I have been nursing my daughter since she was born. Over the last year, I've struggled greatly to keep up any type of milk supply, I can usually pump about 4 ounces tops (that's after a 4 hour waiting period.) Throughout the year, we have tried to get her to drink formula, juice, water or any type of liquid to keep her hydrated while I am at work during the day if she needed more fluids than what I could pump. I go home at lunch to nurse and she has soggy diapers all the time, so we're not too worried about dehydration right now. But, our problem is that his grandmother says I could start to dry up at anytime, and we'll be stuck because she refuses to drink other fluids.
Does anyone have any ideas on how we can help her to like other liquids? Is there a certain sippy cup that you have found useful more than others? Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks!
As long as you're nursing you will keep producing milk. Pumping does not show how much milk you have at all.
Babies are suprisingly resilient...many won't take anything but Momma and will hold out all day long and then nurse like hungry little monkeys once Momma gets home. And that' OK!.
We had good luck using Vanilla soy or Vanilla rice milk instead of cows milk btw.
Well I think the "don't worry about drying up" has been covered so I will offer something else.
I wonder if this is more of a "I need to know my mommy is here." thing more than a nutrional thing. I think it is so great that your husband can be a stay at home daddy, and I'm sure he is wonderful at it, but he isn't you. You gave birth to that beautiful little girl! You pushed her out (or not), they handed her to you, and the two of you connected! As she entered into this life, perhaps a little terrified at the change in her small world she had you to comfort her. You nursed her providing the greatest comfort a woman can offer her child and perhaps her not wanting to let go of that is her way of saying "I miss you mommy." It could be her way to reconnect to you, her comfort zone.
I hope I'm not making you feel bad for being a working mom, you guys are doing the best that you can with what you have. I'm honestly just saying "Be patient" you only have so long to nurse that one child. To feel that reconnection with that one sweet little baby, don't rush it with worry or stress.
If you are looking for a new liquid to try you might want to consider giving her raw goat milk. I know it sounds awful but it is the closest thing to breast milk and it doesn't stink until they pasturize it.
Good luck and just remember that you are a good mother!
Just an FYI. You won't "dry up" as long as the demand is there. Women continue to produce milk for as long as the stimulation to produce the milk is there. i.e. your baby sucking......women in third world countries will lactate for their children as long as 6-8- years.....
I personally breast fed my first child until he self weaned, at age 3....I am breastfeeding my 20 month old currently, and plan to allow him to self wean too.
I always say, do what feels right for you and your baby, try not to let "outsiders" influence YOUR decision.
M.
As long as she is nursing you are not going to dry up. Women who choose to naturally wean (child decides when s/he is ready) generally nurse to between 2 and 4 years of age. And children who are naturally weaning and are nearly weaned may only nurse a couple times per week and they find milk. Milk is produced based on the demand. As for her taking other liquids, there are many things that could be influencing this. First thought, you are working. As I am sure you know having nursed for 13 months, nursing goes beyond nutrition and fulfills a childs feeling of security and closeness to mom. Many working moms have found that their child nurses very frequently when they do get to be with mom. I am experiencing this myself at the moment. The other thing I have found is that times when I am with my daughter but my to do list is so very long and I am running her here and there she doesn't want solids, liquids just my milk. For me, this is a signal that I need to take time for her. Once I do take that time she once again begins to eat solids, drink and play away from me. Nursing is her grounding point of security from which she then can go and explore the world.
La Leche International is a great resource. It not only assists moms with the logistics of breastfeeding but various and sundry questions such as the one you have presented here.
www.llli.org (information and/or numbers for your local leaders or call 877-452-5324 (24 hours)
I think the other response is right as long as you are nursing you'll have milk. I think drying up is an old wives tale! But, keep offering liquids, eventually she will drink something else. When the time comes and you no longer want to nurse, she will drink other liquids! How well does she accept table food?
Yes, eventually you body may just decide it's done and "dry up". Sometimes it has to do with other subconscience stressors....
She may just be being stubborn because she knows that she can get that nummy breastmilk. you may have to just go cold turkey. She may resist, but just keep putting it in from of her. she get the idea that she has to choose. When she's thirsty enough she'll drink something like milk or water. She may just be resistant to change because it does taste different, but she'll get over it or be thirsty.
My daughter was the same way. I found I just had to make the switch cold turkey. We went through a few rough days but now she is drinking Milk water and juice fine from a sippy cup.
Ok, here is what I would suggest, based on what our doctor suggested and my experience. My 1 year old who was on formula decided that he was not going to dring milk of anykind anymore. He would drink juice however. This is what the Dr. told us to do to get him to drink milk. Add nestle's chocolate or strawberry syrup or powder to the milk and offer nothing else. No water or juice. They get fluids from foods they eat etc. So although it seams crazy that if they don't drink it they will dehydrate. It took a couple of days before he would drink it, and slowly he started to, we tried it with formula and with whole milk. Now he is back on milk and drinks it white. He gets juice now too, which he loves. But he has to drink his milk or he doesn't get the juice.
Hi, P.. As long as she is still nursing and you are still pumping, you will not dry up, so don't worry about that. You're body will continue to make milk as long as it knows there is a need, and the nursing and pumping tells it there is still a need.
I can understand the desire to want to supplement, though, partly for sanity's sake. I nursed my kids until they were 2.5 and almost 3 and water was the first they took aside from breastmilk. Full juice would be too sweet for taste, plus not good for them. You might want to try water and juice mixed at least 1/2 if not more water, and maybe go to the store and help your child pick a special cup and tell them it will be just for them for their special drinks. Anything touted as special they see as a treat instead of something they HAVE to do.
It sounds like you're following your instincts for the most part--keep trusting them and your body.
Peace,
K.
The amount you can pump does not necessarily indicate your milk supply. A baby is far more effective sucking milk from a breast than a pump. If you feel stressed or hurried it is even harder to pump. Especially at 13 1/2 months - and I'm thinking she takes solids - that amount doesn't sound bad. If you feed before work and go home for lunch and pump once in the afternoon maybe once in the morning at work if you leave from home early - I can't see where she is missing that much. I alway nursed my babies when they woke at night - especially before they became fully alert - but I didn't care if the babies slept through the night or not - and I breast fed the last until she was 3. If she is eating "baby food" it has a high percentage of water in it. There are 'juicy' foods with water naturally in them. Maybe try a plain cup - one for her and one for you. Take a sip of your cup and see if you can offer her cup and see if she will mimic you. Finally - if her diapers are soggy - there's the proof. Sounds to me like you are really doing just fine - she will drink other things when she is ready and really need more.
What about mixing the breatmilk with regular milk and slowly increasing regular milk/reducing breastmilk.
Like start out with 3/4 breastmilk 1/4 regular and do that for a week or so, then the next week 1/2 and 1/2 for a week then 1/4 breastmilk 3/4 regular until you are at all regular milk.
I don't know about getting her to try other liquids. I guess I would just put a little in a sippy cup for her and just keep giving her the same thing every time she wants a drink. For example for one day for drinks other than meal time, offer her water all day everytime she wants a drink or just put some in a cup and leave it where she can access it on her own. If that is her only option, eventually she will drink it. You could do the same with juice, but I would water down the juice by half.
Let us know what you try and what works for you!!
Best of luck! Hugs and God Bless!
K.
As long as you keep nursing (and or pumping) you are not going to "dry up". My advice is to just keeping on trying any sippy cup. Good Luck!
I just looked at what others wrote so I guess I was a little late!
Well, if you're ready to give up nursing, then just don't nurse her at certain times. Save it for bedtime or naptime or something like that. Then just offer her something else. She may refuse at first, but if you don't let her nurse, she'll get thirsty and she'll eventually want whatever else you offer her. If you don't really feel like giving up nursing, don't worry about it. If you're concerned about your milk supply, don't be. You won't just dry up if she's still nursing. You will produce enough milk for her as she needs it. If you're still concerned, try drinking Mother's Milk tea. You can have 3 cups a day. It tastes quite good and boy does it boost your supply! You should be able to find it in the natural foods section of your grocery store. Keep offereing her other things and eventually she will try them. Good luck!
Hi P.. I'm a child nutritionist and a breastfeeding mom so thought I might offer a few suggestions. First off, I wouldn't be worried about drying up. If you're still nursing (whether it's just when you are with your daughter or if you're continuing to pump) that should maintain your milk supply appropriately. At this point, breast milk should no longer be the main source of her nutrition but is still beneficial in her diet (the World Health Organization recommends that women breastfeed at least until their child is 2). On a more personal note, we too have had our challenges with my son (6 months) and getting him to take a bottle while I've been at work. A cup (without a lid) is the thing that he's been most receptive to. That can be a little messy with a toddler, but when assisted by an adult, can work out pretty well. Hope that helps. Good luck!
To address the drying up issue, I am still nursing at 16 months without any difficulty with supply except that I produce more than he needs. Your body will produce what your child needs. I drink plenty of fluids throughout the day and when he nurses I can tell he is getting his fill (the happy burp and big smile even in sleep). Pumping is not a good indication of what your supply actually is. Children are better at extracting the milk than the pump.
My son was difficult to switch also. I did a mix of breastmilk and whole milk 50/50, 75/50, and finally 100% whole milk.
He still didn't drink as much as I would have liked him to so I added a little chocolate or strawberry syrup. Now he will drink 24 ounces a day or more and I no longer have to add any syrup.
A friend mixed breastmilk with skim milk and slowly worked up to whole milk. She also uses flavored soy milks and has found success.
My son also loved certain fruits, but would hate the juice (apple, grape, fruit punch, etc.) I finally tried the V8 splash Peach/Mango and Strawberry/Banana. He loved it. I do a 50/50 mix of juice and water. Now my son loves mango, pomegranate, guava and other exotic fruit juices. I have become open to the idea of experimenting with different flavors of juice since he doesn't seem to like the normal array of fruit juices.
Another suggestion would be to allow her to drink from your glass. My husband makes a glass of juice for himself and puts a straw in for our son to drink. I allow him to drink directly from my glass. Since they love to mimic what mom and dad do it can be a great tool.
Good Luck!!
Hi P.,
Don't worry so much. It's a hard transition whether your breastfeeding of bottle feeding. If it happens she will quickly learn to like other things. All through her 13 1/2 month life she has had breastmilk. I would have her use sippy cups while you aren't there, that way her source of food and comfort from you isn't there, and then keep breastfeeding as long as you can. I swear my kids would hear my voice and think that they needed to eat. My son liked the avent and nuby sippy cups best when he was first learning. Another thing, if you do dry up or decide to stop breastfeeding, I really believe it is harder on the mother than the child. With both of my boys I felt so bad taking the bottle away and with both they didn't seem to care much. They didn't even cry. Every child is different but don't feel bad when that time comes. She will be fine and learn to like other liquids. Good luck.
Chris
P.-
Everybody has pretty much said it all, but I will add a few things. My son is 22 months & I would be lucky if I could pump an ounce both breasts combined. I have never been good at pumping, but have huge kids so I know I have a good milk supply. You won't dry up as long as you are still nursing. Waiting 4 hours is actually a problem too, the more frequently you pump the more your body will produce eventually.
Brekka
