New mom...Getting milk supply back?

It's about a normal developmental stage, I'm afraid.
Almost all babies go through that distractable stage at 9-12 months of age and many moms mistake it for self-weaning. It's not, but you're certainly not alone in not realizing that.
Most of us who nursed our children into toddlerhood (and even beyond!) had to push through that distractable phase knowing that 2 years is the recommended minimum.
And just like nursing in general, sometimes it's just not as easy as it seems like it should be!
(And it should be easy! )

__________________
~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Yeah, that's why I recommended a SNS.
Due to a hospitalization and some heavy-duty drugs, I had to completely wean baby #1 when he was four months and go to just pumping. My supply almost dried up entirely in the three weeks that I had to pump-and-dump.

Relactating can be hard work, but it is so worth it, isn't it?

__________________
~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Oh YES! It is the most wonderful thing I have ever done.
And I am no way trying to make the new mother feel inadequate! I would hate to do that. And I may have, but I didn't mean to. I want to help because I believe breastfeeding is the best you can do for your baby. Keep the faith Mom and don't give up!

__________________
"Of course there is a light at the end of the tunnel; another train is approaching there". ~ Slavoj Zizek

Congrats on the new baby girl! This will be my first post and I hope you it may help! You have gotten lots of great info, just dont give up! Nipple/breast confusion can be hard on the baby. It is much easier to get the milk from the nipple. Do you have any friends or family close by that would be willing to step in and let your baby nurse from them? I have a closeknit group of friends and we all have at one time or another noursihed each others babies/toddlers. The latest was when one of the new moms was having real milk supply issues, 4 of us that where lactacting would go and nurse the baby so she wouldnt have nipple confusion. I know some might would freak out about this, but we have all known each other for a long time and trust each other. It also gave the new mom time to rest and we would also take meals. I hope this might help.

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/relactation.html Le Leche League on relactation

Some exerpts:

Often a mother can rebuild a milk supply very successfully, with patience and determination (and a cooperative baby).

The Breastfeeding Answer Book, published by La Leche League International, recommends the following strategies for relactation and induced lactation, to stimulate milk production:

Putting baby to breast to suck at each feeding and for comfort between feedings as often as possible.
Using hand expression or a breast pump.
Using a nursing supplementer (if available and if conditions are sanitary enough to make its use safe) to provide expressed milk at the breast while baby sucks at the breast.
Taking herbs/medication that increase milk supply (herb resources are listed in the resources collection).
If you do use herbs or medications to increase your supply, be sure to put the baby to the breast frequently, to remove as much milk as possible. This will help avoid breast infections or plugged ducts.


http://store.llli.org/public/product/137

__________________
"Of course there is a light at the end of the tunnel; another train is approaching there". ~ Slavoj Zizek

Great info given and congratulations on the new baby!

Avoid any dressing or foods with sage in it. It will dry you up, as well as decongestants. Also, when I was nursing, if I felt stressed or overly tired, I wouldn't have much milk. Potatoe soup or mashed potatoes always seemed to help bring up my milk, I think it was because of the potassium in the potatoes. (or because it's comfort food!)

Go to bed with your baby, let it nurse as often for as long as it wants, drink liquids and eat healthy, and nap when your baby naps. I bet your milk comes back quickly.

Congrats! Babies are awesome!! I have two wonderful little boys, and have been nursing for nearly 3 yrs now. I've (knock-on-wood) never had to deal with supply issues, but from what I *have* read the best thing you can do is to NURSE, NURSE, and NURSE some more!!

Oatmeal is supposed to be very good for suppply - I actually avoid eating it too much cause' I know if I do eat it, I will inevitably feel very full that day! So, maybe work on having oatmeal for breakfast every morning!

I nurse my boys everywhere - in restaurants, shopping, at playgroup, friends' houses, tae kwon do class, everywhere, anywhere. And I never cover. Theres no point. Just nurse, if baby seems fussy, nurse - let baby tell you when she's hungry & when she's done, not the clock. Especially in the early days it can seem like all they do is eat (and maybe sleep every now and then. Get yourself a nice comfy chair and just nurse. Lay in bed & nurse, snuggle & cuddle & nurse.

Oh, and the barefoot thing? I call crap I go barefoot everywhere when its nice, and have never had any sort of breast infection. So yeah. ;P

You've gotten so good advice and some strange, LOL. I have 6 kids and I have had supply issues. You don't need a SNS or anything fancy. This is what you do. Go out and rent all of your favorite movies, get some bottles water, mothers milk tea, some snacks, and lay in bed with your baby and let her nurse when ever she wants. keep your breast where she can smell and nuzzle it to nurse when she wants. Whether its every 1/2 hour or what ever she wants. Your going to do this every day for 2-3 days. Make sure you are relaxed and visualize producing tons of milk. You need to make sure she is having at least 6 wet diapers a day during this so you know she is getting enough milk. Supplement as needed with formula, but try to let her nurse first before offering her formula. If you need o go out carry her in a baby sling so she is close to you and you are able to nurse when you need to. Blessings

My twins were early & in the NICU for 18 weeks. I pumped the whole time & actually only used a hand held pump I bought at the local drug store. I froze the milk for them to later take via tube feeding & then bottle while in the hospital. My freezer over flowed. The nurses actually told me to stop pumping so much & that the supply would pick back up when they came home & started nursing. It did & I nursed both of them until they were almost a a year old.

__________________
I can't believe I deleted it!

I was going to wait for Nicole to post again, but this caught my attention.
A SNS is hardly something fancy. lol It's been around for decades and is $14 for a starter version.

Nicole is going to have to "supplement" for a while. She's already told us her baby is almost strictly bottle fed... But she wants that baby to spend as little time on an artificial nipple as possible because she wants Baby to make the connection between Mom and Lunch, as well as straightening out any nipple confusion/preference issues.

Beyond a doubt, a nurse-in is needed, but there are some who seem to be missing the fact that she's not just trying to build supply for a growth spurt.
She's trying to build supply for a nearly month old baby who hasn't been at the breast much, if at all. (Nicole, we need more info!! lol)

__________________
~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Oh, and the barefoot thing? I call crap I go barefoot everywhere when its nice, and have never had any sort of breast infection. So yeah. ;P

It must have been genetic! ;P. I'll be sure to warn my granddaughter!

As far as info' all I can advice is LLL.I had the old Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and it was so down to earth and very conservative.I remember info on preemies and babies having trouble sucking, etc. I think you should call LLL as Erin said. I know the book has changed since then (my kids are grown). The most important thing, I think is to relax and nurse all you can, eat good and even tickle the baby's mouth and cheek with your nipples. This will stimulate milk production too.
My granddaughter was in NICU for almost two weeks from dehydration...my daughter in law was induced and had a very long labor...too long. Anyway, the hospital did nothing to encorage breastfeeding; which would have most likely hydrated her much quicker.

How are you doing?

__________________
"Of course there is a light at the end of the tunnel; another train is approaching there". ~ Slavoj Zizek

More info is needed for sure, because I thought she said she had been pumping too.

I breast fed my two, but never pumped so I have no personal experience there, however my coworker had three kids (youngest just turned 1) and all three were feed her breast milk for the first year, but she never nursed any of them. She had her job and she did not want to give that up (this was not a money issue, she didn't need to work) so she started pumping right off the bat and continued on. She kept one pump at work and pumped about every two hours, and she froze the milk. In all three cases she quit pumping once she had enough milk stored up to last until the child was one and then she quit - I think it took her about 7 month to do that.

She referred to herself as an A-1 producer. I think her case is very uncommon, a woman who had three kids and with no plans of ever nursing, but in each case she supplied the milk for all of them for their first year. So she is an example of someone that had really good luck pumping.

Cathy

i pumped one side while nursing the other then switched over and nursed the pumped side and pumped the nursed side every time the baby fed. that was with #3, who nursed a year. the others didn't nurse quite so long for various reasons.

__________________
Let a smile be your umbrella against the thunderstorms of life.
have a great day.
when i call on Jesus, all things are possible.

Sorry I haven't been back on, I didn't have a computer hooked up until now. Thank you all so much for all the information!! I will definitely start using all your ideas right away!

While she was in the hospital, I did breastfeed a bit. I was pumping a lot but they were still supplementing with formula after that. When we got home we tried breastfeeding a little but it was mostly formula with some pumped milk. Now its only formula and the little bit of pumped milk I've been getting. I wasn't sure if I should wait until my milk was back up before putting her back on because I wanted to make sure she was still getting enough. Now that I've read all these responses, we will be nursing as much as we can! I will start eating the oatmeal and check for some form of fenugreek when I can get to the store. I might even try the beer idea!

And yes, I am trying to switch from formula to breastmilk either through nursing or pumping...preferably nursing. I figure it will be easier for both of us to transition over. I do have a rented electric pump from the hospital (for a few more weeks at least) and I have a single manual pump that I bought while I was still pregnant.

I almost gave up hope but thanks to all of you, I'm going to try everything and see what happens! I know breastmilk is amazing and I felt like I was depriving her so I am so happy to have hope back! Thank you so much again!!!

__________________
"There were no houses. There were no roads. There were no people. There were only trees and the wild animals who had their homes among them."

Its good to here from you. I know you will feel very good about breastfeeding your daughter. It is the most wonderful joy a mother can have with her baby.

It will be hard to get going, but it is well worth it. I do highly recommend that you get LLL's Womanly Art of Breastfeeding".

If you have the mindset then get prepared to have the most wonderful time in your life with your baby and her daddy.

Good luck! And this post better find you nursing.....(with your shoes on! Lol)



digApony

__________________
"Of course there is a light at the end of the tunnel; another train is approaching there". ~ Slavoj Zizek

And stay away from things that would dry up your milk, like peppermint, sage and parsley. It never crossed my mind that there were foods that might jeopardize my supply but having had a new baby at the beginning of November myself I was extra vigilant to stay away from my favorite holiday foods-peppermint bark and extra sage in the stuffing.

GL-I've heard of many a mom relactating. And I agree with PPs; breastfeeding should be much easier than it is!

I don't have the time to read everyone's responses but please don't be afraid to take that baby to bed with you at night and nurse on demand ! I have done this with each of my children and I have never once had a nursing issue (thank God !) .

If you need any help or a listening ear please PM me !

__________________
-Amy
~Helpmeet to my best friend~
~Keeper at home with 6 little blessings~

Amazon.com: The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding: Sixth Revised ..

Here's the book. I bought mine while I was pregnant. It gave me the confidence I needed to stand up to uninformed drs and nurses who seemed to want nothing more than to give my newborn sugar water and formula. Unless you are in a perfect world there is, unfortunately people who are conned by the baby formula companies into thinking that breastfeeding is the most terrible thing you can do for your baby; I've even heard it called "gross"!

In his 7th month my son had a nasty ear infection and a very high fever which caused him to be hospitalized. It was terrible for me because the nurses for whatever reasons did their best to stop me from nursing. You should have heard their lines! Lol but it wasn't funny and they had me totally confused and in tears. Not enough that my baby was sick. Fortunately I had a "new" young pediatrician who did not mind standing up to them and put a stop to it all. He wrote on my son's chart "breastfed only"!

in short I'm trying to say that other situations are sure to arise, such as you becoming ill yourself. You will need to know what to do and be prepared. This book has it all; at least my older version did. My book even had advice on housekeeping and laundry for a breastfeeding mom.

And paper diapers? I won't go there!

We need a forum to share the joys and struggles of breastfeeding.

I would like to share one particular joy I had 23 years after I first breastfed my first son.

I helped my daughter in law deliver her first child; my grandson. The next day I stopped by to see them at the hospital. I was holding my new little boy and he was rooting at my breast; haha! THEN I had the wonderful sensation of my milk dropping! Wow! I wanted to nurse him right there!

It's a wonderful joy mama, that lasts forever!

__________________
"Of course there is a light at the end of the tunnel; another train is approaching there". ~ Slavoj Zizek

Kudos to you for making Breastfeeding a priority! Another great website is kellymom.com.