let down?

[katbomumof3]

anyone else have issues with slow letdown in the first few days? what did you do?
ds is 5 days old and i am getting engorged, but my milk doesnt seem to be letting down well at all - he nurses great but falls asleep easy - so i have to keep waking him
ant advice?
tia
kate

[kristen1978]

Hi there! Congrats on your new baby!!

First of all, , just 'cause! Breastfeeding is a learned process for mom and baby, don't forget. You are doing wonderfully, I'm sure. If you get really worried or frustrated, don't hesitate to see a lactation consultant. I could have saved myself some stress if I had seen one sooner!

Babies are often sleepy the first several days, especially if you had an epidural or other pain meds. Don't worry too much, but do try to wake babe as much as possible to feed. I've found that stripped down to only a diaper and constantly wipping a damp washcloth all over the face helps a lot. Do anything you can to stimule our babe -- tickle the feet, etc. Keep in mind the most babies lose a little weight at first (7-10% of birth weight) but should gain it back and be back where they started, at least, but the end of two weeks. The more you nurse, the quicker the engorgement will subside.

Why do you think your letdown is delayed? Often mamas don't feel their letdown for the first few weeks -- I don't think I started to feel mine until DS was about a month old. If you do truly have an issue with letdown, you can train your body to let the milk down with cues (think of Pavlov!).

There is GREAT information on breastfeeding on kellymom.com.

Go to http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/letdown.html to learn more about slow letdown specifically.

Go to http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/...gorgement.html to learn about engorgement.

Hope this helps!

[RachelGS]

Congrats, mama! How wonderful that your baby is here and that you're working hard at nursing. I promise it will get easier.

Can you tell us more about why you think your milk isn't letting down well? Also, are you able to see or hear your little one sucking and swallowing while you nurse? The more you can share, the more we can help.

Hang in there!

[katbomumof3]

well i think i was stresseing a lil early lol
i was worried b/c i didnt hear him swallowing much and i couldnt pump anything...but he nursed constantly all night and all the sudden started swallowing really loud with every suck for awhile...so i think we're good now
although i havent put him down in 12 hrs hehe
engorgement is much better too
thanks for the support ladies!

[RachelGS]

Yay! I'm glad to hear it's going well! If you need any help, there's a ton of it to be had here.