What if I don't have enough for this "growth spurt"?

[Friendlee]

My baby (5.5 weeks old) is so hungry, like every hour to hour and a half. People have said she's going through a growth spurt...but it's lasted for weeks. She wants to nurse when my breasts are completely deflated!!! This lasts all night too.

SOMETIMES I am engorged and have overactive letdown (but not everyday). But lately, I just feel empty and she is SO hungry. I went through about 20 of my 30 ounces of stored milk. It scares me that my freezer supply is so low right now. I really just want to feed it all to her - she'd take it! What's going on with my supply?

Any experience with this or advice???

[ps4624]

I remember feeling like this. Your body will adapt to her demands, so make sure you're taking care of you! Eat lots of fresh, healthy foods and drink water like a madwoman!

Also, I had great success with Mother's Milk tea.

You are still in the phase where everything is working itself out, so try and trust in your body's ability to produce enough milk.

Good luck!

[lifeguard]

Ds always ate the frequently for the first several months. How often are you giving her bottles? Could that be affecting your supply? Even when I "feel" empty I can usually express a little milk which means he can most definitely get milk as their sucking is more effective at getting the milk.

[_betsy_]

Around 6 weeks, your body starts to regulate - it starts to figure ouyt how much your baby is actually taking and when, and doesn't give you rock hard boobs to contend with anymore. This is 100% normal. You might feel deflated and empty, but you're not. Y9ou might wiorry that baby isn't getting enough, but if baby seems satisfied, is having normal amounts of wet and poopy diapers and is gaining weight, you can just keep doing what you're doing, and nurse, nurse, nurse. Skin-to-skin is a good idea, too. Helps with your supply AND helps baby feel nice and snuggly attached to you.

Baby nurses seemingly non-stop through a growth spurt to ensure that you DO end up making enough milk when baby is bigger.

let the baby nurse all day and all night now, you're supply will be much better for it in the long run.

[averlee]

lactating breasts are never empty. actually you can produce milk at the same rate baby nurses. if they are latched on, they are probably getting something. everyone will probably hate me for even suggesting this, but have you ever offered solids? if she's hungry, she might want food.

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by averlee

everyone will probably hate me for even suggesting this, but have you ever offered solids?

At 5 weeks? You have GOT to be kidding, right? eta: OP- please, PLEASE don't give any solid foods at this age. Baby's gut is NOT designed to have anything but breastmilk, and giving solids before the gut lining "closes" can cause all sorts of problems- including food allergies.

As pp's have mentioned, I would stop giving bottles and keep baby on the breast as much as possible to increase your supply.

Is there some reason that you think nursing every hour - hour and a half is not ok or normal?

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

At 5 weeks? You have GOT to be kidding, right? eta: OP- please, PLEASE don't give any solid foods at this age. Baby's gut is NOT designed to have anything but breastmilk, and giving solids before the gut lining "closes" can cause all sorts of problems- including food allergies.

As pp's have mentioned, I would stop giving bottles and keep baby on the breast as much as possible to increase your supply.

Is there some reason that you think nursing every hour - hour and a half is not ok or normal?

I agree with all of this.

There is no need to supplement with pumped milk, formula, or anything else simply because baby is hungry. Frequent nursing is how your supply grows and changes with your baby. My baby still nurses 15-20 times a day at 6.5 months - my supply is excellent, and she's not going through a growth spurt other than the normal huge growth spurt babies go through all of their first few months. She's just a grazer - gets plenty of hind milk and all that - just likes to have frequent meals!

[averlee]

AAAH! sorry- i misread months instead of weeks! no, i am not a lunatic! just tired and can't read right! please do not give solids as that would be crazy! ( i think around 6 months is when most people introduce solids, though many wait longer)


My daughter spent the first 4-6 months nursing almost constantly. I think that's pretty typical. Some of my daughter's patterns included:
nursing for about an hour, every 2-3 hrs around the clock
nursing for about 20 minutes, every half hour all day. and every 2 hrs all night.
nursing all morning, sleeping for a minute, nursing all afternoon, and all night.
sleeping like a log all day and nursing for 8 hrs straight at night.

it wasn't until she started crawling, around 8 months, that she wanted to do much else besides nurse!

[Summersquash]

Originally Posted by Bokonon

I agree with all of this.

There is no need to supplement with pumped milk, formula, or anything else simply because baby is hungry. Frequent nursing is how your supply grows and changes with your baby. My baby still nurses 15-20 times a day at 6.5 months - my supply is excellent, and she's not going through a growth spurt other than the normal huge growth spurt babies go through all of their first few months. She's just a grazer - gets plenty of hind milk and all that - just likes to have frequent meals!

And my little girl likes to eat pretty much every 2 hours...sometimes even more frequently. We're coming up on a year old. Some babies are just grazers and like to eat more frequently.

I remember those growth spurt days though and what it's like with newborn nursing...they just eat and eat and eat and eat and eeeeaaaattttttt. Can you curl up with your little one, a nice tall glass of water and/or a snack, and maybe a book or magazine or something to read and just try to rest while she does her thing? I found that just resting as much as I could while she was nursing really helped me get through those exhausting growth spurts.

[Llyra]

I think that by giving pumped milk in a bottle, you're preventing the process that needs to happen from happening-- baby needs to demand more, at the breast, in order for your breasts to get the message to make more. Giving bottles instead of nursing, you run the risk of undermining your supply, which is exactly what you don't want to do. That's the start of the downward spiral towards early weaning.

I would also suggest that 5 to 6 weeks is way too young for bottles. You run the risk of baby developing an ineffective latch and suck at the breast, if you offer too many bottles. Not every baby is subject to nipple confusion, but when it happens, it's really HARD to deal with.

If I were you, I'd lose the bottles, and just nurse. It's normal, and biologically appropriate, for a baby to nurse very often. If you ride with it, and let baby nurse as often as baby wants to, night and day, the intense demand passes as your supply regulates itself to baby's needs. It can be a rough ride, but it really does work.

[Dahlea]

That is what growth spurts are for! Give your baby the boob as often as they want, it will boost your supply. Make sure you're eating properly and drinking enough fluids. You can do it! I definitely agree with the PP in not giving them bottles. Your baby may seem hungry and gulp it all down but that is because bottles feed them differently.

[Friendlee]

I guess it does make sense that the bottle feeding by my husband at night is hurting the supply. I mainly just wanted a break - when he feeds her, I zoom around the house furiously showering, doing dishes, vacuuming, doing laundry, etc and so on. I LOVE that break. I also wanted to be sure she could take the bottle so that my mom could babysit once a week (or every other week I guess) so that we could go on a date and I could have a couple of glasses of wine without worrying about nursing while buzzed.

Also, I hear all of these people talking about their babies already sleeping through the night or for 5-7 hours and I thought maybe she wasn't doing that because she wasn't getting enough food.

I'm fine with nursing every 1 or 2 hours...but I guess it seems like she isn't getting anything from me at times and is just using me as a pacifier. She won't suck sometimes but wants to keep her mouth on. Then other times after lots of sucking she buries her nose into my breast very hard and kicks her legs and flails her arms...it seems like she is trying so hard to get more but that I am tapped out. (Her latch is fine when she wants to eat so it isn't a latch issue).

I guess I'll stop the evening bottle. Damn.

[Friendlee]

PS She actually did not gain anything the first three weeks. Didn't get back to birth weight until week 4. So gaining very slowly. I'd say her bm's have slowed down a bit. I'd say 1-2 a day. I'd say about 6-8 urines a day.

We went to the doctor and LC every week for the first 4 weeks to monitor since she wasnt gaining. We have our next appt Dec 2 (week 8).

[paulamc]

I'm no expert, but there COULD be a supply issue in that case (not saying there is). In your shoes, I would buy a baby scale (you can get them off Amazon) so that I could monitor her weight myself, rather than having to rely on periodic doctor visits. This is what we do, and I really wish that I had thought to get one earlier, like at five weeks, instead of when we did.

It's great that you have been seeing an LC. Is she helpful do you find?
I suggest that you keep pumping to boost your supply, and maybe give the milk to your little one a different way, with a medicine dropper, a spoon or a cup. But still breast feed as often as possible - don't replace feedings at the breast by pumping. Instead, pump after nursing, or when she is sleeping a long stretch.

It's possible you don't have low supply at all, but there's a chance, so it would be a good idea to read up on the subject now. Have you checked out the low supply resources here at MDC? I think they are under "breast feeding challenges." Domperidone (Motilium) is very effective for many mothers. You can get it shipped from overseas at the inhousepharmacy website. There are other herbs that help some people - fenugreek taken in combination with blessed thistle for example.

Here's a link to Kellymom on low supply:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html

And Jack Newman on domperidone
http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=...tion&Itemid=17
http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=...tion&Itemid=17

Good luck and keep us posted!!!

[mamadelbosque]

Just nurse nurse nurse! My DS2 has been a great sleepr and actually slept through the night (literally - 9pm-6am) a few times around 2 months. But DS1 never did. Ever. He woke to nurse every 2-3 hours for the first 1.5-2 YEARS!! Totally normal.

As for going out, just take baby with you. And you definetly CAN drink alcohol and nurse, without *ANY* issue. The amount of alcohol in your breastmilk is directly equivalant to the amount of alcohol in your blood. For reference the legal limit is 0.08%. So, even if your legally DRUNK, you can still nurse without fear - theres way more alcohol in most infant medications than your bm!! I often have a glass of wine or a beer or 2 or 3 int he evenings and do NOT worry at all about nursing. Good luck!!

[Friendlee]

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque

And you definetly CAN drink alcohol and nurse, without *ANY* issue. The amount of alcohol in your breastmilk is directly equivalant to the amount of alcohol in your blood. For reference the legal limit is 0.08%. So, even if your legally DRUNK, you can still nurse without fear - theres way more alcohol in most infant medications than your bm!!

Really??! I've also read that their little livers are more sensitive and that you should really wait until they are at least 3 months old. I've also read that if you can feel it, then they'll be drinking it. Seems dangerous. I mean, I totally WANT to believe it's okay. Do you have any sources or have you just accumulated the info over a period of time? I figured it's tough to find any info endorsing it since they could then be liable for a mother's stupidity if she goes overboard.

I think lots of women would nurse a lot longer if they could have, say, three or 4 beers some evenings to take the edge off.

[Doberbrat]

Originally Posted by Friendlee

I think lots of women would nurse a lot longer if they could have, say, three or 4 beers some evenings to take the edge off.

I think 3-4 beers is a bit much but 1 beer or 1 glass of wine is fine.

for the OP I'd def loose the evening bottle during a growth spurt, you need the stimulation to let the boobs know to make more milk. Unfortunately, the best time for this is at night as well.

You might want to try the milk enhancing stuff like fenugreek, mothers milk tea etc to help enhance the supply.

AND if I may say so, if dh gives baby a bottle, it should be so that you can SLEEP not whizz around the house cleaning. Sleep is important in the milk-making process. Curl up with baby in bed at the breast and make HIM whizz around the house cleaning. Or close your eyes and learn to ignore it. in the blink of an eye, this phase will be over.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by Friendlee

I guess it does make sense that the bottle feeding by my husband at night is hurting the supply. I mainly just wanted a break - when he feeds her, I zoom around the house furiously showering, doing dishes, vacuuming, doing laundry, etc and so on. I LOVE that break. I also wanted to be sure she could take the bottle so that my mom could babysit once a week (or every other week I guess) so that we could go on a date and I could have a couple of glasses of wine without worrying about nursing while buzzed.

Also, I hear all of these people talking about their babies already sleeping through the night or for 5-7 hours and I thought maybe she wasn't doing that because she wasn't getting enough food.

I'm fine with nursing every 1 or 2 hours...but I guess it seems like she isn't getting anything from me at times and is just using me as a pacifier. She won't suck sometimes but wants to keep her mouth on. Then other times after lots of sucking she buries her nose into my breast very hard and kicks her legs and flails her arms...it seems like she is trying so hard to get more but that I am tapped out. (Her latch is fine when she wants to eat so it isn't a latch issue).

I guess I'll stop the evening bottle. Damn.

She's not using YOU as a pacifier - a pacifier is an artificial nipple, right? So she'd be using a pacifier in PLACE of you. Babies like to comfort suck. Nursing is about more than food.

It won't be this way forever, I can promise you that. The first 6 weeks is the hardest; the next few weeks have their challenges but not like the beginning. After about 3-4 months, they don't do the cluster feeding nearly as much. Their feeding sessions become much shorter. Many babies start going longer between feedings. Some even start sleeping through the night (though not all! STTN at this age is the exception rather than the rule).

You'll get plenty of breaks soon, really. 6 weeks is a big growth spurt, for a few days or a week, feeding your baby is the most important thing. This is when your supply really becomes established, so skipping feedings here and there can be disastrous if not corrected in time.

[boobs4milk]

actually, the alcohol would be counter-productive for what you've described.

http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html

says that more than 1 drink can actually cause a reduction in milk amounts and restrict let down. additionally, it can affect their sleep patterns making them sleep less. it also says that "daily consumption has shown a decrease in weight and gross motor delays."

i don't drink for the first year, but that's just me. this time is so short, i can savor (or buzz) my wine after she's out of the newborn/infant stage.

[sunshynbaby]

Rest assured that there is always more milk there for your baby, even when you feel empty. The only way to meet her increasing demands is to nurse, nurse, nurse! DS wanted to nurse that often when he was around that age. Let the housework go. Months from now you will miss this forced relaxation time. It gets better. Nursing isn't always about eating, too. Most babies doen't STTN. If you haven't already, visit kellymom.com for some good resources. Hang in there!!!