Letting Down Help

[Watergirl's World]

My son is two days old and already starting to demand more than what I'm able to give. My milk hasn't come in just yet and I was told I'm about 12 hours behind him in that regard due to my c-section. The consultant told me to nurse for 20mins, ice for 20mins, pump for 20mins, and repeat.

In the mean time my little man is crying with hunger until I let down and I want to know if there is anything else I could try or do I have to toughin it out.

Also, I was told to suppliment with 5ml of formula per breast until my milk comes in to help calm him.


Any and all advice welcome for first time mommy.

Thanks!!!!!

[Llyra]

Congratulations on baby's birth!

With respect of course, I think you're being given faulty advice.

I'm puzzled as to why you're being told to ice, if your milk isn't in yet. That's a good treatment for engorgement, but you're not engorged, are you? Icing is going to slow down the milk, not get it to come down more easily. You want warmth for that. Put a sock full of rice in the microwave, and then apply that-- check first that it's not hot enough to burn you.

I wouldn't ice, if I were you.

I also wouldn't supplement, unless there are clear medical indications-- like severe dehydration, or massive weight loss exceeding 15 to 20 % of birthweight, for example.

In the early days of colostrum, baby needs to nurse very very often, to give your breasts the stimulation they need to bring in your milk. In the meantime, colostrum is perfectly adequate to meet baby's needs. If you offer formula, you're compromising the integrity of the gut, and you're also sating baby's hunger, which means baby will want to nurse less often.

The fussiness is usually the worst in the 48 hours before the milk comes in fully. The fussiness is nature's way of ensuring that baby spends a LOT of time at the breast, which in turn brings the milk in fully. All you have to do is to nurse as often as you can get baby interested, for as long as baby seems to want, and hang in there.

At two days, with your full milk supply not in, you're probably not really having actual letdowns the way you will when your milk comes fully in. It might take up to a few weeks before you have a fully mature milk supply, and start to experience the letdown reflex consistently.

[kismetbaby]

I totally agree with the above poster. I would not use ice nor would I supplement! Colostrum is all baby need s for the first few days.

Please, please contact your local LLL or someone who can give you some good advice IRL!!!

Let your babe suckle as much as he needs/wants to. . .that will bring in your milk better than anything. Likely babe is fussy just b/c he's new to the big world! (And to insure lots of nursing and bring in your milk.) Hold him a lot. . .lots of skin to skin contact. Rocking, swaying, bouncing, these things all calm new ones.

Pretty soon you'll have lots of milk and he won't be frustrated at the breast anymore. I really would not supplement at this point! If he can't be at the breast for some reason letting him suck on your finger is a better paci than a bottle or plastic paci.