pumping/bottles

[jmarion]

hello. my daughter is 7 weeks old at birth she was 6lbs 5oz, at 6weeks she weighed 8lbs 13oz. since she has been born, i have been successfully breastfeeding. she is eating pretty much every 2hrs around the clock including during the night time hours. every now and then, she will eat every 3 (that is a rareity). i started her on a bottle with breast milk 3 weeks ago and she was taking that fine. i also started her on 2-4oz of formula a day (i know this goes against all breastfeeding issues), to get her used to the taste of the formula. she has been taking the bottle fine up until a couple of days ago. she is now completely refusing the bottle-including my breasmilk. i have been offering nothing but the breastmilk when i attempt to give her the bottle now and she is still refusing. this concerns me because i go back to work in 5 weeks and i am starting to get stressed. i am a nurse on a very busy med surg unit with a 7 patient workload and i work 3_12hr shifts. there are times when we don't even get a lunch due to it being so hectic at times, so i don't know when or how frequent i will be able to pump at work (this is why i started her on the formula, just in case i dry out or something). at home i pump anywhere between 2-3oz, and no more than that. i am currently trying to pump on the hrs she is not eating. currently i have about 10-15oz of breast milk in the freezer. i try to pump as much as i can at home, but sometimes i am unable to pump but once a day. i guess my questions to you are, is there any advice you can give to me to get her to take a bottle again and is there anything i can do to increase my milk supply besides taking fenugreek? (i have a prevalent cardiac history in my family and i myself have heart palpitations and asthma). i do not want to stop breastfeeding in anyway if i don't have to (i have waited to become a mother and breastfeed all my life). i am a first time mom and totally new at this. i also don't want to use up my frozen milk supply before i go back to work trying to give her the bottle. thank you for any help you can give me and i am sorry this thread is scattered.

[jmarion]

i forgot one thing, i would like to stay away from the fenugreek (as i said before), but will try it if it will increase my supply for my daughter. i am just a little afraid of the side effects. where can i get it? or anything else that will help me out?

[vickikreiner]

I totally understand and had a similar experience with my 2 kids.

First of all your employer must let you take your break you should get at least a 15min break and lunch. Make it happen. If you do not have a pump room then see if you can start one. HR can help you with this. If you or baby are sick then you will not be able to work.
Try a variety of bottles. try a faster low nipple.

Leave the house and have some one else try the bottles, someone baby is comfortable with.
You bring up a great point about Fenugreek which should not be used if you have asthma. Look in to Domperidone or Reglan although I prefer the first.
Really try to get rest, fluids and some destress time, naps!

What kind of pump do you have and how long do you pump for?

[jmarion]

i have a playtex embrace double electric pump and when i pump, i pump for about 5-15min each time. it all depends. when i pump for 5 minutes, i usually stop because o get very little out of my breasts and then nothing comes out. also, my nurse manager is all about breastfeeding and has said if i need to pump, i can use her office when she is there. there have only been a few times i have not gotten a lunch break (i am very organized at work-thank god). i just try to prepare for the times this may happen. in the last year, i think it only happened twice. i have mild asthma, nothing severe, so i don't know if i could still try it. is the domperidone a prescription? i have tried the avent, the playtex natrulatch, and the breastflow nipple by the early years or something. do you have any preference?

[jmarion]

also, she is refusing to take the bottle from my husband now too.

[vickikreiner]

Excellent about your NM.
First read about Domperidone and decide for yourself. You can get it online from Inhouse pharmacy with no script.
I encourage you to rent a Medela Symphony with 2 phase suction. It will help you get multiple let downs and more milk. Try it for 2 weeks at least and let me know how much you love it. Also pump for atleast 5 min after your milk stops.
I would not take Fenugreek.
http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/prescript_galactagogue.html

[jmarion]

what if my daughter continues to refuse the bottle? is there anything else i could do?

[vickikreiner]

It's ok. It's probably a stage and you and your husband will work through it.
Try offering the bottle before she gets real hungry. Try when she is sleepy. Try after nursing a little.
I forgot to answer your bottle question. I like Medela (BPA free), Dr. Brown and the Platex nurser.
By the way, it is ok that you've been giving formula. Your honesty is refreshing.
Who will watch your baby?

[jmarion]

my mother in law and my husband. she will only be with my mother in law 2 out of 4 weekends.

[vickikreiner]

Ok, be sure to include your mother in law in this process.
I worked 12hr weekends for a while after my first baby (my husband took care of our daughter on weekends and my mother in law one weekday. My mother in law formula fed her kids and cringed at my breast milk in a bottle that she had to touch!) then I went prn for a while. Be sure to get quality time with your hubbie. My husband has an amazing relationship with our daughter now 11. He spent so much time with her as a baby. It is worth it!

[jmarion]

i already have. she watched her for me a couple of weeks ago and is totally ok and supportive with the breastmilk/breastfeeding-she too formula fed her children. starting this week, she will be watching madeline for about an hour a couple times a week until she has her on the weekends. i want maddie to get used to her before i drop her off for 12hrs. as far as my husband, he is very good with her-shes a daddys girl- and very supportive with my breastfeeding also. he too works 12hr shifts, so we get to spend a lot of time together as a family. we both are stressed out about the whole bottle thing though.

[vickikreiner]

It sounds like you have wonderful support. Get a good night sleep and try some of my suggestions tomorrow...It will get better!

[jmarion]

thank you so much for your help. it is greatly appreciated:)

[vickikreiner]

You are so welcome. Please keep in touch and let me know what works!
I admire your work. Before I did mother-baby nursing I worked med-surg/ step- down trauma at Johns Hopkins Hospital. We called it the knife and gun club as you can imagine. Lots of neat stuff yoo like Whipples!