Please Please Please help

752 Views 10 Replies 9 Participants Last post by PennyRoo, Apr 19, 2006

alicia9178

Discussion Starter · Apr 16, 2006

Hello all. I have been in nursing school since ds was 5 months old....he is now 3 1/2. It is a 2 year program but we have given birth to 2 little girls since starting. I have been out on medical leave since October as a result of complications of my last pregnancy. I was expecting to get back in either in August or possibly as late as January. My school however for the first time is offereing a summer session for the class I need to take. I was called in for the class off of a waiting list and offered a seat. My dd is only 10 weeks old and the class starts in 5 weeks. The biggest problem is that since I was not expecting to go back until the end of the summer I had not stressed about making sure she could drink from a bottle. Now all of the sudden we are stressing about getting childcare in order, and now she cannot even drink from a bottle. We have tried 4 different kinds of nipples atleast and she won't drink from them. The class will be M-Fri and I will have lecture 2 days a week and clinical 3 days a week. So my schedule will be:

Mon: 7:30-11 away, go feed her and leave from 11:45-1:30
Tues: 7:30- 11, and then I will have to leave for like 2 hrs for prep at hosp
Wed, Thurs, Fri: 6:30am-3:30pm....if dh has her he will bring her for one feeding to the hospital

How do we survive these 10 weeks without #1 killing my milk supply and #2 without her being so stressed since she cannot drink from a bottle????

She will be with dh part of the time and either in daycare or with a sitter the other 1/2 of the time. I am so stressed and want to go into this semester with a clear head and knowing that my baby is going to be able to eat atleast enough to hold her over til I get back to her. PLEASE HELP!!!!
Alicia

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Jilian

· #2 · Apr 16, 2006

I'm sorry you are having a tough time mama. I went through the same thing with my DS when he was around 6 months old. The lactation consultant assured me that he would drink from a bottle if he were REALLY hungry, and eventually he did a few times. Just enough to hold him over until I returned. I also found (when we were trying to see if he would even take a bottle) that he would not take a bottle if I were anywhere near him, babies aren't stupid, they are gonna hold out for the real thing if it is around. My DH didn't try as hard if he knew I was around to rescue him too.

Have you tried a sippy cup? My DS would sometimes take a sippy cup of breastmilk at 4 mos, or even a medicine dropper. I think she'll adjust. It will be hard at first but she'll most likely eat if she's hungry.

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lioralourie

· #3 · Apr 16, 2006

hi, wow, what a situation--and I thought I had my hands full!

Maybe since this is summer, you could hire a known neighbor (maybe a teenager over 16, or a college student) to drive you back and forth? That way you could at least nurse and relax for that 1/2 hour or more on either end of the time you'd have to be away. Might it be possible for him/her to babysit with the babe right outside your classrooms or nearby? And follow you around for at least some of that time(or take walks, hang out with babe, etc... and meet you at designated places/times on campus)?

Or maybe you could get really good really fast with a wrap? (I can't nurse in a wrap but it's a perfect
keep-the-breast-hidden-without-overheating-baby's-air-supply
shield for NIP.) On second thought, my babies didn't like me sitting down too much in a wrap or sling...they more liked motion. HTH and good luck!!!

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JNW

· #4 · Apr 17, 2006

Try the Playtex Natural Action/Natural Latch nipples. Lots of babies seem to like them when they won't take any other kind of nipple.

And try leaving the house and having your husband feed your baby. My kiddo wouldn't take a bottle if he knew that if he yelled enough, he could get it straight from the tap.

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wawoof

· #5 · Apr 17, 2006

You might try the Second Nature nipple (http://www.secondnaturefeeding.com/) - my DS has taken this one from about 5 wks old. It's designed so that the baby regulates the flow from it. FYI, it fits on Avant bottles/sippycups with Avent rings.

Also, the Adiri Breastbottle (http://www.adiri.com/main/index.php) might be an option - it looks about as close to a breast as a bottle can get.

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Ellien C

· #6 · Apr 17, 2006

Look at the kellymom site as well. You could try cup feeding.

Are you the one giving the bottle? If so, I'd advise leaving the house entirely and delegating that activity to DH or the sitter who you will be using, if available. Try first with pumped milk straight from the breast, not refrigerated. And do it when she's not totally starving.

She may also "reverse-cycle" and just start eating a lot at night if you aren't around during the day. Try a few "test runs" where you are only gone for a few hours and see it she takes the bottle.

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alicia9178

Discussion Starter · #7 · Apr 17, 2006

I have tried the Avent bottle, Second Nature bottle, Playtex nurser, and just the plain old bottles. I have tried and DH has tried. I think I might try cup feeding and keep trying with the bottles. I have until 5-22 so we shall see.
Thanks for help!!!! Any other advice would be great too.
Alicia

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kerc

· #8 · Apr 18, 2006

I wanted to add my story -- my dh just kept trying and kept trying with the bottle. For about 3 weeks he used a fast flow playtex nipple and squeezed milk into her mouth. Then we had a bunch of things happen the same day: I gave away about 50% of my freezer stash (no way would she consume it all) and dh began using the same sling to carry dd that I did -----> and she drank 8 ounces.

anyhow, I just wanted to say that the regularlity of leaving her with dh worked. He just kept offerring and eventually she took the bottle. She was never away for more than 4 hrs at first, now I am away in 8 hr blocks sometimes.

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lorijds

· #9 · Apr 18, 2006

I was working almost full time and nursing my youngest when I was in nursing school. She HATED the bottle, and she cried alot for a while, but she ate enough to get full. I would nurse her right before I left, and again right when I got home. If Iwas having clinicals in town, my dh would bring her to me once for a snack. My two close friends who cared for her and my oldest daughter when I was at school were both lactating at that time, and tried nursing her if she ever wouldn't take the bottle, but she wouldn't go for that, either.

I dont' know how it happened, but at one point she did eventually develop an attachment to a certain bottle. ONE certain bottle and ONE certain nipple. She also preferred to drink something other than breastmilk out of the bottle--usually soy or rice milk. So, once she hit 6 months, we started mixing the breastmilk and soymilk half and half. It seemed to hit the spot.

I'm sorry it's hard! I think that if it is really important for you to finishe nursing school (and your time line is limited, as far as getting back into a program without having to take a bunch of stuff over), you might as well go back and tough it out. While it was a difficult year for my dd and I, we both survived, and are now both very happy, healthy people! You can do it!

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alicia9178

Discussion Starter · #10 · Apr 19, 2006

Thank you so much everyone. I appretiate all of the support. I figure for right now I am just going to enjoy every last minute until May 22nd with the baby and we will work out all of the other kinks as we can. I will continue to try the differnt bottles, but I cannot stress about it....focusing on this little sweetie is the most important thing for right now.
Alicia

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PennyRoo

· #11 · Apr 19, 2006

Awww, mama, sorry you are facing such a stressful and challenging time - but congratulations on being nearly finished with school! I don't have any advice to add to the above except one tiny thing which is probably obvious and I am sure you have thought of this already: since you are worried about your schedule killing your supply, co-sleeping and letting your babe nurse as much as she can during the night will help. That can really help get your supply back up. [Again, since you are on #3 I'm sure this is something you already know.]

Anyhow, best of luck to you - you can do it! And your little one will be fine. Hang in there!

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