Remind me again why breastfeeding is best

[NP2B]

Hello. So far I've been exclusively breastfeeding my 9 month old ds. For the last couple of weeks nursing has been very painful. He has 2 teeth but they came in a month ago and the pain didn't start until after then.
Now my supply is down (when I pump at work I get 2 ounces out when it's been 6 hours since his last feeding) and he's not getting full. I work part time and am running out of milk. I'm pretty sure this weekend I'll have to start him on formula. I'm so sad.
I'm trying to feed him more frequently but it's just so dang painful.

I know most of the tips: BF more often, Fenrugeek, Blessed Thistle, and increasing my fluid.

Any ideas or tips would be appreciated.

This is frustrating as I wanted to BF for a year but most people I talk to don't understand why I'm still BFing anyways and think it's time to stop.

[mytwogirls]

Oh mama! I felt the same way with my first. When she hit nine months it was rough. Mine did not nurse well at all when he was teething and even after for a while. Can you pump more often, say every three hours? I too only get three ounces out when I pump. The amount you pump is not a gauge of how much you actually have. Have you started solids at all? He is nine months, many start with some self-feeding of fruits and veggies he can eat, it might help. Consult a lactation professional, they might have some tips too.

[LLLHeather]

It doesn't need to be over. If your baby is biting you he isn't nursing. It is okay to put him down and tell him "No bite!" if he is biting you. If he plays happily then he wasn't interested at the moment and he will nurse later. If he fusses and cries for a minute that's okay and you can give him a minute while you walk away or out of the room and come back and try again. Most moms that try this don't have to repeat the process for long before their babies understand that they can't bite mommy because it hurts her. Double check that his latch is good though and try to nurse in different positions to take some of the pressure off of any sore areas. If you are cracked you can try using lansinoh on your nipples to help healing.

Your supply could be down just because of the stress of him biting you so it sounds like once that is fixed you will be fine. Rather than giving him formula this weekend try to make sure that you take the whole weekend to get your supply back up. When you are home with him make sure that you are giving him the attention he needs and allowing plenty of opportunity to nurse. If you spend lots of time holding, playing, nursing him your supply will come back on its own without help. The herbs and things can be helpful but are usually unnecessary and probably should be used in truly extreme cases. The best thing for your supply to increase is to nurse frequently and pump as much as possible. You may need to add an extra pumping or two during the day, either at work or at home, even temporarily.

You can always call a La Leche League Leader in your area, there is most likely a group near you that you can attend meetings or call a Leader for advice. If you can't find one near you PM me and I can help. LLL's website is www.llli.org and you can locate a group/Leader near you.

[woodchick]

Hang in there, mama! You're doing a great job!

You might try eating oatmeal. I know for many it helps to increase supply.

Is there any time that your breasts don't hurt when he nurses? Is he actually biting with his teeth or are they rubbing you the wrong way? Maybe you could latch and relatch until you hit a spot that doesn't hurt.

HTH. I'm sure many will weigh in here with advice for you!

[mytwogirls]

Originally Posted by LLLHeather

It doesn't need to be over. If your baby is biting you he isn't nursing. It is okay to put him down and tell him "No bite!" if he is biting you. If he plays happily then he wasn't interested at the moment and he will nurse later. If he fusses and cries for a minute that's okay and you can give him a minute while you walk away or out of the room and come back and try again. Most moms that try this don't have to repeat the process for long before their babies understand that they can't bite mommy because it hurts her. Double check that his latch is good though and try to nurse in different positions to take some of the pressure off of any sore areas. If you are cracked you can try using lansinoh on your nipples to help healing.

Your supply could be down just because of the stress of him biting you so it sounds like once that is fixed you will be fine. Rather than giving him formula this weekend try to make sure that you take the whole weekend to get your supply back up. When you are home with him make sure that you are giving him the attention he needs and allowing plenty of opportunity to nurse. If you spend lots of time holding, playing, nursing him your supply will come back on its own without help. The herbs and things can be helpful but are usually unnecessary and probably should be used in truly extreme cases. The best thing for your supply to increase is to nurse frequently and pump as much as possible. You may need to add an extra pumping or two during the day, either at work or at home, even temporarily.

You can always call a La Leche League Leader in your area, there is most likely a group near you that you can attend meetings or call a Leader for advice. If you can't find one near you PM me and I can help. LLL's website is www.llli.org and you can locate a group/Leader near you.

GOOD advice!

[Happily Blessed]

LLLHeather gave you some great information!

You will have times of frustrations and that too is normal. Try not to let outside factors (people) bring even more negative thoughts. Be as positive as possible and it helps to know that there are women here who have gone through the same trials as you are.

Hang in there and you will work it out. Yahootie now is cutting his 12th tooth and there are times he will gnaw, not bite anymore really, and it is tender. But this too shall pass.

As far as pumping, I would suggest building up a stash when you are home if the work situation is not working. Pump about 20-30 minutes after you nurse. Even if you get 0.5 to 1 oz each time it will get a good stash going.

laural

[NP2B]

Thanks!

Thank you for all of your replies.
It helps me feel a little better knowing that other women have gone through similar situations.

Yes he has started eating solids, but he doesn't eat much. I've usually just been doing one jar of fruit or veggie a day.


I only pump twice at work and I work 12 hour shifts- more like 14 when you figure in commute and dropping DS off at the babysitter.

As if I wasn't feeling bad enough already, now I've got a plugged duct.
(I've had 2 before and only once it led to mastitis)
So now I'm feeding/pumping like crazy to get rid of this!!!

I only hope it goes away before Thurs. because that's when I work next and I know that going 7 hours between pumping isn't going to be good.

I know that my work schedule is contributing to this (plugged duct) but I've had to fight to get my 2 15 mintue breaks to pump which some days I don't even get.

If you made it this far then thanks and I'm sorry this is so whiney- I'm just frustrated. I used to love bfing my son but now it's become such a hastle and I hate to think of it that way.

[MaryJaneLouise]

one of my DSs was a real bear when he was teething. We used ibuprofen to help him (and us ) through it, and Tylenol works for some. Others swear by the homeopathic teething tablets.

Many, many women find their pumping output falls off as their LO gets older. Check your pump / equipment for condition, and replace parts like membranes, new tubes, etc. See the "low milk supply" stickie at top of this BF challenges forum for other tips for increasing supply & pumping output (two different things of course). Breast compressions are a great way to maximize pumping output. See the video I linked to at the bottom of that thread.

Hang in there! Delaying introduction of foreign milk (cow's or soy milk formula) IS worth it, if you can possibly swing it. If it is killing you, don't beat yourself up over it. Pumping while WOH is very hard. You've done a great job for 9 months, and you can still maintain your BF relationship even if you have to resort to formula at this point.

Also, FYI lecithin helps some people in preventing recurrent plugged ducts:

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vi.../lecithin.html