Relactating?

Long story short, I couldn't for the life of me get LO to latch. She lost almost a pound of her birth weight because she absolutely wouldn't nurse. I still don't know what the problem was but I finally gave up because I couldn't starve her. She's been taking formula for the last 2 1/2 weeks. However, I've been doing a lot of reading/trying things and I think I've got it figured out. At this point she's more using me as a pacifier rather than a food source. I can still get a little milk from my breasts but definitely not enough to fill her up so she's still getting formula. She's latching on like a champ but she gets mad because she's not getting enough. Anyways, my question is, since I'm not completely dried up, is there ANY chance I can get my supply back? Or is it a lost cause at this point? I'm going to start fenugreek and I'm going to try latching her as much as I can. Should I pump too? Help?

if she's able to latch,, that's fantastic. Yes.. absolutely you can get yoru supply back....

nurse as much as you can, mothers milk tea, fenugreek, and defiitely pump. I'd pump 20 minutes every 2 hours at least during the day, and a couple times during the night.

I would pump as much as possible and put baby on the boob as well even if its just for comfort. I took fenugreek too and it upped my supply quite a bit. I also took blessed thistle too but it didn't seem to do anything. I've heard it helped other women though.

There is also a prescription medicine you can take to increase breastmilk. It's called domperidone (motilium). It's not approved by the FDA for that use in the US but they use it in other countries for lactation. I took it & it increased my milk quite a bit. I ordered it off inhousepharmacy.biz

Hope that helped some, good luck!

<blockquote><b>Quoting snglemama:</b>" if she's able to latch,, that's fantastic. Yes.. absolutely you can get yoru supply back.... nurse ... [snip!] ... fenugreek, and defiitely pump. I'd pump 20 minutes every 2 hours at least during the day, and a couple times during the night."</blockquote>




All of this and drink a ton of water. When you think you've had enough water, drink another glass. Lol.

What everyone else said.
It's a lot of hard work but its definitely doable! You have to be dedicated and determined to do it though, it won't happen over night and is likely goin to take 6-8weeks at least.

Thanks for the advice ladies. I know it won't happen overnight but I really want to try. I wanted to breastfeed so bad and I'm not ready to give up entirely on it. When and if I get a good supply up, any tips for how to get her back on just the boob?

As for getting baby back to boob, there is something called a Suppelmental Nursing System (SNS) that you could use to feed baby instead of using bottles. I've never used it and I'm not completely sure how to use it. You can google it if your interested in it though.

Here is the website for it: http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/51/supplemental-nursing-system-sns

I don't really know what else to do besides just putting baby on the boob but with using the SNS your LO would actually be getting some milk from your boobs.

Quoting kate♥[j&a]:" As for getting baby back to boob, there is something called a Suppelmental Nursing System (SNS) that ... [snip!] ... to do besides just putting baby on the boob but with using the SNS your LO would actually be getting some milk from your boobs."

I've used the SNS, however they aren't really recommended anymore because it doesn't allow the baby to form a good latch and suction. The formula comes out of the tube without much effort at all, so it more likely causes a weak suck. When you bottle feed, use bottles and nipples that are as close to the breast as possible (I use Playtex Drop-Ins with the slow flow nipple). My DD went 2 weeks without latching on and when I tried again, it took her a minute but she got it right away. I credit the bottles for her not losing that instinct.

I stopped exclusively BFing my DD soon after we left the hospital because she was jaundiced and it was getting worse by the day...she was losing weight, getting sleepier, and for some reason she just couldn't get the milk out. It was THERE, she just couldn't get it (I also have a hard time getting it out with a pump).


I'm not going to lie, re-lactating is hard work and it takes dedication and time. You will get to points where you get discouraged. I borrowed a hospital grade pump from WIC and was told to put my baby on the breast until she was done, then give her formula, then pump for 20 minutes. Let me tell you, unless you have a baby that doesn't mind being put down for periods of 20 minutes every 2 hours or so, it's HARD. It got to the point where I was only pumping 3 times a day at the most because she always wanted to be in my arms. And after 3 weeks I had to return the pump and only have a manual pump now. I'm still working on it, however. If you can do it, it's the greatest gift you can give your baby.

Fenugreek is good... Also, try having oat pancakes with the artificial maple syrup. Oats are good for milk production, and the syrup is actually flavored with fenugreek (that's what gives it the maple flavor...you might end up smelling like waffles for awhile lol). There are teas that contain herbs to assist with lactation as well (Earth Mama Angel Baby makes one, but there are others), and there are herb mixtures specifically for lactation, as well as tinctures.

Keep latching your LO. Even though it seems she's only using you as a pacifier, ANY stimulation of your nipples by her is going to help with milk production. Latch her on before giving her a bottle and let her suckle until she doesn't want to anymore (this is tough with my LO because she can be hungry but still just sit there and suckle until she falls asleep...stinker lol). Then pump for 20 minutes afterward as soon as you can.

Now that my DD is settling into a routine and I can put her down for periods during the day without her fussing and getting upset, I can concentrate on getting my supply back up.

If you want to give me a shout sometime if you're frustrated or just need to vent, you're more than welcome to. I'm pretty much in the same position.

<blockquote><b>Quoting RainbowDash:</b>" I've used the SNS, however they aren't really recommended anymore because it doesn't allow the baby ... [snip!] ... a shout sometime if you're frustrated or just need to vent, you're more than welcome to. I'm pretty much in the same position."</blockquote>




Okay, I've never used one so I don't know much about the SNS. It was all I could think of though that might could help.

My daughter likes the Playtex drop in bottles too better than other bottles.

Idk if it'll help but what we did to get my son switched from supplementing to straight breastfeeding was to put some formula in a syringe and let him latch to my breast and then whenever he got frustrated (I had a slow let down because his mouth wasn't big enough to latch properly for the first six weeks and I had to pump and supplement) anyway, once he got frustrated and unlatched we'd squirt some formula from the syringe in his mouth and he'd latch and suck again.

Just something to try. Good luck!!