Advice with Breastfeeding

hi B., i feel for you, i know how hard it can be. my daughter was in the nicu for her first week, and they wouldnt let me nurse her at all, i was pumping every 2-3 hours around the clock, plus driving back and forth, the hospital was 1/2 hour away. it really sucked, but we got through it and nursed for almost a year and a half with no problems. you sound like you want to keep nursing, but you also have to keep your sanity, so i will give you advice accordingly, i just say that because i dont want you to take it as more pressure to pump, im only advising you this way because it seems to be what you want.
first of all, im sure you know from your other kids how emotional you are to begin with after giving birth, which affects your supply too. so if there are people pressuring you, know that they mean well, are just trying to help, and then just smile and say thanks and try to let it roll off of you. be glad that the hospital staff is trying that hard to do the best for your son, many hospitals will be just as thrilled to discourage you from nursing, especially when it is difficult, just because it is easier for them to simply give bottles. they must really be trying to do the very best for your son, which is a good thing. it sounds like he is in good hands. it just stinks that they add to your own pressure, try to put it aside.
remember to drink a lot of water, its easy to do and can make a tremendous difference in your supply. and dont have any caffiene or any meds that will dehydrate you. eat oatmeal with maple syrup (the fake kind, log cabin, etc) - that will increase your supply too.
do you have a good pump? if you dont, you could be wasting valuable time. make the most of the time that you do have to pump. a good double electric pump is worth its weight in gold. be sure you are pumping both breasts at once. i use the medela pump in style, its great. it was better than the one the hospital gave me to use while i was there, if this baby ends up in the nicu with the same problem, G-d forbid, i will bring my own pump to the hospital.
also, i think sleep probably takes priority at this point, but if you can get in at least one overnight pumping, it will go a long way towards keeping your supply up.
i dont know if you are nursing him in the hospital, if you are, that is great, do it as much as possible, he will increase your supply more than a pump, plus the more he nurses the stronger his nursing will become, and as he becomes a better nurser, he will quickly increase your supply, too. but more importantly, you get to hold him :)
believe me, i know how important the pumping is, especially if you arent nursing him yet, but i agree with you that your time with him should be with him, holding him, nursing or not, no matter how much time you do or do not have with him. i think that holding him will do a world of good for the both of you, and you should do it as much as you can. (and you should be able to hold him in peace, if the staff needs to talk to you, ask them very very nicely to do it when you are done, if possible). i dont know how long your visits are, but i would make the most of them. (i actually used to pump in the car on the way to and from the hospital sometimes, or if they made me leave in between visits while they had their meetings. just get a car adaptor, my pump came with one. obviously this only works if you arent driving, and if the trip is long enough to be worth it, and it can be awkward, but i got a system down, move the seat back, throw a towel over yourself, etc... it was a big time saver for me, wasted time anyway.)
all this being said, remember that you just need to get through this time with him in the hospital. i hope you have a good support system, you can email me any time.
you need to find a balance between pumping as often as you can and keeping your sanity. as long as you keep pumping and stay hydrated, you should be able to keep enough supply to keep producing. even if it isnt enough for right now, he will be fine with the supplements and you can always increase your supply later as long as you keep it going now. "This too, shall pass!"
AND, if you just cant take it and want to stop, remember that you have already given him the best start. i know how insecure and vulnerable you can be feeling right now, but remember that you are already raising 3 other kids, you are a pro! and you are strong! DO NOT let anyone make you feel bad, you are doing a great job. as moms, we always feel like our best is never good enough, but we are human, for G-d's sake! take whatever help you can get, smile and say thank you, and just do the best you can. it sounds to me like your son has a wonderful, devoted mama, he will thrive.
breastfeeding is wonderful, believe me, im a huge advocate, and i know you can do it, BUT its more important that you are both happy, in my opinion.
congratulations, and i wish you the very best of luck, D.

Hi B., Congratulations on the birth of your son. I hope he is growing and doing well! I know what you're going through. My 2 and a half year old daughter was born at 27 weeks. Before she was born they stressed the importance of breastmilk because she was going to be early. I did pump every 3 hours for the first few months. I probably did it longer than I should've because I was so drained and stressed and only getting about an oz. at a time toward the end. I did take a medication called Reglan which helped my supply temporarily but not for long. I understand your guilt (I cried for 2 weeks after I made the decision to stop pumping!) but in retrospect I know I made the right decision because it gave me more time and energy to devote to bonding with my daughter. ANY breast milk you give your son is great. Please listen to your heart and your body. Your preemie needs you and your kids at home need you. What you have already done for your son will help! Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you or any other advice you need. I hope your son has a short stay in the hospital. Best of luck in whatever you decide to do. Jen L.

I went through a horrible time when I couldn't produce enough milk for my daughter. The guilt isn't worth it. Just enjoy your son, do what you can, and try to voice your frustration to your baby's pediatrician. Tell the lactation specialist your needs too. It sounds like you are putting in a superhuman effort. The hospital staff and doctors should be supportive and it is upsetting when they are not.

Hi, I had my daughter about 4 weeks early, not as early as you, but still early... She ended up in the NICU for a while and so I started pumping as soon as they got me a pump, and in the begining you don't get much at all...sometimes it takes awhile for the milk to actually come in, though the main problem i had was the Brianna would not breast feed. told that pumping is the same as breastfeeding i starded to pump about every 3 hours, and even staying home this is exhausting, and a pain, But since i was determined to breastfeed somehow this was my option. i I found myself agonizing over how much i pumped and wouild it be enough, i had to lug the pump with me if i had no extra and wanted to go to my mom's, because even if i had extra if i didn't pump at regular intervals I would produce less milk. All the stress I believe eventually led to early reduction in milk, as well as the fact that your body doesn't see pumping the same as breastfeeding directly, it reacts differently. She finally started to breastfeed normally at about 2 months, but it was still a bit touch and go. They really do make formula realy well these days and i now have my daughter on formuala, I can understand that pumping takes away from time with your son, that how i felt about my daughter, and since you have 3 other children at home I can see your dilemma. My advice is to set times during the day to pump, maybe every 4 hours or so, In the beginning you should get some extra once the milk comes in. Freeze any xtra in breast milik storage bags, and just relax, if you decide that it is difficult to pump frequently at least stick with it for a month or so, if she comes home soon and you're able to breastfeed, wonderfull, if not, and you stilla re haveing issues with it, at least he'll have gotton some of the benefits in the begining. Most of all, don't let ANYONE make you feel badly if you decide that all the xtra pumping in the beginning is just too much and you switch to formula early. Your son will be healthy regardless.

B.:

First of all don't feel bad any breastmilk is better than none at all. I have heard that fenugreek and Dahl (yellow peas, indian food) can help with milk production. Also you need to drink a lot of liquids and protein. I have been breast feeding my baby for 4 mo now and I notice a difference on milk production when I don't drink enough water and don't eat too much protein. Also talk to your lactation specialist it is my understanding that the best way to stimulate your breast is by having the baby suckle on it as the breast pump is less efficient than the baby, which is the reason many women slow their milk production when they return to work as they do more pumping than actual feedings.

Also keep in mind that while breast milk is the best you can do, babies also thrive with formula. My best friend had her baby at 29 weeks b/c she had many complications and they had to take the baby out, her baby was in pretty critical condition and she couldn't breastfeed at all. Today he is 5 yrs old healthy and as perfect as can be.

The emotional connection you will stablish with your baby is sometimes more important than which kind of milk you will give, and for this you need to be stress free.

O.

Try talking to the doctor(pediatricain) and let him know how you are feeling, you probably did that by now! Anyway don't feel bad, formulas are very good today and will be fine for your baby to use. It is true that premies do best with mothers milk, but if you are stressing, that's not good for anyone. It's not fair to ask you to provide more than you can.

Have they suggested things you can do to increase your milk supply. There is a tea out there called Mother's Milk that will help. Also you can drink non-alcoholic beer, I think it's the barley that increases your milk supply (suggested to me by my midwife). While your pumping you can massage your breasts as will. Grab your boob close to your body and while the pump sucks squeeze towards your nipple (like milking a cow). And I know this doesn't help but breastmilk really is supply and demand. The more you pump the more you make. The problem I found was that the pump really didn't "suck" as well as my son did and that I started pumping less and less. Can you breast feed him while your with him. Most hospitals have started a program that really helps preemies. They really want you skin to skin (It's called kangaroo care at the hospital I work at). They say it helps to regulate the babies heart rate, and body temp and soothe them. Being chest to chest they can hear your heart beat and it calms them. But you need to be bare skin to bare skin. See if maybe during those sessions you can breast feed him directly, instead of giving the bottle.

I also am a mom of 4, my youngest born in January.
It is very true that pumping with your son around you, thoughts of him and so on help with production of breast milk. My daughter (child #2) was born while my eldest and I spent alot of time in the hospital with cancer treatments, sometimes it was rough trying to produce milk while away, pumping was getting harder and harder. One of the nurses suggested that I bring photos and a space of my own to close my eyes and just think about her laughing or her face. I always never had a a problem the minute she was around me. I would pump and freeze for when I had appoitments to go to. It works. I feel your stress.