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Breastfeeding help...advice...

KBowen715KBowen715 member
in May 2014 Moms
Hi all-
I delivered my son 8 days ago and I am exclusively breastfeeding. I'm hoping to pull off the full year.

I have two older sons, and I only breastfed them for two months apiece due to decreased production. I've been so hopeful this time that I would produce enough and have been on-demand feeding to help production.

Everything seemed to be going great until yesterday. He was more hungry than usual, had less poopy diapers, and my boobs starting being less engorged. Worried, I manually tried expressing milk to test production and got very, very little. Baby boy is a 9 pounder, so he will obviously eat a little more.

I've put in a call to the lactation consultant and I really want to get ahead of the game if production is going down. Any advice? Dietary help? Something I'm doing wrong unknowingly? I'm strangely emotional about this....
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Re: Breastfeeding help...advice...

  • usernewnameusernewname member
    How was today? Did he eat more or about the same? I am a first timer so I don't have much advice. But I do know things are based on averages. Some days being more, some less.

    But I do understand the worry over how much they eat. I almost lost it emotionally one day when he wouldn't eat (mind you he was circ'd that morning) but it's so hard to tell how much when we physically can't see the food going in.
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  • NorthernGal248NorthernGal248 member

    Make yourself tons of oatmeal cookies!

    That One Gal From Alaska :)

     

     

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  • MissLadyTayMissLadyTay member
    My boobs don't get as full anymore because baby boy is eating so often. They don't have much of a chance to get full. Just keep nursing him. My LC says pumping or hand expression isn't a good measure of how much baby is getting because he's more efficient at pulling milk out. As long as mine has at least six wet diapers a day I don't worry that he's getting enough. Maybe do a weighed feeding with an LC? We did one and that eased my mind!
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  • KBowen715KBowen715 member
    This is all good advice, ladies. He's having a good number of wet diapers, just not as many dirty diapers- but obviously wet diapers are a measure as well.

    Keep the advice flowing!
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  • Lisababy14Lisababy14 member
    I just spoke with my pedi about this a few days ago because he had only had 1 dirty diaper. He wasn't concerned about it all and said it would start to pick up (he was 7 days old at this point) and it certainly has. He is 11 days old now and having 3-4 dirty diapers a day.

    I was really concerned, this is my first time BF, but just continue to nurse and it will work itself out.
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  • jcf2133jcf2133 member
    We are having the same struggles here. As a FTM, I don't know what to recommend, but i hear your concern completely. It's tough!!
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  • rcbukorcbuko member
    Totally normal. He may be going through a growth spurt and therefore want to feed more often. This will increase your supply. Also, judge by the wet diapers more than the poopy ones. I have BF three kids so far and they all had different popping patterns and all were deemed fine by their Ped. DD1 pooped at almost every single feeding. She was a poop machine. DD2 pooped around 3-4 times a day. DS went as many as 5 days without pooping and when he did, it was a different consistency. He didn't start pooping more regularly until he went on solids at 6 months old and now poops every other day. On the days he poops, he really lets it all out. He never seemed bothered and wasn't constipated. That is just his normal. I was worried about him initially but when the Ped told me that she wasn't worried, that eased my mind a bit. He is now 18 months old and totally healthy so I guess she was right.
    Lilypie Fifth Birthday tickers Lilypie Third Birthday tickers Lilypie First Birthday tickers mc #1 2/17/06 mc#2 8/3/06 mc #3 9/7/09
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  • spinsoffresonancespinsoffresonance member
    This all sounds normal to me, but when in doubt definitely talk with a LC. This is my take on it: It's normal for your breasts to NOT be engorged. Engorgement should only be temporary after your milk comes in. Once your body figures out how much LO is eating, your supply will regulate and your boobs won't feel hard anymore, unless you skip a feeding. They should feel the same they did before birth. Also normal for babies to eat more some days and less others. The number of dirty diapers doesn't matter as much as the number of wet diapers.
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  • Junebug060609Junebug060609 member
    Sounds like he might be having a growth spurt.

    Did he keep the same number of wet diapers?

    EBF babies nursing insatiably and not pooping is totally normal for a spurting bf baby.

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  • KmbaybayKmbaybay member
    Try taking fenugreek to up your supply if it starts to decrease-- you can find it at gnc or any health food store-- you'll take anywhere between 9-15 pills a day-- but it helps sooo much!
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