HELP - not enough milk!!!

[feeb]

I have also had milk issues and i dont think my milk came in till about day 14 i still ahve never got full but seem to have enought as bubs is now putting on wg etc so it will happen. ( i took fengreek on and off for a while till other day when i stopped due to it upsetting tummy?

good luck

[Janie]

Thanks Barb, for pointing out that newborns should be pooing all the time. It was one of the things that I was concerned about in the early weeks, but I was 'reassured' that it wasn't a problem for breastfed babies. Well, by 12 weeks it was very plainly apparent that my baby wasn't getting enough milk, a fact I would have been more attuned to if I'd known about the poo situation earlier! In fact, once his milk intake went up it was VERY clear what we'd been missing LOL. The people giving me advice meant well, but like you said Barb, it is a pretty common myth. I just wish I'd been more aware myself.

[onthefly]

Hi Pinklilly
Could you try feeding a bit more often but not expressing? The extra stimulation from feeding might be more effective in stimulating supply than expressing and then you'd still have a bit of time between feeds. I do understand how tough that is. At times DS has demanded feeds every 1-2 hours and it's like he's constantly on the breast, but, for me at least, it's tended to settle down after a few days once my supply increases.

Hope your clinic visit went well.

ETA - just realised others have suggested same thing already. oh well, great minds...

[MantaRay]

Pinklilly, if you are feeding more often, you shouldn't need to be expressing as well, so you probably won't find it any harder than what you are doing now. In fact it might be easier (expressing is actually really hard work). And feeding will definitely stimulate your supply more than expressing. Just something to think about hun. I hope things are going well today.

[~clover~]

I just wanted to add that feeding more instead of expressing would be the best idea.
I have now fed DS pretty much 2 hourly since birth & he's 5 months old. Thats with 2 older kids. It's not easy, but I can promise your supply will be better.
He's cut feeding down a bit now. But there were 1 - 2 hourly feeds a few times.
You can do it. It will get easier. I promise.

[Janie]

Pinklilly, if you are feeding more often, you shouldn't need to be expressing as well, so you probably won't find it any harder than what you are doing now. In fact it might be easier (expressing is actually really hard work). And feeding will definitely stimulate your supply more than expressing. Just something to think about hun. I hope things are going well today.

That is so true Pinklily. I found things alot easier once I stopped expressing to up my supply, and as long as I was feeding my baby more frequently (which I was), my supply was better than ever!

[JellyBean]

Hi Pinklilly,

There are many safe and proven herbal remedies that can help to increase your milk production quickly. The new most popular are fenugreek and milk thistle. Both are safe for mother and baby, and will assist in increasing milk supply within a few short days. Your local health food store should be able to help you out with this.
Alfalfa is also known to increase supply. You can add it to your sandwiches, salads etc.
Drinking at least 2 litres of pure, filtered water daily is also essential to maintain adequate supply, as well as ensure you stay hydrated.
Hope this helps,

JellyBean.

[Jennifer13]

Poos don't slow down until well after newborn stage from my understanding. I did end up with a very infrequent-pooer (17 days without one!) but that was when she was several months old. As a newborn it was every bf.

*PinkLily* I understand your reluctance to increase the number of bfs if you are already expressing an hour after each bf. Have you considered dropping some of the times you express and replacing those with a bf about 2 hrs after the previous? It's a lot of work to be putting yourself thru - bfing, expressing and all the work of cleaning, etc! Is there any chance you could take a day in bed - just you and bub and sleep and relax all day? Bf her regularly (2 hrly if possible) and nap in between. Have snacks and drinks nearby, but if possible have someone there to bring you what you need! Your baby will get more from you than you will get from a pump and there's much less work involved!

Good luck today and I hope everything goes well...