My baby is two weeks old….the first week we were in the hospital and my milk didn’t come in until we got home last week. My daughter had a problem latching on so I have been giving her formula and pumping when I can and giving her breast milk a few times a day (I wasn’t feeling well enough to pump more than that). Now that I’m feeling good again and I’ve tried to pump I am only getting less than half of what I was getting last week. If I keep pumping every few hours will my milk come in again or have I already started to dry up?? Any recommendations?
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7 responses so far ↓
1 cathrl69 // Sep 28, 2008
Every few hours simply is not often enough - if you were feeding directly baby would want to nurse every 2 hours, maybe more often.
Decision time for you. Do you want baby to get breastmilk? If so, then you either need to pump far more than you are doing now, regardless of how well you are feeling, or you need to try to get baby to latch on again. I’d really advise speaking to a lactation consultant, because right now you are on the fast road to “oh, I couldn’t breastfeed, I didn’t have enough milk.”
2 mystic_eye_cda // Sep 28, 2008
1) Get baby to latch on. Its far from too late, and breastfeeding directly is far more likely to succeed. (Not to mention its way easier)
2) If you were breastfeeding your baby would nurse at least 8 times a day and would nurse until she go enough. So pump, pump, and then pump some more. Some women find pumping every 3 hours and pumping for 10 minutes, wait 10 minutes, then pump 10 more minutes is more effective. Some just find pumping every 2 hours is more effective.
3) Did you have a c-section, pre-existing diabetes, post-partum hemorrage, PCOS, diabetes?
“My Baby Just Doesn’t Get It”
http://www.normalfed.com/Help/babyget.html
I’m not pumping enough milk. What can I do?
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html
Establishing and maintaining milk supply when baby is not nursing
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/maintainsupply-pump.html
Exclusive Pumping - The Best… Expressed!
(aka: everything you wanted to know about exclusive pumping but didn’t know who to ask!)
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/ExclusivePumping.htm
Supporting the Human-Milk-Feeding Mother
http://www.llli.org//llleaderweb/LV/LVFebMar01p3.html
3 BillPoster // Sep 28, 2008
you won’t have dried up yet - it’s produced on demand, so the amount you pump is the amount that will be reproduced. just keep at it, feed her directly as much as you can and pump in between (hard work, but will increase the amount you produce) Please don’t give up, it will be worth it in the end. Contact your mid wife / health visitor to help you or put you in touch with a breast feeding consultant. Good luck.
4 JazzyMuffin // Sep 28, 2008
Nursing frequently is the key to boosting milk production so get *her* on there as much as possible. (Pump less or not at all for a few days)
Also, make sure YOU are drinking plenty of fluids! More then usual!
Good article from a wonderful website for pregnant women and new mothers! http://www.babycenter.com/0_low-milk-supply_8487.bc#articlesection3
Good luck!!
5 momof3 // Sep 28, 2008
i had this happen because i went on a road trip and had to go all day w/out pumping. the docs told me to drink lots of flluids and pump every hour or so but it did not help me at all….good luck but you can try
6 belinda // Sep 28, 2008
It sounds like your milk is “drying up.” It’s OK, it’s a problem that can be fixed!
I encourage you to latch your baby onto the breast. Nothing works better than a baby. Pumping is a distant second. I also hope that you find a lactation consultant. She can set you up with a supplementer, so you can feed your baby the formula while she stimulates your breasts. That way, baby is rewarded for nursing, she receives the calories she needs, and your milk supply increases.
7 eveninggoddess420 // Sep 28, 2008
good news mama! (and baby!)you have not started to dry up!
now i know..it is hard in the beginning. you are tired..~you just created life!!
but the life giving isn’t over just yet.
your baby needs your boobie!
when we (baby and i) were just starting out..i was still so tired..
1.and it was so hard.
sometimes..i just wanted to cheat and give him a bottle of formula so i could sleep without getting up to feed him OR pump.
but you are in the very early stages..and things are still finiky right now.your body doesn’t know yet how much your baby needs.
~do i need to feed 5 babies?a small baby who needs only a little?etc..
my recommendations?
this is crucial time..and you can relax a little more once your milk production is back up!
1.Start breastfeeding your baby exclusively.She needs to learn how to do this crazy feeding thing too! It’s hard for both of you..but it’s also best for both of you!
2.throw away any formula that is left.
3.love your pump!-pump when you can..i’d say every three or four hours during the day.no more than every two hours..and as HARD as it will feel (trust me..I’ve been there!) even do it in the night every 5 hours.
4.FEED YOURSELF. Don’t forget!Hopefully you can enlist a loved one to help look after you while you are adjusting to looking after baby.
Drink PLENTY of fluids!
Good luck mama!!
YOU CAN DO IT!
~You were made for this!