Sick baby? It may be your formula

[Sinergy 3]

oh my goodness, i tried and tried but i could not produce enough no matter what i did, my son was a preemie, does this make me less of a mother because i didnt produce enough??! As long as my son is healthy i couldent give two craps if i did or did not breastfeed. Its not just about latching issues, if you are told by your doctor after weeks of trying you dont produce enough milk, end of story.

PREEMIES NEED BREAST MILK EVEN MORE THAN A FULL TERM BABY. There are studies after studies that babies do everything better if they breastfeed. Some hospitals even have donars for beast milk to give to preemies because they know breast milk will help the baby develop better and faster.

Unfortunately Doctors do not teach the mothers how to produce more milk but it is VERY easy to do. Using massage methods with the breasts will increase the milk production. My wife learned this method and if she wasn't careful she produced way too much milk. Our pediatrician said "if you do this method you can feed the whole neighborhood" It worked great, our baby is almost 6 months and never had any problems. We were in the grocery store the other day and a couple had a baby the same age but half the size of our baby, he was bottle fed. I have always been healthy and so has my wife so our genes help too I am sure.

Another thing to consider is that it has been proven that breastfed babies are at a much lower risk for many deseases when they are older too.

All I would like to say is that if at all possible mothers should try to breastfeed for the first 6 months for your child's future. We have been fortunate in that my wife doesn't have to work but even working moms can breastfeed in the morning and evenings if they go back to work.

Our baby eats at 7:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm, and 8:00pm. He has been sleeping from 9:00pm until 6 or 7 am since he was 2 months old. He is almost 6 months now and starting to eat Gerber.

I have children from a previous marriage and their mother would not breastfeed because she said it was too much trouble. I see my new wife and her commitment to our baby's health and I understand ALL the advantages of breastfeeding.

excuse me but i take offense to this comment....actually the whole thing. How many ways do i have to phrase that I DID NOT PRODUCE ENOUGH MILK. Do not begin to think you know my situation or what i went through. Where are these studies that you talk about that states they do better in EVERYTHING when they are breastfed? And no way did i want, nor have i heard of hospitals having donor milk, i did not want my child having another womans milk....that is MY choice. Do you not think we stimulated my breasts to get milk, i tried for weeks, if the milk won't come in it won't come in. My son is the same weight and height as my friends baby who was born 8 days LATE. Her son was breastfed. I am not saying they are not major advantages to breastfeeding, but by no means did i CHOOSE not to, it was after much trying a decsion that was made for me

I really don't think any woman can know how it feels when you want to nurse your baby and cannot. My son was a premie and would never latch on. He'd take to the nipple on a bottle just fine though. I cannot tell you the hours I would sit trying to get him to nurse and he wouldn't. I'd just sit and cry thinking i was a bad mother. Well, like others, my milk never would come it (docs said it was due to my thyroid freaking out after delivery) and years later we found out my son is autistic which his doctors beleive is another reason he wouldn't latch on. The nipples on the bottles were soft and easy for him to use and latching on to me would require more of a sucking reflex which he did not have and still does not really have.

My daughter was a different story. Even though she was a premie she came out sucking like a hoover!!!! I did nurse her, but I was not one of the woman that thinks nursing was a present experience and I stiopped at 6 months and pumped for another six.

I later worked part-time with a lactation consultant helping new moms learn to breastfeed because it certainly is a learning experience. I cannot tell you how many new moms I would see emotional drained, stressed, frustrated, etc because it just was not working out for them and the majority of woman were not breastfeeding because they wanted to, but because their moms, friends....whoever was preaching to them that it was for the best. Yeah, maybe breast is best, but I see a number of kids every day that were not breastfed and they are perfectly healthy.

When I worked in PICU most of the premies couldn't even suck to get breast milk. Most babies would have a NG tube in place and they would get rice. If the mother was able to pump, we'd put her milk through the tube. I never heard of donor milk when I was working there, but I wouldn't want another womans milk in my child anyway.

I know the feeling, i felt horrible that i couldnt produce milk.

and for the bolded part, hahaha whatever, my bottle fed kids can do things just as good or better than a booby fed kid.

id watch what you say bc the bolded part was just an anger lash out and was just wrong, who are you to say whose kids are better by the way they were fed growing up.....show me some studies that say "BREASTFED BABIES CAN DO ANYTHING BETTER THAN A BOTTLEFED BABIES" i want it in those words too since you sd thats what the studies show.

Edited March 12, 2008 by Sinergy

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

[keltic 1]

PREEMIES NEED BREAST MILK EVEN MORE THAN A FULL TERM BABY. There are studies after studies that babies do everything better if they breastfeed. Some hospitals even have donars for beast milk to give to preemies because they know breast milk will help the baby develop better and faster.

Unfortunately Doctors do not teach the mothers how to produce more milk but it is VERY easy to do. Using massage methods with the breasts will increase the milk production. M....

excuse me but i take offense to this comment....actually the whole thing. How many ways do i have to phrase that I DID NOT PRODUCE ENOUGH MILK. Do not begin to think you know my situation or what i went through. Where are these studies that you talk about that states they do better in EVERYTHING when they are breastfed? And no way did i want, nor have i heard of hospitals having donor milk, i did not want my child having another womans milk....that is MY choice. Do you not think we stimulated my breasts to get milk, i tried for weeks, if the milk won't come in it won't come in. My son is the same weight and height as my friends baby who was born 8 days LATE. Her son was breastfed. I am not saying they are not major advantages to breastfeeding, but by no means did i CHOOSE not to, it was after much trying a decsion that was made for me

it offends me too... in more ways than one... as a mother, but also as a professional...

be careful when you speak to things medically if you dont know what you are saying...

yes, there is banked breast milk... and in theory it is a wonderful idea... and it isnt just for preemies... there is milk for fullterm kids too...

however...

it must be pasteurized... so many of the wonderful things are killed during the process... and it has been shown in some studies to actually cause some health issues in the infants... we used it about 4 years ago, but stopped due to the increased issues (that decreased when we stopped using the BBM)

and be careful when you paint all doctors with one brush... all the docs that i work with, as well as the nurses and the lactation consultant are VERY encouraging with breastfeeding... we provide much assistance and are committed to helping mothers be able to breastfeed...

in addition to massage, you should also drink plenty of water to keep hydrated... you can stand in a warm shower with the water beating against your breasts... you should stimulate your breasts, either with nursing your baby or pumping, every 2 - 3 hours to encourage your supply... and, failing all that, there is a medication that can be prescribed that sometimes helps...

but, sometimes all that fails... and when women read things like:

Unfortunately Doctors do not teach the mothers how to produce more milk but it is VERY easy to do.

then it leads to guilt... increasing their feeling of failure ( "if its so VERY easy, why cant i do it?" )... how do you think bonding is affected when the mother is overridden with guilt?

[Sinergy 3]

PREEMIES NEED BREAST MILK EVEN MORE THAN A FULL TERM BABY. There are studies after studies that babies do everything better if they breastfeed. Some hospitals even have donars for beast milk to give to preemies because they know breast milk will help the baby develop better and faster.

Unfortunately Doctors do not teach the mothers how to produce more milk but it is VERY easy to do. Using massage methods with the breasts will increase the milk production. M....

excuse me but i take offense to this comment....actually the whole thing. How many ways do i have to phrase that I DID NOT PRODUCE ENOUGH MILK. Do not begin to think you know my situation or what i went through. Where are these studies that you talk about that states they do better in EVERYTHING when they are breastfed? And no way did i want, nor have i heard of hospitals having donor milk, i did not want my child having another womans milk....that is MY choice. Do you not think we stimulated my breasts to get milk, i tried for weeks, if the milk won't come in it won't come in. My son is the same weight and height as my friends baby who was born 8 days LATE. Her son was breastfed. I am not saying they are not major advantages to breastfeeding, but by no means did i CHOOSE not to, it was after much trying a decsion that was made for me

it offends me too... in more ways than one... as a mother, but also as a professional...

be careful when you speak to things medically if you dont know what you are saying...

yes, there is banked breast milk... and in theory it is a wonderful idea... and it isnt just for preemies... there is milk for fullterm kids too...

however...

it must be pasteurized... so many of the wonderful things are killed during the process... and it has been shown in some studies to actually cause some health issues in the infants... we used it about 4 years ago, but stopped due to the increased issues (that decreased when we stopped using the BBM)

and be careful when you paint all doctors with one brush... all the docs that i work with, as well as the nurses and the lactation consultant are VERY encouraging with breastfeeding... we provide much assistance and are committed to helping mothers be able to breastfeed...

in addition to massage, you should also drink plenty of water to keep hydrated... you can stand in a warm shower with the water beating against your breasts... you should stimulate your breasts, either with nursing your baby or pumping, every 2 - 3 hours to encourage your supply... and, failing all that, there is a medication that can be prescribed that sometimes helps...

but, sometimes all that fails... and when women read things like:

Unfortunately Doctors do not teach the mothers how to produce more milk but it is VERY easy to do.

then it leads to guilt... increasing their feeling of failure ( "if its so VERY easy, why cant i do it?" )... how do you think bonding is affected when the mother is overridden with guilt?

exactly, and its not VERY easy to do, especially when like myself, had absolutly NO milk. I was dry as bone, and have never produced milk

[Flames9_RN 358]

I'm a RN student, and just finished with OB, wheww! Soo much to learn!! Of course they say breast milk is the best for baby, but of course some mothers can not breastfeed for a variety of reasons, some do to cultural and others to medical reasons!! As well many think breastfeeding just comes naturally for mom and baby and this isn't always the case. And many think that milk is produced right away and this again is not true, Colostrum comes out for the first 3-4 days, then transitional milk, then "regular" breast milk There is a lot to know when it comes to breastfeeding and many moms/parents do not realize that all goes into it. Thats one reason (of many) that prenatal classes are important, and if possible meeting with a lactation consultant. As well if a mom doesnt want to breast feed that is her choice and it is to be respected. She is no less a mom than someone that does breastfeed!

[Eveline 9]

I have heard of many mothers saying that they were already offered a bottle in the hospital cause they didn't produce milk. Of course you don't. Your body needs time to make milk and for the first couple of days your babe will do just fine on colostrum. I cannot imagine how it is to be 'bone dry' my boobs felt like something that didn't even belong to me when my milk came in and the engorgement is painful...not to mention me leaking everytime my friends babygirl cried. That didn't just happen in the beginning but even after like seven months of Adam's birth or so. I could have kept the whole street alive on breastmilk . I'm sorry for you who tried real hard and couldn't breastfeed.

[Gaby&Talbert 1]

oh my goodness, i tried and tried but i could not produce enough no matter what i did, my son was a preemie, does this make me less of a mother because i didnt produce enough??! As long as my son is healthy i couldent give two craps if i did or did not breastfeed. Its not just about latching issues, if you are told by your doctor after weeks of trying you dont produce enough milk, end of story.

PREEMIES NEED BREAST MILK EVEN MORE THAN A FULL TERM BABY. There are studies after studies that babies do everything better if they breastfeed. Some hospitals even have donars for beast milk to give to preemies because they know breast milk will help the baby develop better and faster.

Unfortunately Doctors do not teach the mothers how to produce more milk but it is VERY easy to do. Using massage methods with the breasts will increase the milk production. My wife learned this method and if she wasn't careful she produced way too much milk. Our pediatrician said "if you do this method you can feed the whole neighborhood" It worked great, our baby is almost 6 months and never had any problems. We were in the grocery store the other day and a couple had a baby the same age but half the size of our baby, he was bottle fed. I have always been healthy and so has my wife so our genes help too I am sure.

Another thing to consider is that it has been proven that breastfed babies are at a much lower risk for many deseases when they are older too.

All I would like to say is that if at all possible mothers should try to breastfeed for the first 6 months for your child's future. We have been fortunate in that my wife doesn't have to work but even working moms can breastfeed in the morning and evenings if they go back to work.

Our baby eats at 7:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm, and 8:00pm. He has been sleeping from 9:00pm until 6 or 7 am since he was 2 months old. He is almost 6 months now and starting to eat Gerber.

I have children from a previous marriage and their mother would not breastfeed because she said it was too much trouble. I see my new wife and her commitment to our baby's health and I understand ALL the advantages of breastfeeding.

excuse me but i take offense to this comment....actually the whole thing. How many ways do i have to phrase that I DID NOT PRODUCE ENOUGH MILK. Do not begin to think you know my situation or what i went through. Where are these studies that you talk about that states they do better in EVERYTHING when they are breastfed? And no way did i want, nor have i heard of hospitals having donor milk, i did not want my child having another womans milk....that is MY choice. Do you not think we stimulated my breasts to get milk, i tried for weeks, if the milk won't come in it won't come in. My son is the same weight and height as my friends baby who was born 8 days LATE. Her son was breastfed. I am not saying they are not major advantages to breastfeeding, but by no means did i CHOOSE not to, it was after much trying a decsion that was made for me

Hormones can be taken to stimulate milk production. I am no trying to offend anyone only stating the facts that breast feeding is the best and most women that choose not to is not because they cannot produce milk.

[Gaby&Talbert 1]

I'm a RN student, and just finished with OB, wheww! Soo much to learn!! Of course they say breast milk is the best for baby, but of course some mothers can not breastfeed for a variety of reasons, some do to cultural and others to medical reasons!! As well many think breastfeeding just comes naturally for mom and baby and this isn't always the case. And many think that milk is produced right away and this again is not true, Colostrum comes out for the first 3-4 days, then transitional milk, then "regular" breast milk There is a lot to know when it comes to breastfeeding and many moms/parents do not realize that all goes into it. Thats one reason (of many) that prenatal classes are important, and if possible meeting with a lactation consultant. As well if a mom doesnt want to breast feed that is her choice and it is to be respected. She is no less a mom than someone that does breastfeed!

The US culture is to blame for moms not breast feeding like other countries. Mothers work because we are use to having more things or a bigger house, or a new car, or a big screen TV. It is a sacrifice in the US for moms to stay home and be their for their children, a sacrifice a lot of US moms don't want to do for what ever reason. My mom worked her whole life and was not home with me, I turned out just fine but think how kids turn out with "June Clever" type moms? I am not saying that the way things are in America now are better or worse but I see families that the moms commit their lives to raising good children and the majority of the children grow up to be very good adults. There is a fine line between a mother being there for their children and smothering them.

The US is one of the lowest countries in the world for for breast feeding and we have the highest rate of type 2 diabetes and obesity, could this be linked? I have a son from my previous marriage and he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last september. I don't blame it on his mother not breast feeding, type 1 is not caused by obesity. My wife and I had a baby last October and every doctor told us that exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months will reduce the risk of our baby developing diabetes. We even had genetic testing done for our baby to see if he had a genetic disposition for diabetes. Fortunately he does not have the genes related to diabetes and does not have any of the 3 antibodies that attack the pancreas. Who knows if formula causes this or not but every study shows that breastfed babies are at lower risk of almost everything. Why not give your baby every fighting chance you can?

[chri'stina 190]

Gaby&Talbert...I also find your words offensive that you wrote to Chrissy. Everyone here and their mother knows breastmilk is best. Hadn't you already read in the posts how many people wanted to breastfeed but for whatever reasons could not? So are you trying to make them feel worse? Your posts are coming across quite condescending.

I just can't believe sometimes how militant some people are about breastfeeding. I am very happy for every woman who is able to breastfeed, I believe it's a wonderful thing. WHen you really want to, you focus on it so much during your pregnancy so it's not like you think "yay" when you can't do it after so much effort. I have a friend who chose not to even try, sure I think she should have at least tried but it is not my place at all to ever act weird towards her or say something rude because she chose not to. Her children are fine. She is a very good mother.

[Gaby&Talbert 1]

PREEMIES NEED BREAST MILK EVEN MORE THAN A FULL TERM BABY. There are studies after studies that babies do everything better if they breastfeed. Some hospitals even have donars for beast milk to give to preemies because they know breast milk will help the baby develop better and faster.

Unfortunately Doctors do not teach the mothers how to produce more milk but it is VERY easy to do. Using massage methods with the breasts will increase the milk production. M....

excuse me but i take offense to this comment....actually the whole thing. How many ways do i have to phrase that I DID NOT PRODUCE ENOUGH MILK. Do not begin to think you know my situation or what i went through. Where are these studies that you talk about that states they do better in EVERYTHING when they are breastfed? And no way did i want, nor have i heard of hospitals having donor milk, i did not want my child having another womans milk....that is MY choice. Do you not think we stimulated my breasts to get milk, i tried for weeks, if the milk won't come in it won't come in. My son is the same weight and height as my friends baby who was born 8 days LATE. Her son was breastfed. I am not saying they are not major advantages to breastfeeding, but by no means did i CHOOSE not to, it was after much trying a decsion that was made for me

it offends me too... in more ways than one... as a mother, but also as a professional...

be careful when you speak to things medically if you dont know what you are saying...

yes, there is banked breast milk... and in theory it is a wonderful idea... and it isnt just for preemies... there is milk for fullterm kids too...

however...

it must be pasteurized... so many of the wonderful things are killed during the process... and it has been shown in some studies to actually cause some health issues in the infants... we used it about 4 years ago, but stopped due to the increased issues (that decreased when we stopped using the BBM)

and be careful when you paint all doctors with one brush... all the docs that i work with, as well as the nurses and the lactation consultant are VERY encouraging with breastfeeding... we provide much assistance and are committed to helping mothers be able to breastfeed...

in addition to massage, you should also drink plenty of water to keep hydrated... you can stand in a warm shower with the water beating against your breasts... you should stimulate your breasts, either with nursing your baby or pumping, every 2 - 3 hours to encourage your supply... and, failing all that, there is a medication that can be prescribed that sometimes helps...

but, sometimes all that fails... and when women read things like:

Unfortunately Doctors do not teach the mothers how to produce more milk but it is VERY easy to do.

then it leads to guilt... increasing their feeling of failure ( "if its so VERY easy, why cant i do it?" )... how do you think bonding is affected when the mother is overridden with guilt?

exactly, and its not VERY easy to do, especially when like myself, had absolutly NO milk. I was dry as bone, and have never produced milk

Women feel guilty for thousands of reasons, they shouldn't if they are not able to produce milk. But moms that want to party and shop and do everything they want instead of breastfeeding should feel a little guilty. We have guilt for a reason, it is to make us feel bad for doing or not doing. If it is guilt for something you have no control over than one needs to learn to control it. We have been taught in the US that if it feels good do it and it is OK as long as you aren't hurting anyone else. Anytime you do something you shouldn't it affects someone else whether you know it or not.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Patience is the most important thing and then the next is learn to breastfeed properly. Find a friend or family member that was successful with breastfeeding and have them help you learn the proper way and teach the baby the proper way to eat. If you can afford it find a specialist that can come to your home a few times to make sure yu are doing it correctly. Our doctor taught my wife how to massage her breats to increase milk production and also massage the milk down to her nipples. This gave the baby all the milk he ever wanted and made her breasts more comfortable. Get special cream like lanolin for your breasts and it will keep your areolas from getting tender and dry.

On that note, I found a list of people along with phone numbers, who will assist with new breastfeeding mothers.

http://www.dy-dee.com/html/breastfeeding_classes.html

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Steve -any news on your reason to stop posting on VJ?

Edited March 12, 2008 by rkl57

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Steve -any news on your reason to stop posting on VJ?

No word yet.

[Gaby&Talbert 1]

Gaby&Talbert...I also find your words offensive that you wrote to Chrissy. Everyone here and their mother knows breastmilk is best. Hadn't you already read in the posts how many people wanted to breastfeed but for whatever reasons could not? So are you trying to make them feel worse? Your posts are coming across quite condescending.

I just can't believe sometimes how militant some people are about breastfeeding. I am very happy for every woman who is able to breastfeed, I believe it's a wonderful thing. WHen you really want to, you focus on it so much during your pregnancy so it's not like you think "yay" when you can't do it after so much effort. I have a friend who chose not to even try, sure I think she should have at least tried but it is not my place at all to ever act weird towards her or say something rude because she chose not to. Her children are fine. She is a very good mother.

I am not militant about it but women should know the benefits for their children. My wife had difficult times and I never once said she had to breastfeed. During her pregnancy she alot about it and said she wanted to breast feed the first 6 months at least. Once the baby was born I helped her in any way that I could, I helped her make sure the baby would latch on correctly. Her mother stayed with us for a month to help her. She got discouraged a few times but everyone told her not to worry and keep trying. Our baby is almost 6 months old and my wife always says it is the most wonderful experience in her life to breast feed our baby. She feels extremely close to him and says it is worth all the effort.

[Gaby&Talbert 1]

Patience is the most important thing and then the next is learn to breastfeed properly. Find a friend or family member that was successful with breastfeeding and have them help you learn the proper way and teach the baby the proper way to eat. If you can afford it find a specialist that can come to your home a few times to make sure yu are doing it correctly. Our doctor taught my wife how to massage her breats to increase milk production and also massage the milk down to her nipples. This gave the baby all the milk he ever wanted and made her breasts more comfortable. Get special cream like lanolin for your breasts and it will keep your areolas from getting tender and dry.

On that note, I found a list of people along with phone numbers, who will assist with new breastfeeding mothers.

http://www.dy-dee.com/html/breastfeeding_classes.html

Mothers have to be committed to it or they will give up. Educating yourself is the best way to make sure it is a good experiance instead of a bad one.

Unfortunately we have to be politically correct in everything we say and do. Women have the right to do whatever they want with their body and a baby isn't a human in the US until it is completely exited the mothers body. I am sure this will offend many more.