No engorgement, leaking or let down tingling w newborn?

[naturalmummy]

I am nervous my milk is not fully in yet and/or that it won't come in full supply...DD is 5 days old, and is nursing pretty well. She is a little lazy, but for the most part is bfing every 2-3 hrs for ab 20 min, usually both sides but not always. Her weight gain so far is very good and has wet and poopy diapers. I know my milk is at least "in the process" of coming in, but I have no engorgement or swelling and am not leaking or having the let down feeling. With DS I was engorged and squirting milk everywhere and leaking before and during feedings. I would categorize my supply with him as overabundant and did end up with plugged ducts and mastitis b/c of it. But, i never had to worry ab supply and was able to maintain a good freezer stash. So...should I just be thankful that my milk maybe coming in gradually this time? Is milk supply like pregnancy-- ie every baby can be completely different? Or could this mean something is wrong? I'm super hormonal and sleep deprived so I could use some reassurance and/or advice. Thanks!

[ssh]

I didn't leak or have a letdown feeling with my second DD. As long as your DD is having wet and poopy diapers, 6 wet a day I think, she's getting enough. Babies often lose weight after birth, so if your DD has gained weight already you really have nothing to worry about. If your DS was nursing more often that can cause engorgement.

[Llyra]

I never got engorged and leaky the way you describe, not even when I was nursing twins, and they were clearly always getting enough. And I didn't start to feel a letdown reflex (tingling, etc.) until a few weeks postpartum. If you have lactated successfully before, I think it's extremely unlikely that you won't be successful this time. One thing I did think of is retained placenta-- sometimes if you still have a few bits of retained placenta, milk will be delayed. So if you really think baby isn't getting enough milk-- baby isn't wetting, for instance, or pooping-- then you might mention it to your midwife or OB, just in case there is retained placenta.

My milk always came in slowly and gradually, without any obvious engorgement.

I would go by diaper output-- on the fifth day, you'd expect to see a few wets, and at least one poop, I would imagine-- you'd get good guidelines on the LLL site or on kellymom. I can't remember exactly what it should be. Also, the poop should be transitioning away from meconium, and more towards true newborn poop-- moving from black, to a greenish brown, and in a few days starting to be reliably yellow or yellowish, and soft.

[mamazee]

I had oversupply and engorgement and leaking with my first, but none of that with my second. I seemed to make just the right amount of milk the second time, like my body knew what to do that time or something. And she was EBF and a little chunk, so I'm sure she was getting enough.

If your babe is producing wet and dirty diapers and gaining weight, I wouldn't worry.

[Heba]

Congratulations on the birth of your daughter!

Yes yes yes to what everyone else said.  Not all mums feel the let-down, leak or experience engorgement.

By day 5 you should be seeing at least 5-6 soaking wet disposables (7-8 reusables), and 3-4 proper poops which are now mustardy colour (no remains of meconium). If this is not happening, then it's a sign for further investigation.  However, if it's coming out, then you know it's going in :).

xx

[farmheart]

I never had the tons of milk thing with my 2nd... sounds like you are doing good jst keep offering the breast!

[naturalmummy]

Thanks for the replies. Things seem to be going well. DS is a better overall nurser than DS so I think she maybe more efficient at emptying me. Plenty of wet and yellow poopie dipes. I think it will still be so strange to not feel let down, but perhaps it is yet to come. I will just have to be thankful if I have enough but not too much and hopefully won't have to deal with plugged ducts/mastitis.

[Virginia884]

I saw a LC for a lot of the same reasons you have above. When I talked about being worried about supply because of not feeling let-down, she said most mothers don't feel it until around 6 weeks PP. I have started feeling let-down and DD is almost 6 weeks old. I also am not humongously engorged except for when I first wake up in the morning.