Breastfeeding a preemie? Anyone do this successfully?

[Wee Pip]

Anyone successfully get their preemie to nurse? Or any other "breastfeeding difficulties overcome" stories?

I'm feeling over-the-edge right now, so encouragement needed! I have a preemie (born 30 weeks gestation, 2lbs) that I am pumping breastmilk for and feeding it to her by bottle. She's now 38 weeks gestation 5 lbs, and can latch on on rare occasions, when she's in a fussy but not hungry mood. I also try using a nipple shield - she can latch on that way but doesn't get enough milk to satisfy - I follow up with a bottle feeding. Sometimes this feels like more than I can bear! Attempt to nurse - bottle feed - pump breastmilk, repeat! In that time, I also have to wash bottles and nipples. I have 2 older kids as well needing attention, the house is a wreck, and I'm not getting enough sleep. Tell me I just need to keep trying and that this too shall pass? (BTW, yes I'm working with a Lactation Consultant - she wanted me to try going to 100% nipple shield feedings soon but I don't think I can handle that!)

[LaxMom]

What about an SNS while she gets the whole latch thing down? That way, she won't be getting frustrated while she's learning to nurse efficiently. And, remember, she is only just at the point where she would be born, but without the extra reserves newborns generally have while they're learning this stuff.

 

(Um, and it's ok that everything's a wreck. You have a newborn, not to mention one who was early and the stresses and sleep deprivation that are compounded by that.)

[Kim in Appalachia]

not at 30. She had a hard time nursing. I did go to 100% shield, and it worked! I had been working with a lactation consultant, and I did it as per her suggestion. It took almost 3 weeks to get her nursing. I remember how close I was to giving up. At one point we went to the store to buy formula. When I saw the price I decided to keep trying! On the day she finally nursed on her own, I remember sitting in the rocker just crying. I couldn't do it any more. If she didn't nurse at the next feeding I was giving up. But she did it. (To this day, this child likes to push me to my edge.:D)

 

It was hard work. When my next one nursed right away, at the first try, I cried! I was so relieved.

 

I hope it works out for you. Listen to the consultant. They know what they are doing!

 

Oh, and to add, if you can't make it work, it is not the end of the world. Be thankful that your preemie is healthy and you have another, safe way to feed your child. :001_smile:

[Ellie]

There could be nipple confusion going on. There's a whole world of difference between you and bottles. Even full-term babies often give up nursing for the bottle. Some people feed their babies with an eyedropper if it's necessary to supplement, although that sounds very time consuming to me. :-o

 

Also, you will not make as much milk using a breast pump as you will by having baby actually nurse. And with the whole emotional thing going on, your milk is likely to be affected adversely, too.

 

Have you talked to La Leche League? Not a lactation consultant, but La Leche League?

 

I'd be inclined to tell you to go cold turkey: no breast pump, no nipple shield, nothing but nursing; sleep with the baby, wear the baby, take baths with the baby, drink lots of liquids (at least a gallon of liquid, no cow's milk), eat lots of food (you need an extra 1000 calories *per day* when you're nursing).

[LaxMom]

Hey, also, what about pumping WHILE she nurses? That should also trigger let down, make it less work for her, etc.

 

I totally second calling your local LLL leader. I have several friends who are leaders - they are available to talk to you any time you need to talk. Really.

[Ellie]

Hey, also, what about pumping WHILE she nurses? That should also trigger let down, make it less work for her, etc.

 

I totally second calling your local LLL leader. I have several friends who are leaders - they are available to talk to you any time you need to talk. Really.

But the object is to make as much milk as the baby needs. Pumping, if the let-down does occur, will make more than she needs, and then we'll be having a different discussion. :-o

[LinRTX]

I didn't have a preemie, but did have one go to NICU at birth. I cannot pump so she did not even have breast milk at first. But I did take her to the breast from total bottle feeding and then she would never take a bottle!

 

What I did was start her with a bottle of water and once she was sucking well, switched her tome. It may be worth a try.

 

Linda

[Karen sn]

I'd be inclined to tell you to go cold turkey: no breast pump, no nipple shield, nothing but nursing; sleep with the baby, wear the baby, take baths with the baby, drink lots of liquids (at least a gallon of liquid, no cow's milk), eat lots of food (you need an extra 1000 calories *per day* when you're nursing).

 

Why no cow's milk?

[gamommy]

I successfully nursed 3 out of 4 of my preemie babies. I just persevered through trial and error to see what works. With one it was the shield, with another it was a SNS (supplemental nursing system). My youngest did best when I camped out in the NICU for two straight days and nursed on demand, she was having nipple confusion. This was at 35 weeks. It was challenging because I had 3 others at home, but worth it.

 

I second the recommendation to speak with a lactation consultant or LLL locally. ((hugs)), it is a tough time for sure.

[abbeyej]

I just want to second the SNS (or LactAid -- same idea, different maker) to help encourage her to nurse and perhaps save you from both nursing *and* bottle-feeding. My mom used one for months with my baby sister (adopted as a newborn), but you would likely only need it for a few weeks at most. I haven't been in your position (and I can only imagine your level of exhaustion!), but it's what I would try, absolutely.

[HollyDay]

Yes, I did successfully nurse a preemie. It was not easy, nor a quick fix, but we did succeed.

 

Some of the tricks we found to help:

 

Nurse sitting straight up with feet propped up and a nursing pillow. This position helped the baby to latch on better than side lying or football, or any other position.

 

Don't move!! The lactation consultants told me any motion - like rocking- confuses preemies. Their immature nervous system cannot adapt to the motion and the nursing.

 

Keep it very quiet and peaceful. No music, bright lights, sounds that would distract. Same concept as "no motion"

 

Pump and save the milk for the SNS. Yes, I hear your concern about abundant supply also being an issue. It is a delicate balance to keep making milk but keep the supply up while baby is learning to suckle.

 

THe SNS was a lifesaver! It allowed dd to nurse without the added problems of nipple confusion. She received adequate nutrition and I continued to pump and make milk.

 

Keep yourself very healthy. Rest, DRINK, eat well, take whatever vitamin your pediatrician approves. RELAX.

 

For us, when it finally worked, it worked. Just like someone turned on a light switch, dd learned to nurse and never looked back.

[coffeegal]

My oldest had trouble nursing at first, although he was definitely NOT a preemie. He kept refusing to nurse, and I had to bottle feed him 1 night. My husband watched me attempting to pump milk, and took the part of the pump that fits over your br**st and stuck a bottle nipple on the end. My son provided the suction instead of the pump. It worked like a charm. After 4 or 5 days he didn't need the pump attachment any longer. Quite frankly, I googled the nipple shields and they look rather awkward.

 

Best of luck!

[ConnieB]

My twin daughters were born at 31 weeks. While they were in NICU they were gavage fed (tube down their throat) of my pumped milk while we worked three or four times a day to get them to latch on. Most of the time they'd fall asleep before being successful. It was very scary and very depressing, and I felt it was my failure, when of course it was simply that they were too little and too fragile to know what to do. Thankfully they had very loving, kind and extremely patient nurses who helped me figure out how to hold them (higher up then you'd think) and I know there were quite a few things we did to encourage them to latch on, and stay on. It's been a decade so I can't recall exactly what they were, though. I do know that when we finally were able to bring them home they were latching on and nursing but not strongly enough, so I still had to supplement their feeding and "nipple confusion" was a big concern.

 

 

Our Le Leche League (http://www.llli.org/) lady was a godsend. When we were still having troubles after going home with the girls, our doctor hooked us up with a woman just a couple blocks from us who would drop by every day to coach me. I truly believe that she was solely responsible for my not giving up and turning to bottle feeding them. A big concern was my milk drying up because they weren't nursing enough and the pump just never seemed to work well for me. She also showed me what I was doing wrong with the silly pump! She was a godsend and even after the girls were weaned at 14 months she kept in touch until we moved out of the country.

 

As for the house being a wreck.....you have to remember that you have a different set of priorities right now. NOT permanently of course, but for the next few months your focus must be on the baby first, and your other children, not your house. I remember talking with a friend about hiring a teenager to come in and clean for me, but worried about the costs on top of the baby costs. She showed up the next day with two other ladies with buckets and mops, such a silly, but welcome sight! They cleaned my house top to bottom and after that arranged for our church youth group to send one or two teens to keep it up, and the 'bucket brigade' as I called them came back twice a month to do the more thorough cleaning that teens just don't do. I paid the teens but the bucket brigade refused saying I was their group's mission, lol. After my kids were a bit older, I joined this group whose sole purpose was to quietly intervene when other members needed something, cleaning, rides, meals, sitters, whatever. I had been going to that church for 3 years and hadn't even realized they existed. Part of their goal was for it to be a "secret".....random acts of kindness long before their time!

 

Even if you aren't as lucky as I was to find help among your friends, consider hiring a cleaning service even if just once a week. Yes, it's an added expense, but your peace of mind is very important. In fact, that's one of the big things I remember my LLL friend stressing which didn't make sense at first.....a stressed out mommy is NOT a positive influence on the babies nursing strategy. After I got rid of a few of these stressors, I was more relaxed, and more at peace with my new life, and it was amazing how much that affected my babies....their nursing, their sleeping and their demeanor. Don't discount your moods affecting the baby!

[Mom-ninja.]

Yes, you can get past this, and one day you can be the happy nursing couple. :)

 

Have you gone to a LLL meeting? You'll get encouragement there, and maybe a mom whose been through it.

[Ellie]

Why no cow's milk?

Just for general purposes. Cow's milk is a highly allergic food, and if the baby has any dairy allergy/intolerance, there could be problems. I think it's just better to be cautious, KWIM?

[GoVanGogh]

My DS was born ~33 weeks. I was very ill and didn't even know he was born until the next day. I started pumping about 36 hours, post-delivery.

DS developed an "oral aversion" (normal for preemies) and hated anything around his mouth. Feeding was awful for seven weeks. Everyone kept telling me to just give up trying to nurse - but I didn't see how going to bottle feeding would help, as he wouldn't even take a bottle!

At my six week ob/gyn check-up, my doctor told me to give it to his due date. She said that the sucking instinct is the last thing to develop and it is normal for preemies to be unable to latch on to a bottle or bre*st until their due date.

Literally, the day after our son's due date, DS turned his head and latched on to his daddy! Daddy quickly handed DS over to me and I attempted to nurse right there, standing up in the kitchen. DS took off, nursing like a champ.

Those seven weeks were so frustrating for me! If someone had told me earlier that DS wouldn't nurse until his due date, I probably wouldn't have stuck with it. But - being told that near his due date - it helped me hold on and keep trying. I was very grateful that I did, as DS was later diagnosed with bad food allergies. It was nice to be able to nurse then to buy $$$ formula.

I second/third the recommendation to seek LLL. I wish I had. I did start attending their meetings when DS was several months old and loved the meetings and info.

 

Re: Cow's milk.

Preemies have a higher rate of food allergies. Common allergens, such as dairy, eggs and nuts should not be a large part of the nursing mom's diet. (Wish I had known that earlier. I lived on peanut butter when DS was in NICU.)

[Matryoshka]

I nursed preemie twins - they were 34 wks 5 days. They were in the NICU for 1 1/2 wks, home for 1 1/2 wks and then re-hospitalized for 1 1/2 wks. I had actually gotten them nursing some as well as bottlefeeding pumped milk and formula during their first visit home. Then they started having seizures every 1/2 hour to 1 1/2 hour, and that all went down the tubes - but I did continue pumping and attempting to breastfeed (but it's hard to nurse a seizing infant).

 

They finally figured out their meds and they came home again, but by then the direct breastfeeding thing had mostly gone down the tubes. If I got one to latch on 10 minutes a day, I'd consider it a good day. I kept plugging along, but things weren't improving much, and was almost ready to throw it in.

 

THEN I called LLL. They were 2 mos. old. Why had I not called earlier? I think I was worried they'd be militant or criticize me for using bottles and formula to supplement. Well, they were a godsend. No criticism, just help and support.

 

One thing they said that really helped me is that it can often take 6 weeks to get nursing to be "easy" - that's for a full-term baby. So I added 6 weeks on to their due date and gave myself till then and re-evaluate. By then things were going swimmingly, and I nursed them till they were 16 and 18 mos. old - even got rid of all the forumla and only gave them one expressed bottle a day (at bedtime).

 

The other big thing that really helped was getting a hands-free pumping kit from Medela. It was such a huge thing to be able to pump both sides at once with my hands free to read or talk on the phone, or even watch tv without having to also hold anything in my hand. It took my attention away, and I was much more relaxed, which helped me pump longer and also get lots more milk in a pumping (which also helped increase supply). And they grew, and their mouths got bigger, and they finally "got it".

 

Hang in there. Call LLL - if you get someone who is not making you feel supported enough, call another leader. They're just people too.

[unsinkable]

My oldest had trouble nursing at first, although he was definitely NOT a preemie. He kept refusing to nurse, and I had to bottle feed him 1 night. My husband watched me attempting to pump milk, and took the part of the pump that fits over your br**st and stuck a bottle nipple on the end. My son provided the suction instead of the pump. It worked like a charm. After 4 or 5 days he didn't need the pump attachment any longer. Quite frankly, I googled the nipple shields and they look rather awkward.

 

Best of luck!

 

That's an awesome dad story!

[newbie]

This too shall pass.

 

Those were tough times, mine was a preemie, but 36 wks, her lungs were not fully developed and had RDS, she was in NICU three wks. We lived at the hospital.

 

I did not want to breastfeed, but the doc said she needs me and needs my breastmilk, so I pumped constantly and did bottles when she was off tube feed. But we tried breastfeeding and after a couple days she was hooked. Mind you I could not get her off til she was two.

 

Out of both my kids, she is the healthiest, the other was bottle fed Soy.

[Dobela]

We adopted out dd who was a 26 weeker. She was released from the hospital at 32 weeks and sent home with us. Even though I didn't breast feed, she had many feeding problems including oral aversion because of the tubes that had been in her mouth in the early days. We had serious difficulties even with bottles. The week of her due date, her sucking improved greatly, but not enough. I finally forced the doctor to give me some referrals to feeding specialists and for a swallow study. Come to find out the reason my child was not nursing well was because she did not have coordinated tongue movement and she also had serious oral fatigue because of it. Because she could not control her tongue well, it was causing her to aspirate her formula that was in turn making her reluctant to nurse. It took a swallow study and some therapy with a speech therapist specializing in infant feeding problems to get her eating well. At more than one appointment I was told that these are actually fairly common problems with early preemies that weigh less than 3 pounds and needed long term intubations- whether you breastfeed or bottle feed.

 

If the problem continues, and you don't get help from the LLL and others, ask the dr to refer you for more help.

[Brigitte]

My twins were 12.5 weeks early. I highly recommend a good quality pump that can do both sides at one time and to pump directly into bottles. That will save you an enormous amount of time. A good pump will keep your supply up. I was able to fill all the available freezer space in the NICU, at home, and at a friends house with everything i pumped. I probably could have fed all the babies in the NICU and then some.

 

Anyway, one of my twins never latched properly. She liked the bottle, so I finally decided to just go with it and not try and nurse her. The other twin could latch on, but was too small and not strong enough to get a full feeding by breast. So, I went with a bottle for her too, eventually, so she could come home.

 

After they were home, I did try to breast feed, but it was a struggle and I still had to pump. At a certain point, I decided to abandon nursing all together. It was too much for me - attempt to nurse, bottle feed, pump, etc. I continued to pump for a year and used bottles. Once I had a system down, it was pretty easy. I pumped 4 times a day, which was manageable and produced enough for twins. I will add that I did NOT have a good lactation consultant or LLL. No one told me.

 

Don't worry about the state of your house. Ask for help with whatever you need or just don't worry about it. It will get done eventually.

 

And, should you decide to give up on nursing, it is OKAY. Do not feel like a failure. There is so much pressure to breast feed babies that often those who can't feel deficient somehow. You need to do what is best for you and your baby.

[Lolly]

It was hard, but I managed to nurse 3 out of 3 preemies. First dd was 34 weeks. Next two were twins at 32 weeks. In the NICU, I would try to nurse while I was able to visit. It went so so. I don't think they actually got all that much from me. I pumped like crazy using a high quality rental pump for the hospital to have my milk for them to bottle feed. As a result, when they came home I was in an over abundant supply. I think I almost drowned my first in her earliest attempts. The dr wanted us to just nurse normally. He said she/they would pick it up with just a little time. They did, but it took about 4 weeks. Then, I was terribly sore. None of that gradual toughening up of the n#ppl*s had occurred. It was jumping in midstream. It took about 3 mths for everything to really come together to where it was natural/not painful. However, it was totally worth it.

[Mesa]

I second (or third or fourth) the SNS. That way theres no chance of nipple confusion, and the baby is getting breast milk and formula or breast milk from the SNS bottle.

You'll still need to pump after she eats to keep up your supply since your baby is getting food from the bottle too.

Good luck, it's tough but it's totally worth it.

[Donna]

Anyone successfully get their preemie to nurse? Or any other "breastfeeding difficulties overcome" stories?

I'm feeling over-the-edge right now, so encouragement needed! I have a preemie (born 30 weeks gestation, 2lbs) that I am pumping breastmilk for and feeding it to her by bottle.

 

I remember those days though it was over 13 years ago. My son was born at 33.5 weeks gestation and spent 16 days in the NICU with pneumonia. He would latch on and fall asleep. The entire time he was in the NICU, I stayed there with him. For every feeding I tried to breastfeed, fed him the bottle, then went back to my room and pumped for the next time. I was so distraught. The lactation consultant from LLL told me the baby would be nipple confused if I gave him the bottle, while the NICU nurses told me he couldn't go home until he gained weight.

 

He did eventually gain enough weight to go home taking breastmilk through the bottle. Once he got home, it took another 1.5 weeks but when he went to the doctor's and we found out he weighed 6lb, the doctor told me he should be big enough to nurse. We went home and he started nursing at the next feeding. LOL

[swellmomma]

Yes and no, 2 of my preemies had no problem with nursing, they were 35 and 36 weeks gestation when born. However my 1st baby was a 34.5 weeker and could not nurse and my pumping produced nothing so he was on bottle right away. He just never had a strong suck. Even drinking from a bottle and then sippy when he was bigger was hard for him because he had trouble sucking it hard enough (and remembering to breathe at the same time). If I knew about the SNS when I had him I would have likely given that a try to see if we couldn't teach him how to nurse.

[Cindy in the NH Woods]

I think your lack of sleep is really making things extra difficult for you. :grouphug:

 

Wish I could come over, babysit, clean your bathrooms, and cook you a meal! My second baby didn't sleep at night, and I practically went off the deep end.

 

My son was born at 28 weeks; despite my general exhaustion, because I did not get up to pump milk at night for him while he was in the hospital but pumped very frequently during the day, I was much more able to cope with the "exciting" days ahead. Like others have mentioned, a good quality/hospital grade breast pump is the best. I know what you mean~ it seems like all you do is pump, feed, and wash up bottles and parts! Not to mention tending to other children who need you.

 

It is so frustrating waiting for the baby to learn how to coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing. When you try to latch baby on to the breast, have you tried pinching your nipple so it's flat and then pushing it in pretty deep into the baby's mouth? It may help. My son used to gag and choke so badly (particularly on his supplemental bottle) when feeding that I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. :scared:

 

Soon after he came home, we were able to switch to just the breast with some formula feeds for the extra calcium. I am glad we persevered but I would NEVER look down on someone who decided that enough was enough. Your emotional needs are important too. Do what you can. :grouphug:

Edited June 25, 2009 by Cindy in the NH Woods

[Wee Pip]

Thanks so much for the replies & encouragement! The kicker is...I've been thru this before! My 6yo dd was born at 29 weeks & I pumped breastmilk for 8-9 months!! But I really don't want to repeat - would prefer to breastfeed directly from the breast if I can. The SNS might be our next best option, since I think the lil tyke is frustrated by the limited milk she gets with the nipple shield (and so am I!!)

 

Question though: how well does the SNS work if you have trouble getting the baby to latch on or suck? Most of the time, she doesn't latch right or doesn't give it more than 1-2 seconds before dropping off and screaming.

[abbeyej]

Sarah, if you can get her to latch on at all, the positive feedback from the SNS may be enough to keep her on. It may take repeated tries, but I think you'll radically improve your chances of getting her back to nursing full time (eventually) with the help of the SNS. Do you have an IBCLC available to you? Sometimes what a hospital calls their "LC" is not the same as an IBCLC (board certified LC).

[WhereHopeGrows]

I had a hard time with my first baby. I am sorry you are struggling! Hang in there. I think the SNS will help a lot! Let us know how it goes. Wishing you the best!

[JenniferB]

You've gotten a lot of responses, but I just wanted to encourage you to keep at it. I believe the first few weeks/months of life are the most important for breastfeeding. The milk is what's important, not that your baby can latch on directly. That will come in time, but for now, however you can get your milk into your baby, just keep it up. You need to rest between feedings, and let the other kids and hubby do the house work for now, and the meal preparations. If you have any friends, family, or community offering to help you, take it! See if they can bring prepared meals, or help with the kids or the house work. I wish you, and your baby, and your family all the best! :D

[wildflower]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

There could be nipple confusion going on. There's a whole world of difference between you and bottles. Even full-term babies often give up nursing for the bottle. Some people feed their babies with an eyedropper if it's necessary to supplement, although that sounds very time consuming to me. :-o

 

Also, you will not make as much milk using a breast pump as you will by having baby actually nurse. And with the whole emotional thing going on, your milk is likely to be affected adversely, too.

 

Have you talked to La Leche League? Not a lactation consultant, but La Leche League?

 

I'd be inclined to tell you to go cold turkey: no breast pump, no nipple shield, nothing but nursing; sleep with the baby, wear the baby, take baths with the baby, drink lots of liquids (at least a gallon of liquid, no cow's milk), eat lots of food (you need an extra 1000 calories *per day* when you're nursing).

 

My first response was LLL! These are mom's who have nursed & are very compassionate (although I've heard stories from mom's with different standards for mothering than my own- sorry, no other way to phrase it).

 

I still write thank you note (love letters) to the leader who helped me through 22 really rough months.

 

When you feed baba y with a bottle, it is instant- sucking- gratification.

When you nurse the baby moves it jaw & uses it's tongue to get a let-down. No sucking involved. Maybe not nipple confusion, but a smart cookie who knows what's easier.

 

 

 

 

 

Hey, also, what about pumping WHILE she nurses? That should also trigger let down, make it less work for her, etc.

 

I totally second calling your local LLL leader. I have several friends who are leaders - they are available to talk to you any time you need to talk. Really.

 

Pumping while nursing will get you a great let-down & LOTS of milk, which may help you store a bit & get DH to take the reins a bit. But this again is a quick fix & may lead to problems later.

 

I wish I could help you more. I know this is so tough on you & hope you get a good nights sleep.

 

 

two quick links for you-

 

http://forums.llli.org/ (la leche forums)

 

 

http://www.llli.org/nb.html (la leche FAQ)

 

you can also find a group in your area. worse comes to worse i'll give you the number of a dear friend who is a retired leader (by PM)

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

[momo9]

:grouphug:One place you might want to check is the breastfeeding forum on www.mothering.com. Look under Community forums then scroll down to the the Breastfeeding thread and then also in the Breastfeeding Challenges thread. They have GREAT advice there and the women who post have much much experiance with all kinds of nursing problems. It's quite likely you might find an answer to your problem there.

 

Another place to look is www.kellymom.com

 

Le Leche League is another source....the best source hands down.

 

hope this helps....good luck.....

[DawnL]

I am an unusual one here, in that I nursed my adopted kids. Well, 2 out of 3 of them, I did. I'm not sure you would call #3 successful nursing, though.

 

My 2nd child, I induced lactation, and was pumping for 10 months before he came home. I didn't need to pump that long, but we didn't know when and where are baby was coming from. He latched on like a champ, and never touched a bottle in his life.

 

My 3rd child, everything happened much more quickly. And, just like your child, he was born at 30 weeks gestation, and was 2.5 pounds at birth. His poor bmom hadn't had prenatal care, and he was totally unexpected so early.

 

I could not get this child to latch for anything. He was in the NICU for 5 weeks, and seriously, I had trouble even getting him to open his mouth up enough to even take a bottle at first. With 2 older kids at home, and my middle child needing constant supervision, it was very difficult to keep pumping. I was only able to pump 3 times per day, once in the morning, once after lunch, and once before bed. With my then 3 year old son taking advantage of that mid-day pumping, I had to drop that, too, and was down to just 2 pumpings per day. But even with just those pumpings, I managed to always make enough for the baby, and had enough for storage in the freezer. By the time Jalen was 10.5 months, I just couldn't pump anymore, but I still had enough to keep him drinking breastmilk every day until his 1st birthday. I was so happy, because I felt he needed that breastmilk more than any of my other kids.

 

I think I was so successful with just 2 pumpings per day because I was taking domperidone (aka motilium) to help with my breastmilk production. It also helped that each pumping session I did was about 30 minutes.

 

Have you ever see a Lact-Aid? You can see it at this website...

http://www.lact-aid.com/

 

It can be very helpful for any nursing mom breastfeed, if the baby doesn't latch on enough, at first, to keep up production.

 

I haven't read all your responses, but I did read that you are using a shield? That was helpful to me when I first nursed my 2nd child. After only nursing a breastpump for 10 months, a real live baby took a little getting used to. But definitely worth it!

[wildflower]

I am an unusual one here, in that I nursed my adopted kids. Well, 2 out of 3 of them, I did. I'm not sure you would call #3 successful nursing, though.

 

My 2nd child, I induced lactation, and was pumping for 10 months before he came home. I didn't need to pump that long, but we didn't know when and where are baby was coming from. He latched on like a champ, and never touched a bottle in his life.

 

My 3rd child, everything happened much more quickly. And, just like your child, he was born at 30 weeks gestation, and was 2.5 pounds at birth. His poor bmom hadn't had prenatal care, and he was totally unexpected so early.

 

I could not get this child to latch for anything. He was in the NICU for 5 weeks, and seriously, I had trouble even getting him to open his mouth up enough to even take a bottle at first. With 2 older kids at home, and my middle child needing constant supervision, it was very difficult to keep pumping. I was only able to pump 3 times per day, once in the morning, once after lunch, and once before bed. With my then 3 year old son taking advantage of that mid-day pumping, I had to drop that, too, and was down to just 2 pumpings per day. But even with just those pumpings, I managed to always make enough for the baby, and had enough for storage in the freezer. By the time Jalen was 10.5 months, I just couldn't pump anymore, but I still had enough to keep him drinking breastmilk every day until his 1st birthday. I was so happy, because I felt he needed that breastmilk more than any of my other kids.

 

I think I was so successful with just 2 pumpings per day because I was taking domperidone (aka motilium) to help with my breastmilk production. It also helped that each pumping session I did was about 30 minutes.

 

Have you ever see a Lact-Aid? You can see it at this website...

http://www.lact-aid.com/

 

It can be very helpful for any nursing mom breastfeed, if the baby doesn't latch on enough, at first, to keep up production.

 

I haven't read all your responses, but I did read that you are using a shield? That was helpful to me when I first nursed my 2nd child. After only nursing a breastpump for 10 months, a real live baby took a little getting used to. But definitely worth it!

 

 

I just wanted to say how heartwarming your story is. I truly admire what you've done.

Robyn

[Amber in AUS]

I have not read all of your responses and have not nursed a baby younger than 36w but have you tried pumping to stimulate your let down then popping her on to feed. Bottles are instant and breast takes work, if you take some of the work out of it she might not drop off and scream.

 

I think you are doing an awesome job with all that pumping!!

[Terabith]

My oldest wasn't a preemie, but she had transient tachypnea and was in the NICU for only a few days. But she simply would NOT nurse. (We found out later that she had significant oral motor problems.) I used the nipple shield, worked with the lactation consultant, etc...... It was stressing me out so badly. I feel so much empathy for you, because it was one of the most upsetting things ever.

 

I have to confess, I eventually started exclusively pumping. It was still very hard, but without that constant guilt and attempt to get her to nurse, it felt so much easier. I know it wasn't ideal. I only kept it up for six months rather than the 3.5 yrs my other dd got breastmilk for, but she's pretty darn healthy. For a couple months, I would try to get her to latch on once a day or so, but I stopped *expecting* it. I just made pumping my default. It was brutal, but it was still easier than the psychological constant feeling like a failure bc she wasn't latching, and worrying about enough, etc.

 

But, I might try a SNS, if I knew then what I know now.