Ouchy!

[Mischief]

OH MY GOODNESS...I'm having a pity party!!

Well some of you probably know...my son seemed to have a bad reaction to the formula I started topping him up with. So back to full expressing again for me.

Problem is I dont have enough milk! (thank goodness for the 20+ feeds in the freezer)...so I have been pumping pumping pumping for 2 hours at a time (while he sleeps)...one breast, then the other, then back again!

Problem....electric pumps...HURT!!!! My pooor nipples were the colour of raspberries yesterday and today!!!!

So the pump is on low today and its taking soooo long to express but at least it isnt hurting as much!

Just had to share...!!! Thanks for listening! LOL :o

[Goosie22]

:hugs: to you mischief.

What about taking some time off pumping and jumping into bed and just feeding him to boost your supply?

(I know your not keen on the feeding straight from the boob to much, but it would work a lot faster and less work more :sleeping: )

[Mischief]

Hey Goosie

Ive tried that, the past few days I have been feeding and pumping. Only problem is my little man doesnt love feeding at the moment anyway (teething) so trying to feed him breast during the day is next to impossible. :rolleyes:

This morning I tried to offer him breast, but he kept pulling on and off (he feeds fine during the night) and it was AGONY, so off to the bottle we went!

Am feeling much better using the pump on the lower setting....hopefully a day or so of that will have my poor rasberries back to nipples! LOL

The things we do for our babies! :p

[shed]

Can you use those silicon nipple shield things with a pump?

[MariaO]

Mischief, you poor thing, I remember those days very well. Have you been able to nap at all? Perhaps this has not worked for you, but when I had a sleep for 30 mins or an hour when the baby was asleep (or hubby was looking after her) I found my supply was much, much better afterwards.

[Goosie22]

:thumbsup: ya!!!!

[Mischief]

My supply STILL isnt picking up and my supply of frozen milk is going down every day. :( I just feel so depressed and like giving up!

Ive been pumping for hours on end, drinking heaps, eating rolled oats for breaky.....Ive even been overing Oliver booby even though I really HATE that and it makes me feel like cr*p (probably why ive been feeling down the past couple of days).

Arrgggg...I just cant ever have another baby, cause I cant go thru this all again. :( And it wouldnt be fair if I didnt try to give a second child the same start in life.

Sorry about the pity party! XX

[Goosie22]

Mischief,
Have you been taking Motillium?

I know you feel uncomfortable actually breastfeeding (your a real champ), next baby maybe you will have worked it out and it will feel differently about breastfeeding? Are you talking to anyone about your feelings with regards to Breastfeeding, some sessions going over how you feel might change things especially since you are so dedicated to Oliver.

[rynosmum]

Arrgggg...I just cant ever have another baby, cause I cant go thru this all again. :( And it wouldnt be fair if I didnt try to give a second child the same start in life.

Kat, you are doing everything possible to do the right thing for your Bubba and I really admire your efforts but thinking that you are failing your child or couldn't have another child if you couldn't give them the right start really isn't fair on you.

Breastfeeding can be so difficult and when you are tired and frustrated, issues like you are facing now can seem enormous but you know what? Your supply will improve due to all of the stimulation it is getting although it may still take a couple more days.

And at the end of the day, if you had to revert to formula (once you found one that worked for him), it wouldn't be the end of the world. My mother bottlefed me and I absolutely adore her and would never for one moment think that she hadn't done the best for me.....and your bubbas wouldn't either.

I can't imagine the stress you are feeling at the moment but just wanted to offer you :hugs: :hugs: :hugs:

[Mischief]

Have you been taking Motillium?

Nope, what is that? Is that something you get from the Dr? My Dr (and the nurse at the surgery who used to be a midwife) thinks I should start offering some formula and solids as Oliver is such a tall boy. She told me that to make it to 3 months would be fine, and then after that Oliver had the best start. Steven wants me to keep going until 6 months at least, and I just feel like I dont know what to do.

Part of me needs to stop for my own sanity, and part of me feels like I need to keep going and do the best for my son, cause its not HIS fault I have hangups about BF.

I'm sorry for being such a misery guts, I'm just having a real stuggle today and just been sitting here crying, cause I dont know how to feel. I'm so upset that its taking 2 hours to get 150ml....I dont get any rest at the moment, cause when Oliver is up I cant express cause I'm paying attention to him, and when he goes down for a sleep I'm spending all my time expressing.....

Goosie, Rynosmum....thank you both for all your support and listening to me sook! :hugs:

[Goosie22]

Nope, what is that? Is that something you get from the Dr? My Dr (and the nurse at the surgery who used to be a midwife) thinks I should start offering some formula and solids as Oliver is such a tall boy. She told me that to make it to 3 months would be fine, and then after that Oliver had the best start. Steven wants me to keep going until 6 months at least, and I just feel like I dont know what to do.


Motillium (http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/prescript_galactagogue.html) is Domperidone, its used to boost your supply. You need a script and it can cause upset tummy with cramps, but I didnt experience that and I took it for 2 months after a bout of asthma treated nocked my supply off. I tried Fenugreek also before that but it needed the extra boost.

If you want to start giving formula, then you dont need the permission of the GP or the nurse. Undermining your decsion to provide Breastmilk to your baby for 6 months as it is your choice not theirs, stating your baby is "such a tall boy" implying you are not providing him with all he needs is not very respectful of yours or your husbands wishes. They are not the ones slogging their guts out to provide the best for your baby you are and if you want to keep doing it then Motillium will help you do it.


I admire your dedication to your son and I hope you find careproviders that respect your wishes.

[abbynmonique]

hey mischeif,
i am wondering if you can feel the let down , when you are expressing,, soz, if you have already been asked this, but i just know how hard it is to get the milk out without feeling the let down,, my boobs will feel soft till the let down and then i feel them tingle and fill up,, then it spurts out nearly the whole bottles worth,, i know if i dont get this feeling it is nearly imposible to express more than 20mls.
Considering your emotional state , i wonder if this may be contributing to you thinking there is not enough milk..
a few tricks i have is if i cant feel it coming, and have been staring at the pump, i then try to drop my shouders and look up at the wall , or out the window,, sometimes this is enough,,othertimes i have to think about my baby,thinking happy thoughts, or even kiss her head and smell her hair,,also i have tryed having the pump on one breast and getting baby to suck the other to stimulate the let down i know it is very hard when your uptight and he is prolly screaming.. i cant get a let down when i feel like this,if it doesnt happen in about 5-10mins, i put the pump down,and go do somethiing else for a while, something either relaxing or including a cuppa tea and sum chocolate.. then try again, usually with more success.
If you are having emotional probs with your milk ,and feeding baby,, maybe working through these by talking to your husband ,or a nonjudgemental counsellor( maybe even hypnosis or relaxation cds??) would ease your mind,and the milk may start flowing more freely..
sorry for the long post , especially if it is not relevant to you but i hope it may help you,,
cheers abby

[Goosie22]

Here (http://www.rwh.org.au/rwhcpg/maternity.cfm?doc_id=9092) is the royal womens guidlines for motillum dosage incase you want an Australian source for your GP.

[squishysmum]

Haven't read the other posts so not sure if this has already been suggested. Have you tried fenugreek tablets to increase your milk supply? You can look into it in the net. Can't forward any links as I didn't bookmark any when I was reading up on it.
HTH.

[Billy]

:wave: Hi Kat, just wanted to send you some big huge virtual :hugs: :hugs: because you're feeling so down... Sorry can't help with the BF advice as Rhianna is on the bottle, but I think you sound as though you are doing a great job, and being a wonderful mummy for your darling boy... :yes: Take care sweetie xox

[angcaltam]

Kat,

You are an amazing woman. Going through all this and still having the time to support me. Thank you for being a great person.

Now, you have already given Mr O the best start. Please don't feel like you are letting him down. Take it from me, someone who has been there trying everything she can to give her kids the best start, and DS1 got BF until only 2 week, DS2 was 1 1/2 months then DD was only 5 weeks. All to different reasons, but DD was because she was ripping my nipples to bits, so in the end I was taking pain killers before every feed just so it could take a little of the pain away. It took DH and Shandi to tell me that wasn't the best for DD and that putting her on formula wasn't a bad thing.

Please be strong like I know you are. Keep your chin up, and always remember that you have given Mr O the best start possible. He needs a fully functioning Mum.

Lots of :hugs: & :kiss: coming your way.

PM me if you need to chat.

[Sherrie]

Wow, Kat you are a trooper!

My baby (well shes a toddler now!) is very big and tall and still feeds 2 hourly night and day as she is STILL not the best solid eater (she has a sensitive gag reflex) and I guess she loves her boob as well. I can say the further you go the easier it comes in some ways, for example I don't get tired from the 2 hour wakings like I used to. Of course sometimes I wish I had more space but still it is ALOT easier now then before as I am used to it and it has certainly helped our bonding heaps.

My first baby I introduced solids and formula from around 3 months(he was also a 2 hour feeder) and I can tell you the difference between their growth and health is huge, My daughter has kept right up there above the growth charts where my son dropped right down after I introduced them and he was sick alot after that too. But it could also be just coincidence, this is just my experience with it and why I have kept going this time.

But with the pumping, wow I was never good at that, had alot of trouble letting down and it would take an hour just to get a decent amount out which really sucks with a 2 hour feeder so for that you have my admiration! I did find having my bub around while pumping helped get a let down happening, do you do that?

Take care of those nipples, I would maybe put some lanolin on them to help protect them?

Motillium is that the same as maxalon?

If you were close by I'd bring you over a big bowl of my muelsi. I find it really helps keep my supply up, I just make a mixture up of honey, coconut oil, oats, nuts, coconut, seeds and toast it.

Anyway if you want to keep trying to perservere then keep going as it may get easier later. But if its getting too much I can certainly understand, pumping is hard work and you have done a great job! :thumbsup:

[Mischief]

Ive come to the very hard and heartbreaking decision to stop expressing. Ive done it for 4 months, no one though I would make it for 2 weeks!!! Steven supports my decision, I kinda wish he would talk more to be about it, he did want me to keep going till 6 months and I wish he would express more instead of just saying "OK". But I guess thats men, and he is so wonderful in every other way I shouldnt really complain that he doesnt communicate as much as I would like.

I feel that by stoping expressing I'm letting Oliver down in some ways, but in another I hope I will be being a better mum cause I will have more time to enjoy him instead of worrying about how much milk he is drinking...and if he only wants to drink 50ml and waste the other 150ml I wont care so much because it hasnt taken me 2 hours to get it for him!

Goosie and everyone else, thank you so much for all your support. You have been amazing, and I'll still be lurking aorund in this section! :hugs:

[Cheekychops]

No you are not letting him down at all!!!! You have done an amazing job doing it for 4 months!!!! :thumbsup: :yelclap:

And yes those electric pumps hurt!!! They stuck me on it each feed before my milk was even in when DS was in special care cause they wanted to get the 'liquid gold' in asap...... :crying: OUCH!!! No pain like it hey??? DH couldn't understand why it hurt so much till the midwife told him it's like a 100 piranah's biting on your nipple!!! :yes:

The things we do hey???

But really - don't be down on yourself for it!! Be proud of what you've done so far and proud of all you will do for him in the future, he'll just be drinking a different flavour of milk that's all!!!

[RedPanda]

I feel that by stoping expressing I'm letting Oliver down in some ways, but in another I hope I will be being a better mum cause I will have more time to enjoy him instead of worrying about how much milk he is drinking...and if he only wants to drink 50ml and waste the other 150ml I wont care so much because it hasnt taken me 2 hours to get it for him!


Mischief you are not letting Oliver down at all! You have done such a great job to last that long expressing! I expressed for three days and was blistered and depressed after that short amount of time. I think you must be one committed, dedicated, strong woman! Just think of the great start you've given Oliver.

Perhaps the time you've spent expressing in the past you could now spend reading to him or relaxing. He'll be so pleased to have a happier, relaxed mummy. The great thing about babies is they just love - they never judge and they are so forgiving. Keep your chin up - it's really not the end of the world. It will probably take you a few weeks to come to terms with your decision, but I think that's normal. I cried every time I dripped milk in the shower!!
:hugs: to you!! And well done on your achievement!:smiliedance:

[Funkychicken]

Kat, you have achieved so much and deserve so much credit for it. Well done and enjoy the next chapter in your and oliver's journey together! :thumbsup:

[angcaltam]

Kat,

I just wanted to say that you have really given Mr O the best start to his life and now you will have so much more time to spend with him and you wont be so tired. Can I ask what Formula you are going to use with him?

Thinking of you.

[priya]

hi kat,

just found this thread. Lots of :hugs: coming your way.

Love.

[abbynmonique]

Congratulations Micheif ,
you have done it for so long now, you wont know yourself when your body gets back to normal and your hormones settle down,,
good luck with things and enjoy the next chapter of your life..
:hugs: abby

[BubbaNoogie]

Lots of :hugs: for you.

Just remember the best thing for a baby is a relaxed and happy mum, so do what you have to do.
Well done for sticking it out this long!!

Brooke