I just wanted to give a quick update. Duncan did have to have the breathing tube put back in early this morning. He was just working too hard to breath and it was exhausting him. He is doing good now with the tube in and they are hopeful that they can take it out either later this week or early next week. He is 32 almost 33 weeks old. Although most babies have their tubes taken out about this time, Duncan's lungs just need a little bit more time to develop. We know he can do it, he just needs to be able to do it without working so hard. Please keep him in your prayers. He is a fighter and a very strong baby-to me he acts like he is done with the hospital, but he will be there until late August.
On another note- I am really struggling now with producing breast milk. I tried to take the herb Fenugreek, but I took it once and made me really sick so my Dr. told me not to take it. They told me to not spend so much time at the hospital this week and see if that helps-that's just really hard for me to not be there. So if anyone has any suggestions I wouldn't mind hearing them.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Quick update
Posted by Natalie at 12:16 PM
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6 comments:
I would say get enough rest and make sure you are eating a lot. Don't worry about losing weight, just eat whenever you're hungry and drink a LOT of water, and milk if you can. Some people swear by drinking beer, but I guess that doesn't work for you! (although I might do it if I was desperate and I truly felt like it was medicinal)
I'm going to do some other research and see if there is any other info out there. Also, remember that a nursing baby would eat every 1&1/2-2 hours (at least mine always did) so make sure you're pumping a lot, even though I know it's a pain. You have one of those mechanical ones, right?
I do have a pump. I try to pump every three hours, but sometimes it ends up being every 4. I am trying to eat more and drink more too. It is hard because in the NYICU you can't eat or drink. I think I just need to rest more and eat/drink more and maybe only stay at the hospital for two hours at a time twice a day. Do you think Anne could help?
Hey I have been following your blogg since you had him. I check every day to get the update. Im so glad everthing is going good. I would pump like every 1 1/2 to 2 hours to try to make it start producing more. My son wouldn't breast feed so I pumped but not enough and I stopped producing milk. My dr told me it was because I needed to pump like up to 4oz every 2 hours to keep a good production of milk. Just a little advise. Doesn't hurt to try.
Nat, I would really urge you to call La Leche League and talk to a leader. 1-877-4-La-Leche. This is what they are there for. They are a great source of information, sometimes more informed that some of the lactation consultants. I would also find a good lactation consultant, an IBCLC.
Try drinking Mother's Milk Plus tea, it's an herbal tea that really helps milk production. I would also try to take it easy, pump more often, and drink lots of water. I know it must be hard to do anything that keeps you from being with Duncan in the hospital, but it is so important to keep up your supply for him. If fenugreek makes you sick, you may want to talk to your doctor about a prescription for Reglan. Does your pump work well for you? Sometimes certain pumps don't work very well for certain women and it might be worth trying another one. Stress can really be a factor for producing milk, so try to rest when you are home as much as possible and do things to nurture and take care of yourself. I will try to find more info for you. And if you want to talk, have Liz give you my phone number, okay?
Hi Nat,
I had supply issues with Alice in the early days. Someone--a nurse, lactation consultant, or doctor, can't remember who--told me to eat OATMEAL of all things. I did so religiously--at least one bowlful a day (if mushy oatmeal grosses you out, try granola). I don't know if that did it--I was also taking fenugreek and drinking mother's milk tea and pumping around the clock--but I definitely regained my milk supply.
Tips on pumping: I assume you are using an electronic double pump (Medela pump in style or Ameda brand--these are the best). Do you have a hands free pumping bra? This is essential. You can buy one or make one out of a nursing bra or sports bra (see http://kellymom.com, a great site on breastfeeding). Try to make pumping time your relaxation time. Sit in a comfy chair, read a magazine and don't sit there watching/willing the milk to come out.
Also, when I went back to work I pumped as long as it would take for me to get the milk I needed for Alice for the next day rather than just 10 minutes as many people recommend. I know some women could get all they needed in 10 minutes but I never could. You can have multiple let downs while you are pumping so I would always wait until I had at least 2, which would sometimes take up to 20 minutes.
Make sure you're pumping through the night. It's no fun to wake up in the middle of the night to use your breast pump--feeding a baby is a much better way to spend those wee hours, but night lactation is essential to maintaining supply.
You may need to increase the frequency with which you pump, which I know can be really hard. When I was building up my supply with Alice I would feed her every 2 hours and pump directly after each feeding. Remember that a pump is not as efficient as a baby in getting milk out, so it isn't giving you as much stimulation as a baby's suck would, which is why you may need to pump even more often then you would have to nurse your baby to maintain supply. Is there a lactation room at the hospital that you can use while you are there for long visits? Our hospital had one that was private, had a sink, etc.
There is another herb called Blessed Thistle that is also supposed to aid in lactation, so you could try that as well.
I think those are all of my suggestions. Hang in there, it is tough work but definitely worth the effort.
Love,
Marg
PS: I also heard about the beer thing when I was going through this and I seriously considered doing it. I say if you can take narcotics as pain killers after surgery, you can definitely drink a beer to enable you to breastfeed your baby. I've heard that dark lagers are best (don't really really know what that means, but I think a Guinness is the darkest you can get, and probably pretty disgusting. I had friends in Europe who drank a lot of that stuff. Unfortunately I don't think Coors Light will do in this situation...).
Hi Nat, I don't have any breast-feeding advice but I am glad to see Duncan is doing okay. We don't have phone service so we will just say hi. We are having a great time. Alaska is great. We hope Duncan will be off the vent by the time we get home. Love you all. Mom and Dad
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