He has been growing so well and learning so much.
I have found a mommy to donate my breast-milk to long-term. She has a baby that is three months younger than Finnegan, who she nurses exclusively, but is unable to fully satisfy with her milk supply. I am pumping about 70 ounces a week to go to her little boy. When I was pregnant, it was always my hope to be able to both exclusively breastfeed my son and donate milk.
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| 19 Weeks Old |
Breastfeeding exclusively has made nights a lot easier for all of us. Eric no longer has to get up at night to help, since Finn gets his food straight from the tap. We have brought Finnegan into our bed, where he sleeps next to me throughout the night. When he wakes up to eat, I pull him close to me and nurse him as we lay side and side. It is such a special experience. Every night is so calm and peaceful.
What an inspiration you are! Im soo encouraged!! Im on my journey of relactating my 8 week old son back to my breast;Its been 5 weeks since i last nursed! Today is day 2 and im taking fenugreek and drinking Mama Earth Milkmaid tea! Ive been pumping every 2 hours, and only get thick drops...is that normal and is a good sign that my supply will be in? I havent put him to my breast often lately because he gets so upset that nothings there! lol so i figure that ill wait to latch him until my supply is built up, is that a good idea?
ReplyDeleteI'm excited for you. What you're describing is exactly what I experienced at day 2. You're well on your way to a full supply if you keep it up! I would recommend continuing to offer your breast to your baby. Stop if he gets irritated, though. You want him to get used to it, even if it's just a pacifier for a while. :) You should consider purchasing an SNS. You attach it to your breast and it supplements formula or breastmilk to the baby while they suckle at the breast. It really helped us a lot in the beginning. I might even say it's essential to relactation.
DeleteYay! Im even more excited!!! yay yay yay!! I was a bit discouraged today, trying to think of every reason to quit but, i just cant! :) Im gona push past the soreness and hard work! Thank u so much for replying Nicole! Im Cortney btw, Im so happy! ....im gonna purchase the sns...im just so nerves to latch him...it hurts!!! and it seems that he doesnt want to open wide :(
ReplyDeleteWow, Courtney we are like twins. Day two was when I was feeling discouraged. Once the first couple days passed, however, I only felt encouraged and excited! I was in a LOT of discomfort for the first couple days as well, and didn't latch Finnegan at that time. Wait until your nipples adjust (for me it was around 1 week that it stopped hurting) and then work on the latch. At first, Finn's latch was shallow and weak as well, but with the SNS he was motivated to open wide and actually suck, since there was food coming through the tube. It's so worth it and I feel like the SNS is what saved our breastfeeding relationship more than anything.
ReplyDeleteAW! lol!! when i read your blog i felt the same way! we had a lot in common!!! ok! Thats what i was thinking , waiting a week until they get a lil used to the tension!! One thing im manually pumping instead of using the electric, its just too harsh on me this time around. with the manual i feel more motivated...Ive been searching all day for a store that sales the SNS...I cant fin one..and i dont wanna order online cus i need it now! lol where did u get yours?
ReplyDeleteI purchased my SNS from a Walgreens Healthy Options office thing near my doctor's office. They sell medical supplies there. I got the Medela starter one, it's like 20 dollars.
DeleteStay motivated. I was SO super psyched when I started, super motivated. I was worried it would go away but it never did. I just felt more and more determined and encouraged with each day that passed. When I collected all of the breastmilk from one day in one container, I could really see how I was increasing, even if it was just a little everyday. I hope that you see the same kind of increase that I did.
Have you considered looking into Domperidone? I took Reglan to increase my supply, but it's not really recommended because most women who take it will experience side effects. I was lucky enough not to. Domperidone is not FDA approved in the US, but you can order in online, I believe.
Ok, no Walgreens here in Mi that has it. I have heard of Domperidone but, I wasnt too interested in taking it, i wanted to stick with all natural herbs especially hearing that women have had success relactating with just that!
ReplyDeleteIm soo stoked today! Ive been on my every 2 hour pumping and Im seeing more milk accumulating! I gave my breast as a pacifier to soothe baby and he latched (PAIN FREE =) and started to go to sleep but my 2year interrupted that by screaming for a fruit bar! Ha! but that def motivated me to KEEP it GOING! im so glad my nips are getting better, that was half the battle there!
Question, once i go to bed i dont wake up to pump, so instead of 2 hours the time lapsed is 4. Do u think that can set me back? ..I really dont wanna wake up to pump lol
Thank you for being such a great help and support, its been pretty awesome talking to you!
I think that having longer time lapses between pumps at night is perfectly fine. That's what I did. I just pumped whenever Finn woke up. So it was usually every 4 or 5 hours at night. I would pump and Eric would feed and change him.
DeleteToday is Day 5 and I've collected 2oz in 18hrs!!!! I cannot believe it! It's been a lil dif lately to keep a strict pumping schedulw with 2 lil ones but I'm managing!:) ....I can't wait for the full supply to kick in!!! I'm anxious now lol ....and impatient since things look good!
DeleteOops 15 hrs! =p
DeleteOh my gosh that is amazing! When I was on day 5 I only collected 1 ounce in 24 hours. Things are progressing so well for you. I'm so excited for you. :)
DeleteSince we lasted spoke so much has happened to me :( I had to have an emergency surgery to remove my gall bladder over the weekend, so all of my work has been set back a bit! I'm so disappointed but relieved that I can be back to perfect health....so here I am working harder to build my supply back up! I did get a sns!!!:)) so I'm looking forward to using it once I'm better....uugggh to life and things happening! Lol..... #grateful
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm glad you're okay. It's okay to have a set back. I took a break from pumping one day and was set back a few ounces in my progress but I quickly recovered and stuck with it.
DeleteThe SNS is good business, but can be tricky. When I first got mine, the LC told me I should first latch the baby and then slide the tube into the corner of his mouth. The way I did it, however, and the way that I found to be easier, was to tape the tube to my breast first and line it up with my nipple before latching Finn. Let me know if you need any tips or tricks on getting it work for you. There are a couple videos on youtube showing you how to use it as well.
Thank you,I'm glad too! Thought I was outta here for a second! Pain like none other but.....Oh my goodness!!!! Tricky is an understatement hahaha! My and i tried last nite with NO SUCCESS! SO...I def need tips! Aero did very good being patient but, that he soon grew tired of waiting so I quit out of frustration womp womp but, I won't stop trying. It's not as easy as I thought it'd be!
DeleteWhat kind of SNS are you using? Is it the one with the small tube for the milk and just one feeding tube? The SNS Starter Kit or something like that? That's the one I have. I can make a short video for you showing you the way I use it.
DeleteYes, I have the medela starter, ok cool! Any help is good help right now,because that lil thing is something else lol
DeleteLove'd reading this! I recently started trying after my little one has had major stomach issues and my doctor recommended it. I am not going back to breastfeeding due to my crazy work schedule but I hope to exclusively pump and give him what he needs! I am on day 4 with big drops of a thick substance but still not much. I started on fenugreek, mothers milk tea, and reglan! Hopefully I see better results!
ReplyDeleteYou will see results. :) For me, the start was kind of slow and then it was super quick. :) Stick with it. Good luck.
DeleteWhat an inspiration!!!! I'm on day 8, only getting 1 oz a day. I'm taking fenugreek and blessed thistle. I'm relactating for my toddler, she's 16 months. I stopped bf her at 14 months. I just miss it and want the best for her. I'm praying I can get a sufficient supply back. I had an abundance before lol. It's been very very hard seeing such a small amount of milk in comparison, but I'm determined to get it back for my baby girl. Blessing to you and your sweet baby boy. :)
ReplyDelete