This is a xpost to see if anyone here can help me with this.

Between all of my kids I've breastfed a total of 23 months and have never been so sick. I was sick a couple days after delivery with terrible bronchitis but I was engorged at the time so I didn't notice a difference. I've had a sore throat since Thursday night, it wasn't too bad and even Friday it wasn't bad until about 5pm. Around that time when I started to run the fever at 5 she was sucking so vigorously but I barely heard her swallow, I never feel so empty at that time of day. I got sicker and sicker within the next three hours, my fever got up to 103.1 WITH taking motrin every 6 hours. I was still drinking a ton of fluid no matter how much it hurt me. I increased from 20 ounces every three hours to 30 ounces every two hours. At 8pm I was shaking so uncontrollably that I knew it must be strep. So I went into ER (we have no lower level care here) where I work to get an antibiotic. I had Donnie keep Ella and give her a bottle of whatever sample of formula we had on hand. In ER I had a septic workup and was given IV fluids and IV antibiotics (it was strep, never had it before). I did a urine test and my urine was so clear it barely had any color so I KNOW I was hydrated at the time.

So here I am today, still drinking a ton of water, still having little color to my urine, but I have YET to feel letdown and still feel so depleted. I had Donnie give another bottle this morning after I nursed her for 45 minutes, she just became so frustrated and I felt so empty and I still barely heard her swallow. I'm still quite sick as my throat and surrounding soft tissue is so swollen you can see the increase in size in my neck on the outside. I'm tempted to go back in and see if they would give me some steroids to reduce the swelling. Even this evening I'm still forcing myself to eat and drink in hopes to be producing more milk, I really want her to get my antibodies in case she gets it.

Okay, so here is my question... I know darn well my supply is way, significant difference from what I was feeling the day before. I haven't felt letdown since yesterday morning. Will my supply come right back when I'm feeling better or am I going to have to work at making it come back? What about supplementing after she nurses? Will that make a bad situation worse?

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first off i hope you feel better very soon.

very good idea.

the first rule is feed the baby, ideally it would be all mama's milk, but you need to do what you feel best right now to make sure your dd has adequate nutrition. how old is she? milkis a supply and demand thing, so, yes your body will catch back up, BUT what you don't want to do is further jeapordize your supply be decreasing her demand (by supplementing with aim).

if youir supply doens't pick up with more demand, you can try eating oatmeal, drinking mother's milk tea, and taking fenugreek (or other glactagogue herbs ) to increase your supply. i'd also advise you to stay away from eating/drinking things with mint or sage in them, as those are known to reduce supply.


it is also a possibility that your af is gonna be starting soon, and you are having a supply dip fmr that. (if it has not started already)

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She's 7 weeks old.

It sounds like I'm doing it right, I'm letting her nurse as long as she desires and supplementing when she's done and fussy. I know she needs to stay nourished and hydrated to fight any kind of infection. I'm so tired and sick that I'm second guessing myself. I'll try some oatmeal tomorrow, I looked for fenugreek at Rite Aid the day before yesterday to have on hand for when I go back to work but didn't find it. Where can I buy it?

It's interesting you bring that up about af because I had a little bright red bleeding today. That was completely unexpected. My cycles have never started while I was bf, usually it's a few weeks after I stop.

I haven't been this sick since I had mono or when my appendix ruptured, this is nuts! It does give me more empathy for my patients. There is a breastfeeding support group this Tuesday that I plan on attending, I'm really going to need it this week.

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did she have a big growth spurt about a week ago? there is usually a big one right around 6 weeks, but some babies have it earlier, and some have it a bit later. also remember that as your body becomes adjusted to know how much your dd needs, you won't be overfull all the time, and even if you have plenty of milk, you probably won't feel it as much. also, i don't know how it was with your other kids, but i know with me personally, i stopped *feeling* letdowns after my supply had stopped overproducing so much (i was a regular old cow with ds, so it was close to a year, lol) with dd i didn't feel letdowns after she was about a month old.
gnc, health food stores, walmart, how big is your rite aid? i've seen it at our walgreens.

bright red blood could also indicate that you are trying to do too much too soon.

if it is af, it could be just a fluke, or iot could be that your dd doesn't nurse as frequently as your other kids did, or maybe that she is going longer stretches between feeds at night especially. if you use a binky with her, you may wanna stop if you are counting on LAM as a family planning method.

(((Jodyskids)))

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Sounds like you're doing a great job! It really is terrible being that sick. One thing I wonder about is that famous 6-week growth spurt. When Vivian would go through her growth spurts it seemed like she was constantly attached, and constantly hungry, and not satisfied, and I wasn't sick at the time. Is she producing enough wet/poopie diapers? Is she gaining weight? If so, then supplementing with formula will most likely decrease your supply.

it's so hard keeping up with a newborn as it is, much less when you're so sick! I agree with Momma Bear, the first rule IS feed the baby. Do what you feel is best and that IS the best. Get better soon!

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She did go through her growth spurt just a little over a week ago. For about three days all she did was nurse and then it was all good.

We've only supplemented twice, the first time when I was in ER last night. I didn't dare take her there with me. I was shaking so uncontrollably I could even hold her and who knows what other germs lurk there. She usually cluster nurses in the evening so after not nursing for 6 hours I did pump 4 ounces to make up for what she had in formula. I felt so depleted this morning, she nursed for 45 minutes and then she was so fussy and I was so tired I told SO to give her another bottle. I was hoping sleep would relax me and I would wake up feeling better. I didn't. I just find it coincidental that I would quit havning letdown at the same time I became so sick. She hasn't been nearly as wet this evening, usually she soaks many times. Her poop is weird today, must be the formula.

I'm trying not to stress over it but it's not easy. I live in a small town and I know we are getting a newer bigger Rite Aid sometime this year. I'll have to wait 'til I'm feeling better to go out of town to pick some up. Hopefully tomorrow things will start looking up. It's always darkest before the dawn.

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maybe you could order some online? you can also order mother's milk tea online. the one i use is by "traditional medicinals" but there are a couple different brands you can choose from.

is there a walmart within driving distance that your so could maybe swing by to pick some up? at our walmart, they do carry it, in the vitamin section.

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I'll check around tomorrow when I'll feel more like getting out of the house. I was just hoping things would return to normal as quickly as they went haywire. Things are better today though. I did have letdown the past two times I nursed and my body is feeling a little more relaxed. She's MUCH more content this morning.

Even if my supply comes back full force tomorrow (I'm so hoping it will) I still have to work on increasing it so I can stockpile for when I go back to work. I refused to be a slave to a pump for the first half of my maternity leave and just enjoy a normal-no hassel breastfeeding relationship with my baby. I go back around May 21 so I need to start thinking about that soon. I successfully nursed my last and worked for 14 months and am hoping to do it again. Slightly different circumstances (much more demanding position) but I feel encouraged that I can make it to my one year goal (and longer if things go really well)

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I'm so glad to hear that your supply already seems to be rebounding.....I'm sure you'll be able to get right back on track.....

Interesting about the bright red blood.....it's reminding me of a hand-full of our moms that had a little resurgence of PP bleeding around the same time (after the 6 week mark when they'd be finished for quite a while already). I think I'd be surprised if it was truly and AF this early into a BF relalationship.....but not impossible....

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Try not to freak out too much about not feeling let-down! You may be having one and just not feeling it....you are taking pain meds for your throat, right?That might be blocking the sensation a little.

Also, I never felt a let-down while nursing DD until she was almost a year old!!!! It's been different this time and I've felt it more, but that just goes to illustrate....she may be getting milk and be fussy for other reasons.

Good luck....feel better.

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Suzanne

Proud mommy to Katie and Rob

I don't think the bleeding was af, I don't know what it was. I had some granulation tissue treated with silver nitrate at my 6 wk checkup on Monday and maybe that tissue was aggrivated and bleeding.

And the idea of pain meds numbing the sensation of letdown is really a great thought. I had some leftover darvocet from my tubal ligation and since my OB said it was safe during breastfeeding I took it just so I could eat and drink. She still didn't gulp like she usually does but I could have very not not have felt the discomfort.

I'm feeling even better this afternoon than I did this morning. I disinfected the house this afternoon, threw away and replaced toothbrushes, washed all the pillowcases (and sheets). I'm definitely on the mend. I'm trying to rack my brain about what else needs to be cleaned that I might have overlooked.

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nak

glad you're feeling better. I am late to the discussion, but FWIW, I'd call around first before assuming Wamart will have fenugreek (we have 3 walmarts in town...nonw carry it) GNC carries it but the teenage boy employee who helped me at first was like "what?" when I went in looking for fenugreek, acidophilus and mother's milk tea. (They carry all three).

I hear ya on the challenges of working and pumping and building up a supply. I have been militant about it. LOL I even had my OB/GYN call in a Rx for Reglan at one point when I had a few 'low' days in a row of pumping. Never used it b/c things levelled off and I figure something else making me sleepy probably wasn't prudent.

Anyway, all the best to you and I echo what everyone else has said, and what you seem to know......supply and demand. Sounds like you are feeling better and not supplementing anymore, though. I am very impressed! I have only had one or two 'moderate' illnesses in the past six months (cold/sinus/bronchitis).....being REALLY sick would be hard.

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Sounds like you are feeling better. That is great news! Keep up with what you are doing and you should be great!

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Thanks everyone! I feel back to normal today, woke up engorged and leaky. I NEVER leak! I had taken her to bed with me when I was at my worst and just let her nurse forever and now I'm thinking she just increased my supply, I wasn't expecting that! But I'm going to take full advantage of it. I've heard that taking your baby to bed with you all day for a couple of days could boost supply, they were right! I'm still going to pick up the fenugreek and mother's milk tea to have on hand.

Best of all Ella shows no signs of getting sick! If she doesn't that's two times I've been sick that she stayed healthy. What a relief.

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i'm so glad your lil girlie hasn't picked up the bug, and that you are not just on the mend, but so drastically improved. take it easy mama. :hug

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