Supply help
Hi Everyone,
We just brought our preemie home two weeks ago. While he was in the hospital I would nurse and he would also get a supplement (of breastmilk) to help make sure he was getting enough (he was having trouble gaining weight).
Now that we are home he is an eating machine. He will nurse anywhere between 15-45 miutes and then stop. Nine out of ten times he will still want a bottle after nursing. I will always offer the breast again but he will not latch on again but will take a bottle. I am trying to pump more and always pump after he nurses, I have started fenugreek, and am drinking more water but I still am not making enough to meet his needs. I was hoping to feed him breast milk only for the first year and aI also need to stash milk for when I return to work.
Any thoughts or help would be greatly appreciated. Am I just completely doing this wrong? I am feeling like a huge failure!
Re: Supply help
How much fenugreek are you taking? How many mg is it? You need at least 9 a day, possibly more.
When you pump, make sure you pump for 5 minutes after the milk stops flowing.
As the mom of a preemie who struggled with supply issues (and now again with my full-term baby), the best advice I can give you is this: do NOT feel like a failure. Sometimes preemie moms have more of a struggle, and sometimes preemies have more of a struggle to nurse.
You are not a failure and it is okay if you decide it's too much for you. I had to stop pumping after my daughter came home from the hospital and she went on Neosure--a preemie formula. She's perfectly fine now.
Hi. About 5 days ago I posted almost the same post as you (though mine is not a preemie)... This is what I've been doing to increase my supply and it is working!
I pump for 20 minutes about 30-45 minutes after every feeding. My doctor said that even though you'll stop flowing at around 10 minutes, the pumping part is not as much for milk as it is for stimulation of the nipple to increase your supply.
I'm taking fenugreek 3x/day and mother's milk tea.
My nipples are very sore, and the pediatrician said that it is ok to pump and feed for a few feedings and skip the nursing part to give my nips a rest. She doesn't think that nipple confusion is going to be an issue. I also bought nipple shells and omg it is so nice not to have my clothing rubbing on them anymore.
ALSO... THIS BLEW MY MIND... when pumping, make sure you slather your nipples with nipple butter or vaseline. This doubled my output of milk the first time I tried. It creates a better seal around the base of the nipple and it helps your nipple slide in and out better making for a much better pumping session... plus it doesn't hurt as much. I was pumping dry before and was getting less than half of what I pumped today.
Good luck. Don't give up.
5 DIUI - BFN
IVF#1 - BFP - AJ 7/12
FET#1 - BFP Due 7/24/14