Here's an email I received today. And I wonder why women find breastfeeding
difficult?
Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC
"Hi. I don't know if you can help me or at least give me a definite answer,
but here's my story. I gave birth to my premature daughter 5 weeks ago.
She was only 4 weeks premature but she only weighed 3lbs. 7oz. I guess due
to an incompetent placenta. I had an emergency c-section. She was placed
in the NICU where she stayed for the next 12 days. I didn't start pumping
until about 12 hours after my c-section. I wanted to breastfeed right away,
but the doctor and nurses didn't want me to, I guess because they were
afraid for her health? They gave her formula in a bottle. Anyway, the
entire time she was in the nursery, I was pumping. I was getting very
frustrated and stressed, not to mention exhausted by having to pump every
three hours and going to see my daughter, because I wasn't producing much
milk. I had tried breastfeeding her twice while she was in the nursery and
she latched on well, but I really didn't have much support or encouragement
from the nurses, so I didn't push the issue. I figured that I could
establish breastfeeding when I got her home. When she finally did come
home, I was given strict instructions to feed her so many oz. of formula
every 3 hours so I was afraid to try to breastfeed, afraid that she would
spend too much energy trying to get milk out and that I wouldn't know how
much she had gotten, that I didn't really try breastfeeding. The few times
that I did try, she latched on well, but started crying and getting
frustrated, I suppose because she wasn't getting the milk like she could out
of the bottle. I kept up pumping for awhile and even took fenugreek, but my
milk supply kept dwindling. I think part of it was that I wasn't pumping on
a strict 3 hour schedule, sometimes I would go 4 hours or even longer before
being able to pump. Anyway, I finally gave up pumping and took back the
rented pump, but now I think that I could've and should've kept trying. My
husband really wasn't supportive of my efforts (because he saw how stressed
out and exhausted it was making me). I am feeling so depressed because I
wanted to breastfeed so badly. My breasts still leak every once in a while
and it makes me wonder if I could try it again? So I guess my question is,
even though I stopped pumping almost 2 weeks ago and my daughter is now 5
weeks old, is there a way to start up again and be successful? I also
wondered if a nursing supplementer would help my milk supply without
frustrating my daughter? Any advice or suggestions you could offer would be
so appreciated."
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