Hmmmmm. It's such a hard balancing act. I would definitely agree that you don't want to run yourself into the ground. That's why it's so important not to worry about anything else, just you, Ava, and breastfeeding. (it doesn't last forever, I promise!).
Fenugreek can be helpful, you need to take 3000mg/day, so make sure you buy the 100mg capsules.
Look, pumping is useful, but it's better if Ava can simply have more feeds at the breast. Is she up to that? If so, then I would just offer it to her when you would normally pump. After a few days, or a week, she will be getting the hang of it, and your supply should be increased.
Maxalon, you might need to give it a while yet. Did your LC talk about dosages? Make sure that she's happy with the amount you're taking, GPs aren't that great at prescribing galactalogues.
I have to go, crying boy, will come back tomorrow! You're doing SO SO well
Hey Ren... Hope you can get Ava back on the BB's today. I'm looking forward to hearing what the LC says.
I know it's hard to express while trying to settle Ava. I recommend putting her straight into her rocker/bouncer after you feed her, & look at her whilst expressing. I don't know if anyone has mentioned this to you but it is FACT that you WILL express more milk if you are looking at your baby. They say you can even look at a photo, but I didn't find this as affective. When BJ was in the SCN, if I expressed at his crib, I would get so much more milk. Once I got him home, when I fed him in the middle of the night, I would pop him into his bouncer while I expressed. It is really good for their digestion too. To keep them upright and still for 20mins or so after a feed.
I will mention again, that I lost all my supply in my right breast when I had mastitis. I would express for 15mins and only get 10mls. It took alot of dedication to get my supply back. It took nearly 3 weeks of 2hourly pumping. Heat packs first, and loads of massage.... This really helped too. Maybe while your DH is home, on weekends, you can focus on expressing while he settles Ava. I'm sure this will help. Once you see your supply building up more, you will get so much more motivation to keep going.
I will also mention again, YOU ARE DOING A FANTASTIC JOB..... YOU SHOULD BE SO PROUD OF YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS & DEDICATION *hugs*
Last edited by Georgi; March 7th, 2009 at 05:56 AM.
: Added something
You can get Fenugreek from health food shops, but not all of them will have the 1000mg capsules. I can't remember what the brand is, but the bottle has a dark green lid. I think you can take it with Maxalon, you certainly can with Motilium.
TBH, I would only give the Maxalon 7-10 days before ditching and trying Motilium. Even that will take a little while. I expected an immediate difference, but it took a couple of weeks.
I really, really wish I had not been so hell bent about expressing and simply put DS to the breast more often. He wasn't up to it in the early days, but later on I could have. How many feeds is Ava having? I know you know that the more she has, the better it is for your supply.
Something that is good for your supply is feeding at night. Lots of feeds overnight. I don't mean to kill yourself sitting up and feeding all night, but getting 3 or so feeds in is great. Something that is GREAT for your supply is co sleeping, feeding lying down in bed. It has the added benefit that you get more sleep too Nobody actually told me that, and we didn't co sleep for months. Once we did I couldn't believe the difference in my supply! Of all the things I did to increase my supply, that was the thing that worked the best BY FAR. You really just need to rely on good old hormones to do the job for you, but sometimes they need a little bit of help And the night time snuggles are lovely I would guess that between co sleeping and frequent feeds, your supply will be rocking in no time.
BUT......obviously you know best what's going on in your home, and you have your LC who is the expert. If none of these suggestions sound right to you - then don't try them. Or check with your LC. You need to choose very carefully who you take your advice from, and make sure it's right for you and Ava. (I'm sure you are already, just thought I'd mention it ).
Ava was weighed today and she's put on more weight! She was 3.78 on Monday and is now, today 4.11kg!! Woot!! My little girl is putting on weight.... she is way past her birth weight now.... yeaahhhaa! That's thanks to combination of feeding on L side only, plus EBM plus formula feeds.
LC came to visit and she helped me to attach on the right side (the painful damaged one that's been healing for 5 days) and it didn't hurt!!!!! Yay. She corrected my attachment (once again) and has advised me to now b/feed 10 mins one side, 10 mins other side and then feed Ava EBM or formula (if not enough EBM) if she wants more. Only 10mins each side because we don't want her to get lazy again if she's on too long.... which was happening before and affecting my supply.
That's the new plan at the moment.
Wish us luck with the next feed!!
Already, I've noticed my milk supply has increased. The GP told me Maxalon can take 2-3 days to kick in, sometimes longer. Guess it varies for everyone huh?! Once I run out of tablets (i have 28) I will go to Motilium if I feel I still need it.
Thank you once again for your ongoing support girls. It means the world.
Georgi - I usually put Ava in front of me and express but sometimes she'll be crying as she wants to be held after her feed.... is this ok for milk supply? lol To see her crying? It sometimes stresses me out so I have to make sure I'm relaxed..... you are a champion for expressing 2hrly. Wish i could! I have been doing 3-4hrly.
I can express R side and get 50ml in 10mins lately. Whereas few days ago I was only getting say 20ml in that time.
Thanks for info on Fenugreek girls. Will check at the health food store tomorrow about it.
WOOHOO so fantastic Ren!!!!!!!!!! It totally rocks your world to get news like that, hey? Good on you
Like with any galactologue, make sure you wean off it slowly, rather than stopping suddenly. So allow for that when you know you're getting near the end of the script.
Janie - I've only got 6 tablets left of Maxolon.... should I only take two today then instead of 3? I'm going to stay off them unless i feel my milk drops again and then i'll go onto Motillium. Thanku for your ongoing support in this thread you have been AMAZING
I went to the health food store yesterday and got Fenugreek tablets!! I woke this morning with full breasts!!! Leaking too.... ... does Fenugreek work that quickly??? mind you, DD didn't feed from 9pm til 4am (she slept through!!! she didnt sleep at all yesterday tho so i let her sleep) and she fed well from me on my right side for 20mins at 4am today. I offered the left but she still has trouble attaching on the L side and fusses. (still a big issue to work on)
I expressed alot yesterday and made sure i expressed every 2-4hrs and no more. This would have helped too.....
Today again, I'm staying home and working hard on expressing and feeding, expressing and feeding and establishing my supply so that within a few days I can exclusivebly B/Feed and no more formula.....!!
I'm slowly getting ahead of DD with the supply of EBM i have in the fridge and hopefully soon I can express enough to freeze.
I'm getting DD weighed with the LC today; will let you know how she goes. I have my ups and downs every day with the whole BF'ing thing but this morning I'm feeling confident again! I'm no way near ready to give up..... this breastmilk is too precious to me.
HJ - Fenugreek assists with milk production. I will have a look on the net for you. See what I can find.
Lady at health food store also said to try healthy fats in producing more milk so like Avocado, flaxseed oil, omega 3's etc.... good fats. I bought some flaxseed oil and an avocado after she told me that
Ren, yes I would take two Maxalon tablets today, maybe two tomorrow, and then one and one IYKWIM. Starting the fenugreek will help counteract any drop you may have noticed stopping the Maxalon. Although it sounds as though you are doing a fabulous job all on your own!!!! Just a note, some people find that fenugreek makes their babies very windy. So if you notice a change in Ava's behaviour that might be it. I took it for months, and I don't think it bothered my DS unduly, but some people have to stop taking it because it is so unsettling for their babies.
You sound as though you're doing a fantastic job, you are so dedicated Your hard work will pay off (in fact it already is, look at all that BM that Ava is getting!), and you will be so pleased and proud of yourself. Hey, can I ask how many feeds Ava is having now?
Good luck today with the LC, I hope you hear what you're hoping for Please update us when you get home!
Am I going to start smelling like maple syrup now?!?! (that's what I read about it)
I'm already sweet enough hehe
Janie - I am offering the breast at 'most' feeds, not all. Depends, if I've just expressed and she wakes unexpectedly for a feed then I will give a bottle of EBM or formula (if no EBM). Hoping to stop formula as of today or at least just offer 1 bottle of formula only.
I offer the R breast first because she feeds well off this one. My L one, well, we are working on that..... I still only offer 20mins on R side at a time otherwise DD gets lazy and comfort sucks.
DD feeds 2-4hrly. Mainly every 3hrs.
Ren, just wanted to pop in here and say I think you are doing a marvellous job! Janie and the girls have given fantastic advice.
Keep up the great effort you are putting in. I know from my experience, there were times when it all seemed so fruitless and I was ready to chuck it in, but I stuck with it and we are now here back to fully breastfeeding, no top ups needed.
You sound like you will get back to exclusive b/f very very soon, more quickly than I did because you're on top of the game early on.
With the expressing, if it is stressing you out too much, have a break from it. I was really bad at expressing and it wasn't doing much for my supply and as soon as I stopped things improved! The Fenugreek is great for your supply and let down. I take 2 capsules 3 times a day. I agree with Janie on the Motillium so get that if you feel you need more.
As soon as Ava starts comfort sucking take her off and switch sides. If she starts to comfort suck again, take her off and switch sides again. Don't let her slack off It will encourage her to suck strongly at feeds which means she will be drawing more milk from you which in turn will boost your supply.
Hope it all goes well with the LC. Keep us updated!
Ava has only put on 4g since her last weigh in.. but that's OK considering she put on HEAPS (a bit too much!!) last week so no big deal at this stage. At least she hasn't lost any.
LC has advised me to keep doing what i'm doing and to get a script for more Maxalon.... I've made an appointment with my GP for tomorrow morning and I'm going to ask this time for the Motillium. Give that a go for a week.....(as advised by LC).
She warned me about the Fenugreek (as Janie did) regarding wind in babies. So i'll have to watch Ava closely....she was a little unsettled yesterday come to think of it.....but surely it doesnt work that fast? Only started it then.
That's my update.
Laranna - thanks hun for the advice. That's fantastic advice yep as soon as she starts fussing around and pulling off and on, i will swap sides but only after a good 10 mins of trying.
Congrats Renstar - Sounds like you are doing better at getting your full supply than I am, good work! With regards to the trouble feeding Ava on your left side - I had the same prob as you + some with my left side with Elly but when I started re-using it she didn't like it much cause had been used to feeding off the right boob and is still her favourite - BUT - I discovered that she attatches REALLY well and is happy to take it now if I put her on that side twin style (probably because she is lying the same way as she would if she were on my right boob) And I find it really easy to hold her that way too maybe because I'm right handed. So, maybe your LC can show you how to attatch that way as it might help get her back on that side properly again??
PS - love the name Ava by the way - we named our bub Ellyse Ava, and were thinking of it as first name.
Ah Ren, it's great to hear things are getting better every day. As for weight - just as long as the overall picture is good then that's the main thing.
DS fussed on one side for ages (months!) - and everyone in the chatter thread seemed to have the same problem at one time or another. Keep trying, hopefully one day she'll take both sides equally.
Keep up the great work and the amazing attitude!
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Nobody actually told me that, and we didn't co sleep for months. Once we did I couldn't believe the difference in my supply! Of all the things I did to increase my supply, that was the thing that worked the best BY FAR. You really just need to rely on good old hormones to do the job for you, but sometimes they need a little bit of help 
And the night time snuggles are lovely 
I would guess that between co sleeping and frequent feeds, your supply will be rocking in no time. 
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