Need some encouragement/advice...low supply (Long)
scarletangel
member
Hi. I don't post much, but I am really struggling with BF right now. I have been seeing a LC and she is wonderful, but I'm just so frustrated right now.
My LO is 3 1/2 weeks old and at first he was a sleepy/lazy eater. He still is sometimes. By two weeks, he was down a whole pound, so we had to start supplementing with pumped milk and formula. Then, we figured out that my supply is low. We aren't sure if it's because LO is a lazy eater or if it may be my PCOS.
I am currently taking Fenugreek, More Milk Plus and Metformin to try to get my supply up. I am BF LO for about 30-45 minutes and then giving him a bottle of BM/formula and then pumping for an additional 15-20 minutes. I just don't know how long I can keep this up. I tried to EP for a day or two, but that seemed more stressful than my current schedule. Plus, I was only able to pump 13 oz in a 24 hour period. Now, LO is used to a bottle, so he fights the breast sometimes.
Does anyone have any advice or similar experiences? If I keep this up, is there a chance my supply will catch up? I feel like I am putting so much effort into this and only getting minimal results.
Re: Need some encouragement/advice...low supply (Long)
I have a low supply and it never caught up with LO's needs. She is 3 months now and I supplement about 25% every day. I take fenugreek, drink tea and pump when I can. For now I still make enough to satisy her when she wakes up in the middle of the night but I don't know how long that is going to last as she gets older.
I read a post one day that said if you could give your child half organic foods, wouldn't you? Made sense to me. Just do what is best for you and your family. I feel your pain though. It's so hard to read about how many bump girls have their freezer stocked. GL!!!!
I had a very similar experience to yours but decided to EP when DD was 3 weeks. Everything turned around for us by 5 weeks and I did not have to supplement anymore. My supply would increase every few days by noticeable amounts.
I would say stick it out for a few more weeks if you can and then reassess based on your supply at that point. You are doing a great job!
I like the analogy PP gave.
My story could read almost exactly like yours, and you are so right, there are days it is just absolutely overwhelming. The two thoughts I will share with you are this:
1- my supply is increasing a little with those efforts. I started pumping after every feeding session. Initially I could only pump 6 oz, yesterday I pumped 13. I've been on the fenugreek and more milk plus about a week. So yes, there's a chance your supply will increase.
2- I feel at some point, my milk supply is going to dry up, sooner than I'd like it to. I had hoped to BF for a year. My thought is the point when my millk dries up and I no longer have a choice whether to nurse my child, I am going to be devastated. Therefore, every day I wake up and my body is still making milk I think, okay today is a day I can nurse. Even though some days, I REALLY want to throw in the towel! GL
I don't have much advice but I can relate. I think I make about 16 oz/day (which is way more than when I started) and I also have to supplement at every feeding. The nurse supplement pump routine gets exhausting in a hurry. It's three times the work. Being back at work has been a break - because I only have to pump when I'm there.?
?But look at what you are doing for your LO! 13 oz of breastmilk is a lot more than many babies get and a good chunk of your baby's needs right now!. It took me a while to get to that level You should be proud of how hard you have worked.
1. Have you tried More Milk Plus Special Blend instead of the regular More Milk Plus. Isn't it supposed to be formulated for women with PCOS.
2. My husband has had to step up and help a lot or otherwise I wouldn't have survived. He usually gives the bottle when I pump and handles a lot of the diapering duty.
3. My daughter ?also gets fussy at the breast. I think it's because of the slow flow related to my low supply. I try to nurse her before she gets starving. Sometimes we have given her a bottle first (with 3/4 of the normal amount with supplement in it) to take the edge off her hunger and let her finish at the breast. It's also nice for me to finish nursing with a happy satisfied baby instead of a fussy one. My LC recommended a SNS but I didn't like it. But I know some women do.?
4. While I don't make a lot of milk, my supply has virtually doubled with all the pumping and herbs.
5. I'm trying not to get too crazy with the schedule. I read somewhere that a happy Mom who makes 15 oz/day is a better than an exhausted one that makes 20 oz. ?My goal is to giver her as much breast milk as I can for as long as I can. If it gets too tough, I'm going to try to give myself permission to quit.?
6.??www.mobimotherhood.org was a good resource for me.?
Good luck. i know it is exhausting, but it sounds like you are doing great.?
My son was c-section at 38wks, in his first 24hrs of life, he ate nothing and wouldn't latch. he fell below that 10% mark while in hosp and I had to give him 2 bottles of formula - I was devestated. At the 2 wk mark, he still wasn't latching nor was he back to birth weight - they told me all sorts of excuses, he was early, he was a 'he' etc etc. I pumped EVERY 2 hours during the day (always offering my boobs first) and EVERY 3 hrs during the night - I had rented that mack daddy medela symphony pump from the hospital and my LC even told me it was the best thing to get my milk in and get it going.. at 2w3days old, he finally latched.. His growth to me seemed slow (I was going to a BF'ing support group every week for his first 14wks of life) and I monitored it and even compared it to others, but as long as he was putting on weight that was all that mattered. He now weighs over 15lbs.
I suggest pump or nurse every 2hrs during the day and 3 at night to help build your supply.. remember it is a supply and demand thing.. if you demand it, your body will supply it.. stick with it but, it is totally worth the effort once it gets going.
Good luck!
My assvice? Try the domperidone as your last resort. I also have PCOS, tried the fenugreek and metformin with no results. I am EPing for twins though. My daughter got too used to bottles in the NICU and won't suck for long on the boob. Domperidone gets me a 30% increase in output, and I'm on my second two week "round" of it. I find that it increased my supply and it stays that way. And then I did the second round to keep up with what my babies are eating.
The side effect I'm experiencing is dry mouth, and I drink plenty of water to counteract that. (supposed to be doing that anyway!)