I sent Tom an email a few weeks ago (when he was in Michigan), "This is about the best thing I've seen explaining my low milk production." It is this article, http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/insufficient-glandular-tissue.
I never have made enough milk for Max, and after visiting two RN specialists and lactation consultant in the early days, and after three weeks of donor milk that costs as much as fine wine, I started him on Baby's Only formula. It was a bit of a mystery to all of us why after a full-term delivery I didn't have enough milk for my baby. He didn't seem to have latch issues, he was a eager little eater.
The first night of his life, he slept only about an hour, and the nurses said usually they have to come in and wake the baby up to feed. He wanted to feed from when he was born at 6 pm until 10 am the next morning when we finally got them to give him donor milk because he seemed so hungry. It might have been his joie de vivre, but it was also hunger.
Two of the specialists suggested maybe I didn't have many milk ducts. This Kelly Mom article listed a few different indications for women for whom this is the case. As best I can tell, without extensive testing, if there is such a thing, this is me.
After a month on a hospital-grade pump, taking hormones to support prolactin, drinking two kinds of herbal teas, and slamming fenugreek, I resigned myself to not being able to meet Max's nutritional needs. It did involve tears, especially when he smelled like the formula that first night. I saw an article about MRIs of the brains of formula-fed babies', hybrid-(both mother's milk and formula) fed babies, and strictly breastfed babies. Whatever activity they were measuring for was all throughout the breastfed baby's brain, and less so for the babies receiving any formula. That made me cry too.
We, Max and I, have persisted in nursing. He has gained weight rather exponentially on his formula, but we still nurse both day and night. Milk production is highest sometime after 1 am, so I haven't tried to discourage him waking up in the night to feed. And the sweet thing is we have it as a comfort.
It turns out I'm a rather unselfconscious breast-feeder, so both at home and in public, we nurse. Abby and I flew back with him from a visit to Phoenix at 10 pm a few weeks ago. The poor guy got the fall-aparts, and justifiably because he's normally asleep by 10 pm. He was beside himself during a long taxiing, and only could finally be calmed when we nursed during takeoff.
I texted her the next day, "Thinking about last night, what ever would we have done without the breast?!" Her reply, "Mob with pitchforks."
This has also been a good website: http://www.noteveryonecanbreastfeed.com.
6 May 2015 update: I have used Traditional Medicinals Mother's Milk Shatavari Cardamom tea, Gaia Herbs Lactate Support, and WishGarden Herbs Milk Rich in later months. I think each have helped me increase milk production a bit, but WishGarden is probably the best.
I never have made enough milk for Max, and after visiting two RN specialists and lactation consultant in the early days, and after three weeks of donor milk that costs as much as fine wine, I started him on Baby's Only formula. It was a bit of a mystery to all of us why after a full-term delivery I didn't have enough milk for my baby. He didn't seem to have latch issues, he was a eager little eater.
The first night of his life, he slept only about an hour, and the nurses said usually they have to come in and wake the baby up to feed. He wanted to feed from when he was born at 6 pm until 10 am the next morning when we finally got them to give him donor milk because he seemed so hungry. It might have been his joie de vivre, but it was also hunger.
Two of the specialists suggested maybe I didn't have many milk ducts. This Kelly Mom article listed a few different indications for women for whom this is the case. As best I can tell, without extensive testing, if there is such a thing, this is me.
After a month on a hospital-grade pump, taking hormones to support prolactin, drinking two kinds of herbal teas, and slamming fenugreek, I resigned myself to not being able to meet Max's nutritional needs. It did involve tears, especially when he smelled like the formula that first night. I saw an article about MRIs of the brains of formula-fed babies', hybrid-(both mother's milk and formula) fed babies, and strictly breastfed babies. Whatever activity they were measuring for was all throughout the breastfed baby's brain, and less so for the babies receiving any formula. That made me cry too.
We, Max and I, have persisted in nursing. He has gained weight rather exponentially on his formula, but we still nurse both day and night. Milk production is highest sometime after 1 am, so I haven't tried to discourage him waking up in the night to feed. And the sweet thing is we have it as a comfort.
It turns out I'm a rather unselfconscious breast-feeder, so both at home and in public, we nurse. Abby and I flew back with him from a visit to Phoenix at 10 pm a few weeks ago. The poor guy got the fall-aparts, and justifiably because he's normally asleep by 10 pm. He was beside himself during a long taxiing, and only could finally be calmed when we nursed during takeoff.
I texted her the next day, "Thinking about last night, what ever would we have done without the breast?!" Her reply, "Mob with pitchforks."
This has also been a good website: http://www.noteveryonecanbreastfeed.com.
6 May 2015 update: I have used Traditional Medicinals Mother's Milk Shatavari Cardamom tea, Gaia Herbs Lactate Support, and WishGarden Herbs Milk Rich in later months. I think each have helped me increase milk production a bit, but WishGarden is probably the best.
2 comments:
Love Abby's comments and admire your stick-to-it-iveness! It is always tough when the parenting/mothering things we know are right are hard. Max is lovely and beautiful and you are a great mama!
I love that you still use it for comfort despite there not being much milk in there. So many people forget that there's more utility to breastfeeding than simply feeding.
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