Is my milk supply decreasing?

Re: Is my milk supply decreasing?

• Options

  Peanutz21 member

  July 2014

  hi congrats on your new LO! i'm still new to BF and learning more every day. 
  
  

  breast size/engorgement/pain is a not a good measure of supply per se.  your milk is beginning to come in now and establishing supply. it's natural to feel engorged like that at this time but will eventually get better. 
  
  just a few ?s: why are you using formula? did LO lose more than expected weight and you were told to supplement by the pediatrician? also, how do you know LO is not full?  it may be that she needs to nurse more often than every 3 hours; some babies like to nurse more frequently at times. 
  

  
  

  TTC#2
  

  

  Our little IVF miracle born 5/7/2014

  

  Report0 Reply
• Options

  NADA-H member

  July 2014

  I supplemented because i'd feed her for a long time and she'd cry and be putting her fist in her mouth once i take her off, sometimes its me being away from her or falling asleep from exhaustion and my mom or husband would give her a bottle.
  
  I was told not to pump till 3-4 weeks before i go back to work or else it will mess up my supply as to the 3 hours gap she just falls deeply asleep in between and doesn't seem to be interested once i try to feed her. At our first appointment at 6 days old she had regained her birth weight and went 200 grams over it and had reached 8.3lbs but she is so fussy now after feeding her for an hour where she would take each side for a half hour she'd still go nuts crying and eating her hands until i'd give her a bottle and she would easily down 2-3 ounces of formula right after that, is this normal?!

  
  God Bless You my Little One
  Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
  
  Farida, at 8 weeks
  
  

  Report0 Reply
• Loading the player...
• Options

  TheBorg7of9 member

  July 2014

  Have you tried a pacifier?

  My TTC History:

  2009: missed miscarriage #1 at 9 weeks (trisomy 16)
  2010: Infertility

  2011: Diagnosis and treatment (low sperm count, anastrozole for DH, clomid for me + IUI)

  2012: Baby #1

  2014: Baby #2
  October 2015: missed miscarriage #2 at 11 weeks (trisomy 22)

  March 2016 BFP#5, due November 2016.

  
  

  My Charts since 2009

  http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/25b8a4

  
  

  Report0 Reply
• Options

  NADA-H member

  July 2014

  thank you ladies, my husband and I are staying with my parents to help us with the first PP couple of weeks and I didn't think I'd need my pump but I'm having my husband bring it from our flat today. I have the freestyle double electric medela one which I got to pump for when I go back to work. I guess I will use it when my LO doesn't nurse.

  
  

  I'm trying to get my baby used to a pacifier for when she just wants to suckle, she doesn't like it much but would take it once every few days if she isn't really hungry but mainly she keeps spitting it out and looks disgusted by it-I tried multiple ones by different makers-, crying, and putting her fist in her mouth until she is back to nursing again or gets a bottle.

  
  

  my other problem is that she'd fall asleep at my breast after 5 minutes of nursing looking so satisfied sometimes and wouldn't wake up even when I tickle her feet or burp her and then 5 minutes after I put her in her crib she'd wake up crying for more food, eating up her fists and would latch so strongly like she hadn't eaten in ages, this happens multiple times in a row.

  
  

  I'm afraid I had overfed her to the point that her stomach got bigger and she needs so much milk to be satisfied now?..could I have done that? she doesn't throw up though

  
  God Bless You my Little One
  Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
  
  Farida, at 8 weeks
  
  

  Report0 Reply
• Options

  hollandmama member

  July 2014

  theresat858 said:

  1) Any time you give formula without pumping, you are signalling your body that you do not need that milk.  I would stop skipping feedings ASAP if you want to have a successful breastfeeding relationship without long-term supply issues.
  
  2) It is normal for your supply to regulate to meet baby's needs... or in this case, baby's needs minus the bottles of formula. 
  
  Engorgement shouldn't last beyond a few days.
  
  At this point, put the bottles away and nurse, nurse, nurse. When baby seems dissatisfied, switch sides. Cluster feeding - constantly nursing for several hours at a time - is perfectly normal newborn behavior, and isn't a sign of a supply issue...but if you give a bottle instead of letting baby cluster feed, it can quickly become a supply problem.   If you must be away from baby, pump for at least 20 minutes (ideally w/ a hospital grade pump) for each feeding that you miss.
  
  The first  6 weeks are critical to establishing your supply. Do not skip any more feedings.
  

  This exactly! Stop FF if not necessary and nurse continuously if needed. The first few weeks are critical, let alone the first days!

       

  Surprise BFP on 11/02/12 EDD 07/06/13 --> Express wedding on 12/29/2012 --> G was born on 07/15/13

  *Multicultural family raising a multilingual toddler: Spanish, Italian, Dutch and English

  
  

  
  

  Report0 Reply