Crying over spilt milk

*Warning this blog may contain graphic content(well not really graphic but it is about breastfeeding and boobs so you if don't want to know don't read :)*

Max and I have been having some issues when it comes to him nursing. Day one in the hospital the lactation lady handed me a nipple shield(a soft flexible rubber nipple to put over my nipple) and Max went at it. We never tried to latch him on without the shield again. Once at home I tried to wean him(I guess not to hard) and we were unsuccessful. I though big deal, he eats well with it yeah it is inconvenient but if it works we will keep it.

I have always though Max had some acid reflux because he would get this cough that sounded like something was in the back of his throat and he would occasional gag on something. He wasn't the biggest spitter upper but maybe 3-4 times a day would spit up just a little. By the time of his 2 mo Dr appointment I knew I had to mention it to the DR. He aggreed that Max had some mild reflux and he started him on tagamet(very mild acid reflux med). Over the past month and a half Max has been spitting up more and more often, and has become very fussy when he eats. Sometimes he will only nurse for 2-5 min(on a good day he eats about 10-15min on each side) on one side then stop and scream and we can't get him to eat anymore. This past weekend was horrible, every feeding was a fight. It is a horrible feeling when your baby is hungry and you are supposed to feed him but all he does is scream. The only time he screams is when it is time to eat and I get him in position.

Pumping wise I thought I was doing pretty good. We had he eating 4oz bottles at the sitters because I would pump between 3-4oz each time. However this past Monday I had an IUD(birth control implant in my uterus- with me nursing an IUD or progesterone BC pills that you have to take within hour after sex are my only options so I choose the easy no hassle one) put in. I was unaware that one of the side effects of this is a possible decrease in my milk supply. I have noticed a decrease in my supple, I am now only getting 2-3oz when I pump.

Needless to say I was very flustered and very stressed, I also have no patience so this is a bad combo. Plus worst of all Max is unhappy and something is wrong and I didn't know what to do...sooooooooo Jackie Randolph to the rescue!! I came across her information while in the hospital. She is an independent lactation consultant and I actually rented a pump from her for the first 2 months. I know she did individual consults so I called her up and she came to the house for one of Max's feeding. She asked me a lot of questions and had a ton of great info for me. Her goal when she came to the house was to get him off the shield because the nipple shield prevents adequate nipple stimulation that is needed to increase my milk supply. Once Max woke up we attempted to feed. Max did great- he threw a fit! I was glad he did so she could see what exactly was going on. Well it turn out she believes Max has really bad reflux and the reason he is throwing fits is because it hurts him to eat and even when I lay him next to me to eat he knows what is about to happen and that it is going to hurt so he starts fussing. It took about an hour but he did successfully eat. We even got him to eat a little without the shield. She left me with some orders. I now have to pump 14min on each side no matter what, including after he eats. This will hopefully stimulate my nipples enough that I will start producing more milk. She weighed Max before and after his feeding(12lb 8oz before!!) and we found out that he only ate 2.8oz. By his weight and how often he eats he should be eating 4 1/4oz every 3 hours. But he is only 3oz below what he should weigh at his age so he isn't malnourished. She also suggested getting my IUD out but I do not want to get pregnant any time soon(or possibly ever again) so getting the IUD out is risky. Another big change is a dairy free diet. Dairy that I eat is expressed in my breast milk and could be a big cause of his reflux. Let me tell you, you will not believe how much dairy you eat until you can't eat it. Dairy is in everything! I con no longer eat milk, cheese, cheese flavoring, yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, lactose, whey, caesin, processed meats, margarine, butter, ranch dressing and the list goes on. Here is a great card that Scott found the really explains what I can't eat. We went to the grocery store and got me some things to eat but now we are label readers! I also called Max's DR and got him switched form tagamet to Zantac.

Well I have been dairy free for 5 days and Max has been on his new med for 3 days and he hasn't spit up once! However we still have fussy feedings and Sunday night he wouldn't even eat. I do think the diet is helping though. I am a bit sad though no good holiday dinners or deserts, but I found a cake mix and frosting that is dairy free so I can have birthday cake!

I have also started on a herbal supplement to help increase my milk and will be starting on a prescription med tomorrow that will hopefully also help. I have seen a small increase in my production and am hoping it continues! We are going to try to wean Max from the shield after his reflux issue calms down.

Wish us luck! My goal is to nurse for a year, lets hope nature doesn't work against us!