I have problem in breastfeeding my baby..................?

Question

I had my baby on 8 feb n was breastfeeding till now n the flow was good that i had to use nursing pads but after that I had to undergo laproscopic surgery 4 my gall bladder so i cudnt feed my baby for 2 days as it had anaesthesia in it.Now my flow of milk has decreased a lot .it dosent come out as earlier n it very less.Can anybody help me regarding that .Whas the actual problem .What sud i do ??I am worried??

Answer 1

I had exactly the same thing happen to me when my youngest was 5 months old.
I pumped out the milk while in the hosp. and for 2 days afterward.... luckily I had some frozen breastmilk on hand, but we suplimented with alittle formula. My daughter was livid.
Anyway - just keep at it your milk will increase again as your baby nurses more.

edit
try pumping your breasts between feedings. That might help with increasing the amount of flow during a feeding. Don't forget to allow your baby to nurse as often as he/she wants. Even if you are sitting in a chair for what seems like the whole day. It's ok, she'll stop when she's full and start again when she's hungry.

Answer 2

When you got out of surgery you should have just pumped and dumped. Your milk would have been coming in consistently. But you need help getting it back and there's nothing you can do about the past. So what you need to do is pump if you have one. Once you nurse your baby pump afterwards for about 15 minutes (if it's electric). Even if nothing comes out still pump. This will tell your body that you still need to produce more milk. Give it a day or two and your milk flow will be different. I do this all the time to save extra milk incase something happends. Good Luck

Answer 3

Hi,
First of all relax - stress reduces milk production and flow and it is normal for flow to drop off to what the baby needs. Right after birth our production is huge and I always had alot of leaking, as the first few weeks pass the milk leaks less and less. In any case encouraging the baby to nurse more often usually gets your milk production back up in no time. Make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids to replace what you lost during surgery and what you lose to milk production. I found that if I drank a bottle or can of beer and then breast fed my production increased alot. I think it is because with the beer you relax, the old timers say it is because of the Hops in the beer. Another thing I used when my production was down is called Brewers Yeast. You mix it with juice (it doesn't taste very good) and drink it. This increases production and improves the milk quality.
Again the most important thing is to relax and soon you will be producing the amount you need.

Answer 4

First. read this:
http://www.kellymom.com/health/illness/mom-surgery.html

Next, read this:
http://www.parentingweb.com/lounge/newman/nm_supportive.htm

Hopefully, by the time you have finished reading the second article (if not by the time you have finished reading only the first paragraph of the first), you should be upset enough to consider changing doctors. Your dilemma is yet another that could have been avoided with a more educated, more supportive doctor.

Now on to the problem that you are facing. You will have to work to increase your supply, since your body was under the impression that your baby had weaned (or worse). Below are some links to help you get your supply back up and to get your baby back to the breast full-time. The most important thing you can do is to offer the breast as often as possible. Nurse on demand and follow the tips below. Try as many of the tips that you can that don't require herbal or dietary supplements first, so you don't create an oversupply in case your body responds very quickly to the easier cues.

Good luck and congratulations on breastfeeding!

Answer 5

It is normal that would happen after not nursing for 2 days. You definitely need to pump often using a good breast pump and try to feed your baby as often as possible. Your milk will come back if you do this. Be sure to drink lots of water and eat good so your milk comes back. You can also take supplements to increase your milk flow.

Answer 6

if you have some milk coming then you are ok. the flow will gradually increase as you feed your baby more often, Encourage the babay to latch on even if you don't have milk, so your body will sense the baby and start to produce more milk. You can also go to a gmc and get mother milk, it is a tea that promotes lactation. it helps a little it also relaxes you but try the baby latching on every 2 hours and you should produce more and more milk. Good luck!!

Answer 7

If you couldn't feed the baby you should have at least been pumping and dumping to keep up your supply.
What you need to do is pump and nurse and often as possible to bring it back up. If that doesn't help than you should try fenugreek. It's an herb that helps milk production.
It's not harmful to baby so you should continue pumping and nursing the whole time.

Answer 8

It's unfortunate you were told not to nurse after anesthesia. Most anesthesias are perfectly safe for breastfeeding. I highly recommend you get a personal copy of Dr Hale's Medications and Mother's Milk. Most doc's don't actually know which medications are safe w/ breastfeeding. They tend to say most aren't. Hale's has actual research on each med. Most meds are actually safe when breastfeeding.

The best advice is to nurse, nurse, nurse. Avoid offering ANY supplements, bottles or pacifiers as this can interfere w/ supply. Get lots of rest and nurse your baby whenever s/he wants. You might even take your little one to bed. Visualize an abundant milk supply (sounds goofy but can work wonders). A bowl of oatmeal daily can boost supply as well as other supplements (one's called Mother's Milk Tea, I think, and there's fenugreek too)

Hang in there. As long as you are putting the baby to the breast as often as s/he wants (including "just for comfort") your supply should rebound in no time.

DON'T put anything (except lanolin) on your nipples!!!!!!! Even karo syrup can contain botulism spores! Adding a sweetner to your breasts is COMPLETELY unnecessary and potentially dangerous!

Answer 9

What you need to do is pump your breasts as often as you can. By emptying them often, it makes them produce more milk, because they are empty. I'm not sure how long it will take for you breasts to get back to the flow they were on because everybody is different, but that should do it!
If you have more questions, go to the website for "La Leche League" and they can help. Or buy their book on amazon.com. I did when I had my son six months ago and it will anwer ANY question you could possibly think of concerning breastfeeding!!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!

Answer 10

Contact the hospital where you had your baby. They SHOULD have a phone number or website you can contact for a lactation consultant. That's what those women are there for. They may send a woman to your home to help you make it work for the two of you. I've heard some say in the past that anyone can breastfeed - it's just a matter of knowing how to do it correctly. GL!