*Aspade*
CeltiCutie
member
Need some BF'ing help and someone on FB said you are the resident LC, so I figured I'd page ya! 
Elise is a sleepy eater like Addy was. I am 110% sure I have supply this time though. I can express milk, breasts are full and she is fine for some feedings. I am taking more milk plus this time and it seems to be helping. LC at the hospital had me do compressions while feeding to keep her sucking and swallowing. It works to a point, but after a bit she is just out and I have fed on that side for a long time (anywhere from 20-30 min at times) so I just pop her off. When I go to move her or burp her she wakes and is insanely rooting and crying like she is starving.
What do I do here? Do I keep feeding her back and forth until she is satisfied or do I make her wait? LC said to "top her off" with formula for time being because my supply may still be a bit on the low side, but I REALLY don't want to have to do that... I will if it's really the ONLY way though. We can sometimes give her the bink and get her to calm and/or sleep, but sometimes not. LC at hospital said "NO BINK." too.... but I haven't listened to that. should I?
Any help is GREATLY appreciated. I am busting my butt to do this this time and I wanna be sure I'm doing it all right. I know the first couple months are hard, but I don't wanna be starving my baby or making issues for later, ya know? Thank you so much, in advance!
Re: *Aspade*
I'm not an LC, but a LLL leader--just wanted to put that out there to not misrepresent (we're free, lol!).
No bink for at least 6-8 weeks, ESPECIALLY if you've had supply issues in the past. Each baby will be different, in terms of your supply, and what you do in the first 6-8 weeks basically determines your supply for the entirety of your nursing relationship with that baby. It's like a gauge your body uses. Does that make sense? Also, same with formula--that's milk you're telling your body not to make. If you have plenty of milk, why in the world would an LC tell you to top off with formula?! That's a head-scratcher if I've ever heard one. If you're nursing on demand and doing nothing to pacify her hunger cues (like the bink) or cause nipple confusion (I'm assuming the formula would come in a bottle), you should be in good shape.
But let's talk about what nursing on demand means at this stage. For the first few weeks, you can easily spend 8 hours a day breastfeeding because their tummies are so small, their sucking may be disorganized and inefficient, they fall asleep easily, etc. etc. You want to offer both breasts at every feeding. Very important! So let her nurse for as long as you can get her to at the first breast, burp her, change her, etc. to keep her awake, and then put her on the second breast. At your next nursing session, start with the breast you ended the last session with. Unwrap her if you need to. LLL has started being a bit anti-swaddling because sometimes babies are so tightly wrapped they can't use certain hunger cues, like sucking on their hands. Each nursing session can take up to 45 minutes--completely normal. I don't know how her weight gain is going, but it sounds like you should still not let her sleep more than a 3-hour stretch, at least for now (for her sake and your supply's).
I think you've noticed, rightfully, that she's still hungry after the first breast. (And she might pee and/or poop after the first breast and have a completely empty tummy--that's how efficiently breast milk is digested!) So your instincts are pretty dead-on. It can take a few weeks to "learn" your baby; keep plugging away, lady. I love how committed you are!
Let me know if you have any more questions--I usually check in at least once a day. : )