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Breastfeeding
Shortycube
member
i literally balwed my eyes out
Shortycube
member
i had to give Sebastian 1oz of formula yesterday. he seemed starving and wasn't getting anything from me. i couldn't even pump anything for him but believe me i tried. i literally bawled my eyes out. i'm taking fenugreek, drinking that mothers tea stuff and at the moment my body isn't making enough and i'm not okay with that. so i caved and gave him 1oz of formula then tried breast feeding him again - he then seemed happy. i hope this doesn't have to continue.
anyone have any other tricks to increase my supply - i'm willing to try anything.
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Re: i literally balwed my eyes out
{{HUGS}}
You are doing FINE. 3 weeks is a huge growth spurt, we've all been there. Formula is not evil. Just relax and hang in there, this too shall pass.
Make sure you are eating enough and sleeping as much as you can. haha I know....sleep at 3 weeks?! but seriously rest and recovery for YOU are just as important to your supply as anything right now.
First, and I know it's hard, you can't obsessive about it. Stress can have an impact on your milk supply. Other things you want to make sure is that you are eating enough and drinking enough water. Proteins really seem to help me. It's crazy but every time I splurge with a big steak dinner I always have a great pumping day the next day -- Maybe its the calories, maybe its the relaxation after a great meal, or maybe its a combination of both. Sleep can also help, but I won't even humor you by suggesting that!
You mentioned the tea and fenugreek. Have you tried adding a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast? Maybe putting a little flaxseed meal on top of it? Or you could try the lactation cookies. But you probably don't need to do any of these, but totally do it if it will make you feel better. This is probably just his 3-week growth spurt. Keep putting him to your breast as often as he wants and he'll send the message to your body to make more. You may feel like you are feeding him ALL. THE. TIME. and it's never enough, but that's how they trigger you to meet their needs.
Hang in there - You are doing great!
I agree with PP, youre doing great! I had a horrendous time after 2 weeks because of a big growth spurt.
Drink lots of water, and rest. Don't worry about the house or people coming over, get DH to bring food home for dinner or whatever. Make it just your and your LO and a comfy place to snuggle.
And I PROMISE it will get easier.
I've been there, sweetie!
When DS was around a month old, he would nurse for hours in the evening when my supply was at its lowest. From 8-10 pm, he was on the breast almost constantly. He started getting frustrated and upset, and needless to say, so did I. Like you, I bawled when I finally broke down and gave him a bit of formula. But the bottom line is that he was finally satisfied, and that's what was important.
I took fenugreek, drank mother's milk tea, and drank a dark beer every night, and that seemed to do the trick. To this day, I only produce just enough to keep DS satisfied (I can rarely pump any extra), but he's gaining weight like a champ and has already doubled his birth weight. BUT, I haven't had to supplement a single time since then.
I totally understand the emotional toll that supplementing can take--but just remember that keeping your baby full and satisfied is the most important thing. Keep on working on your supply and hopefully things will get better!!
make sure that you are massaging your breast downward as you pump. start at the armpit and move toward the nipple. it will make the milk more fatty and also help drain your breast completely to kind of trick your body into making more milk. i usually press my breast from every possible angle... underneath... inside... top down, try to get every drop out. it will mean you have to pump longer, but you can usually get atleast 2 letdowns doing it that way. GOOD LUCK!!!
Did a professional tell you that you have low supply? 3 weeks seems a bit early to know that since your supply isn't really regulated by then.
Drink a LOT of water, and just try to enjoy your time breastfeeding instead of thinking about "oh is he getting enough" because like pp said, being relaxed will help. I kept my Brita pitcher in the nursery every night so that I would have at least 1 big glass during each nighttime feeding at that age. And of course I kept drinking during the daytime too.
Oh and I agree about the oatmeal, flaxseed meal, and lactation cookies. I tried the lactation cookies and they worked great, so now I'm going to just try to incorporate the special ingredients (flaxseed meal and brewer's yeast) into my day (like in the oatmeal) since I'm trying to lose the last of the baby weight lol
Good luck! You'll get through this.
make sure you are drinking a ton of water. And getting a good nights sleep. It is very normal for a baby to be really hungry at 3 weeks. Just keep nursing, you'll see, in 3 days you'll be producing more and he'll want a little less.
stress can reduce your supply so don't!