Hi, everyone,
>I recently meet this mom with a 7 week old She also was interested in
>finding if she could take some type of sleeping pills - since she
>basically gets no
>sleep - she cannot calm herself and is constantly wired. She also has a
>major over supply and strong let down. I saw her pump
>four oz in 2 minutes after nursing her baby, as he choked at let downs. I
>think this mom is close to some break down.
>Just wondering what experiences everyone else has had on this.
I REALLY feel for this mom! It sounds like she is going through just what I
did with my first three kids. This was before my fibromyalgia was
diagnosed. I had never been able to sleep well in my life, but having
babies up so often made it almost impossible to go to sleep, or stay asleep.
The more tired I got, the more wired I felt,the harder it was to sleep,
and the more anxious I got. After adopting my third son, Thomas, who was
also the first I nursed full-time, it got to the point where I was so
exhausted, and in so much pain that I was afraid that I would drop the baby
or that, if something unusual happened that would have put any of my boys in
danger, I wouldn't be able to react in time. It also got to the point
where, even when I did manage to sleep, I would startle myself awake after a
short time.
When Thomas was six months old, I went to a wonderful neurologist, in
Wiesbaden, who finally diagnosed fibromyalgia (myofascial syndrome was what
he called it, back then). He recommended amitriptyline, but told me I would
have to stop nursing Thomas first. After having worked so hard for both the
nursing relationship and every drop of the breastmilk I was producing, I was
not willing to stop, and told him that I would just have to wait until
Thomas was weaned.
I went home and called Elizabeth Hormann, who looked it up and said the drug
was considered safe for nursing mothers. My ex also looked it up in a
different source and found the same thing. So, I went ahead and started it.
I gradually worked up to 75 mg., which was the lowest dose that was
effective. It didn't knock me out, but it made it so that I could both go
to sleep easier and stay asleep, when I had the chance, while still being
able to respond to babies waking up at night. I have been on it ever since,
and nursed three more babies while taking it, with no problems. I did have
to increase the dose after a while, to as much as 125 mgs., but had very
little trouble with side-effects. I did gain weight on it, but that was a
small price to pay for being able to feel better. I also found it helpful
to nurse in a recliner, with pillows supporting my head and arms, where I
could go back to sleep while the baby nursed.
Of course, this is just one example, but I wanted to share it as one
possibility for this mom to consider. I wonder if she is one of those women
whose letdown becomes more active with stress and anxiety. For her to be in
such a state is not good for her, her baby, or the rest of her family. I
think it is extremely important for her to find some kind of relief, as soon
as possible.
Darillyn
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