When is it "too late" to BF??

[kensjen]

Maybe some of you remember my saga...I have been trying very hard to BF DS. We've had issues, and now he is 3 months old and I am pumping lots and also supplementing. He does not latch on very often, but I still have my hopeful days. Most of the LC's I've worked with (yes, there were many!) have said that he may one day latch on and not look back! The only thing I am worried about is being able to keep my milk supply there. I pump constantly, even got the hospital grade, and take fenugreek, but I know it's not the same as the stimulation from a baby. I really thought I could EBF if I tried hard, and kept at it, but now I'm not too sure. Just when I am ready to give up and stop the pumping, I will read something about how wonderful BM is, or I will just look at DS and want to do what is best for him. So I am just wondering if it's already too late to EBF him? (from a milk supply issue) I know one of my LC's mentioned that after 10 or 12 weeks, it is hard to re-establish a good supply....? Or something like that. Just wondering, I am having another one of those days, where I am not sure what to do....
TIA,

[sntm]

there is a board on the parentsplace.com website that is "exclusively pumping" -- so moms who only pump, and when i browsed there once, there were several with much older babies.

are you having supply issues now? how much do you pump?
not everyone needs baby to nurse to keep their supply up. I sometimes think i respond better to the pump!


shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[egoldber]

There are many, many moms who exclusively pump. Some are able to do it without any supplementation, and some supplement somewhat. Any breastmilk you can give your DS is better than none. Pumping for the long haul is hard on you, but is doable.

I would defintiely check out both the ParentsPlace Exclusively Pumping board and the PumpMoms Yahoo Goup. Both are tremendous resources. And I would also keep trying to get him latched periodically. You never know.

HTH,

[alexsmommy]

Alex didn't latch on until he was essentially 2 1/2 months - preemie issues/nipple confusion. I'm sure you've been over many options with the LC's - but for us, it wasn't until I stopped bottle feeding and used the Medela Supplemental System to finger feed that we had success. I think both Alex and I were fed up with trying to get him to latch on and stay on, so finger feeding was a welcome break for both of us and helped us both relax. It also cut down on nipple "confusion" (I dont' think he was confused at all, he wanted the bottle nipple b/c it was easier and immediate!) I'd be happy to give you more details if you're interested - [email protected]
One thing, if you want to try this definately talk to your LC first - obviously, the baby must be fed first and foremost so it's helpful to get some guidelines.

Good Luck!
Alaina - Mom to Alex