HELP - not enough milk!!!

[*PinkLilly*]

Desperate advice needed!

DD is nearly 2 weeks old and I'm very cencerned she isn't getting enough milk from me. She not put on any weight since she was born and I am having another midwife visit on Tuesday to get her weighed again.

I have been expressing between my 3 hourly feeds in order to increase my supply for the last 3 days and tho they feel a little fuller earlier, they are not as full as they used to be.

Also this morning to give my nipples a break I decided to express. But I only got 30mls!!!!! And that was after a feed 4-5 hours ago (I demand feed at night).

Also, she hasn't had a proper bowl movement for over 24 hours. Sometimes there is a little bit in the nappy, but again, no where near as much as the early days.

I'm afraid I'm starving her!!!!

How much should she be getting (midwife said roughly 100mls per feed based on her weight), how much longer is it going to take to increase my supply?

I don't want to go to bottlefeeding, but I will if I have to.

[~clover~]

I would be worried about her weight, but the MCHN will let you know what she thinks about that.
If she has plenty of wet nappies her bowel movements don't matter. They can go for weeks without pooing. As long as they are comfortable they are ok.
Do you give her both sides at a feed or just one?
Does she seem content after a feed - other than wind?
When I had my first it took me forever to get out about 20-30 mls. I have only done it a few times since. Maybe offer feeds more often through the day. Every 2 hours?
An LC might be able to help too. There are things you can take to up your supply if they think its needed.
You are doing great. Keep persevering, you'll get there.

[Sammiejane]

PinkLilly... you might not be letting down when you express and thats why you are not getting enough.
I had this problem and was really worried that she was not getting enough when i could only express such a small amount ot.
Try and relax when expressing and dont focus on it too much, i find that if i pump while on BB im am distracted enough and will let down properly and it pours out.

As for the bowle movements, it is true that BF babies can go weeks without pooing, BUT thats when they are a bit older - at this age she should have at least one a day i am pretty sure, Barb will be able to answer that one.

Re the fullness - that does settle down, you wont feel engorged or totally full the whole time and i never feel really full anymore but theres heaps in there

there are some recipes and foods that help with increasing your supply.
Try acktivite (sp) as a hot drink.
Thai pumkin soupl made with coconut milk works at treat for me.
Are you drinking enough water?
there is a thread with loads of ideas in the BF support area.

Take cues from Ava though, if she is not satisfied she will let you know.

Good luck

[BellyBelly]

Does she have plenty of wet nappies? If I were you I would locate a private lactation consultant (one with IBCLC certification) and get some help from her rather than a midwife or MCHN. They are the gold standard in lactation support and often many MCHNs are too quick to put women on formula.

Your boobs wont always feel as full as they did after the birth. They will settle down and feel soft but that doesn't mean you have no milk. Put her to the breast as much as you can, don't follow any routines, as she will regulate the supply SHE needs. It will increase and reduce at times of growth spurts etc.

Fenugreek is a herb which is commonly used for increasing milk and you will also get loads of advice on here and the ABA site, Australian Breastfeeding Association. Kellymom.com is also a great site for breastfeeding advice.

[~Raven~]

30mls is quite good! Her tummy is only about the size of a 50c piece and that would fill it quite nicely

Try offering her the breast every 2 hours instead of 3 and expressing between. That way she gets more over a 24 hour period.

Like Kelly said, don't be too concerned about the fullness of your breasts as they settle down, or the quantity of the poo. Take note of how many wet nappies she is doing and be assured from that. The quantity of poo in a BF baby can be so varied from day to day from none to what seems like bucketfulls every change!

I had a "weight loss" issue when Caleb was 3 weeks old, only for him to put on 230g the following week. Something wasn't right and I suspect it was the scales the health nurse brought to my house. It caused quite a bit of angst for me at the time but as he was my third bub I faith in the what comes out, must have gone in mantra and knew that he was getting enough due to what he was putting out (I was using cloth with him so no doubt what was there and I offered to show her the evidence!).

Can you go elsewhere to double check the weight? Ask if you can have it double checked at a different health centre or some chemists will weigh your baby.

The early days can be quite a rollercoaster can't it!

[BellyBelly]

With weighing too, if your baby is weighed at several different places and not on the same scales every time, they are all going to give a different weight.

[MantaRay]

I agree with what the others have said. Definitely call the ABA 24 hour help line, and think about a LC. Also, rather than expressing in between, I agree that you are better off feeding more often. 3 hours is a long time for a baby to go between feeds. They should have 8 - 12 feeds in 24 hours - would she be having that many? If not, feed more often during the day and see how you go. When you bf exclusively and feed regularly enough, it is very rare to not have enough milk. GL, but I am sure that everything will be fine. It is so hard in the early days but it definitely gets easier. You can do this.

[Barb Glare]

Hi,

It can be concerning when babies are not gaining as much weight as they should. But, it is one of the little "bumps in the road" that can be fixed easily. In regards to breastmilk, supply equals demand. As Manta said, babies need to feed 8-12 plus times in 24hours. I was wondering, how big was your baby when she was born? Was she full term? How did feeding go in hospital? What was her weight at discharge? One of the nowmal parameters is that babies lose about 10% of their birthweigh and regain it by about 2 weeks - but that is only a guideline. Specific babies may encounter circumstances that mean they vary from this - it's something to keep and eye on, not stress about. Expressing is one of those things that takes some practice - and not to be tried the first time when you are anxious and stressed! The amount you can express bears little relationship to the amount you have!
Ladies, it is not normal for a newborn to go 'weeks without a poo" - can I just knock that one on the head now? It can be one of the more dangerous myths. Scant poos in the first few weeks can in fact, be a sign that the baby is not getting enough milk - and if mothers can recognise this, they can take steps (eg frequent feeding) to ensure their baby DOES get enough milk. I have to say.....Activite increasing your milk is a myth as well (I know some of you are very dedicated to it - but it doesn't actually work) Still it tastes good, and can be quite comforting.
You might also find, in the short-term that it is worth waking her 3hrly overnight. You won't be doing it forever, but in the short-term it can help boost her intake
Regards
Barb

[BhoysGirl]

Barb - that's devastating news about Aktavite, I've been positively addicted to the stuff, and to think all this time it's had nothing to do with anything at all. well, except maybe the rolls around my tummy...As always, I learn so much from your replies. Interesting about the baby poo frequency too.

[~clover~]

Yeah. I was always told that as long as there are wet nappies not to worry. Sorry PinkLilly

[*PinkLilly*]

Thanks for all of your replies ladies. I did end up calling the ABA this morning and they advised that I need not be too worried about the poos, but to make sure that the wet nappies are staying many and frequent- which I think they are, at least today.

2 hourly feeds tho I think will make me go insane, I feed her for usually/at least 40 minutes, then 1/2 hour to hour after I finish feeding I express for about 15-20 minutes (she gets this EBM after every feed). Then I have about an hour and 1/2 break before she is on the boob again. 2 hourly feeds is just not fesable.

I will be heading to our local clinic tomorrow just to get her weighed and hopefully there would have been some improvement.

Thanks again for all your replies, hopefully my supply will continue to increase.

[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.