stm+ breastfeeding question

Jennyinheaven · April 2014

I am 6 days post birth making milk, feeding DD every three hours. I had to start using a formula supplement after each feeding because I am just not producing enough and she was losing to much weight. Goal would be to increase my supply and eliminate supplements, how long does this usually take?

tjkdlhb · April 2014

I had DD on the boob as often as possible. One of the nurses suggested pumping after each nursing session, which I think helped my milk supply.

I ate a lot of oatmeal and that seemed to help too... not sure the science behind it... just read it on the bump.

Babies that young don't actually need large quantities of milk. But they do need frequent feedings. How much weight did she lose? Is the dr concerned? It's normal to lose a certain amount of weight and then to start re-gaining.

Jennyinheaven · April 2014

She lost a full pound and dr is slightly concerned, I had her at pediatrician yesterday and because of the weight loss I have to bring her in Monday again. Huh never heard of the oatmeal ill try it. How many minutes did you pump after each feeding?

tjkdlhb · April 2014

I can't remember... maybe 10 on each side? I fed her what I pumped in addition to what she got at the boob.

Also you can try the BF board or www.kellymom.com

Do you have access to a lactation consultant?

Jennyinheaven · April 2014

I saw a consultant in the hospital a few times, they helped me get her to latch and how to position her etc. but I saw more than one and got conflicting advice on whether to pump after feeds or not. One consultant said yes but another said it would make my breasts engorged.

andoll8 · April 2014

here are some natural stimulants if production continues to be a challenge for you: mother's milk tea, fennel tea, fenugreek, anise seed, borage leaves, goats rue, and milk thistle.

there's tons of recommendations natural stimulants, so don't give up! you can do it!

MrsT2008 · April 2014

I definitely recommend kellymom.com - they have some great information.

Also, nurse as much as possible - every 3 hours is kind of long for a baby that needs to gain more weight, usually they recommend more like every 2-2.5 at that point.

Pumping after feeding should trigger your body to produce more as well. Yes it could lead to engorgement, but that happens when your supply is regulating itself anyway.

GoodToBeGeib · April 2014

I agree with a lot of the suggestions....

I'd pump after you nurse each time to stimulate more milk production. If she's having formula after, but your breasts aren't stimulated to make more then your body will never produce more. Can you save the milk you pump and give that to her after the next feeding instead of the formula and then keep repeating that (so you are giving her what you pumped the previous time right after she nurses). That way she's getting enough and you continue to make more.

Fenugreek definitely helped me produce more. Make sure you drinking LOTS of water and not having too much caffeine.

I'd get back in touch with a lactation consultant to help too. I learned the first time around that once you get behind it's that much harder to catch back up. I'll be more proactive this time around!

GoodToBeGeib · April 2014

PS- Don't give up! I had a lot of ups and downs, but ended up breastfeeding until my son was 15 months. It's worth it! Good luck.

ckmalone79 · April 2014

I came across an article on FB that was very informative as far as BFing goes & even though I've BF both children past 1yr I still am learning! The first 2 weeks it is very important that whenever baby wants to suck she needs to be at the breast, not having a bottle of formula. This is how I was w DS & my body produced enough to sustain prob 10 babies haha DD was a different story...within the first 2 days my nipples were falling apart & it was too excruciating to do the act of nursing so I would pump right before I knew she 'should' be ready for a feeding. Her first yr I was able to BF exclusively but my body produced barely enough to stick to a very struck feeding schedule for the entire yr

I ended up self diagnosing after seeing my dr several times along w different lactation consultants who were all baffled, turns out I had yeast infection in my nipples & once treated (8 weeks later) I was quickly on the mend! Now I've came across several women who have dealt w the same thing but somehow their dr had it figured out right away...go figure!

spinsoffresonance · April 2014

I would talk to a lactation consultant. Also you can ask your pedi to do a weighed feeding to get an idea of how much she eats per feeding and if it's enough. Does she seem satisfied after she nurses or is she still fussy? Any reason you're waiting 3 hours between feedings? That seems long. At that age DD was eating every 1-1.5 hours. Instead of pumping I would just try to nurse more often. The baby will stimulate your supply much better than the pump.

You can also try mother milk tea or fenugreek to boost supply. Also check out the breastfeeding board, lots of good advice there.

ckmalone79 · April 2014

I agree w lica001, DS wanted to nurse nearly every 1/2 hr in the beginning! 3 hrs seems along stretch of time...

mirdamae03 · April 2014

Agree with PPs. When weight gain is an issue you need to be doing more frequent feedings. Once she is past that then you can do on-demand feeding.

MissLadyTay · April 2014

Any time she has formula you have to pump. Basically so your body knows it needs to be making more. And three hours is a long time between feedings. Have you tried offering the breast every hour or so? Good luck!

danabsd · April 2014

I pinned this when I was pregnant with Beb and have referenced it more times then I can count.

https://www.simplyrealmoms.com/posts/increasing-your-breastmilk-supply/

Kris2011RN · April 2014

MissLadyTay said:
Any time she has formula you have to pump. Basically so your body knows it needs to be making more. And three hours is a long time between feedings. Have you tried offering the breast every hour or so? Good luck!

This, but I would try every 2 hours and that is from the time you start feeding to the next time you start feeding. So if she starts feeding at 1pm feeds for 30 mins then you need to wake her up to feed again at 3pm. I say this because a lot of my patients don't this.

How long is she feeding for? Maybe try and keep her up to feed longer, undress her, skin to skin (helps with milk production). Don't let her have a pacifier. You can always look up LLL in your area.

MrsT2008 · April 2014

Also, make sure she spends enough time on one side. Hindmilk is higher in fat content so you need to make sure you're not switching sides too soon so that she gets all the hindmilk she can. A good 20 minutes per side should be enough. It's also okay if you only feed on one side per feeding if she seems satisfied after one side. I would still pump both sides after feeding.

Jennyinheaven · April 2014

Thanks,all I am going to look into some natural stimulants for me, I am also joining a lactaction mom group that meets every other week. She was jaundice in the hospital plus three weeks early so I had alot of issues with keeping her awake the first few days which I think contributed to her weight loss. She is much more alert now so Ill continue to pump after feeding and Ill try shortning time between feedings

jntaylor11 · April 2014

I swear by oatmeal. Steel cut oats. I'd make a big pot & portion it out into mason jars & eat it for breakfast every morning with some fruit. It's quick & easy.

fatbarbie0226 · April 2014

You have some really great advice from these ladies already. The main ones are:

Nurse more often. Even every hour if needed.

Let the baby stay on your breast as long as possible. Even undress her and rub her head, back, hands, feet to keep her awake and nursing as long as possible.The back milk is where a lot of the nutrient rich and fatty stuff is. She needs it!

Don't put a timer on her or you. If you pump after nursing, just pump until there's not even a drop left, no matter how long it takes. Let her nurse as long as she wants, no matter how long she takes. Get rid of clocks and timers, your baby is more important than time right now.

I'd stop formula and try nursing constantly for about a week. Your supply will pick up when she demands more of you instead of knowing she can just have a bottle.

Don't get lazy with positioning and latching! Make sure it's right every single time so your milk can flow better and your nips don't get sore! Use lots and lots of nipple cream. If you start to crack, see a doc right away to help you heal!

spinsoffresonance · April 2014

BTW don't be surprised if you pump and get nothing at all. Especially if its truly a supply issue, the baby is sucking you dry and you wont get any milk when you pump. But the point is to keep pumping dry for 5-10min to stimulate more milk production. If you do get milk when you pump after a feeding then it might no be a supply problem, you just might need to find a way to get DD to nurse for longer and/or more often.

sthomas1222 · April 2014

lica001 said:

BTW don't be surprised if you pump and get nothing at all. Especially if its truly a supply issue, the baby is sucking you dry and you wont get any milk when you pump. But the point is to keep pumping dry for 5-10min to stimulate more milk production. If you do get milk when you pump after a feeding then it might no be a supply problem, you just might need to find a way to get DD to nurse for longer and/or more often.

This. And get a SNS (supplemental nursing system). The lactation consultants should've had you using one if you needed to supplement. This way baby is creating demand. Your supply can't go up if you're not creating the demand for it.

rcbuko · April 2014

Is she having enough wet diapers? This is the best indication if she is getting enough. It is totally normal for a baby to want to eat only a half hour after finishing eating in the beginning. WIth my first, she cluster fed all evening for months but slept through the night from 7 weeks on so I was fine with the constant feeding. Each of my kids lost weight and with my first, we visited the ped once a week in the beginning for weight checks. Even though she ate a lot, she was and still is a small kid. She was only 18 pounds 8 ounces at a year old and is only 36 pounds at almost 6 years old. The kid eats tons but has a fast metabolism. She was born at a normal weight - 8 pounds, 1 ounce, but quickly dropped into the lower percentiles with the lowest being the third percentile. She kept her own growth curve so after figuring out that she was just a small kid, the doctor wasn't concerned at all. This could be a possibility with your daughter.

Try to have faith in your milk supply. I know it's hard in the beginning and getting started was rough with all three kids of mine. I expect it to be difficult this time too.

bumpuser9353653 · April 2014

fatbarbie0226 said:
You have some really great advice from these ladies already. The main ones are:

Nurse more often. Even every hour if needed.

Let the baby stay on your breast as long as possible. Even undress her and rub her head, back, hands, feet to keep her awake and nursing as long as possible.The back milk is where a lot of the nutrient rich and fatty stuff is. She needs it!

Don't put a timer on her or you. If you pump after nursing, just pump until there's not even a drop left, no matter how long it takes. Let her nurse as long as she wants, no matter how long she takes. Get rid of clocks and timers, your baby is more important than time right now.

I'd stop formula and try nursing constantly for about a week. Your supply will pick up when she demands more of you instead of knowing she can just have a bottle.

Don't get lazy with positioning and latching! Make sure it's right every single time so your milk can flow better and your nips don't get sore! Use lots and lots of nipple cream. If you start to crack, see a doc right away to help you heal!

All of this.

Formula will fill her up longer, so I'd try ditching it for awhile so she wants to nurse more often. That will stimulate your supply since she'll probably want to eat every 1.5-2 hrs.

And have faith that you can do it, Momma!

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