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464 Posts
Without having to write a book I will make a short and sweet back story here:
I chose not to breastfeed my dd (1st born) as I was horribly un-informed and actually believed it when I was told formula was as good as mama milk. Stupid I know.
I had my heart set on nursing ds into toddlerhood. Yes, I even has an EN goal. Anyway I had ppd real bad and ended up giving up and ff even though I cried for a loong time.
I had tons of problems, I will list them to save time.
Bad latch, would not take more than nipple and a teensy bit of aerola. He had a good size mouth.
Bad tongue placement. My nipple came out looking like a lipstick.
Slow to arrive milk.
Dwindeling supply.
Overactive let down. When I pumped it would make this loud HISSS, HISSS, HISSS, and shoot the back of the pump and spalsh! DS would pop off and scream when it hapened to him. It was horrible because it took me no word of a lie or exaggeration 30 min to an hour to latch on and poorly at that.
Crappy technique. I saw the hospital LC, not an IBCLC either, but free and all we could afford, and she was useless anyway. But said that my hold was awful and that the baby was feeling feraful of being dropped.
Got an SNS and nipple shield at the advice of LLL and neither helped. He would not latch on at all by this point (3 weeks) and screamed like I was stuffing a sock into his mouth once I got my breast in there.
Super flat nipples. I mean F L A T.
Ok, now he is almost 3 months and I want to try again. Since I have a Medela SNS (long term one) and some breast shells to try to draw out the nipples I thought why not?
Current challenges:
3 yr old dd
Dh works 12 hrs a day 5 days a week and I have no one near me who can come over and help me with dd, food or anything. DH will not take time from working since we need every penny just to make ends meet.
All household responsibilities on me, cooking, cleaning, caring for two children, no support form family or friends. LLL was not helpful the first time, i have no reason to believe they will help me now.
Can't afford an LC. Not by a long shot, no savings to tap into either. None.
I am wearing the breast shells all day every day to draw out the nipples. My ds is literally afraid of my breasts, when he gets near them he screams like he is being tortured (not his pain cry tho)
I am thinking that all the work and stress at the first attempt was harder on him than I thought. He has a lazy suck too.
Anyway, I need to help him se my breats as a safe place of love and comfort first, before I can even expect him to want to suckle.
What can I do and then how do i go about re-lactation? What suppliments do I need to help. Fenugreek? Milk Thistle? Pre-natal vites? Any foods to avoid?
I am a vegan, and I do consume a decent amount of soy protein per day.
I read the breastfeeding book and the womanly art of breastfeeding, albeit an really old copy.
HELP!
I chose not to breastfeed my dd (1st born) as I was horribly un-informed and actually believed it when I was told formula was as good as mama milk. Stupid I know.
I had my heart set on nursing ds into toddlerhood. Yes, I even has an EN goal. Anyway I had ppd real bad and ended up giving up and ff even though I cried for a loong time.
I had tons of problems, I will list them to save time.
Bad latch, would not take more than nipple and a teensy bit of aerola. He had a good size mouth.
Bad tongue placement. My nipple came out looking like a lipstick.
Slow to arrive milk.
Dwindeling supply.
Overactive let down. When I pumped it would make this loud HISSS, HISSS, HISSS, and shoot the back of the pump and spalsh! DS would pop off and scream when it hapened to him. It was horrible because it took me no word of a lie or exaggeration 30 min to an hour to latch on and poorly at that.
Crappy technique. I saw the hospital LC, not an IBCLC either, but free and all we could afford, and she was useless anyway. But said that my hold was awful and that the baby was feeling feraful of being dropped.
Got an SNS and nipple shield at the advice of LLL and neither helped. He would not latch on at all by this point (3 weeks) and screamed like I was stuffing a sock into his mouth once I got my breast in there.
Super flat nipples. I mean F L A T.
Ok, now he is almost 3 months and I want to try again. Since I have a Medela SNS (long term one) and some breast shells to try to draw out the nipples I thought why not?
Current challenges:
3 yr old dd
Dh works 12 hrs a day 5 days a week and I have no one near me who can come over and help me with dd, food or anything. DH will not take time from working since we need every penny just to make ends meet.
All household responsibilities on me, cooking, cleaning, caring for two children, no support form family or friends. LLL was not helpful the first time, i have no reason to believe they will help me now.
Can't afford an LC. Not by a long shot, no savings to tap into either. None.
I am wearing the breast shells all day every day to draw out the nipples. My ds is literally afraid of my breasts, when he gets near them he screams like he is being tortured (not his pain cry tho)
I am thinking that all the work and stress at the first attempt was harder on him than I thought. He has a lazy suck too.
Anyway, I need to help him se my breats as a safe place of love and comfort first, before I can even expect him to want to suckle.
What can I do and then how do i go about re-lactation? What suppliments do I need to help. Fenugreek? Milk Thistle? Pre-natal vites? Any foods to avoid?
I am a vegan, and I do consume a decent amount of soy protein per day.
I read the breastfeeding book and the womanly art of breastfeeding, albeit an really old copy.
HELP!