My first daughter (I later found out after she died) was born with heart defects. I pumped after trying to breastfeed. I tied tubes to my fingers so she wouldn't get used to a nipple and everything, nothing worked. Then three weeks into it my milk dried up. My second daughter I was severely engorged and became sick from it my breasts were so painful, there was absolutely no part of my inverted nipple left to even think my daughter could latch on. My husband even tried to "breastfeed" off of me. Plus I couldn't afford a pump. After I finally was relieved of that pain, I was completely dried up And I wasn't about to starve my daughter for four days to try and get her to breastfeed when I was no longer engorged, so ended up bottlefeeding her. My 3rd daughter wouldn't even wake up she was so week from me attempting to breastfeed her. After pumping an hour I would only get 1/2 an ounce. Why doesn't my breastmilk leave my breasts? Please be open minded and not offensive about this topic!
2007-02-02 08:56:35 · 11 answers · asked by Angela 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
Just because you didn't get much milk when you used a breast pump, that does not necessarily mean that your milk wasn't getting to your child. I worried about that when my daughter was an infant because I could hardly get any milk when I was using the pump, which I did at work so that I wouldn't dry up and so that my mother would have breast milk to give her while I was working. Yet, when I was home with her, she seemed to be growing well and wetting plenty of diapers.
Then, one day a woman with a crying baby came up to the counter outside my office while I was inside trying to pump. Suddenly, my "let down" reflex kicked in, and I filled two bottles quickly. After studying this a bit, I found that nursing has a distinct psychological and hormonal component. I did not have my baby there to inspire my breasts to "let down", and the environment wasn't conducive in the office under normal circumstances. However, as soon as I heard a crying baby, the nurturing hormones kicked in and had my milk flowing profusely.
That may also explain why your husband could not successfully "nurse" your engorged breasts. Your hormonal response to him was more likely a sexual response and was very different from your response to your baby. Throughout the time I nursed my daughter (about 21 months), my husband never got milk from my breasts. Yet my daughter grew well and was very healthy.
It does sound as though you've had some physical problems that made nursing difficult and that sapped your confidence in your ability to nurse your child. I would suggest that you speak to your pediatrician about this and would wholeheartedly recommend that you try nursing again if you should have another child. I found it to be a wonderful experience.
2007-02-02 09:12:30 · answer #1 · answered by poetic license 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow, you've been through a lot. What a great mom you are. You are obviously able to make milk and it definitely sounds important to you to be able to breastfeed.
This isn't a simple question to answer because there are many factors that could possibly be involved. It is probably not you at all. It probaby had more to do with your babies. They probably just weren't latched on properly. Maybe their latches were too shallow? Depending on your personal anatomy most or all of your areola, not just the nipple, should be in the baby's mouth.
Breast pumps and husbands are not good indicators of how much milk you make either.
If you were engorged then you were making milk. When engorgement like that happens to the point that a baby can't latch on it can help to hand express a little milk and then latching the baby on.
Did you get any help with breastfeeding? It really helps to go to a La Leche League meeting. A lactation consultant is helpful for more serious problems or something LLL can't help with. Unfortunately most doctors don't know enough about breastfeeding to help though.
One way to breastfeed in a situation like yours is to put expressed milk or formula in a Supplemental Nursing System. It is like the tubes you put on your fingers but the tubes get taped to your nipples.
Also, to encourage "letdown" you could have a glass of wine or beer, take a warm bath or shower, and have a message. There is even a specific accupressure point on the chest that helps letdown.
I don't know how old your youngest is now or if you are even interested in breastfeeding again (maybe with the SNS) but if not I would encourage you to acknowledge your feelings of loss at not being able to nurse. I think you will find that this will be more beneficial to your healing than ignoring any of these feelings that you may have.
Happy parenting!
2007-02-02 09:46:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like you need to invest in a high grade pump. Every manual pump I have purchased does NOTHING. But when I use the electric, I'm like a dairy cow!
The key to a regular milk supply is consistancy.
Set up a schedule ...and stick to it...no matter what.
Feed or pump at the same time everyday.
Sometimes using breast shields will help coax out an inverted nipple also. And taking a hot shower before nursing/pumping also helps the milk flow.
Next time..don't wait until you're in distress to get help.
La Leche League is everywhere and they can help you anytime. Never wait until you're in pain or you lose your milk to get the guidance you need.
www.lalecheleague.org
2007-02-02 09:07:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Have you actually tried to get help from a doctor or nurse, or some kind of person from a la leche league or something. Maybe they could help you figure out what is going wrong. But you might have to just consider the fact that you could be one of those people who really just can't breastfeed. Plenty of people say it but had never really tried hard enough, but if you try everything that you know of, and still have no luck, there's no point in struggling to do something that's not possible for your body... you just have to accept that fact. right? best of luck. but if you don't find something that works, you can accept it knowing that you tried your hardest.
2007-02-02 09:07:49 · answer #4 · answered by Cyndi Storm 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is harder to suck on an inverted nipple than a nipple that is not inverted. Even one that is not is hard for some babies to suck on. Even though you tried your best to nurse, all mothers cannot nurse. It sounds like you tried your best to no avail. Sometimes the babies aren't sucking hard enough to get the milk out and bottles are easier and that is why they tell you if you are going to nurse to only nurse because once the baby gets a bottle they don't want to go back to breast feeding because it is so much harder. My hats off to you. You sound like you gave it everything you had.
2007-02-02 09:23:50 · answer #5 · answered by devilgal031948 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My local WIC department loaned me a hospital grade pump (and I didnt even qualify for WIC) There are breast shields available rather inexpensively. For low supply try taking Fenugreek supplements. Made a huge difference when I had a dip in supply. My cousin also used them when she had a low supply. (she later found out her birth control was causing her to dry up) Being relaxed also plays a big part in it. Do your best to be relaxed as baby can sense that as well. I really commend you for trying so hard to do this. But dont try so hard it is miserable for you and your daughter. Contact your hospital or health department and they can recommend a good lactation specialist for you to consult with as well.
Best of luck!
2007-02-02 09:30:40 · answer #6 · answered by his temptress 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is a question you may want to ask your dr. I wasn't able to produce to much milk with my first child. It was like he was always still hungry after eating and I dried out really fast. With my second one I breastfed for about 10 mos. 1st I had to use this thing to make my nipple pop out so the baby would have something to latch on to.
2007-02-02 09:05:04 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because you didn't establish breast feeding before trying to pump you're body is not "letting down." The let-down reflex allows the milk to flow, its not just about sucking it all out. And your stressed about the whole thing so that's further inhibiting the let down. You're a trooper!!!
2007-02-02 09:05:17 · answer #8 · answered by Heather Y 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Contact the lactation consultant/nurse at your hospital or contact la leche. They can help you better than anyone else here. Best of luck!
2007-02-02 09:11:43 · answer #9 · answered by duckygrl21 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
some women dont lactate like they should and things like that happen. Next time you get pregnant and if you have WIC in your area they give away breast pumps to women who cant afford them.
2007-02-02 09:04:47 · answer #10 · answered by scm82 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋