We are on our second day of formula now and things are going pretty good. She's been really tired and a little cranky, but I think that is just from her body adjusting to this completely new diet. She has been a little more gassy then usual. And her poop.... wow.... formula poop is definitely ALOT stinkier! I can actually smell the formula in her poop. It is so nasty. But she hasn't been stiffening up and screaming in pain at all since we started her on it, and for that I am starting to become very hopeful. I find it sadly ironic that the food I was working so hard to provide for her, is what may have been causing her reflux to become so painful.
Last night she slept better then she has in a very long time. She had a 4 oz bottle at 10:45 and then went straight to bed. She woke up at 3:30 and had almost another 4 oz bottle, then fell right back to sleep. Then she woke up at 7:30 and had another 2 oz. Then I laid her back down to sleep while I went to pump and get ready. I came back in to wake her around 8 and she was in such a good mood! She was talking up a storm and laughing and smiling with me. I am hoping that today is a good day for her.
On a side note: Has anyone had problems with their baby getting hungry and if you take too long to feed them (like 10-15 minutes after they want it), they will get really upset and worked up and then it is hard to feed them at all? We have always had this issue since the beginning. Her reflux medicine has to be given on an empty stomach atleast 15-20 minutes before she eats. Last night she decided she was hungry a few minutes after I gave her her medicine, so I had to make her wait. She got so pissed off, that by the time I could give her a bottle, she had worked herself up so much that she wouldn't eat. I had to take her into her bedroom, turn off the lights, rock her, make a sushing noise in her ear (this has always helped to calm her down), and then give her her bottle. Then she would finally eat. It took me a while to try this though, because I haven't had to do it since she was really little. But back then it only took a few minutes of her waiting to get that worked up. I would always have to take her into a dark room and rock her, making the sushing noise in her ear so that she would calm down enough to eat. Just curious if anyone else has ever had similar issues....
If formula ends up being our solution (and it looks like it is), I am looking forward to not having to pump anymore. Freeing up the time it takes me to keep all of the pump parts and bottles clean alone will be pretty wonderful. And to not have to pump in the yucky bathroom at work... I have been pumping during the day and bottle feeding her, while nursing at night for a while now. (We had another issue with her only eating a little bit at a time all day, which caused her to only get formilk, which caused her to have green foamy poop, which caused her to have a horrible diaper rash. By pumping and giving her bottles this corrected the problem, because she wasn't getting a milk inbalance every time she ate). I have really built up my supply while doing this. I have over 100 bags stored in the deep freeze, ranging from 4-8 oz each. It will be really sad when I have to throw them all away. Yesterday I decided to only pump when I became uncomfortably full and even then I didn't empty my breasts all the way. I ended up pumping 4 times and I still ended up with 35 oz at then end of the day. It feels like such a horrible waste.
It's not going to be easy to stop my breasts from making milk. My plan is to keep waiting till they get uncomfortably full and pumping out enough to make them soft again, but not empty. I hope that, eventually, they will slow down their production until I can only pump a couple of times a day, then once.... then stop. This morning I woke up and pumped 10 oz, then I stopped even though they still felt really full. Its only been 2 hours and I am already starting to feel uncomfortable again. Did I mention I have had an oversupply from the beginning?
3 comments:
Things MUST be looking up if you post two days in a row! :) I am so happy for you. Could you maybe use some of the breastmilk in the bottles as a mix with the formula, or do you think that will just increase the reflux again?
I am so proud of you! I know how hard this is for you and how much you wanted to breastfeed. I think your Haiti idea is a fantastic way to not feel wasteful and help someone else at the same time. You are an amazing mom and I love you dearly!
Hi it is Trena again! My friend just went through this with her second child and she was devestated that she couldn't nurse anymore. She decided to keep pumping, like you are, for at least another couple weeks. It turned out that the first few days on the formula helped but the acid reflux problem came back a few days later, which made her realize it wasn't the breastmilk. Somehow she figured out her baby had sensitive skin and she had to change her laundry detergent (her babies clothes and for her bras and shirts) and she switched deodrant. Now she is back to nursing. So you never know. Give the formula a good week or two before you stop pumping all together.
Have you called the local La Leche League about your issue? I belong to our local group and they give such incredible, supportive advice. They have plenty of moms who have gone through your same situation and can provide you with some good resources.
Also, your body will adapt to the change. My daughter is 16 months old, and my breast feel empty all the time. They have felt that way since she was around 12-13 months. It is due to her nursing less and eating more solids. Recently I found out I was pregnant so now I am decreasing in milk supply, but before that it was due to her nursing less. So eventually, your body will regulate out. You actually can teach your body to only produce milk at a certain time of day. If you find that your daughter doesn't get too upset if she nurses only in the morning, then you might be able to teach your body to only produce milk at that time. That way you can still nurse and you don't have to pump. Just a thought.
Good luck!
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