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Breastfeeding
Frustrated new mommy ... please help
Addison was born 8/2. Although I did not initially recognize it, she was diagnosed with jaundice, and by Friday of the same week,readmitted for phototherapy. I was told she had a great latch and that I had "super boobs" per the LC. Our biggest problem then was keeping her awake to nurse. She lost 15% of her birth weight that first week. She is slowly gaining it back, but still has five ounces to go. Initially, I was pumping after each feeding, giving her one ounce and refrigerating or freezing the rest. This week has brought back the sleepy baby issues, even though I know her bili is coming down. The problem is that she doesn't want to nurse every 3 hours, and my supply is definitely changing. I used to pump 3-4 ounces on a side...tonight I pumped 2 ounces on the side she did not nurse and only 1 ounce on the side she did nurse. I am frustrated that she won't eat well, worried that she sleeps too much, and concerned about my supply. Oh, and on top of that, she seems to spit up some breast milk when she does eat...so I feel like some of what she is getting is being wasted. Keep in mind, when she falls asleep at the breast, I don't offer her the extra 1 ounce of pumped breast milk. Any advice/help is welcome.
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Re: Frustrated new mommy ... please help
I had similar issues with LO having jaundice, falling asleep and puking A LOT! With the jaundice it is important that she eats a lot, pooping is how they eliminate the billirubin (which I'm sure you knew). For the falling asleep, I feed Crew on one side until he fell asleep and unlatched him self then I would burp him and change him to wake him up then feed him on the other side. As far as spitting up, see if it is anything you are eating that could be causing it, if I cut out dairy it helps him, and burping often can help also. Good luck and Don't give up!
I had similar issues with DD. As pp - it is very important to make sure little ones eats even if they are sleepy - pooping is the only way to eliminate the bilirubin. At times, I would get DD down to just her diaper and place her on my chest to stimulate her a little. While she was feeding, I would be sure to rub her feet and her back to make sure she stays awake. Even though I hated it, my pediatrician wanted me to feed her 15/20 CCs of formula milk after I breatfed. Once her jaundice cleared, I stopped the formula milk "top off".
In terms of milk supply - pump after her feeding; however once her jaundice clears and she starts feeding more, you supply will adjust. Good luck and hang in there...you will be fine.
Normally, at two weeks old, if you were able to pump 3oz (total) after feeding on one side, I'd say you were doing great! I hear what you're saying, it's less than before. But you're still getting quite a bit "extra" for that age.
This is one of the reasons I dislike pumping so much - it makes us worry unecessarily. Try to remember that the pump is not an accurate reflection of supply unless you are EPing. It's possible she's becoming more efficient already and you're pumping less b/c she's actually eating a bit more. It's possible that you didn't quite drink or eat as much today. It's possible that the stress of her eating poorly made it harder for you to fully letdown to the pump. There are so many factors that can influence things.
If I were you, I'd focus on the tips and tricks for keeping baby awake for a full feeding. Changing Drew's diaper and then switching sides was always a big help for us. Try not to worry as much about the pumping. You can keep it up if you want to keep the oversupply you've got going, but don't let yourself live and die by the amount of milk you pump. I think long term success is better served by focusing on good nursing.
Hey mama, just wanted to say hang in there-- we were in a similar situation when DD was born with jaundice and dropping about 15% of birth weight. Her pediatrician had me pumping and feeding her milk in a bottle every two hours so we could keep track of how much she was taking in; we did this for about 5 days until her weight started picking up (I BF'ed her 2x/day just to make sure she maintained the ability, which thankfully she did). I will say, the dr. started her on Zantac because he suspected some silent reflux issues, and I'm not sure how much that was the case but she did almost immediately increase the volume of her feedings after starting the medication. (I weaned her off it after a couple of weeks.) If she's spitting up a lot, it *could* be a reflux issue.
Like PP said, remember that babies are more efficient at getting milk from the breast than a pump is, so the amount you're pumping doesn't necessarily indicate exactly how much you're producing. That said, make sure you're drinking PLENTY of fluids (like really, guzzle water throughout the day) and you could also consider taking Fenugreek to increase supply (it worked moderately well for me).
Babies are still so sleepy at 2-ish weeks and we had trouble keeping my daughter awake for feedings too. Try stripping her down to her diaper, running your fingers along her spine, blowing gently on her face, cool washcloth on forehead... also diaper change between nursing on each side.
Good luck and hang in there! It will get better/easier soon!