Confused about breastfeeding

[Kimberly®]

I started breast feeding at the hospital and continued for about 4 day. By then I was cracked and bleeding so bad I switched to formula. The engorgmant I had after I stoped has disapated but I do still have a milk supply. I miss the breast feeding a lot of the time. I loved how close it made me feel to my daughter.
What I'm wondering is, is it to late to go back? Or even to give her breast feedings a couple times a day. Or is that a bad idea with the formula? I don't want to make her sick an there are a lot of times where formula is just easier, like when I'm out shopping or something.
What do you think? Should I push to go back to it? or leave well enough alone..
I'm really confused and would like some input.

[Jayri]

If you want to go back and try, go ahead, it may be a bumpy road but if it is what you want I would.
I bottle fed ds and dd has been exclusivly bf up unitl her starting cereal.
If it is more comfortable then combine the two, or if you have enough supply feed her ebm while you are out. The more you feed, the more milk you will make for her. If you pump, you can feeze it and then use it later.
I love bf with dd, to me it is a time amoungst all the hecticness, especially with ds that is our time.
Good luck hun, I hope it works out for you.    

[annamum]

No, it is not too late to go back to breastfeeding. Some women are able to relactate months after they quit. In your case it should be doable  as you mentioned you still have milk.

You can decide if you want to combine formula feeding with breastfeeding, a lot of women do this, they nurse when they are at home and formula feed while shopping or in the evening so husband can have his share as well. It is basically up to you to decide. You can also eventually go back to exclusive nursing if you decide to work on increasing your supply.

To increase your supply you will need to offer your breast as often as your baby is hungry, yes, that means feeding on demand right now. In order to up your supply, which is still there, as you said, but probably too low to exclusively satisfy your baby's needs, you would need to offer your breast first each time you feed your daughter, then, if she is still hungry, offer her formula. There is such thing as a Haberman bottle system which you can put on your breast so while she is getting her food basically from a bottle of formula, she has to suck your nipple to stimulate it and work on your supply.

It can take time to get your supply back. But even if you decide to do breastfeeding only a couple of times a day, she will still have great benefits from that, it is very rewarding for both mom and a baby. Don't forget to drink plenty of water and eat a balanced diet, you will need some extra callories.

Good luck and let us know  .

[jessica and emilys mummy]

Hi.I would probably start by expressing once or twice to get the supply going.After that you can bf whenever you want.It will do no harm to bf and use formula.
I would recommend seeing a health visitor who can help baby to latch on properly.You shouldn't feel any discomfort while bfing.
Good luck.You'll be great :lol:

[Kimberly®]

Thanks for the imput guys. I've desided that first thing tommorrow I'm going to call my local health unit and see if they can send me a lactation consultent. I'm gonna give this a go    wish me luck

[Jayri]

Good luck hun, let us know how it goes!    

[15milner]

My thought would be

Get a lacation consultation and get a correct latch as that is often an underlying cause of sore / cracked nipples etc.

In breastfeeding, the first 6 weeks are the important weeks for establishing your supply.  I think you might be best to offer your breast at every feed, your breasts need the stimulation of feeding that will increase your supply and your baby is the best way of doing that - expressing isn't always a good indication of how much you are producing ( I only managed 1oz at a time).  GraceKelly's mom would say that introducing formula at an early age can often jeopardize bf as supply is not there.

From my experience, I did not feed regularly enough in the early days (ie about 7 feeds a day) it should have been at least 10/12 feeds to establish my supply.  I can't remember when we introduced it, certainly not before the  12 weeks  growth spurt,I topped off the final feed of the day (ie 10.30 with a couple of oz of formula AFTER bf and used a Haberman feeder)

I had to see a consultant at 7 weeks who got things going and I was feeding every 2.5 hrs during the day and 3hourly during the night - which meant setting the alarm to feed.  It was tiring, but so worth it - i continued bf until 15 months.

Good luck I am sure you will succeed.

alex

[jessica and emilys mummy]

Good luck for tomorrow.
Don't forget to drink at least 2 litres of water a day as this will help.Sounds loads but if you get a 500ml bottle of water and fill it 4 times a day it's easy peasy :lol:
Pls post tomorrow to let us know how it went with health centre

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Best of luck and keep us posted! 

[Kimberly®]

Well I talked the the health unit and there going to send me a lactation consaltent tomorrow who's going to work with me so I can return to breastfeeding. They warned me that it would be a lot of work but It'll be worth it.

[Arwyn's mom]

Karita,

It will be SOOO worth it. I started breastfeeding because I decided that it would be best. I had no milk for the first few weeks. I got discouraged some days but I am stubborn  :oops:  and we made it through the hard part of establishing supply. By week 5, I had milk and now, I love it. I love the time I get to spend with Arwyn, just the two of us.

Good luck to you and your lo. Love the time you spend nursing... it is so special.