly my baby would have died if not for formula, because he could not latch for the first 2 weeks due (I think) to having had his stomach pumped because of swallowing a lot of meconium in utero, and because I had not even a drop of colostrum in the beginning. We fed him with a cup during that time and I held him at my breast while he cried and struggled to do what felt natural but also reminded him of trauma. Eventually he moved through that trauma and now he latches beautifully. I am grateful for the SNS because it lets me feed him exclusively at my breast, and proud that one feeding a day is 100% BM.

Also most certainly the infant mortality rate used to be ever so much higher. An infant before formula would have gone to a wet nurse, but if the family couldn't afford it or if no wet nurse was available, the infant would have been given sugar water or goat's milk or whatever. A lot of babies did used to die who don't die today.

I nurse him whenever he wants, feed him at my breast, take tons of disgusting herbal tonics, eat oatmeal every day, drink dark beer, and pump more than I like to think about (Medela Classic, thank you Pudnhead). And my supply stays the same. From reading this board I've learned that maybe the fact that my breasts didn't grow during pregnancy has something to do with it. But I don't think that depriving my son of nourishment would give me any more milk.

Thanks also Pudnhead - you have inspired me to increase my pumping. I'm going to dedicate two days to giving all household responsibilities to my dh and my mom and pump round the clock and see if it does anything. Yours is a great story. I keep going back to it.

[crazydiamond]

I consider ourselves a success story -- DD is 13 mos old and still nursing multiple times a day.

When DD was born, she would not latch to save the world. I pumped my colostrum and syringe fed her. She still lost a lot of weight but by that time, my milk was starting to come in. I pumped every 2-3 hours around the clock and fed her via syringe. I also tried to latch her on for every feeding, an hour long ordeal that was a failure and left us both miserable and in tears. Somewhere around the 3rd week, I managed to get her to latch on momentarily with a nipple shield. I kept working with her with every feeding while maintaining my pumping schedule. . eventually around 4-5 weeks I got her latched on without the nipple shield. A miracle!

But it was short-lived. I had low supply. I pumped about an ounce every session (both breasts combined). In addition to the normal round-the-clock feedings, I was also pumping 3 times a day. Fortunately, up until that point my milk was actually enough for her, but around this time it was obvious she needed more. At first it was a growth spurt. But that growth spurt never ended and DD became increasingly frustrated and upset.

I also started suffering PPD. One major cause was my feeling of inadequacy as a mother. . .I suffered infertility and it took a long time to conceive DD. To me, breastfeeding was redemption, a big "up yours", so to speak, at my body for not cooperating. But no, PCOS strikes again. My OB got me Reglan, but he said I could only take it for 10 days because it causes depression and I already had PPD. My supply really got much better within that time. . .a hopeful development.

As soon as I stopped the Reglan, my supply plummetted again. I started pumping after every feeding, but it still wasn't enough. I finally decided to take the plunge and order Domperidone. I must say, that drug boosted my supply and saved our nursing relationship. It doesn't work as well as the Reglan did, but that's okay. I still don't make a lot of milk, but it's enough. Really, that's all that matters to me. I still had to pump a few extra times a day, but that was okay with me.

And here we are today. DD started eating more solids and she cut back on the nursing some. I stopped pumping completely and now DD gets her sole mama milk from the breast. I don't make enough for a full meal for her but since right now it's just supplementation to the solids, that's okay. She loves it as much as ever and we have no plans of weaning any time soon. I also have no plans of stopping the domperidone. . I'm gonna take it until DD weans!

[crazydiamond]

I consider ourselves a success story -- DD is 13 mos old and still nursing multiple times a day.

When DD was born, she would not latch to save the world. I pumped my colostrum and syringe fed her. She still lost a lot of weight but by that time, my milk was starting to come in. I pumped every 2-3 hours around the clock and fed her via syringe. I also tried to latch her on for every feeding, an hour long ordeal that was a failure and left us both miserable and in tears. Somewhere around the 3rd week, I managed to get her to latch on momentarily with a nipple shield. I kept working with her with every feeding while maintaining my pumping schedule. . eventually around 4-5 weeks I got her latched on without the nipple shield. A miracle!

But it was short-lived. I had low supply. I pumped about an ounce every session (both breasts combined). In addition to the normal round-the-clock feedings, I was also pumping 3 times a day. Fortunately, up until that point my milk was actually enough for her, but around this time it was obvious she needed more. At first it was a growth spurt. But that growth spurt never ended and DD became increasingly frustrated and upset.

I also started suffering PPD. One major cause was my feeling of inadequacy as a mother. . .I suffered infertility and it took a long time to conceive DD. To me, breastfeeding was redemption, a big "up yours", so to speak, at my body for not cooperating. But no, PCOS strikes again. My OB got me Reglan, but he said I could only take it for 10 days because it causes depression and I already had PPD. My supply really got much better within that time. . .a hopeful development.

As soon as I stopped the Reglan, my supply plummetted again. I started pumping after every feeding, but it still wasn't enough. I finally decided to take the plunge and order Domperidone. I must say, that drug boosted my supply and saved our nursing relationship. It doesn't work as well as the Reglan did, but that's okay. I still don't make a lot of milk, but it's enough. Really, that's all that matters to me. I still had to pump a few extra times a day, but that was okay with me.

And here we are today. DD started eating more solids and she cut back on the nursing some. I stopped pumping completely and now DD gets her sole mama milk from the breast. I don't make enough for a full meal for her but since right now it's just supplementation to the solids, that's okay. She loves it as much as ever and we have no plans of weaning any time soon. I also have no plans of stopping the domperidone. . I'm gonna take it until DD weans!