Lactation specialist of USA

Hi Surekha,

Congrats on the LO. I don't understand from your post what the problem is? How did you realize you get "BM for 2-3 days per week". Do you pump or put the baby to your breast directly? Also, I assume you give him formula on the days you are not able to nurse.

After failed nursing efforts with my first one, I went to a lactation consultant (who was a midwife) for my next two DSs and successfully (though with a lot of hardships) BFed exclusively for 6 months.

Do you have any problems (cracked nipples, bleeding etc)? . If you don't its pretty simple. Drink lots of fluids (soups, juices etc) and fenugreek tea, eat almonds and try to nurse your baby every 2 hours (initially). You'll know if your baby has had enough by the number of wet diapers (6-8 a day) and if he/she is able to sleep for 1-2 hours continuosly(after you rule out colic). The more you nurse him the milk supply will increase.
Try this routine for 3-4 days.

You can go to the website below to find the lactation consultant:
Find a Lactation Consultant - The FALC Directory is updated every 2 weeks - International Lactation Consultant Association

all the best!

 

Dear Surekha,

I can understand the pain u must have gone thru trying to BF. Hats off to you .

this is not to discourage you, but generally milk supply establishes itself during the first 2-3 weeks after delivery (my experience) , so I find it really strange that you are able to nurse on 2-3 days and not on other days. Just for our info, a lactating breast is not heavy or hard as we expect, it is soft after the milk supply is established. I guess only a lactation expert can help you at this stage unless our fellow Ilites have something to offer .

In anycase, I guess you have tried your best, take care of urself and enjoy the LO (amazing experience inspite of the pain) , no matter what the status of BFing.

best regards,

 

Surekha:
Call your doctor's office and ask for the local La Leche League person. I believe these are all free services...volunteer experienced mothers who have nursed and are trained. There will probably also be a listing in the phone book so try looking that up. Frankly your doctor's office has fallen short in connecting you with nursing support...this is pretty standard to do that in USA. (Other ladies: please mention this stuff to your doctor's nurse or to the doctor...they get busy and overlook or think that you might know.) Doesn't all that garlic bother the baby???

The first couple weeks when you pass immunity via breastmilk is the most important part. You managed that part already. If your baby is doing well on formula, I don't think you should feel at all bad if you just give up on the nursing thing.

 

Surekha, from your post I understand your baby is not latched on at all, or is she nursing only those few days a week?
Are you exclusively pumping for your child? If that's the case then that is that much more difficult than exclusively bfing. The first few weeks is when your body learns to respond to your baby's hunger and pumping to increase supply should be in addition to your baby latching on. If your baby is not latching on at all, maintaining and increasing a supply can be a tough ask. Can, not will be.
Or is that you are away from your child for the 5 days a week and you are not able to pump any milk?
If that is the case then you are one of those few women who cannot pump - i.e. your body may not respond to a pump the way it responds to your baby. Do you let down when you are pumping?
What kind of pump are you using - a hospital grade one or manual, or electric? Most people who do not respond well to manual pumps do better on electric ones which can express milk from both breasts at one go. If you are using an electric one, would it be possible for you to rent a hospital grade pump like Medela's Lactina for a while to see if you do better on it.
Have you tried other galactagogues like Fenugreek capsules, mother's milk tea, etc.?
I would second TashiDelek here, do go to LLL leader or an IBCLC at your hospital. She may be able to hook you up with a good pump or prescribe a galactagogue or help you train your breast to let down for the pump.
Hang in there, you will be able to bf your child largely if not exclusively through other ways like reverse cycling when you are not around. Do also see if you need to rule out medical causes.
I do hope things get easy for you. If the impending exams are stressing you out, get some exercise or pursue other relaxing activities to help you unwind a bit too, stress can affect supply. Good luck for both.

 

Dear Surekha,

You have done a good job in trying your best and are still trying. Nothing to feel like a 'failure'. Cheer up . I'm afraid I don't know much ab't these things in USA as I don't stay there. Mine was an Australian one and she did it pro bono here and I joined as a volunteer with her to help other moms who may require support. I'm sure fellow ilites will come up with help on this.

"I feel like i am a failure as a good mom.Great to know that inspite of "lot of hardships" you stick to exclusive BFing to your LO.
Did you go to a USA specialist?I would like to know the charge,number of times the consultation is required.Is it covered by insurance guys.I am very much a beginner in this direction:spin. pls help....."


That's the good part. All you need to do is start latching your baby every two hours and take lots of fluids , since I didn't find the fenugreek capusules here, I had the fenugreek tea (wash fenugreek and boil it with water for around 10-15 minutes and have this. If it is too concentrated add water, try this till you find the capsules ). Have this around 1 hour before your next nursing session.

I dont have painful nipples.My only problem is I dont know how to increase milk production.I will try my best to follow your tips on food intake.


As tikka said, sometimes pumping does not work especially if you are not using the right one. Putting the baby to the breast is the best option to increase milk supply. Also, the pump you are using. I tried a few before settling for Medala after recommendation from my lactation consultant.It is really good.

' am not getting enough quantity of BM to satisfy baby's needs.that's why I am not putting baby to breast directly.I think I need to actively pump to keep up milk supply from today.'

regards,

 

Surekha, if you have a relative that is travelling from India I would suggest something like Lactare (from TTK Pharma) or Galacta. They are Shatavari based asparagus racemosus based galactogogues. Zandu makes another I used, but I am not able to recall its name.
My recommendation would be (and I think an IBCLC may also suggest this) is to put your child to your breast as often as you can. And then use pumped milk or formula as top up feeds. If you have access to an supplementary nursing system like this, then you can bf and feed your baby at the same time. Relactating is known to happen, but needs a lot of time commitment from mom. But I am guessing this is what you want to do. For an action plan that is specific to you, do look around for professional help. You could email Dr Jack Newman, a leading lactation expert.
What worked for me is taking a nursing vacation, putting my baby on my breasts before he got hungry (infants have strong suckling reflex in the initial days) and follow it up with a top up feed.
If you are bfing her AND pumping 1 oz is little on the lower side but is a good start. And dont be so hard on yourself. Being a mother goes beyond bfing and you will be tested in the coming days. Learning to go with the flow will help you keep your sanity ;-) Trust me, I am just trying to wake up a child because he wont sleep early at night and therefore go to school late. Mommy guilt :hide: