So, after the whole debacle with discovering I wasn’t producing enough food for Casey, we switched mostly to formula. I tried to keep pumping at least twice a day, but was hardly getting anything for him.
We were feeding him some Enfamil Gentlease because we could already tell he was having as bad of gas as his daddy. I just had a small container of it that I had gotten at a doctor’s appointment. If I went out, I would give him a 2oz bottle of Enfamil Premium. I didn’t think anything of switching around his formula like that. When he was about 2 weeks old, and I had just ran out of the Gentlease, I started giving him just Enfamil Premium (another free container). A few days after that he started getting EXTREMELY fussy, and sometimes even screaming bloody murder again. We couldn’t figure out why!
Once the Enfamil Premium was gone, we went to Sam’s Club and bought their store brand (comparable to Enfamil premium). About halfway through it, we started to get the idea he was still having tummy troubles. So, we ended up going and buying the Sam’s Gentlease. I also talked to the Pediatrician about his screaming fits, suspecting bigger tummy troubles than just gas. He also wasn’t pooping often and it was fairly firm when he would poop. So we had to start giving him prune juice to help that along. I wasn’t sure if the Sam’s brand was working, so I tried the brand name again for a little while.
Around the middle of October I read some posts on BabyCenter that made me wonder if it was the brand and store versions of Enfamil that were the problem. The doctor had suggested, if the Enfamil wasn’t working, to try Gerber Good Start. So, I switched to it.
Within about a week, Casey was calmer and seemed happier, and seemed to have a lot less tummy troubles.
As time has passed, I’ve been really missing nursing. It felt like such a cozy bonding experience. And I do feel like my milk has the best nutrients for him, and my milk has immunities that formula does not.
A couple weeks ago I ordered some Fenugreek capsules and Mother’s Milk Tea. I’ve started using the Fenugreek, and tried the tea once so far. A couple times I nursed him for 5 to 10 minutes each breast before giving him a bottle, but he seemed really frustrated that he’s not gotten as much food as easily. I’ve still tried pumping, but still haven’t pumped with the discipline that will be necessary for relactating.
So, starting today, I am going to TRY to devote a greater level of discipline to do what would be necessary to relactate. First thing this morning, he got a bottle, but then I pumped. About an hour after that, I pumped again. Still only getting mere drops out of each breast. A short while ago, I fed him about half his bottle, then nursed for about 5 to 8 minutes on each breast. After a couple minutes on the first side he stopped and started grinning HUGELY at me. I think he prefers my milk. 🙂 I remember when we were still in the hospital and he would get a look on his face like “GROSS” and I was concerned he didn’t like the taste. Maybe I was mistaken!
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