First let me tell you about my nursing experience with both of my girls. Adelle would nurse for an hour at a time when I first brought her home. Then my doctor told me it was too much, so I cut back and at four months on the dot I started her on rice cereal, because she always seemed hungry. I don't think that Lilly got enough nourishment from my breast milk alone or my milk production went down because of my use of a nipple shield. With both girls I had mastitis, a yeast infection and my nipples and my areola cracked and bled.
My biggest concern at this point is the cracking. It was so bad that both of my girls spit up blood, my blood, more than once. I feel I can get through the rest of it, but the dread of nursing because it hurts so bad is something I am NOT looking forward to.
I'm really afraid that this is going to happen again, and my poor son won't get nursing experience that my girls did because I'm so done dealing with this. I'm tempted to just buy a really nice pump and do what my sister-in-law did for a year with her son, pump and then feed. (But she did it with a manual pump!) I don't want to have to do this because it sounds way time consuming.
I'm going to talk to my doctor about it, but I was hoping that I could get some advice from you lovely women who might know what I might be able to do.
Thank you so much for all your advice.
7 comments:
Did you try using Lansinoh cream? That was a lifesaver for me. It's safe enough to use right before and after they eat, and it also says on the tube that you can use it in the months before your baby is born to prepare your nipples so they won't be so tender and crack easily. Also, I had to use a nipple shield with Hallie because she had to go several days in the beginning without nursing because of my gall bladder surgery and she wouldn't nurse otherwise, and my milk supply went down but I brought it back up. There are herbs you can take and things you can do to help with supply. You can call or email me any time with other questions - I feel like I experienced all those problems with Hallie and still managed to breastfeed both girls successfully, so I might be able to help.
I thought it was pretty normal to nurse a brand-new baby for an hour at a time. ??
My doctor said the only way to prevent mastitis is to have amazing hygiene (wash with soap and water before every feeding).
Have you ever met with a lactation specialist? I have a couple of times, and it has been SO helpful for me. I had an excellent one at St Marks this last time. She was amazing. I also found this time that it's been really helpful to pump every so often to make sure my milk supply is good, and to give me a break. It's also nice for everyone when Daddy can feed the baby. I have to drink crazy amounts of water to keep my milk supply up.
Oh, and have you tried the lanolin nipple cream? I used a sample of the Medela cream and I loved it. (I liked it better than Lansinoh, which brand I normally love). You'll never crack again.
And if you do want to pump, I found that I can pump way faster with this baby. 15 minutes tops, but usually a little less. With my single, manual pump. The same one you mentioned. :) For a couple of months it was faster to pump and feed rather than nurse. And they say to wait a month before you offer your baby a bottle, but if I waited a month then my babies would refuse it. Like my first two. I started #3 on a bottle within a week while I continued to nurse and she has NEVER had a problem switching back and forth.
I could talk about this all day, but I'll stop (unless you want more ideas). We're so excited to meet Peter Pan!
Ok, so I have to chime in on this one. First of all - you are tougher than me! I don't remember bleeding. Poor gal!
It's all in the positioning and the 'latch on'. If you're not connected right, it's not going to work. (Baby doesn't get enough to eat and Mommy's in pain.) There might be some pain the first week, while getting used to the whole thing. But, it shouldn't be painful after that (if at all).
My favorite reference book: 'So That's what they're for! Breastfeeding Basics' by Janet Tamaro. It's simple and straightforward - little bit of humor and lots of explanations (even some diagrams). I still have it if you want to borrow it.
i agree with the bleeding and positioning ... maybe they were latching wrong?? and nipple creams ... and LANSINOH BRAND NIPPLE PADS are the best and saved my boob life. seriously ...
also, if i had a sore nipple, i'd give a break for a couple days and just nurse on the other side, pumping the sore one. it always helped ...
I was worried so much about breastfeeding and I did have a hard time at first. Teagan was a lazy nurser and would just fall asleep instead. I never thought I would make it as long as I did, but I lasted over 7 months! I had mastitis, bled, cracked, was engorged, and hated every minute of nursing for the most part, but I made it through. I really loved the book The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. It's the book La Leche League uses. It's great. I also met with a Lactation Consultant who helped a lot. The trick for me was to just keep at it. I also had an awesome pump. I talked to a lot of people and found out that it was worth the investment for a nice pump. I bought the $300 medela and it saved me on so many occasions. My milk supply started to drop down when I started going back to work, and pumping was the only thing that kept me going. Teagan refused to nurse at about 7 months during the summer. Even when I nursed uncovered, he got really hot and didn't like it anymore. Hope it goes well for you! Oh, and my cousin (who successfully nursed all her kids) said to rough up your nipples a little bit my scrubbing them with a washcloth in the shower starting about a month before your baby is born. That helped to toughen the skin which helped avoid cracking. You don't need to scrub so hard it hurts, just scrub a little everyday and that should work. Good luck!!
Also want to add my 2c. I had a tough time initially nursing Isaac (cracking/mastitis/bleeding, etc) and I agree with the others--it shouldn't be that hard, for that long. Sounds to me like the positioning of the latch-on must be wrong. I agree with the recommendation of a lactation consultant--ask for the one at the hospital to check your latch-on, and then if things are still hard at home you can have one come to your house. I have known several people who have done that and it really helped. Pumping, in my opinion, would be really hard to do full-time especially with two other kids running around. Good luck!
I'm going to be the lone voice (of reason) out there. I bottle feed from day 1. I have successfully bottle fed three children. All three are healthy, smart (my opinion, of course!), and have a good relationship with me. I have never had a case of mastitis or any of the other horrible pains/problems mentioned above. It takes 10 minutes to feed a baby a bottle, and if you prop it up with a blanket (or let your other child feed the baby), you can even pack a picnic lunch at the same time! No expensive pumps and creams. I seriously don't get what all the nursing fuss is about. Way, way, way overrated. All you need to be concerned about is getting food in your baby's stomach. Oh, and no one else brought it up, but bottle-fed babies tend to sleep better through the night. I know it's controversial, but I really think my way is best. Thanks for asking for my opinion. Good luck, and may you choose wisely! PS: It's not only about the baby -- you need to think of yourself also. It's not selfish, it's reality. You have two other children who need a mom that isn't sick, tired, worn out, and frustrated.
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