So confused about feedings

I've tried all the positions- the football hold is what the lactation consultant tried with us but he just doesn't want to latch and when he eventually does he just falls asleep. We have tried tickling his feet and rubbing his chin to get him to suck but he just sleeps.

Right now I've been pumping about 4 ounces every 4-5 hours and using that throughout the day and night but it's getting exhausting and I feel like I'm missing out on so much valuable time with him. I've never been so torn about something before ugh

@princess have you tried the football hold? I don't have my baby yet but went to a breast feeding class and at least with the dolls it seemed to be more comfortable for bustier women like myself. Maybe you can look it up? Good luck!

When baby doesn't have a good latch or can't remove the milk efficiently they recommend pumping while the baby learns what they need to. You still attempt to nurse and bottle feed and add in the pumping after. It doesn't always lead to oversupply and can help bridge the gap until things are going smoothly. ETA: I just read your comment below. If you decide BF isn't working out then that's ok! I cried for days when I realized I couldn't keep up with bottle/nurse/bottle/pump but now I'm enjoying my baby and we are both happier and bonding. I can actually hold her now and not pass her off to dad. Or watch the clock for feeding and pumping times.

I have never heard this with any of my kids.

I was always taught by doctors that the baby needs to be sucking as mush as possible to stimulate your production.

And to avoid pumping because once your milk comes in you will be so engorged .. It Will only make you produce more and it will be extremely painful since baby won't be able to keep up with that amount of supply.

If you are puting baby on your breast no more than every 2 hours than they should be getting a good amount of colostrum and it should stimulate your production.

Babies are going to lose weight until the milk comes in. 3 to 10% of their birth weight.

Its expected that they won't be getting calories .. But the colostrum is so important and they need it.

The reason I was told to pump was because of my previous surgeries. I have had 3 breast surgeries so they we were not sure if I would produce at all because of the unknown damage to my milk ducts. They said pumping would help. At this point I am only pumping- not actually putting baby on the boob because he can't latch properly :(

My daughter was born 6 days ago. She had 3 poops her first day and then nothing for 3 days. I kept up nursing as frequent as she would let me and never worried about the amount she was getting. This is my 3rd and not once did a doc ever tell me to pump or supplement with formula. The baby is the best tool to get our milk supply where it needs to be. My milk came in at day 5. I couldn't pump with my pre pugs kids until they were 6 months old. My body just wouldn't let down for a pump but the baby got it to come. If one side started to slow down I would increase the feedings on that side.

My milk finally came in but he is having so much trouble latching. It's so uncomfortable. Being that I have implants and am a size G to begin with it's been rough. He can't get to where he needs to be comfortably. I've been pumping and bottle feeding him but I don't think this is for me. I'm missing out on so much time with him since I'm doing double work now :(

Pump the one that's not producing while your nursing on the other side! I know it's hard, my right side side wasn't producing as much with my son and that's what I would do to keep my supply up. Or just keep putting baby on that boob first, either way, don't give up on it! You can do it!!

How do you know that only one breast is producing?

What?? They told you that??? That's absolutely wrong and horrible advice, baby should be at the breast for every feeding or your body won't know when or how much to produce, doctors are so miss informed, anyways keep babe at the breast, every time no supplementing unless there's a huge weight issue!

Thank you for the responses! My newest issue is only one breast is actually producing anything! Any advice for that?

I'm pregnant with my 5th. I breastfed 3 of my kids, never pumped and never supplemented. I breastfeed on demand and that's usually every 1.5-3 hours for 10-15 min only on one side, then next feeding on the other side. Some of my kids had dirty diaper every feeding, others only 4-7 times a week. Every baby is different and their little bodies are also learning how to function on the outside. I would exclusively breastfeed and then on their next apt. see if baby is gaining weight and go from there. Also babies eat very little but often the first couple of weeks.

What color was the last poop? Has he passed the black and green and moved on to yellow and seedy? My daughter was peeing a ton but pooping was limited and stayed blackish/dark green. I'd look closely at skin color and whites of the eyes to make sure there is no yellowing. If stool is still dark and baby hasn't gone in a while i would consider a call to the pediatrician. Especially if baby is yellowing or seems extra sleepy (and stool is dark). Just my experience - wet and dirty diapers are used to indicate adequate food intake as well.

I always tell women not to worry about what they are pumping. Keep baby at the breast and let them eat whenever they want to. Don't let them go beyond 3 hours but you should probably not wait more than 2 hours.

You can do it! Try to relax and just put the baby on the breast as much as you can, your milk will come in within a few days of birth. You can keep pumping after feedings but the baby is much more effective at getting the milk out that the pump. Don't let the ounces you pump right now worry you. I wouldn't supplement with formula if you want to exclusively breastfeed because that's less time the baby will nurse. Also remember a newborns tummy is very tiny! Drink water and nurse on mama!

Your doctors recommended the same thing as mine so I would go with their advice. A lot of times doesn't come in until several days after birth and it is expected for the baby to lose up to 10% of their birth weight. They want them to be back up to birth weight by 2 weeks. Since you don't know how much volume the baby is getting at the breast yo have to go by if they are gaining weight or not. My pediatrician office has me come in for frequent weigh ins. My baby wasn't gaining enough so I had to pump after each feeling and give him that milk. He still wasn't gaining enough so I had to add formula to supplement at day 11 until he got back up to birth weight. It's a lot of work but it will get easier and eventually you can breastfeed exclusively.

I would stop pumping if you are wanting to exclusively breast feed. Baby is much better at getting the milk out then a pump is and unless baby has other issues what you are producing right now is just enough! No need to supplement! With my first my milk (only had colostrum) didn't come in until day 5 yet he was back at his birth weight by 4 days old. Baby will also go through stages of cluster feeding (where they eat pretty much non stop for hours) and times where they seem to want more but keep offering your breast. Baby knows what it needs and often a period of lots of feedings is baby's way of preparing your body to produce more milk because baby knows it's going to go through a growth spurt!