Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Question about Nursing (disclaimer Men beware)

So I need some advice, any advice.
I had a feeling this was going to happen, but I just went to Landon's 6 months check up, and low and behold - he only gained 1/2lb in 2 hrs. The same exact thing happened with Carson at his 6 months check up, and I ended up stopping nursing b/c I didn't understand and he certainly wasn't getting enough.
Could it be that my body doesn't produce enough after a longer time? Could I not being eating enough or the right thing? What can I do to help? Even last week I nursed him so much and taht didn't seem to help. He eats like crazy and often enough and long enough. The doc said that was the problem but I really don't think it is. I can tell when he runs out of milk, and he keeps sucking but not swallowing, and he would stay there forever, but he just isn't getting anymore.
Doctor told me to start supplementing after each feeding, but that is going to get pretty time consuming pretty quickly. Should I stop exercising? ( I really don't want to do that!!!)
I don't get it. I have never done anything except for breastfeed, and I even waited longer to start cereal thinking that would help. But it didn't :(
Just want to know what everyone's thought out there are :) (please be nice :))

4 comments:

Marcia said...

Have you tried drinking more water? That was what I noticed that seemed to effect my milk production the most. If you exercise a lot, you probably need even more than those who don't. :) Also, have you thought about talking to a lactation consultant? They usually have free advise/groups at most hospitals. Hope you can find a good solution.

JordanandSue said...

Well, you're not strange at all :) I've heard a lot of moms with that same story, so whatever the answer is (even if it's to stop nursing), don't kick yourself! Each of my girls had some nursing issues at 6 months, but I know for my girls, it seemed to have something to do with them just needing solids. Once I gave that process a few weeks, it helped them be more content with their milk. A friend of mine swears by Mother's Milk tea- I think you might be able to get it from Target, but I know you can find it online. It's supposed to help boost your milk supply. Another thing that might help is renting a hospital grade pump from a lactation consultant's office... I did that when Elyse was newborn, and I was amazed at how it really boosted my supply. Even just pumping at night after Landon's in bed, or pumping after a few of his feedings would probably help some. At least if you end up having to supplement with formula for a while, it's not the end of the world! You having been able to nurse for 6 months is awesome, and hopefully Landon will just fly over this hump with no problem. Just keep trying, and if it doesn't work, it's okay :) You're still a great mommy!!

Unknown said...

I would definitely try drinking more water, especially if you are exercising. How many hours do you go in between Landon's last feeding before bed and then his next feeding? If he is sleeping through the night, and not eating until morning, you may want to pump one more time before you go to bed. I would relax for awhile, drink some water, and then try pumping. I know my milk decreased as the boys went longer between feeding, but pumping between those longer periods definitely helped bring it back up. If you need a better pump, you can always borrow my Medela pump. Either way, don't get stressed about it because that won't help the situation. Call me if you want to talk some more. :)

Trina Mayfield said...

Sorry I can't help with this one, Jessica, but I guess you sort of have already decided (at least that's what I understood from your E-mail today). Anyway, he's healthy so I'm just thankful for that! You're an amazing mother!!!!

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