Please help

[guestmama9920]

on wed night dd had a huge crying fit, then slept 2am-8am, i woke up not full, which is odd for me. slept most of thurs and fri, shes almost 11 weeks

I'm not never full, never leaking even after a long nap and hardly getting any milk out


she refuses to take ebm via syringe, we only have 3mls left anyway, ped said she is ok but bordering dehydrated

should i buy dom?

You dont know how awful it is when they are so happy to see boobie, they latch on and get nothing and she got the most awful sad face and cried again

everyone says my supply is fine but i dont see this as fine

[Just1More]

Firstly....do all the tricks to get your supply back up. Water, oatmeal, fenugreek, momma's milk tea, etc. Sleep. Precious sleep. Plenty of healthy calories. Lots and lots of water.

Secondly...hang with me here...take a pg test. If your supply sudddenly went wonky, something's up.

Thirdly, is she teething? Does it hurt her to nurse? Yeast infection? Can you try to get a letdown going BEFORE she latches on to make it easier for her? If she gets frustrated and doesn't suck long enough to get a letdown, it can cause a frustrating cycle for both of you.

Lastly, after a while, longer for some than for others, your body adjusts to nursing and you stop being "full". Your body kinda makes it on demand. So, you won't feel full, but you'll have a letdown just the same, and they'll be plenty of milk. Just not feeling full, or not being able to pump much is not a sure sign of low supply.

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by Just1More

Lastly, after a while, longer for some than for others, your body adjusts to nursing and you stop being "full". Your body kinda makes it on demand. So, you won't feel full, but you'll have a letdown just the same, and they'll be plenty of milk. Just not feeling full, or not being able to pump much is not a sure sign of low supply.

:

Often happens around 10-12 weeks, and doesn't mean that supply dropped.

keep nursing!

[Mommal]

At 11 weeks, it's okay to not feel full or leak all the time. That full feeling comes from having extra milk sitting around in the breast, and after a while the body figures out how to make just enough milk to meet your baby's needs without a lot left over. It's also pretty normal not to be able to express much milk by hand, or even with a pump, because hand expression and pumping is just not as effective at getting milk out as a baby is.

How has your child's weight gain and diaper output been? If weight gain is good and diaper output is good (5-6 wet per day, 1 dirty) without supplementing, then most likely everything is fine.

How does nursing feel and sound? If nursing is pain-free and you hear lots of swallowing when your baby is nursing, then again most likely everything is fine.

Are you pumping or just hand-expressing? If you're pumping, what sort of pump are you using? In general, hand pumps are the least effective and double electric hospital-grade pumps are the most effective. If you want to boost your milk supply, I think the best thing you can do is to pump frequently with a really good pump. When I had supply problems, I pumped every 2 hours during the day and every 3 at night. I personally would try that route before taking domperidone. And if you feel you need domperidone, then frequent pumping will increase its efficacy and shorten the time until you reach a full supply.

Finally, if you feel like you have a supply issue, you should go see your midwife or OB and get yourself checked out for physical conditions that can impact your milk supply, including fragments of retained placenta, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and hyper/hypothyroid issues, which happen to be quite common in postpartum women.

[guestmama9920]

not preg still havent dtd since the birth

she is getting less, bordering dehydration the gp said, they want me to ff her

i'm not a good pumper on my best days

i know about feeling less full and it being ok but this is overnight and she isn't ok, her nappies are less full and darker.

It's a tad better this morning, it's early still.


GP isn't willing to do tests, everyones mik dries up around now she says

I'm trying a different doc on Monday

[Mommal]

GP isn't willing to do tests, everyones mik dries up around now she says

I'm trying a different doc on Monday

I'm so glad you're going to see a new doc! Your old one sounds like she doesn't know anything about breastfeeding.

Until you get to see the doc, there are things you can do.

Even if you don't respond well to the pump, it doesn't hurt to pump. Even if you aren't getting any milk out, the stimulation will tell your body to make more.

There are herbal supplements that are totally safe for breastfeeding. A lot of moms find fenugreek and oatmeal helpful.

If you determine that you need to supplement, you can do so using a supplemental nursing system (SNS). A SNS is good for three reasons. First, there's no need to use bottles, so you won't risk nipple confusion. Second, your baby will get that important closeness with you. And third, your baby will stimulate your milk supply even as she feeds from the SNS tube.

The most important thing you can do- if you haven't done it yet- is to go see a lactation consultant! Don't think to yourself "It's too expensive," because while it may cost a lot in the short term, it is much less expensive than a year's worth of formula.

Hang in there!

[guestmama9920]

i have a sns

i saw the lc right after the birth but she is gone till end of nov, there aren't any other local ones

if the wets are ok BUT the soft spot is sunken in am I ok not to top up?

oh i have been downing oatmeal

[PatioGardener]

It does sound like your supply has dropped. Have you started any new medications (for colds, or birth control?)

So glad you are seeing a new doc - that one is NOT supportive!

Check out the low milk supply stickie at the top of this forum. There are lots of ways to increase your supply - foods, herbs, having an LC check for good milk transfer (no tongue-tie, etc), medications. You can do this.

[alegna]

How many wet diapers a day? As long as you're still in the range of 6- I wouldn't worry about supply yet.

If you're concerned about supply, I would try to rent an accurate scale and weigh before and after feedings so that you know how much is really being transfered.



good luck!

-Angela

[guestmama9920]

Originally Posted by PatioGardener

It does sound like your supply has dropped. Have you started any new medications (for colds, or birth control?)

So glad you are seeing a new doc - that one is NOT supportive!

Check out the low milk supply stickie at the top of this forum. There are lots of ways to increase your supply - foods, herbs, having an LC check for good milk transfer (no tongue-tie, etc), medications. You can do this.

no pills, i did buy dom today but hope to not use it

Lc said no tounge tie, her latch is so so but was good enough till wed.

Originally Posted by alegna

How many wet diapers a day? As long as you're still in the range of 6- I wouldn't worry about supply yet.

If you're concerned about supply, I would try to rent an accurate scale and weigh before and after feedings so that you know how much is really being transfered.



good luck!

-Angela

we've tried weigh nappies they are usually 60-90grams
we've weighed her monday 4000, then thurs 4070, then friday 4090, then today 4040. But sh did poo twice yesterday

she is hungry and annoyed, would some water in the sns help? i dont have but 2-3mls expressed

[Mommal]

Originally Posted by Britishmama

she is hungry and annoyed, would some water in the sns help? i dont have but 2-3mls expressed

No! Babies as young as yours should not have water as it can throw off their electrolyte balance, which can make them sick. If too much water is given, it can even be fatal. If you don't have expressed milk, use formula instead.

[guestmama9920]

Originally Posted by Mommal

No! Babies as young as yours should not have water as it can throw off their electrolyte balance, which can make them sick. If too much water is given, it can even be fatal. If you don't have expressed milk, use formula instead.

Well I know a bit of water won't kill her, many FF babies have bottles of water every day even at on week, I know it's not ideal but they are fine.

We gave her 10mls of formula the first week when she was very jaundiced, she got really sick by it. So I am trying avoid it

[alegna]

I don't know on diaper weights- everything I've seen counts number of diapers instead.

But if you have a scale accurate enough to weigh diapers, can you weigh her?

-Angela

[Patrick's mummy]

Hey "British Mama" are you in the UK? If so, you'll probably find your GP to be worse than useless (I mean harmful) re:BFing. Sad but true. I have had so many problems with a range of GPs and practices.

The best way of building your supply is to nurse nurse nurse. Go to bed if you can, take the baby with you, skin to skin and get baby latched on as many times as he/she will tolerate! It is normal for your body to get used to the supply-demand nature of things around now and not to leak any more, but you sound worried about your baby.

If you are in the UK, try calling the NCT Bfing helpline 0300 33 00 771. Happy to talk about other sources of useful help in the UK if you are over here - PM me if you like.

[guestmama9920]

we usually nurse, skin to skin 20 hours a day, she goes to daddy for me to wee and showers, we are always together

no soothers, no bottles, we're pretty crunchy if you dont count the sposies

we are in the uk, so its the weekend all anyone tells me is to ff, even though the tiny bit she had made her sick and she wont take a bottle

i got some moutilium i just hate to try it, me and drugs usually doesnt work

[sweetpeppers]

For me, it really helped to relax, even just rolling my neck and taking a deep breath and I could hear him gulping down the milk from the letdown. Obviously you're going to be more tense, because you're worried, but try to stay relaxed and calm. Leafy green vegetables are also good for your supply. Lots of salads, green smoothies, etc.

[Patrick's mummy]

Originally Posted by Britishmama

we usually nurse, skin to skin 20 hours a day, she goes to daddy for me to wee and showers, we are always together

no soothers, no bottles, we're pretty crunchy if you dont count the sposies

we are in the uk, so its the weekend all anyone tells me is to ff, even though the tiny bit she had made her sick and she wont take a bottle

i got some moutilium i just hate to try it, me and drugs usually doesnt work

Sorry British mama, I didn't mean my "advice" to sound patronising. If you are nursing all that frequently and your supply seems low, my guess would be that your LO is not latching on so well

I don't think anyone you contact via the NHS is likely to be able to help you with this as at 11 wks, the midwife will have signed you off. I do suggest you contact an NCT bfing cllr on the number I gave. They won't advise you to give formula but will try to address the problem at source.

[alegna]

Really I am not hearing anything that's making me think low supply.

Hang in there- get a scale if you can- and just keep nursing and counting those diapers.

-Angela

[Phoenix_Rising]

One thing that helped me to relax enough was to take a bath with baby and nurse in the bath.

[AutumnAir]

Can you contact LLL (La Leche League)? They are often very supportive and will do anything they can to help you out. The leaders are not LCs (necessarily, though some may be) but they probably have enough experience to help you evaluate your latch and talk through other possibilities, and maybe just give you the support you need. 60-90 g per nappy is pretty good (that's 2-3 oz) If she has 5-6 of those in a day that's fairly reasonable. It can't come out if it isn't going in.
It sounds like you're working so hard to make this work - kudos to you