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Delayed milk or very low supply 7 days after birth?

KLMidwestKLMidwest member
in Breastfeeding
LO was born exactly one week ago. BF started out well - the LC at the hospital thought her latch was fine, she seemed content.

We get home and my milk didn't seem to come in, and she continued to get fussier. I mentioned it to the pedi at 4 days pp, who said she seemed ok, weight loss was ok, and give it a day.

We started supplementing an ounce after feeding because she was so hungry. I reached out to the hospital LC, and she had me skip a feeding and pump - I got 2 mL. For the past two days I've nursed, pumped after feedings, or every 2 hours if she doesn't feed, and can't get more than 3 mL at a time.

I started taking Reglan and Fenugreek in addition to pumping around the clock. I called an at home LC but her schedule isn't open for a week so waiting for others to call me back. Since we're coming up on a holiday weekend, I'm terrified I won't find availability.

I seem to have milk, but extremely little. Just seeing if anyone else has been through this and able to BF. I was ok needing to supplement if needed, but not BF at all breaks my heart.

Also, I had a regular delivery, no thyroid issues,no PCOS, and BF my first, so the only other thing I thought it may be was a transfer issue with LO.
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Re: Delayed milk or very low supply 7 days after birth?

  • etayisloveetayislove member
    Babies stomachs are extremely small at this time and eat on a constant basis, which means they act hungry a lot, but it doesn't necessarily mean you are not producing enough. Search for your local La Leche League group, get the phone numbers for the leaders, and give them a call! They can help you out just as much as an LC in most circumstance!

    Is it possible she has a tongue or lip tie?
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  • KLMidwestKLMidwest member
    The pedi checked her Tuesday and didn't feel she had a tongue tie.

    I have an appointment on Tuesday with an LC. Over the phone she said what I'm doing seems right, but the low amount is concerning. Since it's exhausting to triple feed (nurse, supplement, pump), she advised to stop nursing for now, have DH feed over the weekend, and pump every two hours. As we're not sure if she's transferring milk - or if there's even enough to transfer - I was going to wear out quickly, which is more likely to lead to giving up.

    The fenugreek/Reglan seems to be making a small difference. She did say they've been successful in increasing at least some supply this late, hut if anyone else has experience for encouragement I'd love to hear about it :)
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  • ldmwldmw member
    I'm in a very similar situation, and have been for 2.5 weeks. My milk didn't come in until day 6. I was only getting 2-5ml at first and then eventually got up to 10ml. I've seen the LC multiple times and have been to La Leche (which didn't help me at all). I did the nurse - bottle feed /supplement - pump cycle for almost 2 weeks. It killed me. A few days ago I decided to stop nursing. I just pump and bottle feed my Breastmilk and formula supplement. It has been freeing for me to drop the nursing as I now have time to spend with my LO. And it's less stress. Since I've stopped nursing I get more milk when I pump. I took fenugreek for a week and just stopped it. My supply is Now about an ounce, but still considered low.

    If I were you, I would stop nursing. It's hard to let that part go for now, but save your sanity and focus on milk supply. You can always go back to nursing if you want once your supply is established. I spent 2 weeks down and depressed in the endless nurse-bottle-pump cycle and I would not want you to go through that.

    Make sure you're taking enough fenugreek that your sweat smells like maple syrup. I have reglan but never took it because I'm afraid of the side effects. I also tried massage, mothers milk tea, oatmeal, almonds, lactation cookies, and pineapple juice. Next week I'm trying acupuncture. I've also been told to drink a hoppy beer. I also plan on power pumping when I can find the time to see if that boosts supply.

    Hang in there and feel free to private message me for support or questions. Please don't beat yourself up over this (as I did).
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  • thinkpink101thinkpink101 member
    The same thing hsppened to me my last two pregnancies. I pumped every 2 hours around the clock to try to increase supply, and tried all the supplements, consulted with a lactation consultant etc. but I never got more than a tiny bit of milk each time. After three months we decided it just wasn't worth my sanity. The lactation consultant said that not everyone is able to produce enough milk. I'm hoping it will be different with this LO but I'll be prepared for the worst.

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    BabyFruit Ticker
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  • OSULisaOSULisa member
    If you haven't already I'd rent a hospital grade pump while you figure this out.
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  • KLMidwestKLMidwest member
    Thanks for the replies. Sorry to hear others have had similar situations.

    As I was able to BF my first, this wasn't really on my radar for what could go wrong, although plenty of other things were! For now, I've stopped nursing, and like ldmw said it is easier in the meantime. I'm also up to averaging 5 mL an hour, which is better an the 2-3 I was getting every 2-3 hours a few days ago, but still upsetting when I know it's really low.

    So far the Reglan has been fine, but I am looking out for side effects. The LC I'm seeing Tuesday mentioned motillium (Domperidone), and that there's a compounding pharmacy nearby and their doctors would write the script so I could also get it online, which I would prefer to Reglan.

    I'm at giving it my best shot through the weekend. If it doesn't work out for us, at least I'll know I did everything I could for LO.
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  • ldmwldmw member
    Good luck over the weekend. You're a great mom for even trying and exhausting all efforts. Whatever you decide, LO will be healthy and fine.
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  • MegsB1112MegsB1112 member
    This is exactly my situation. LO lost so much weight we got put on the nurse, formula, pump every 2 hour schedule. Her weight is back up now and I was given the go ahead to just breastfeed again and now it seems like she's cluster feeding - eating every 40 minutes to an hour. Tonight she seemed really fussy while eating and I tried hand expressing some milk just to make sure she was getting something and nothing came out. No wonder she's been wanting to eat so often, she's not getting anything! It's heartbreaking. She then continued to eat 2 ounces of formula right up and then fell asleep. Could this be why her dirty diapers have hardly anything in them? Lastly, how much formula do you give them at a week old? Before the doctor was saying one ounce but tonight she ate two. I don't want to give her too much or too little so I appreciate the advice until I can get in with her doctor.
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  • ldmwldmw member
    At two weeks old, still feed on demand. Ours took between 1-2 ounces of formula and it varies feeding to feeding.
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  • nursej519nursej519 member
    My LO was eating 1.5 oz for the first week and then 2-3 oz since (almost 4 weeks old). She almost always eat 3 at this point. I give her multiple breaks to see if she is still hungry.
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  • KLMidwestKLMidwest member
    Just wanted to give an update. I met with the LC today, and LO's latch is the problem. Initially it looks good, but she's compressing the nipple too much and stopping the flow of milk, likely contributing to my low supply. During a weighted feed she got out about 1/2 oz. per side. For now, in addition to working on her latch I'm going to be using an SNS to supplement breastfeeding (just a feeding tube in a bottle, no fancy system), and then pump after feedings in addition to one power pump (10 minutes on, 10 off, for an hour) once per day. It's going to be challenging but I do feel better having met with the LC and getting an actual diagnosis. If this works to increase supply I'll be sure to provide another update, but in the meantime wanted to encourage others to call an LC for help if they haven't already :)
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