is it possible to retry breastfeeding?

[@llli*p1215j]

my son was born via csection and i tried to exclusively breast feed him but he mauled my nipples and it hurt too much so i supplemented w/ formula. when we got home and i healed i tried to nurse and he would switch nicely from my nipple to a bottle nipple but he was always hungry like 1/2 an hour after feeding on me so i continued to supplement with formula and then i stopped being able to produce enough milk (when pumping i would get about an ounce (sometimes less) from both breasts together) so i just gave up and put him on formula only.
its not 3 weeks later and i decided to try to express some milk myself (with forefinger and thumb) and saw a drop come out. i got all excited and decided to pump to see how much, if anything, comes out and ... zilp. not a drop. i tried pumping for 15 minutes.
obviously i have something left inside of me. when i try to express with my fingers i get a drop or two but the pump gets nothing.
is it possible for me to go back to breastfeeding? any advice on how to do it???

[@llli*juno]

Check out the section on relactation and induced lactation. Yes it's possible!

[@llli*mommal]

Definitely possible! Lots of mamas have done it. Here are some tips to get you started:
- Put the baby to the breast as much as possible. A nursing baby is great at stimulating increased supply.
- If baby will not nurse, check out this link: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/...to-breast.html.
- If/when baby will nurse, use this link to wean off of formula: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/decrease-formula.html
- Pump, using a high-quality pump with correctly sized shields. Hospital-grade rental is best. If you are trying to get your supply going with a manual pump or cheap electric pump, you are wasting a huge amount of effort by using an underpowered pump.
- Pump frequently. I suggest pumping every 2 hours during the day and every 3 at night.
- Try power pumping: pump for 10 minutes, rest for 10 minutes, pump for 10, rest for 10, and finally pump again for 10 minutes for a total of 30 minutes of pumping in a one-hour period. This type of pump-work is supposed to mimic the way a baby feeds and builds supply during a growth spurt.
- Contact a lactation consultant, preferably an IBCLC for help getting baby to latch and nurse, for help with pumping, and to help you prevent problems resulting from a poor latch.
- Herbs: fenugreek, blessed thistle, and ordinary oatmeal are all good for increasing supply.
- Drugs: as a last resort, Reglan and Domperidone are prescription drugs which can increase milk supply as a side-effect. Both have additional side-effects and are not for all moms, so please talk to your health-care provider (probably your midwife or ob) before taking either one.

Good luck and let us know how it goes, and how we can help!