help!! last week I was only pumping a quarter of an ounce of breast milk, now I'm pumping about an ounce. that's with all you can think of except beer. I take fenugreek supplements, mother's milk tea, drink lots of water, eat oatmeal every morning, latch him whenever he's hungry, and I even eat lactation cookies. nothing seems to work much. my baby is about 2 and a half weeks old and I have to supplement with formula because I know he's not getting enough. he cries so much because he's hungry. what do I do?!
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@bri28, thanks for your input, but seriously, my instincts are telling me that I'm not producing enough. he lost a lot of weight, he pooped a small hard raisin like poop, and peed once. I know it's not all in my head. I'm doing my best. 😢
@sillycrystal, I did the same thing with my firstborn. I thought she's not getting enough and supplemented with formula. Almost nothing when I pumped. And you know what? My baby was colicky and cried nonstop so I thought she was hungry still.
But as stated above, pumping and breastfeeding directly are two different things. Just know that baby is getting enough milk from your breast. Also, it's all a head thing, really. Keep telling yourself you have more than enough. I know it sounds silly, but it works! My second one is almost 6 weeks old right now. I feed him when he's hungry, I offer the boob when he's just whiny. They will always look for your nipple, no matter what. Your baby is so small still, it'll want the comfort of your boobie :) trust your instincts!!!!
I definitely agree with @ittybitty about the pumping, make sure to always offer each breast first, then pump when he's finished and while he drinks his bottle. I would do this every 2 hours, take a vacation if you need to and just nurse and pump all day for several days...make sure to eat well, drink lots of water, and get good rest. Stress can cause low supply, so please don't try to stress, even though I know it'll be hard! Have as much skin to skin contact with him as possible, it helps release hormones for lactating and may help. If you can't get this going off our suggestions, I strongly suggest finding a certified lactation consultant to speak with, they are far more educated than us! They can also evaluate or refer you to check him for tongue or lip tie, if he's not suckling well enough to keep your supply going, there may be a problem inside his mouth that is making it hard for him to suck efficiently, and most cases ties are simple to fix and they can begin nursing immediately after correction. Please keep us updated! And please remember if this doesn't work out, it is sad and you may feel like a failure...but you're not. You're just as good a mom no matter what he eats. I think though if you find professional help, you have a better chance of finding the problem and fixing it. If you're not sure how to find a lactation consultant, you can check through your local WIC office, and also there are Le Leche League groups all over that have lactation consultants available 😊
the latch is okay, I think he may have weak suction.
I mean, what an I supposed to do, let him starve? I know he's not getting enough. when I was also only breast feeding, he lost a lb. I decided to not let him lose anymore so I started to supplement.
when I tried breast feeding him only, he pooped a tiny hard raisin after 2 days. @hellosweetie
However much you are pumping is no indication of how much you are actually producing, so rest assured on that at least. Feeding him at the breast would be your best option, if he is peeing at least 5 or 6 times in a 24 hour period, then he should be getting plenty....that is the best way to tell if you're producing enough, because your baby is far better at extracting milk than any pump! Make sure to give him unlimited time on the breast, when he unlatches by himself, burp, change and offer the other side. If he still seems upset, repeat: burp, change, other boob....the amazing thing about breastfeeding is that our breasts are CONSTANTLY producing milk and they never run out. I've left my girl on one breast for 2 hours or more and sure enough, there will always be another let down every 10 to 15 minutes. Try to avoid supplementing at all costs, because this can lower your supply, because your breasts won't get the signal from baby to produce more! Remember, breast milk is supply on demand so the more you feed the baby, the more you will produce! Let me know if you have any further questions, I also have a group on Facebook called Boobymama's that helps with breastfeeding education 😊 ссылка
he now latches on every 2-3 hours and I know he still doesn't get enough. he still looks for my nipple after hours and hours of him trying to suck milk.
when I was giving him breast milk only, he managed to only pee 1 time in 24 hours and his poop was a little hard raisin. which is why I had to supplement with formula. 😢 when I latch him on, it was almost all day. I was exhausted every time. I've been obsessed over this even my husband is starting to worry.
Is he having enough wet and poopy diapers? How often and how long is he latching? Pumping an oz this early is great! Pumping after every feeding can help up supply and check kellymom.com for some other good ideas. But if he's having enough wet and dirty diapers then he's getting enough. Babies this age will cluster feed too. So he may act hungry right after eating, so it's more than okay and normal for them to go back and forth from breast to breast, latching and I latching for a long time. My guy seems to eat constantly!
@sillycrystal, then maybe you really want to consider seeing a lactation person. If u want to keep on breastfeeding of course. Can't think of anything else, good luck :)