My daughter is almost 8 wks.. can i really get milk to come back? still see a drop if i squeeze nipple?

Question

i had a very hard time at first, she got the "good stuff" i guess, but i really wanted to continue, breasts formed little "scabs" milk didn't come out when engorged?, she acted like she was starving, also the nurses gave me little 2 oz bottles to supplement with at like 2 days old, i think big mistake, shes been solely bottle feeding for 5-6 weeks but i can still squeeze my nipples and get a tiny drop or two of clear stuff then some white, i tried pumps wks ago, only got like a teaspoon to come out, gave up, can i get it to come back? remember i'm pretty much flat chested on right side and a bit more on left, it also had more milk, when filled up and hard/sore i still didn't fill an A cup ??

Answer 1

It honestly doesn't matter the size of your breasts. You can always breastfeed, and you will always, provided you're getting enough rest and proper nutrition, have enough milk for your baby.

If you're still getting a little milk then you may be able to continue to nurse your baby, though it's going to take patience and time. You're probably still have to supplement.

Your best bet, when it comes to the sores and what have you, is to take a warm cloth before you begin to nurse the baby and use it on your nipples; it softens the tissues a little and makes it easier for baby to latch on properly. Also, to avoid the sores in the first place, make sure that the baby is latched properly.

Breastfeeding is not the easiest thing in the world to master, and it doesn't come perfectly naturally... both you and the baby have to learn the right techniques that will make breastfeeding easier for the both of you. Try different positions ... it often helps.

And remember, to keep your milk supply up, nurse or pump on a steady basis... once ever couple of hours at least.

Don't get discouraged. Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world.

Answer 2

Supplementing was bad. You can still get the milk to come back. You just have to work on it. Back in the day royalty never breastfeed the babies. Their nannies did it. If you keep it going then it can milk for forever. Also you baby was getting enough more than likely even when you where scabbed over. The whole tip of my nipple was a scab for weeks, just because he drank so hard. He also acted like he was starving, and that was my fear, but after he got the hang of it, it was fine. My problem was that I fed him when ever he got upset and he would get the first part of the milk, "the appetiser", and go to sleep before the second part, "The meal", the thicker milk that keeps them full. I didn't know better then. If you have any other questions check out the la leche league website or you can e-mail me.

Answer 3

I'm not sure, but you can try.
Start massaging each breast in a circular motion working from the outside in towards the nipple before pumping. You need to get a good breast pump not the cheap ones. I rented a hospital grade from a Medical supply store for the first two weeks. You can buy a good one like Medela Pump in Style for home use. When pumping you need to completely drain each breast. You can save the milk and feed to your daughter with a bottle. You can also breastfeed then pump to make sure the breast is empty.

If you can, visit with a lactation consultant. I saw one and she was a wonderful source of information. I was having problems with soreness and she helped me correct the positioning of the baby during feeding and with proper latch on. This helped tremendously.

Answer 4

you can still get milk. it will take a lot of work, but my friend worked on relactating around 8 weeks herself. It took about 2 months for him to fully nurse from her again. If you're really serious about it you will probably need a supplemental nursing system and will have to keep pumping even when you are getting no milk and if you can get your baby to suck even when she is not hungry, that will help as well. a good website for anything dealing with breastfeeding is kellymom.com or the la leche league website. Good luck!

Answer 5

Wow. Breastfeeders are supposed to be so much smarter than the lot of us, yet they can't manange to properly spell the word "appetizer"?

Sure, keep pumping for the baby. Just be sure and feed it something substantial in the meantime. Please don't listen to the idiots that will advocate starving your baby instead of using formula. If the milk is meant to come back, it will. I have pumped for 5 months for my 9 month old, and I still have milk. It's close to an ounce or more in each breast when I do pump, but in my case, I try not to because it will make more. So it's probably there. Sometimes I keep the milk and use it to make the baby's cereal since it just won't go away. Sometimes I feed it to the cat to see if she will develop superpowers, too.

Answer 6

yes keep pumping every hour or two.