breast feeding concern....

Finally after ttc for 8 years, we have a little baby girl.  
She is now 6 months old and absolutely beautiful!!  

My problem is at 3 and a half months old i started to have trouble feeding her.
i didnt realise it at the time but i wasnt producing enough milk for her. i now realise it was because i wasnt putting her to the breast enough to stimulate more production. She started being difficult at evening feed times by pulling off after about 5 minutes and arching her back and getting really cranky! i went to the health nurse and told her what was happening and that she appeared still hungry but the nurse told me that she wasnt, she was having wind pain and to give her water instead to help her bring up the wind. i did this and it did seem to settle her for a short period. i now realise this was her 3 month growth spurt and she was just demanding more milk to stimulate me to produce it. because i was giving her water instead of putting her to the breast constantly my milk never increased to the quantity she required. after a month of perserverence and incorrect advice, my milk had reduced significately to the point where she was upset through the day aswell.  i ended up giving up out of despiration and switching to formula at about 4.5m. i was extremely disappointed but felt there was no other option.
the problem is i now know where i was going wrong, and would really love to breast feed again but i dont know whether its possible to start again after giving up about 7 weeks ago.
can anyone tell of a simular experience or offer any advice.
im really dissapointed...

[lib and jrs mom]

are you still producing any milk at all?  if you are, and you start drinking a ton of water and pumping a little extra here and there you may be able to build it up enough to feed the little one, although you may need to supplement with formula still.

[justwannabeamummy]

no i have no milk any more..... does this mean i have no hope?

[4my3boys]

There is a herbal medicine that you can take that makes you get a milk supply.  Ask a lactation consultant. Try to put her up to the breast, if not you will need to start pumping every two hours.

[justwannabeamummy]

thanks for your response i will enquire about the herbal help tomorrow...
she does still 'latch on' but because there empty she gives up.
i will start pumping every two hours and see if that helps.

thanks for your advise!

[Crritter]

The herb is fenugreek.  May be worth a shot.  Don't be hard on yourself though, babies are hard to figure out sometimes, they can't tell you what's wrong, and you followed the advice you were given.  At least by this age your little one is probably eating solids more now and so you won't need to nurse as often.  My son was all about the food once we started him on it.  Good luck!

[toyml99]

JUST A QUESTION IS WATER SAFE.  MY DOC SAYS BABY CAN'T HAVE WATER UNTIL SHE CAN DRINK FROM A CUP.  HE SAID IT DROPS THEIR SODIUM AND CAN CAUSE SEIZURES.  HE SAID THEN YOU HAVE TO BRING SODIUM BACK UP SLOWLY SO IT IS A LONG TIME OF SEIZURING BEFORE THEY ARE ABLE TO STOP IT!  HE SAID YOU COULD PROBABLY GET BY WITH AN OUNCE HOWEVER.....WHY RISK IT.  HE SAID THEY CANNOT FIND HOW MUCH OR LITTLE CAN HARM BABY.  ANYONE EVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING.

[anxiousmomtobe?]

I've never heard that water is dangerous.  I know that breastfeeding mums shouldn't give water as it fills them up and they don't nurse as well.  "Booby juice" as my husband so charmingly calls it is the perfect food.  And I think formula is constantly being updated so it is all the wee bebe needs.

[toyml99]

WELL THE ISSUE OF WATER CAME UP BECAUSE THE NIGHT AFTER HER FIRST SHOTS....WHICH WAS HORRIBLE FOR HER AND ME....SHE WAS SO STUFFED UP.  THEN SHE WOULD HAVE NASAL DRAINAGE AND CHOKE ON IT.  A FRIEND OF MY SISTER'S CAME OVER AND TOLD US TO GIVE HER WATER...SHE WOULDN'T EAT.  THEY SAID THE FORMULA THICKENS THE MUCUS.  WELL I DIDN'T GIVE HER ANY BECAUSE SHE THEN TOOK HER FORMULA BOTTLE.  BUT I MADE DR. APPT. THE NEXT DAY..FIRST TIME MOM I WAS FREAKING OUT....AND ASKED ABOUT THE WATER.  THAT IS WHEN HE TOLD ME THAT...BUT SOOO MANY MOTHERS SAY WATER IS OK.  SO I WAS CONFUSED.

[lib and jrs mom]

when your toddler or child is ill i know you don't just give them water, especially if they won't eat or they have diarrhea/vomiting.  giving them water doesn't replenish their electolyte imbalance.  personally i never gave my children water because just as there is a such thing as dehydration there is a such thing as overhydration, and the little ones seem to have such a hard time balancing it as it is.

[Liza55]

OK, I am having the same problem at almost 4 mos. I tried to pump a lot more, though "real life" kicks in and I can only do it so much. Plus I tried stout beer, Fenugreek, putting my baby on the breast all the time. My last ditch effort to bring in more milk is ordering Motilium. This is actually a GI drug, with a side effect of increasing prolactin, in turn increasing milk production. It is not approved for that use here in the US, but I ordered it from Canada and did lots of research on the internet (you can too!). I ordered it from globaldrug.tv. I can let you know if it helps!!