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sunshine1234
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bf help needed
sunshine1234
member
hello.
i wrote a few days ago. my 8 month old daughter has been bf since birth. please help me..my husband wants to give her formula..i want to try hard to bring my supply back...now i feel like my supply might have dropped. I am getting my period a 2nd time since i had her.
here are some questions...
1. does my supply drop since i currently have my period? i am on day 4.
2. Explain power pumping...is this the best way to get my supply quickly?
3. is it better to nurse often and have her nurse ok? or nurse less often and really be hungry and nurse efficently?
4. if she nurses 4 times a day is that enough
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Re: bf help needed
1. I have no idea, I still haven't had a pp period.
2. You can try pumping inbetween BFing sessions. Also try pumping before you go to bed.
3. I think it is better to nurse efficiently when she is hungry.
4. Yes, 4 times a day is enough.
Do you think she is not getting enough BM, is that why you are worried about your supply? Also, she is on solids so the amount of BM she consumes will drop a little. You can try different things to help get your supply up, oatmeal and Fenugreek. Kellymom.com is a great website about BFing.
1. your supply will come back up in a day or two. DD always nurses more during my period (started at 9wks pp).
2. the best way to increase your supply is to have your DD nurse frequently. you can also try pumping for 5 min/side after each nursing session.
3. nursing more frequently will build your supply up. bm is digested very easily and so it empties quickly. feed your dd as soon as she shows hunger signs, even if it is only 1.5hrs since the start the last feeding.
4. for my DD (10.5 months), that would be nowhere near enough. and she eats 3 meals and one snack of solids/day. my DD still nurses 7-8x/day, sometimes more. she was only 16.14 at 9 months, so I know she's not overeating. if she's seeming hungry, feed her more. are you offering bm before solids? bm has more calories than any solids, so it should take precedence over solids since you are worried about weight gain.
Based on my experience if you want to increase your supply, you need to pump or have her nurse more. Your body needs to think the baby is hungry and it will make more. If she's nursing or you're pumping, your body will start to realize that the baby is wanting more.
With that said, with all three of my kids, my body decided on it's own when to stop producing. When my supply got too low I'd try to bring it up, but there was always a point when it just wasn't satisfying my sons anymore.
With my first son he nursed exclusively for a full year and then went to milk. I had no problems. My second son nursed for 8 months and then went to formula for a few months before milk because my body stopped producing. My third son was bf about 3/4 of the time but we did occassionally suppliment with formua (since I was exhausted and super busy w/ 3 little boys, I needed a little backup). He nursed til close to a year (maybe 10 months or so) and then we went to formula.
Like the pro's say, any nursing is good. Even if you don't do it for 1+ year, your baby has still majorly benefited from it. I think I heard that at 6 months babies have gotten the full benefits of breast milk. Anything after is just bonus and is mostly about comfort. So, even if your body has decided to stop, don't be too hard on yourself. You've done great!
1. My supply has never dropped with my period. Of course, I say this but I've only had a couple of periods in between getting PG. I get my AF at 6.5 months PP.
2. I have no idea what this is. I only pump to have a stash so I can go out.
3. I always nurse on demand, so whenever my kids want to nurse, I oblige.
4. I can't remember my girls' nursing routines. I think they nursed more at that age, but it's all so blurry now. I've had 3 kids in 3 years, so the dates, etc. get a little fuzzy for me.
Formula is not the end of the world.
Why do you think your supply is dropping? Is she fussy and crying a lot because she's hungry? If you think it's because of your period, your supply should resume when your period is over. I have heard of women having dips when AF comes.
GL!?