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.