My baby is starving! (Why don't I make enough milk?) - Page 2

[Friendlee]

Let me clarify - I want a buzz SOME days like I want a candy bar some days. I don't need it, but I would appreciate the freedom or for the restrictions of pregnancy to end at some point. (And my birthday celebration is this weekend and I'd like to share a bottle of wine at the restaurant with my husband without feeling worried). I don't need it and certainly wouldn't ever indulge myself at the expense of my daughter's well being.

I don't mean to sound defensive. I just wanted to make that clear though.

Motherhood doesn't stress me out. I'm lucky to have a great set-up and I actually love nursing. Mothering has been awesome so far! My only stress would have been if she wasn't getting what she needed. But from what I'm learning from you all, there's milk there when I don't think there is. Good! I sure do feel flat and deflated right now. But I am just putting her on the breast every hour and she's going right along with it. Only once today she was sleeping when I was going to put her on, so I pumped. (Took 30 minutes to get 2 ounces!!! I used to be able to just look at my boob and I'd get three!) Still drinking the tea and taking the tincture, so we'll see how it goes.

[Pookietooth]

Motherwort tea can take the edge off too.

[StephM76]

Originally Posted by Friendlee

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 to 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.

MY DD is sleeping 5-7 hours a night, but that is because we're co-sleeping and I just BF her whenever she starts to fuss. I would guess that some of the others do the same thing .

If you feel like she is using you as a paci, maybe you should try introducing one. Amelia loves to suck, and I started giving her the paci, its like a new baby. Les fussy, and she doesn't need the boob every 30 seconds

Also, whenever my DD starts kicking her legs a lot during a feeding, it is because of gas. If I take her off and burp her, she goes back with no issue.

[Friendlee]

Hmph...good suggestions, unfortunately, we do already cosleep and we're sidelying and I've already introduced the paci. She wants to walk and bounce from about 11:30 pm to 2:00 am. We do the 5 S's all night with little success too. She doesn't cry and scream...just grunts and talks very loudly.

[boobs4milk]

if it's any consolation, i've been awake since shortly before midnight...

[Friendlee]

Ha! Well, I admit, it IS nice to know I'm not alone. Thanks boobs...hope you get to sleep soon.

[fyrebloom]

My LO nurses constantly too, every 1-3 hours during the day. For us part of the prob was reflux and we just got him on zantac. He seems to be happier and he wants to nurse less because the nursing was soothing his tummy when it was hurting. We had a couple of days of sleeping 5-7 hours but we're back to waking every 3-4.

How often baby nurses is very strongly tied to your storage capacity. Some woman can store a TON of milk, some just a little. If baby only gets 2oz a feed they're going to need more feeds to get the total amount per day then the baby of a mom who can produce 4oz. Can you pump a bottle for your DH to give (like in the AM when you're most full)? Then you could at least get a break in the evening to shower and get rest.

[boobs4milk]

Originally Posted by Friendlee

Ha! Well, I admit, it IS nice to know I'm not alone. Thanks boobs...hope you get to sleep soon.

and i'm still awake! i'm waiting for dh to get home to give her a bottle so i can rest. i feed her for a bit, then give her to him to finish up with a 2 oz bottle and i sleep until the next feeding. if someone is holding her, i can usually get 2 hrs out of it. but that's it during the week as far as sleep for me. i can sometime doze while dd3 watches tv, but she usually talks to me or pulls open my eyelids (and no, i'm not exaggerating) so i can't count on that. is it bad that i'm looking forward to my tubal dec 2 so i can have dh home for a week so i can sleep? he has taken 1 day off since millie was born!!!

i think she might be getting close to the 12lb mark so hopefully we can sleep a bit longer, even if she has to be held to sleep.

[kawa kamuri]

Originally Posted by boobs4milk

or pulls open my eyelids

while i feel for you not getting the sleep you need the eyelid thing so perfectly illustrates what it often means to be a mama

[boobs4milk]

lol thanks crystal!!!

i got 4 hrs!!!!! dh had to give her 4 oz of ebm, but i feel like i needed it in order to stay sane and make more milk. that was a rare treat, but now i'm wide awake even as she snoozes on my tummy.

[JamieB]

Originally Posted by boobs4milk

and i'm still awake! i'm waiting for dh to get home to give her a bottle so i can rest. i feed her for a bit, then give her to him to finish up with a 2 oz bottle and i sleep until the next feeding. if someone is holding her, i can usually get 2 hrs out of it. but that's it during the week as far as sleep for me. i can sometime doze while dd3 watches tv, but she usually talks to me or pulls open my eyelids (and no, i'm not exaggerating) so i can't count on that. is it bad that i'm looking forward to my tubal dec 2 so i can have dh home for a week so i can sleep? he has taken 1 day off since millie was born!!!

i think she might be getting close to the 12lb mark so hopefully we can sleep a bit longer, even if she has to be held to sleep.

Do babies apparently sleep better when they reach a certain weight? I think I remember something about this.

[leigh09]

this is my third time around with low milk supply. i have pcos. if you want lots of tips, visit the breastfeeding challenges board. a quick summary: try fenugreek, blessed thistle (general guidelines are 3 capsules of each, 3 times a day), if you can get it try domperidone (works very well for most but not all women, i am in canada and it's easy for me to get - it's restricted in the us but the ladies have found means to get it), read the book "making more milk" for LOADS of reasons why your milk might be low and tips to fix it, nurse frequently, pump what you can and supplement with expressed milk when needed.

anyways, about sleeping through the night - my first child didn't sleep through the night until 9 months old, my daughter until she was 2 years old. literally. nothing to do with weight, starting solids, feeding, co-sleeping (my daughter did not sleep well at all co-sleeping, didn't sleep through the night until she stopped co-sleeping and got her own room), etc. we have found no co-relation at all with any of these things. each baby is different and will sleep through the night in their own time.

[Pookietooth]

I was up about the same time with my baby, so it's apparently fairly common. I don't have low supply either.

[Aufilia]

Originally Posted by leigh09

anyways, about sleeping through the night - my first child didn't sleep through the night until 9 months old, my daughter until she was 2 years old. literally. nothing to do with weight, starting solids, feeding, co-sleeping (my daughter did not sleep well at all co-sleeping, didn't sleep through the night until she stopped co-sleeping and got her own room), etc. we have found no co-relation at all with any of these things. each baby is different and will sleep through the night in their own time.

I just wanted to add a big ditto. Babies are just different. My first didn't sleep more than 3 hours in a row until she was almost 2 but she wasn't very fussy. DS, on the other hand, fusses and nurses and wails for 2-3 hours every night, then conks out for 4-5 hours straight (which is all great as long as I am willing to also go to bed at 8pm).

When he's overtired he does even more wailing and rolling his head around and acting like there's no milk to be had. But, when I convince him to stop the wailing and such he'll get a good letdown within a minute. I have plenty of milk most of the time, and I know it has nothing to do with milk supply.

[MsVyky]

Originally Posted by kjs

me too!!!

me three.

[sherri_b]

Originally Posted by Friendlee

BlueEyedLady: That's really interesting...my dd has acted hungry and then spit all up a few times too.

Well, I'll start taking the More Milk Plus and the Mother's tea and just nurse, nurse, nurse. Thank you all for the encouragment and advice. I love this website! If I were only listening to people near me in town, I'd likely have bought formula last night. I feel like you ladies and your experiences have been a lifesaver for me so often.

It's awful, but I just want to have a few drinks sometimes and not worry about the alcohol level in my milk for a few hours. I think a lot of women would find nursing MUCH easier if they could have a few drinks to take the edge off! (I know I can have a glass of wine or a beer and be safe...I guess I prefer a few glasses or a few beers though - I will be honest, I don't drink it for the taste, but instead for the buzz).

Girl... what you need is a PUMP! (I suggest the Avent ISIS manual pump, too.)

There's nothing wrong with Daddy giving a bottle every night... mine hubby does that too... You just have to remember to pump for that missed nursing. (This also keeps up your frozen supply!)

In fact, last week... my hubby took baby & older sister off for the day & it was a nice little break for my arms (she's gettin' heavy now...) & because I pumped for each feeding she would've had at home, things were a-o.k.

Also, go have your drinks... girls' nite out... whatever!!! Just be prepared with the frozen milk... then pump & dump after your "buzz!" :-)

Keep up the great work though... I'm with ya on the operating with "deflated" boobs! LOL Never tought of 'em like that!