OT: breastfeeding question
Beth Fleming
I'm sure this is OT, but I was hoping that someone here could help me....My four year old has had a bad case of the stomach flu the last few days and I've been concerned about dehydration. She weaned herself at 19 months, but as I'm still nursing my 2.7 yo, I thought that maybe my breast milk might be soothing and allay the dehydration issues. The problem is, she doesn't remember how to suck.....can kids relearn? She's tried a few times, but with no success.
Thanks for any input!
Peace,
Beth in MA
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Ginger and Jeff Sabo
Beth,
I haven't dealt with the relatch question, but I think they can relearn. Do
you have La Leche League there? I think there may even be a hotline you can
call. Here is the link to the MA LLL :
http://www.llleus.org/state/Massachusetts.html I noticed there are other
chapters, but I don't know where exactly you are.
I do know that the mother's milk is really easy to digest and is probably
the best thing for her. It's perfect that it will be a bit more fatty
because your body is nursing the 2.7yo.
Best of luck to you!
--
In peace and love,
Ginger
Annie(18), Kai(9) and Kade(6)
http://twofreeboysplus3.blogspot.com/
LOVE has impact.
"It's not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize,
accept and celebrate those differences." - Audre Lorde
http://www.savetherain.org/
favorite song...http://www.manitobamusic.com/play.php?vc=9
or is it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akevZTqMe-U
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I haven't dealt with the relatch question, but I think they can relearn. Do
you have La Leche League there? I think there may even be a hotline you can
call. Here is the link to the MA LLL :
http://www.llleus.org/state/Massachusetts.html I noticed there are other
chapters, but I don't know where exactly you are.
I do know that the mother's milk is really easy to digest and is probably
the best thing for her. It's perfect that it will be a bit more fatty
because your body is nursing the 2.7yo.
Best of luck to you!
--
In peace and love,
Ginger
Annie(18), Kai(9) and Kade(6)
http://twofreeboysplus3.blogspot.com/
LOVE has impact.
"It's not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize,
accept and celebrate those differences." - Audre Lorde
http://www.savetherain.org/
favorite song...http://www.manitobamusic.com/play.php?vc=9
or is it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akevZTqMe-U
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Melissa Gray
In those cases, I usually pump and give it in a cup.
Melissa
Mom to Joshua, Breanna, Emily, Rachel, Samuel, Daniel and Avari
Wife to Zane
blog me at
http://startlinglives.blogspot.com/
http://startlinglives365.blogspot.com
Melissa
Mom to Joshua, Breanna, Emily, Rachel, Samuel, Daniel and Avari
Wife to Zane
blog me at
http://startlinglives.blogspot.com/
http://startlinglives365.blogspot.com
On Jun 26, 2008, at 8:04 PM, Beth Fleming wrote:
>
>
> I'm sure this is OT, but I was hoping that someone here could help
> me....My four year old has had a bad case of the stomach flu the
> last few days and I've been concerned about dehydration. She
> weaned herself at 19 months, but as I'm still nursing my 2.7 yo, I
> thought that maybe my breast milk might be soothing and allay the
> dehydration issues. The problem is, she doesn't remember how to
> suck.....can kids relearn? She's tried a few times, but with no
> success.
> Thanks for any input!
> Peace,
> Beth in MA
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Lisa Smith
can you maybe pump or hand express some for her?
-----Original Message-----
Date: Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:04:39 pm
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] OT: breastfeeding question
From: "Beth Fleming" <momofwc@...>
I'm sure this is OT, but I was hoping that someone here could help me....My four year old has had a bad case of the stomach flu the last few days and I've been concerned about dehydration. She weaned herself at 19 months, but as I'm still nursing my 2.7 yo, I thought that maybe my breast milk might be soothing and allay the dehydration issues. The problem is, she doesn't remember how to suck.....can kids relearn? She's tried a few times, but with no success.
Thanks for any input!
Peace,
Beth in MA
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
-----Original Message-----
Date: Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:04:39 pm
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] OT: breastfeeding question
From: "Beth Fleming" <momofwc@...>
I'm sure this is OT, but I was hoping that someone here could help me....My four year old has had a bad case of the stomach flu the last few days and I've been concerned about dehydration. She weaned herself at 19 months, but as I'm still nursing my 2.7 yo, I thought that maybe my breast milk might be soothing and allay the dehydration issues. The problem is, she doesn't remember how to suck.....can kids relearn? She's tried a few times, but with no success.
Thanks for any input!
Peace,
Beth in MA
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
pelirojita
Hi Beth,
I'm not an expert on breastfeeding but when my son was born he did
have such a "weak suck" that my lactation consultant thought she was
going to have to send us to an occupational therapist who specialized
in mouth issues and we were going to need a special bottle just to get
any kind of nutrition, breastmilk or otherwise, in to him.
It took my son 10 weeks to figure out how to breastfeed and the main
problem was that he was not using his tongue to pull the breast in to
the back of his mouth. I am guessing your 4 year old has forgotten
how to use her tongue to latch on properly since this is not something
she would do with a cup or even a straw. You should be able to find a
diagram online (maybe La Leche League) that shows how a baby's tongue
is used to properly position the breast and increase the power of the
suck. I am sure if your daughter saw this she could start to relearn
the process since the muscle memory would be there.
If you have access to a breast pump (available for rent at most birth
centers and hospitals), you might want to try to pump some breastmilk
for her. If your 2 year old frequently nurses, this might work. I
found with my son that when he was 18 months old and on a trip with
his dad for 5 days I was barely able to maintain my milk supply via
pumping. When he was 2.5 and I had to go on a trip without him for 9
days, I found I wasn't able to pump any milk at all and I ended up
having to wean him then. Not sure about other people's experiences
with pumping during extended breastfeeding, but that was mine.
I hope you can figure out a way to make this work. I am sure your
daughter and her tummy would benefit greatly from the breastmilk.
All the best,
Kerry
P.S. a quick Google turned up this diagram on breastfeeding -
http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_images_anatomy.html. It is
a bit hard to read but indicates the position of the tongue.
I'm not an expert on breastfeeding but when my son was born he did
have such a "weak suck" that my lactation consultant thought she was
going to have to send us to an occupational therapist who specialized
in mouth issues and we were going to need a special bottle just to get
any kind of nutrition, breastmilk or otherwise, in to him.
It took my son 10 weeks to figure out how to breastfeed and the main
problem was that he was not using his tongue to pull the breast in to
the back of his mouth. I am guessing your 4 year old has forgotten
how to use her tongue to latch on properly since this is not something
she would do with a cup or even a straw. You should be able to find a
diagram online (maybe La Leche League) that shows how a baby's tongue
is used to properly position the breast and increase the power of the
suck. I am sure if your daughter saw this she could start to relearn
the process since the muscle memory would be there.
If you have access to a breast pump (available for rent at most birth
centers and hospitals), you might want to try to pump some breastmilk
for her. If your 2 year old frequently nurses, this might work. I
found with my son that when he was 18 months old and on a trip with
his dad for 5 days I was barely able to maintain my milk supply via
pumping. When he was 2.5 and I had to go on a trip without him for 9
days, I found I wasn't able to pump any milk at all and I ended up
having to wean him then. Not sure about other people's experiences
with pumping during extended breastfeeding, but that was mine.
I hope you can figure out a way to make this work. I am sure your
daughter and her tummy would benefit greatly from the breastmilk.
All the best,
Kerry
P.S. a quick Google turned up this diagram on breastfeeding -
http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_images_anatomy.html. It is
a bit hard to read but indicates the position of the tongue.
Gillian Goddard
My 3 1/2 year old relearned how to latch on after about 3 months of
forgetting how to latch on which led, in the end, to no
breastfeeding. I travelled for one week and when I returned she
seems to have learned to suck again in the way to get the milk out.
But it was much easier for her to relatch on one side and not on the
other.
My son had stopped breastfeeding for 18 months when his sister was
born and could not relearn how to latch on. So in the end he would
wait till the milk was spraying and I would put it in a cup for him.
After a couple of times he lost interest but he never relearned
latching on.
Your daughter has been off for quite a while so pumping may be the
only scenario.
Gillian
forgetting how to latch on which led, in the end, to no
breastfeeding. I travelled for one week and when I returned she
seems to have learned to suck again in the way to get the milk out.
But it was much easier for her to relatch on one side and not on the
other.
My son had stopped breastfeeding for 18 months when his sister was
born and could not relearn how to latch on. So in the end he would
wait till the milk was spraying and I would put it in a cup for him.
After a couple of times he lost interest but he never relearned
latching on.
Your daughter has been off for quite a while so pumping may be the
only scenario.
Gillian
Kelly
My daughter self-weaned at 18 months. She was 3 when her sister was born.
About 6 months later, she started wanting to breastfeed again. It took her
about 3 or 4 weeks to "remember" how to latch, but she did. She's now almost
5 and will still occasionally co-nurse with her sister. So I'd say, your
daughter is open to trying, go for it. Otherwise, I think the "breastmilk in
a cup" idea might work.
Kelly
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
About 6 months later, she started wanting to breastfeed again. It took her
about 3 or 4 weeks to "remember" how to latch, but she did. She's now almost
5 and will still occasionally co-nurse with her sister. So I'd say, your
daughter is open to trying, go for it. Otherwise, I think the "breastmilk in
a cup" idea might work.
Kelly
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
k
You might try the charm hold. It worked for ds when he was 16 weeks old and
he had never had a decent latch-on until I did the charm hold. This is how
it goes:
Sit in an armless chair or on a sofa.
Gravity is going to help this process.
Have the child lay down belly first across your legs.
Let the child suck your left pinky finger and when you feel the child latch
on the finger, turn the child over and see if she can latch onto the breast.
he had never had a decent latch-on until I did the charm hold. This is how
it goes:
Sit in an armless chair or on a sofa.
Gravity is going to help this process.
Have the child lay down belly first across your legs.
Let the child suck your left pinky finger and when you feel the child latch
on the finger, turn the child over and see if she can latch onto the breast.
On 6/26/08, Beth Fleming <momofwc@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> I'm sure this is OT, but I was hoping that someone here could help me....My
> four year old has had a bad case of the stomach flu the last few days and
> I've been concerned about dehydration. She weaned herself at 19 months, but
> as I'm still nursing my 2.7 yo, I thought that maybe my breast milk might be
> soothing and allay the dehydration issues. The problem is, she doesn't
> remember how to suck.....can kids relearn? She's tried a few times, but
> with no success.
> Thanks for any input!
> Peace,
> Beth in MA
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Beth Fleming
Thanks so much to everyone who responded with ideas....I never even thought of the cup idea b/c I've never been a good pumper. But, I tried it and she turned a major corner last night. We have our cheery, happy, healthy girl back. Shortly after breastmilk, she asked for pancakes!
Peace,
Beth in MA
----- Original Message ----
From: k <katherand@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:47:56 PM
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] OT: breastfeeding question
You might try the charm hold. It worked for ds when he was 16 weeks old and
he had never had a decent latch-on until I did the charm hold. This is how
it goes:
Sit in an armless chair or on a sofa.
Gravity is going to help this process.
Have the child lay down belly first across your legs.
Let the child suck your left pinky finger and when you feel the child latch
on the finger, turn the child over and see if she can latch onto the breast.
On 6/26/08, Beth Fleming <momofwc@yahoo. com> wrote:
>
>
>
> I'm sure this is OT, but I was hoping that someone here could help me....My
> four year old has had a bad case of the stomach flu the last few days and
> I've been concerned about dehydration. She weaned herself at 19 months, but
> as I'm still nursing my 2.7 yo, I thought that maybe my breast milk might be
> soothing and allay the dehydration issues. The problem is, she doesn't
> remember how to suck.....can kids relearn? She's tried a few times, but
> with no success.
> Thanks for any input!
> Peace,
> Beth in MA
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Leslie and Parker
--- In [email protected], Beth Fleming <momofwc@...>
wrote:
tried it and she turned a major corner last night. We have our
cheery, happy, healthy girl back. Shortly after breastmilk, she
asked for pancakes!
I offered some in a cup to my then 3 yr old when he had a stomach
thing. He had been weaned for maybe a year. He took a swig of it,
spit it out and said "that sucks!" It was funny but I was also I
little offended :)
Leslie
(Andrew 4, Conrad 20 mos)
wrote:
>thought of the cup idea b/c I've never been a good pumper. But, I
>
>
> Thanks so much to everyone who responded with ideas....I never even
tried it and she turned a major corner last night. We have our
cheery, happy, healthy girl back. Shortly after breastmilk, she
asked for pancakes!
> Peace,Breastmilk is great stuff!
> Beth in MA
>
>
I offered some in a cup to my then 3 yr old when he had a stomach
thing. He had been weaned for maybe a year. He took a swig of it,
spit it out and said "that sucks!" It was funny but I was also I
little offended :)
Leslie
(Andrew 4, Conrad 20 mos)