A few milk questions

[little_O]

1. When a baby cluster feeds do they end up not getting as much milk because the breast doesn't fill up as much?

2. Dd is currently feeding more frequently again, does this mean she is trying to increase my supply to suit a growth spurt? Or is my milk not as good?

3. Does mastitis affect my milk quality? Each time I get it I notice dd's poo goes green.

[Mollie89]

1 & 2 im not 100% sure about.
But i know when i had mastitis the antibiotics made my DD poo green. But the 13 health number that i called said it is normal for them to have green poos for a while...

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[Eenee]

The antibiotics will be what's affecting your DDs poo's

With cluster feeding they are getting enough they just need to feed more at that time. Milk doenst vary in quality it is always good. But yes I think they feed more frequwntly in order to boost supply. As I guess the older they get the more they need. So this is there way of doing it.

[BhoysGirl]

Over a 24 hour period, babies will take about the same amount of milk, regardless of whether it's in cluster feeds, or 5-6 "normal" feeds or whatever. It's definitely not about your milk quality, that will be absolutely fine, and as long as your bubs is looking alert and healthy, and gaining weight, then she's doing brilliantly, as are you. Plus, cluster feeds = more cuddles, and cuddles are good too. It's really normal behaviour for a baby.
Mastitis doesn't effect your milk quality, and don't listen to anyone who says it does - keep feeding through it as much as you can, because having the breast drained will be helping (and BFing is the most efficient way of doing this)

[Arcadia]

Cluster feeds are normal and may be to boost supply, or help your baby cope with a developmental leap, or just because they want more cuddles.

Mastitis shouldn't affect supply, but I do wonder how many times you've had it. Do you get obvious lumps and blocked ducts first? My ds was always fussy on the side I had blockages, because he couldn't get as much milk from that side. Do you still have a blockage? I found holding an electric toothbrush on the lump whole feeding really helped break down the lumps and get the milk flowing.

[onthefly]

Feeding is about nutrition and comfort and development and all sorts of things.
As others have said, from 1-6 months of age, they take the same amount of milk each day. The milk itself changes to perfectly meet your baby's needs without requiring an increase in volume. Incredible!
Your breasts make milk on demand and the best signal to them right now to make more is to be empty. Being full is a signal to slow production. We often think of breastfeeding in bottle-feeding terms, believing our breasts need to fill up and that our baby needs more and more volume as they grow, but in fact, neither of these things is true.

The green poos could well be due to the ABs. They are not a cause for concern in and of themselves. If her tummy is a bit upset from the ABs - or she's just feeling a bit needier - she will likely want to be with you (and at the breast) more often.

You're doing just fine