Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Milk Troubles...time for a Goat?

O where O where has my boobie milk gone......or where does it think its going!?

I am having difficulty with my milk supply. As soon as it happened I immediately went into panic mode. It was an intense feeling of inadequacy. I thought to myself "how can a be a good mother if I cannot supply my baby with the nutrition that she needs". I do not know why I have these feelings of failure. I did not breastfeed my premature twins exclusively and only managed to nurse them for about 5-6 weeks. The doctor wanted them to be on high calorie formula. I pumped as much "liquid gold" for them as I could while they were in the NICU, but they were still being supplemented. I was younger and naive when they were born. I was a first time mother of premature twins, I was so overwhelmed I admit I never thought twice about feeding them powder from a can! I did not have as much passion for a natural lifestyle as I do now. I did not have the understanding of the vast benefits that breastfeeding offers. Now I know different and my feelings run deep, I cannot imagine my daughter drinking anything but my milk. Artificial formula scares me to death. How do I really know what goes in there? Not to mention what kind of chemicals are seeping into the powder from the can. I do not even like the idea of organic formula. In addition to my freaking out about my daughter starving there is another road block to contend with. Adelea will not take a bottle for anything. I have tried over and over again with frozen breast milk and even a little juice, she doesn't care! She screams, gags and might as well be yelling "get this cold plastic out of my mouth!" You can't trick or even tempt this one. She is sure about what she likes and it is BOOBIE! I am avidly attempting to build my milk supply by taking fenugreek ( an herbal supplement that is supposed to help increase milk production),drinking lots of extra water, and watching my minimum calorie intake. I will by no means let my daughter starve to death, that is why I have been frantically researching formula alternatives. I had really not been familiar with any of these except for hearing talk here and there. What I have found that interests me is the option of using Goat's milk in addition to a vitamin supplement OR actually preparing a homemade Goat's milk formula myself. The formula would a huge task to take on, but I think if necessary it would be completely worth the time and effort! I would LOVE to buy a goat and milk it for myself..... mmmm...... raw milk. Nothing more sustainable then using your own animals for personal dairy production. You would almost have to own your own Goat since at least in the state of Virginia it is illegal to sell raw milk..what a shame that's the best way to have it, straight from nature.
I looked into milk banks and milk sharing, but I am skeptical about using someone's breast milk. I am sure it has worked out fantastically for some people, but I just cannot be sure what this donor mother is consuming. I would have no real idea about what my daughter could be exposed to. I think it is settled in my mind if NEED be I will work with the Goat's milk. Everything that I have read on the subject seems to be very good.(minus the lack of specific vitamins and minerals which can be supplemented!) It has been reported that Goat's milk is the most like breast milk and that babies are more likely to go back to the breast when being supplemented with Goat's milk vs. Cow's milk(and cow's milk based formula). I by no means want to lose the bond with my daughter that comes from nursing. I also want her to have the best nutrition available, which comes from me! I am just trying to prepare myself for the worst, to ensure the best out of the situation. If anyone is interested in the recipe for the formula or some of the links to what I researched let me know!

4 comments:

  1. I hope this improves, and the fenugreek kicks in. Try eating oatmeal daily. I hear it helps so much with supply! Also, add some brewers yeast tablets in with the fenugreek, it also increases supply. Remember my low supply with Micah? I did the brewers yeast, mothers milk tea, and fenugreek, and BAM more milk. Mothers Milk Tea had me supplied with more milk in 12 hours! Good luck!

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  2. Didn't you just blog that you are in the middle of moving? Or was that someone else? I'm thinking that if it was you, maybe you are stressed. That can affect supply too.
    I have a friend who was told that eating ice cream at night would help with supply. She swears by it. Said she could pump more the next day. Who knows? It's worth a shot cuz u get to eat ice cream!
    Isn't goat milk what they gave babies in the old days if mom couldn't nurse?

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  3. Hi! Stopping by from MBC. Love your blog.

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  4. I just milked my goat today.. man oh man its quite the task

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