I have just had my baby 10 days ago & have been having many, many issues with breast feeding - at the moment I am expressing & topping baby up with formula as per the opinion of lactation consultants & child health nurse but i dont see this as a practical long term solution.
One problem Im having is that my supply is not increasing, in fact my left breast will only produce about 20ml while my right will only produce 50ml - this is every four hours... apparently it should be much more...
Any suggestions on how to get them both going the same? And producing more? Does anyone else have this problem?? I have a referral for the doctor to put me on medication - is this the only way? Will i be expressing forever?
Its driving me crazy trying to express & feed baby & recover & the pressure to exclusively breastfeed is INSANE!!
Firstly congratulations on your bub. These first weeks are really tough, especially if you're having trouble BFing.
I don't really have any ground breaking answers sorry as I'm still learning myself! But I have found expressing does increase my supply, I do it every day after my two morning feeds - when my supply is at it's greatest. Also, expressing does get quicker and easier. Trying looking at your baby whilst you do it to get a quicker let down, amazing but it does work.
I'm sure all of the feeding and expressing is driving you mad, but it won't be forever. You and your baby are the most important at the moment so ignore the dishes and just concentrate on caring for yourselves.
I have been having many issues with bfing as well but I have tried a few ways to increase my supply. Expressing after each feed, lactation cookies (use google to find recipie, very effective), a herb called fenugreek and motilium tablets.
I have found each of them to be effective however I still seem to have issues and have to occasionally top up with EBM or FF. I have been going at it for 6 weeks now but I am determined to have my baby exclusively BF soon.
Good luck with it and remember that you just have to do what's best for you and your baby.
I had issues with my supply with my first child and saw a LC, so understand how you are feeling. The nurses and LC asked me how often are you feeding? and suggested in the first weeks every 2-3 hours is best to bring up your supply of your breastmilk. Also expressing after every feed, the expressing action will help with supply. You can also do what they call switch feeding which is 15mins on one breast then 15mins on the other then change nappy then 15mins on one breast then 15mins again on the other breast, this also helped my supply up a bit too. However, in the end my supply was not enough for Julia she didnt put on weight for 4 weeks in a row and as I was unable to take Motullium as it is not good with someone with a history of depression or anxiety to take, I ended up topping Julia up with Formula once a day and still breastfed too.
Now with Tara who is 9 weeks old I have one breast this time that produces 70mls and one that produces only 40mls if lucky but this is at 9 weeks after birth and also is every 2-3 hours. On day 5 in hospital I think I was only getting 20mls out of a breast feeding every 3 hours. May I ask have you been thinking of demand feeding? and also the lactation cookies sound good, I havent trried them but have had friends how have and say they work wonders.
I thought 50ml was enough for a newborn? They only have small tummies don't they?
I think there's a sticky about increasing supply somewhere, perhaps in the general bfing section. Frequent feeds is a great thing though, as bub sucking will stimulate your supply.
Perhaps google for the growth charts based solely on breastfed babies, I think the charts in our blue books are based on formula fed babies? Both mine were 'underweight' as babies, but Riv's fine now, and Si looks fine to me too. Charting your bub's growth on the breastfed charts (I think I found mine from the ABA website?) might give you some peace of mind too.
ETA: Oh, and as for one more than the other - common! So don't worry about that!
HI,
It sounds like the last 10 days have been very tough going for you. Perhaps you would share a bit more about what has been happening. How big was your little one at birth? What about now? Fullterm? How did the birth go? Is your baby feeding from the breast at all, or are you expressing and feeding her your eBM?
There is no right or wrong way to feed a baby -the only rule is that they must be fed! You have got the toughest of all loads at the moment - feeding, expressing and using formula for topping up. It's easy to find yourself wondering where it is all going, and whether it is really worth it.
The good news is, most mothers and babies transition to fully breastfeeding, and this time becomes just a memory. It is pretty normal for one breast to make more milk than the other - usually, when your milk supply is better, it doesn't matter. 70mls every 4 hours seems pretty respectable to me! Many mothers find that medications such as motilium do have a positive effect on their milk supply, and few side effects - it is worth exploring.
Tell me a bit more and hopefully we can provide you with some more information and support
My baby was 8 pound 13 at birth, she was four days overdue, the birth wasnt any harder than i thought it would be, she is my first...
She lost a lot of weight in hospital because she wasnt feeding, so we had to start topping her up with formula & she put weight back on. I had to rest my nipples after having laser treatment as she basically caused my nipples to bleed from the first time she tried to attach!! So we have a combination of issues at the moment.
* Small nipples - although this shouldnt matter (apparently) but even expressing is painful...
* Slight tongue tie with baby. Seeing doc about getting it snipped...
* Lack of supply...
* Stress & pressure to get it right...
She still wont attach without intense nipple pain & that just makes me avoid putting her to the breast - instead we express & bottle feed & add formula...
I know its not supposed to be easy but Im really struggling...
One breast more than the other?
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