Want to increase BM supply

Hey All

I have come to the realisation tonight that Avaleigh gets very frustrated when she needs to suck too hard to get her milk!! She will squirm and pull and just have a real frustrated cry. I used to think it was because she was full but I am pretty sure she still wants more milk but doesnt want to work for it.

This week I have introduced a bottle of EBM and she absolutely loves it!! I figure this is because she doesnt need to work for it. She has had this frustrated thing going on for a lil while now so I am pretty sure its not because I have introduced the bottle.

Anyways, pretty much what I want to do is try and build up my breast milk supply. To do this do you express straight after a feed or do you wait a little bit before expressing?

What I have been doing is feed Avaleigh for probably about 20mins and she takes both sides (10 min each side), I will then play with her and put her to sleep so about 1 hour has passed by I think and when I express I get up to around 120-150mls, but I wasnt doing this to build up my supply, I was just doing it to have a bottle of milk ready incase I am not there (I go to the gym in the afternoon). Is this how you build up your supply?? Cause I am maybe a little worried that because I express 1 hour after a feed I may not have the milk produced for the next feed (we feed 3 hourly during the day) Could this happen?

Thanks! :)

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If she is having a growth spurt her hunger cries don’t mean you are running out of milk but rather that she will need to suck more often for a few days to give your breasts the message that they need to produce more milk. If you offer a ‘top-up’ bottle, your baby won’t need to empty your breasts and they won’t get the message to increase milk production.

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I just read this on the articles page and I am trying to get Avaleigh to suck to increase the milk but she just gets tooooo frustrated and is pretty much crying with my breast in her mouth! :lol:

Hi,
Herin lies the problem with offering a bottle. It changes the way you think and percieve things. Bottlefeeding and breastfeeding are two different things. Witht he bottle, you tend to just plug it in. If she doesn't want it and turns her head away you just follow it. With breastfeeding, you have to follow Avaleigh's schedule. You have to wait for her to turn her head to you, take the nipple and suck. If she moves her head you have to wait for her to come back. Breastfeeding and bottle feeding are too different things.
It sounds like your milk supply is fine. You are able to express a good amount, and I presume Avaleigh is growing and thriving. Following your posts it sounds like your life is pretty full on at the moment with plans for the wedding. Maybe she's reacting to the business of her life, rather than not having enough milk. Why don't you have a relaxed weekend, cut out the bottle feeding, just breastfeed her when she wants, on her terms and I'm sure you will find she's much better in a few days. Express milk to have on hand when you have to be away from her, but don't insist she have a bottle every day so she can get used to it or similar - it's false economy. There's lots of stuff that you partner or your mum can do to ease the load from you without feeding the baby. For instance, the washing, or the dishes! Or, if you are talking about bonding with the baby, the bath and babymassage.
Good luck with it all
Barb

Thanks Barb!! A relaxed weekend sounds great! LOL I'm definitely going to do that...

Last night when she had her huge feed she ended up sleeping 8 hours until her next feed!! I jsut wish that she didnt do it from 6.30pm LOL

Don't worry Veronica, she will start doing it from later!! Just give her time - in the meantime, maybe you could go to bed early too?