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Freaking out about supply! Please help! (longish)

melody78melody78 member
in Breastfeeding

I am a FTM and my baby is currently 15 days old. I have had a rocky time with BFing so far and I have seen 3 different lactation consultants... first there were latch issues and she lost 1 pound less than a week post birth. The Dr. had me supplement 30 ml formula with every feeding and she was STILL hungry... so I went and rented a Medela Symphony pump since I was told that it could help increase my supply. So I pump every 2 hours for roughly 20 min in each session and the longest stretch I go without pumping is over night. I only yield 1/2 to 1 oz from each breast at each session and my biggest session is the first one in the morning with 1 1/2 oz. from each  breast. I offer my daughter my breast a few times a day and she doesn't seem to be getting much out of it because she is always still hungry, even after feeding for 30 min on each boob! I take 3 fenugreek pills 3x a day and have been for the last week, and my Dr. also gave me Reglan to increase my supple and I have been on that for 3 days. I am thoroughly depressed about my supply and it breaks my heart to see her slurp down the formula so quickly. I give her 4 - 5 feedings a day now with the formula (2-3 oz per feeding) and only that seems to satisfy her.

Should I just hang it up and realize that I will never be one of these miracle boob pumping queens that I read about on here that produce 7-9 oz at a time??? Am I doomed to give it up all together? I am so stressed about all of this and I know it is contributing to some PPD now too... Crying Any advice out there?

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Re: Freaking out about supply! Please help! (longish)

  • qtpietaurusqtpietaurus member

         i completely understand!!!  though i was able to bf with , i thought, no prob up until my baby was 3 months.... then boom! it hit, supply went down, started my period, LO's weight went down.  pumped what felt like non-stop (wasn't able to get much at all!! maybe 3-4 oz A DAY!!!!) i also went on Reglan... wow! what it felt like to be engorged again in the morning. but by the time the script was up after 14 days supply went back down again. Crying  had to supplement most of the time... and i know what you mean by heart breaking and also contributing to PPD.  i cried and cried and cried. i felt like a failure!!!  i would have to have someone else give her a bottle because i just could stand to watch her take the bottle and not me.  i even started taking fenugreek, and blessed thistle in hopes that that would help.  it does for many but didnt really for me.  it got to the point that i would just try to bf every other feeding then it went down to morning and night then she wouldn't take at all anymore.... i finally gave up at 5 months... still hurts, but at least she's being fed! (after i stopped completly, i new it was what i had to do when after a couple days i never had that engorged feeling again)

         so sweetie... the only advice i have for you is... it's ok if you have to give her a bottle... really, it's ok! [hugs] you still are great mommy and at least you tried.  that's all you can do. and with the heart-break about FF-it will get better!  on the positive side, i felt i could never leave the house because of the "work" it was to feed her.  now we get to go do things, and just bring a bottle. 

    good luck with whatever you choose to do!!!  [hugs]

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  • vaoharavaohara member
    Have you had a weighed feeding by a LC? Is baby back to birth weight? If baby is back to birth weight I would stop supplementing all together and just nurse even if it's every half hour. Offer the boob all the time. Your baby needs to stimulate your supply, a pump just doesn't do it as well. Those are decent pump amounts for a full time nursing mom at this point. Your baby's stomach is only the size of a golf ball right now do it doesn't need much just frequent nursing. I would also take a step back and stop pumping until you feel a little less stressed. Pumping can make it all too stressful right now. As for reglan, one side effect is depression so keep an eye on your mood. If you are feeling depressed pp then it could make it worse and that might not be the best med to take. Good luck, this early time is rough but you are doing great.
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  • KevinandlauraKevinandlaura
    I don't know a lot on this topic, but I will tell you one thing, the best thing you can do is stick with it. Even if your LO is getting SOME of your breast milk, this is a great thing! Hang in there and don't give up just yet. :)
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  • kami1977kami1977 member
    imageAmyG*:

    oh honey honey honey.

    You need to go see an IBCLC lactation consultant ASAP for a pre and post nursing session weigh in.  That will tell you how much baby is able to get at the breast so you know how your supply is doing.

     

    How much you can pump, especially after you nurse tells you absolutely NOTHING about how much milk you make.  If you can pump 1/2-1 oz per side, that means you are pumping 1-2 oz every 2 hours.  1 oz  12 times a day is 12 oz, but 2 oz 12 times a day is 24 oz.  A breastfed baby takes in only about 25 oz a day at the breast!!!  honest!  so if you are pumping IN ADDITION to nursing, there is absolutely no reason to give baby any formula at all, just make sure baby can get that milk by nursing, so you don't have to kill yourself pumping.

     

    It is normal for baby to nurse non-stop at first.  their stomach is small and they need to eat frequently.  the norm for breastfed babies is to eat for about 20-30 minutes every 2 hours, but if they are going thru a growth spurt, common at 1 week, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 3 months, it is common for them to want to nurse a bit longer, but to nurse as often as every hour for a while, 3-5 days to up your supply.

     

    Baby will quickly learn that if they fuss you give them a bottle, and then they don't have to work so hard, cause nursing at the breast is a bit hard, they have to gain strength in the muscles of their face, tongue, mouth and jaw in order to nurse effectively.  if they don't get enough experience doin this, their latch may not be coordinated and strong enough to effectively empty the breast.  There are many things to do to help with this, but you really need a GOOD IBCLC lactation consultant or LLL leader on your side to help you out.

     

    This, you don't have a supply problem.  The average nursing baby takes between 19 and 30 oz a  day.  Here is a link about the amount a breastfed baby takes https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/

      When I would give my DS bottles he would slurp them down in nothing flat.   It much easier for them to drink from a bottle than the breast.   They also tend to eat more from the bottle because they drink it so fast they don't realize they're full.   

    Also did you happen to have IV fluids while in labor?   If you did that can artificially inflate the weight of your baby at birth.   This can cause them to appear to lose more weight then they actually did causing concern about weight loss.   In reality they've just lost water weight.

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  • kami1977kami1977 member
    imageAmyG*:

    oh honey honey honey.

    You need to go see an IBCLC lactation consultant ASAP for a pre and post nursing session weigh in.  That will tell you how much baby is able to get at the breast so you know how your supply is doing.

     

    How much you can pump, especially after you nurse tells you absolutely NOTHING about how much milk you make.  If you can pump 1/2-1 oz per side, that means you are pumping 1-2 oz every 2 hours.  1 oz  12 times a day is 12 oz, but 2 oz 12 times a day is 24 oz.  A breastfed baby takes in only about 25 oz a day at the breast!!!  honest!  so if you are pumping IN ADDITION to nursing, there is absolutely no reason to give baby any formula at all, just make sure baby can get that milk by nursing, so you don't have to kill yourself pumping.

     

    It is normal for baby to nurse non-stop at first.  their stomach is small and they need to eat frequently.  the norm for breastfed babies is to eat for about 20-30 minutes every 2 hours, but if they are going thru a growth spurt, common at 1 week, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 3 months, it is common for them to want to nurse a bit longer, but to nurse as often as every hour for a while, 3-5 days to up your supply.

     

    Baby will quickly learn that if they fuss you give them a bottle, and then they don't have to work so hard, cause nursing at the breast is a bit hard, they have to gain strength in the muscles of their face, tongue, mouth and jaw in order to nurse effectively.  if they don't get enough experience doin this, their latch may not be coordinated and strong enough to effectively empty the breast.  There are many things to do to help with this, but you really need a GOOD IBCLC lactation consultant or LLL leader on your side to help you out.

     

    This, you don't have a supply problem.  The average nursing baby takes between 19 and 30 oz a  day.  Here is a link about the amount a breastfed baby takes https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/

      When I would give my DS bottles he would slurp them down in nothing flat.   It much easier for them to drink from a bottle than the breast.   They also tend to eat more from the bottle because they drink it so fast they don't realize they're full.   

    Also did you happen to have IV fluids while in labor?   If you did that can artificially inflate the weight of your baby at birth.   This can cause them to appear to lose more weight then they actually did causing concern about weight loss.   In reality they've just lost water weight.

    Report Reply
  • kami1977kami1977 member
    imageAmyG*:

    oh honey honey honey.

    You need to go see an IBCLC lactation consultant ASAP for a pre and post nursing session weigh in.  That will tell you how much baby is able to get at the breast so you know how your supply is doing.

     

    How much you can pump, especially after you nurse tells you absolutely NOTHING about how much milk you make.  If you can pump 1/2-1 oz per side, that means you are pumping 1-2 oz every 2 hours.  1 oz  12 times a day is 12 oz, but 2 oz 12 times a day is 24 oz.  A breastfed baby takes in only about 25 oz a day at the breast!!!  honest!  so if you are pumping IN ADDITION to nursing, there is absolutely no reason to give baby any formula at all, just make sure baby can get that milk by nursing, so you don't have to kill yourself pumping.

     

    It is normal for baby to nurse non-stop at first.  their stomach is small and they need to eat frequently.  the norm for breastfed babies is to eat for about 20-30 minutes every 2 hours, but if they are going thru a growth spurt, common at 1 week, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 3 months, it is common for them to want to nurse a bit longer, but to nurse as often as every hour for a while, 3-5 days to up your supply.

     

    Baby will quickly learn that if they fuss you give them a bottle, and then they don't have to work so hard, cause nursing at the breast is a bit hard, they have to gain strength in the muscles of their face, tongue, mouth and jaw in order to nurse effectively.  if they don't get enough experience doin this, their latch may not be coordinated and strong enough to effectively empty the breast.  There are many things to do to help with this, but you really need a GOOD IBCLC lactation consultant or LLL leader on your side to help you out.

     

    This, you don't have a supply problem.  The average nursing baby takes between 19 and 30 oz a  day.  Here is a link about the amount a breastfed baby takes https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/

      When I would give my DS bottles he would slurp them down in nothing flat.   It much easier for them to drink from a bottle than the breast.   They also tend to eat more from the bottle because they drink it so fast they don't realize they're full.   

    Also did you happen to have IV fluids while in labor?   If you did that can artificially inflate the weight of your baby at birth.   This can cause them to appear to lose more weight then they actually did causing concern about weight loss.   In reality they've just lost water weight.

    Report Reply
  • kami1977kami1977 member
    imageAmyG*:

    oh honey honey honey.

    You need to go see an IBCLC lactation consultant ASAP for a pre and post nursing session weigh in.  That will tell you how much baby is able to get at the breast so you know how your supply is doing.

     

    How much you can pump, especially after you nurse tells you absolutely NOTHING about how much milk you make.  If you can pump 1/2-1 oz per side, that means you are pumping 1-2 oz every 2 hours.  1 oz  12 times a day is 12 oz, but 2 oz 12 times a day is 24 oz.  A breastfed baby takes in only about 25 oz a day at the breast!!!  honest!  so if you are pumping IN ADDITION to nursing, there is absolutely no reason to give baby any formula at all, just make sure baby can get that milk by nursing, so you don't have to kill yourself pumping.

     

    It is normal for baby to nurse non-stop at first.  their stomach is small and they need to eat frequently.  the norm for breastfed babies is to eat for about 20-30 minutes every 2 hours, but if they are going thru a growth spurt, common at 1 week, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 3 months, it is common for them to want to nurse a bit longer, but to nurse as often as every hour for a while, 3-5 days to up your supply.

     

    Baby will quickly learn that if they fuss you give them a bottle, and then they don't have to work so hard, cause nursing at the breast is a bit hard, they have to gain strength in the muscles of their face, tongue, mouth and jaw in order to nurse effectively.  if they don't get enough experience doin this, their latch may not be coordinated and strong enough to effectively empty the breast.  There are many things to do to help with this, but you really need a GOOD IBCLC lactation consultant or LLL leader on your side to help you out.

     

    This, you don't have a supply problem.  The average nursing baby takes between 19 and 30 oz a  day.  Here is a link about the amount a breastfed baby takes https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/

      When I would give my DS bottles he would slurp them down in nothing flat.   It much easier for them to drink from a bottle than the breast.   They also tend to eat more from the bottle because they drink it so fast they don't realize they're full.   

    Also did you happen to have IV fluids while in labor?   If you did that can artificially inflate the weight of your baby at birth.   This can cause them to appear to lose more weight then they actually did causing concern about weight loss.   In reality they've just lost water weight.

    Report Reply
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