Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Talk about overshare Charlie!

TC just keep at it with the feeding issues. We have 3 yr old twins and they were very difficult feeders in the beginning although they were on the bottle. They would have two thirds of their bottle then we would have to warm it up again an hour later to give them the rest after every feed. They get better as they grow and become stronger.

LOL.

I believe it is actually the Barley that made beer the recommendation for nursing in the past.

Whole grains like Oatmeal, Barley etc are definitely recommended.

We have been having Lactation cookies, and I eat oatmeal and barley and drink lots of water and take Fenugreek and drink mother's milk tea etc.......

Late afternoon is a NORMAL low milk supply time and rest overnight definitely allows the body to re-charge the supplies faster.

I finally got the referral from the Ped office for the Physical therapy. Hopefully that will help. Poor kid takes such a long time and has to work so hard to get full and leaving me bruised without much time to pump......

I definitely need to find a new Pediatrician or family practice, The tongue tie should have been diagnosed right away when I was in the office multiple times those first couple weeks with the weight loss/poor weight gain etc. Instead he just told me to "relax and feed the baby." I do know that being able to relax does help but stress doesn't actually stop the milk supply, it is the poor removal of milk that hurts the milk supply.

Sigh,
So the farm is neglected and my hips are actually wider than before I gave birth because I've spent so much time sitting on the couch "feeding the baby".

Despite all this, Tovi is beautiful and meeting milestones well and is generally a happy baby (well what boy wouldn't be spending 12 hours a day with boob in his mouth.)

We had shocking problems with our first child getting him to breast feed. Sarah spent so much emotional energy first in trying to breast feed and then in trying to get enough milk out to bottle feed breast milk.
My biggest lesson from that experience is that you have to look after the mother first. If the child isn't doing so well get help because most likely it isn't the mothers fault/problem and even if it is it doesn't help to be told not to worry. Even if there isn't a "real" (can you tell me why a mental problem is not a real problem) problem there soon will be if the mother gets stressed out.

The aftermath for us was that our son needed a little help and Sarah new that and through her persistence, and my support, ensured that he got it.

No problems breast feeding any of the others at all, which just goes to show.

Had I known a few things before giving birth, I would have definitely done a few things differently which probably would have gotten us off to a better start. Without some of that knowledge ahead of time, it has been quite the challenge to get the support needed.

I don't think I would do all that well bottle feeding breast milk, it has been hard enough to pump just enough to use as supplement. I don't respond well enough to the pump to be an exclusive pumper.

The Cook just got home from most of a week away so at least we get a couple days of having daddy here to help out.

A good milking machine helps.

Even with the top of the line hospital grade rental, I still don't respond all that well, I wouldn't be kept in a milking herd .

Think of the pumping more as a task to increase your supply rather than to actually get enough out to feed. If you have the time, try and do it after every feed even if nothing comes out, and a few hours after the last feed of the evening. Sometimes the act of pumping can help in itself, if you can just try and not worry (easier said than done) if anything comes out it can be useful.

I also found that when expressing, if I kept going for about 10-15 mins after it seemed I was finished, it would stimulate a second letdown. Something we don't notice when they are feeding but can help boost/maintain your supply.

How much Fenugreek are you taking? I found it tended to be more effective if I didn't take it constantly, rather took a large-ish dose for a couple of days until I noticed a a difference, then stopped taking it.

It's funny, for what comes across as an easy thing (breastfeeding) it can actually take a lot of work! Best of luck with everything, the photo of you and Tovi is gorgeous.

I thought it was only sheep that needed a 'jolt' for the second let-down! My word, the things you learn on BYAP forum

I find that as a society we have become VERY bad at passing on useful information to others that are in the same boat or to future generations. In the olden days we had a whole system for passing on information through generations and that has been lost which I think is doing a lot of damage.

To mention something from left field I believe that the point where this happened is the same time as the appearance of the first supermarket.

TC you're doing great and that little tyke is lucky to have a mom like you.

Regards, Martin.

Some people just can't so if you can't well you just cant and you get on with the job of loving and caring for your baby. Extra pressure/guilt doesn't help but it sounds like you know that

Absolutely right. Your baby will be loved, fed and nurtured no matter how and what form the milk comes in.

Azira,
Thanks for that tip about the Fenugreek, I'll have to try fluctuating the dose and see if that helps, I'd been taking a high dose until I noticed my sweat starting to smell like maple syrup then reduced it just a bit but I haven't tried cutting WAY down on it then increasing again.

I've actually primarily been using the pumping as a means to increase supply but since I'm actually pumping an amount after each breast feeding (and we give that back to him as supplement and only use formula to cover the short fall) I know I have at least close to enough supply when I add together the total amount pumped per day it is often as much as or more than the total amount of supplement given in a day.

I'm currently trying to figure out how best to administer supplemental feedings with the least chance of sabotaging breastfeeding altogether. Problem being that bottle feeding if not done in a breastfeeding supportive way, can basically sabotage lactation and cause slow weaning off the breast, I really don't want that to happen.

Someone always has a solution!

LOL

Still alive, still busy with the baby.
Trying to start planting seeds for fall.