My baby is almost 2 months, but I didnt breastfeed, but now I want to. Is this possible or has my milk dried?

Question

I would really like to breastfeed now. I just hope its not too late.

Answer 1

Well, both actually. Your milk has presumably dried up--if not entirely, then mostly. But you can relactate if you want to.

It is a *lot* of work, and it can take a lot of time. If you never breastfed consistently, there is also no way to be sure that you will be able to fully nurse; some women can and some can't.

If you choose to relactate, you *need* to be in touch with an expert. It takes time, patience, support, and information, and a few paragraphs on Yahoo Answers will provide little of any of these. Please contact a local La Leche League Leader (see sources section below) for ongoing help. Keep in mind that La Leche League Leaders are volunteers working out of their own homes while raising their own kids, so if you don't get through, try another Leader or call again. Her help is free, but if you can offer to make a donation to the organization, I'm sure she'd appreciate it.

You will probably need to use a nursing supplementer at first. Eliminating all bottles helps you develop a milk supply faster, especially when the baby is getting all the supplement at the breast. There are several brands of supplementers--the Medela SNS is only one. Some women prefer it, and some prefer the Lact-Aid, the other major brand.

The first step is to nurse. You can pick up the baby and try to nurse her/him; if it works, you're well on your way!! Some babies will have forgotten how to nurse, and some are unwilling to nurse if there's little or no milk. If baby will nurse, just nurse her/him at least once every 2 hours (timed from the beginning of one feeding to the beginning of the next) during the day, and always nurse before you give a bottle (although it's better to use a supplementer). Pumping is only a distant second choice to increase your milk supply--never pump when you can nurse.

You can nurse even if you were given drugs to suppress lactation. Two months after taking the drugs, they are long out of your system. But hospitals no longer use the drugs very often. Older drugs for this purpose have all been removed from the market because they killed women, so many medical professionals are reluctant (with good reason!!) to use the newest "while it is still safe". None of these drugs were ever very effective, either.

Answer 2

YES...you can still give breastfeeding a try. There are even adoptive moms who have never given birth who breastfeed!

The fact that you have given birth is in your favor. You may still have a difficult time establishing a full supply, but the odds are good that you may be able to begin lactation.

My first suggestion to you is to get ahold of a Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) or a La Leche League Leader near you for one on one personal support. A LLL Leader will help you for free. Talk to the IBCLC or LLL Leader about getting a Supplemental Nursing System (SNS). This is a bottle with tubes that you wear around your neck. For now, you'll fill it with formula or donated breastmilk and you'll tape the tubes near your nipple and try to get the baby to latch on to your breast. The formula will go through the tube to feed the baby but the baby will be stimulating your breast to try to get a breastmilk supply going.

Check out the link below for more information on how to go about relactating.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

john4no17 has no clue what he's talking about. They don't give shots to dry you up anymore because they had too many side effects. If you can or can not squeeze anything out by hand right now is NOT an indicator of if you can relactate or not.

Answer 3

Lactation without pregnancy

Although it is not widely known in developed countries, women who have never been pregnant are sometimes able to stimulate lactation sufficient to breastfeed. This is called "induced lactation", while a woman who has lactated before and re-starts is said to "relactate". If the nipples are stimulated as in breastfeeding for a while (such as by a breast pump or actual suckling), eventually the breasts will begin to produce milk which can be used to feed a baby. Once established, lactation adjusts to demand. For this reason, adoptive mothers, usually initially in conjunction with some form of supplementation, such as a supplemental nursing system, are able to breastfeed their infants and young children [33]. There is thought to be little or no difference in milk composition whether lactation is induced or a result of pregnancy. Rare accounts of male lactation (as distinct from galactorrhea) exist in the medical literature.

Some couples may choose to induce lactation as a solely sexual practice.

Additionally, some drugs, primarily atypical antipsychotics such as Risperdal, may cause lactation in both women and men.

Answer 4

I think the DR. asks you what you plan on doing, breast feeding or not, and gives you a shot to dry milk up if you so desire. Try squeezing some out, that should tell you. Anyway I'm not a Dr., but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Answer 5

With a lot of work you might be able to produce milk but your baby may not take to breastfeeding if he/she has been bottle fed for 2 months. You should contact a lactation consultant at your hospital for advice.

Answer 6

It's too late...your milk dries up in about 2 weeks if you are not using it.

Answer 7

get a breast pump and start pumping them. That should help get them started producing milk.