Relactating Please Help!!?

Question

I need advice and encouragement!! My daughter Kohlee is 9 months old and her dr and I feel that relactating is the best option for her at this point. It has been about 5 months since I had a severe allergic reaction to poison ivy and the meds I had to take were not compatible with breastfeeding. The whole ordeal took about 6 weeks before I was able to breastfeed again. I did the pump and dump the whole time and when I was able to nurse again she refused. She would scream before I could even try to get my breast in her mouth. With no support or guidance and very little milk left I gave up way to easily. Kohlee has always spit up a lot and it became much worse after she was on formula. I kept getting told it was acid reflux and she would grow out of it. Now she is 9 months old and if anything it is worse. She doesn't really get much other than formula. She chokes on everything. She get some baby food in an infant feeder so it comes out slowly and she can eat it. I tried giving her mashed potatoes and she couldn't swallow them and choked until she threw up. She even has a hard time with a lot of baby food. By 9 months my other 2 children were feeding themselves crackers and not choking. I also tried giving her a little cows milk (with dr's permission) and it separates in her stomach and she throws up only the clear part of the milk and it smells very sour. We started seeing a new dr and she is worried about how she is going to be able to come off formula or breast milk when she is a year since she is not able to eat anything else. Well I took her in today because she was throwing up so much and Kohlee had lost 3 lbs since her last appt. Her dr told me that she thought re lactating would be the better than trying all the different formula's since none of them seem to be working anyway and my milk is made perfect for her. I have 2 weeks to get her breastfeeding and gaining weight before we have to start looking at other options. The next thing she wants to do is put a scope in her tummy and watch her eat to see where the problem is. She said this is very traumatic for the baby and she doesn't want to do it. I really want to succeed at this for my daughter. I miss breastfeeding so much and I am very happy to try again. I have fenugreek and reglan and know to pump as often as possible. I am still able to get a little milk out when i pump from when I nursed her before and I have the feeding system that attaches to my breast but when I try to put her to my breast she is screaming and fighting me and I don't know what to do. It is only my first night and I am already discouraged. I really don't want to fail at this again especially when her health is at stake. Also I am a baby wearer!!! I was wondering if wearing her in the wrap around the house with both our shirts off so we have skin to skin contact would help her to accept the breast when she is this old. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

So...how old is she? A year?? If she is...then breastmilk does not need to be reintroduced. If she's younger, then skin to skin is good.

Answer 2

If you can start lactating again, pump it and put it into a bottle.

Baby still gets all benefits from breast milk regardless of if it's from a bottle or breast.

If you are worried that using plastic bottles is helping, well hindering, the situation in making her sick, use glass. The glass is thick enough that it won't break when dropped in most cases, you just need to be a little more observant.

Best of luck!

Answer 3

Help -- My Baby Won't Nurse!
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby…

Links: Exclusive Pumping
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bf-li…

Breastfeeding Saved My Highly Allergic Baby
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBMayJun00p87.htm…

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T041200…
This is a diet that Martha recommends in her lactation-counseling practice whenever she suspects a baby's colic could be caused by sensitivities to food in a breastfeeding mother's diet. This diet was developed by William G. Crook, M.D. (Detecting Your Hidden Allergies, Jackson, Tenn: Professional Books, 1987), and it has several variations, depending on how bothersome the symptoms are. The elimination diet we use is based on eating the least allergenic food in each of the food groups. You may need to do this for two weeks since it can take this long for the offending foods to get out of your system and baby's system. Here is the variation we find helps mothers get the quickest, surest relief for their hurting babies: