we arrived home friday evening with our precious 5 month old baby girl from Ethiopia. She is wonderful! pumping on the 10 day trip proved to be a huge challenge. Some days I had to go 14 hours without pumping. I tried to latch her in Ethiopia and she did latch and nurse with the sns and shield once. Now at home she will latch without the shield but with the sns. I saw a LC on saturday morning...Tess has a very weak suck..she was cup fed in Ethiopia. She will latch and suck if the sns is pouring in...which leaves very little stimulation to the breast. I already don't make much milk...I now have 4 children at home under the age of 5.5 and pumping and keeping up this schedule is difficult. Tess is also very distracted at the breast with her brothers around. It proves to be a very messy and lengthly process. I am feeling very, very guilty, but I think I am going to stop...I am overwhelmed and need to be done with this process...as much as I hate to say it.
I have made about 100 ounces of milk...and at only 1.5 ounces a day I am pretty proud of that! My sweet pea is 17# at 5 months old so she has been fed well and will most certainly benefit from having those 100 ounces of love!
I thank you all for the wonderful advice and support over the past 10 months. I don't regret trying this but it has certainly been a difficult and frustrating process at times. I need to be done....
so ,,how do I stop? How do I wean the dom? I assume I would just pump for comfort?
thanks,
Melanie

Mel you can just nurse her for comfort without the sns if she will do that and feed her with a bottle. I also suggest wearing her in a pouch or sling etc... to enhance the bonding. You do need to wean off the Dom you can pump for comfort if she wont nurse. She might surprise you and nurse when she is getting sleepy etc...which would provide some relief. Have trued ti get her started with the sns then slow it down or slip the tube out?

also a suggestion. Nurse her in a quiet room. Not around all the other children. She cannot concentrate on nursing with all the commotion going on. Plan for your nursing times. Have something for the boys to do in the living room to keep them busy. So you can take her in another quiet room and spend time with her and nurse her

also a suggestion. Nurse her in a quiet room. Not around all the other children. She cannot concentrate on nursing with all the commotion going on. Plan for your nursing times. Have something for the boys to do in the living room to keep them busy. So you can take her in another quiet room and spend time with her and nurse her

Hi Mel. I am sorry you're having such a hard time. I don't have great advice like Laurie and Nona, they are the experts around here. I Just wanted to tell you that you don't have to feel guilty about anything. You have done your best to provide the best for your little princess, now that things are getting harder, you don't have to blame yourself.

Try the advice the girls gave you for a while, if they don't work, then know in your heart that you've done ALL you could have possibly done and it did work...YOU DO have 100 oz. of precious mother's milk for your baby girl. Every single ounce was hard to have and those 100 oz. are a treasure and a great gift from you to your loved one.

Hang in there, and do visit and tell us how things are with you.

(hugs)

thanks for the advice and thanks Hapi for the understanding post...I feel good about my decision though the guilt creeps in still...good luck to you!! melanie