Breastfeeding & Milk Supply Questions

I was admitted to the hospital for the whole week and when I came back to home, I wasn't able to produce enough to fill my lo. after trying lots of remedies including putting him on bottle, nothing worked and finally Healthy nursing tea did the job.

My son didn't really learn the proper latch until 8 weeks or so. So yeah, it is possible. I used a nipple shield while he got the hang of it.
Don't rip her off, insert your pinky just enough to break the suction.
To increase your milk supply, you could pump and feed at the same time. Your daughter is small enough that you will be able to do both. It's a bit cumbersome, but it worked for me pretty good. Just keep on eating healthy, wholesome meals and drink plenty of water as well because you are basically asking your body to feed twins. Rest as much as possible, also.
I tried very hard to follow my son's feeding schedule... so I pumped every 3 hours or so for at least 15 minutes at work. It was exhausting! Breaks and lunch time were spent there. I'm pumping for my daughter now and I still do it for at least 15 minutes for definitely not as often.
Continue to work on her latch. Don't bottle feed exclusively... enjoy your baby girl!
I like being on a pumping schedule because it's predictable, others know when it's okay to schedule a meeting with you, for instance. But you will find out that sometimes your body will give you more and you may need to pump sooner, sometimes less and you could go without pumping for longer. I went from 10, 6, 10, 2, 10 (skipping 2 am and 6 pm) to 10, 6, 11, 4, 10. I pump for 1/2 hr every morning so I get two feedings. I pump for the same amount at night and I do not. Boobs are funny like that.
I can't remember the "formula" they had in the book about how much milk was typical. But every 2 - 3 hours is pretty typical. If they hit a growth spurt it's more often than usual.
I should mention that with both babies my husband was instrumental in establishing a good milk supply. He would feed the babies at night while I pumped. This way the babies ate faster from the bottle, while I pumped both sides at once and I got to sleep a bit more. Worked out pretty good during work days.
Good luck to you!

Joyful Greetings,

I am so happy that I may be able to help. One way to get your child to get on your nipple fully is by inserting your finger into Andreana mouth and not allowing her to suck unless she fully attached. Another way is by pulling her tight to your breast, but not to tight just enough for her to gasp for air and then her mouth will open wider this also works when they are teething and biting to get them to release. Don't give her the bottle until you have this resolved, because the nipple on a bottle is easy and Andreana won't have to work as hard to get the milk out. That is probably why she is nursing frequently. She gets tire and knows she may get the milk easier.

I will be praying for both of you...

Many Blessing
M.
Practical Nutrition Consultant
http://www.shaklee.net/u2vitality

If her mouth is not open wide enough she will not compress the sinuses underneath the breast tissue, which is what empties the milk ducts. Emptying the milk ducts is how your breasts know to make more milk. You should not be needing to pump to maintain your supply unless you are away from her for extended periods of time. It would be well worth it to see a lactation consultant, post-partum doula, or La Leche League leader in your area to easily correct her latch. If you don't, your breast-feeding relationship may end much too soon. You can work on it yourself by not allowing her to feed until she is positioned correctly. Line her nose up to your nipple instead of her mouth so she has to open wide to reach it. A good breast-feeding book should have illustrations as well. Good luck!

You can have a lactation nurse from the hospital, or contact the La Leche League for a referral, help you work on the latch. If you want to breastfeed, that would be your best option. She won't be able to drain your breast completely if she can't get a good latch.

I exclusively pumped and bottle-fed with my 2nd baby and it worked beautifully. (Breastfeeding was just too painful for me, even with everything going technically well.) I would pump until I couldn't get any more out each time, so my breasts filled up nicely in between and I had more than enough milk only pumping for 45 minutes 3x/day until 4 months, and then I cut down to twice a a day.

Pumping does take time, though, so be prepared for that. I thought I would pump exclusively with my 3rd baby, but had to give up after 10 weeks because I just couldn't get everything done and have uninterrupted pump breaks with 3 kids. It was getting to be more stressful than helpful.

Formula is a perfectly healthy option if things just don't work out with pumping and/or breastfeeding. Don't make anyone feel bad if that is the route you choose. YOU get to choose what is best for you and your baby.

Good luck!

Hi SJ,

One trick that might help with the latch is when you are getting ready to breastfeed, touch your nipple to her nose. She will have to open wide and tilt her head up to latch on, which may help her get a wider latch. Also, have you tried using nipple shields??

As for how much a 6-week-old should eat, every 2-3 hours is "normal". I was told that during the night, at that age, they should not go more than 5 hours between feedings. Remember how tiny their stomaches are. Hopefully, if you get the latch corrected, she will start nursing every 2 or more hours instead of just 1 hour in between feedings. If it's only been 1 hour, you can try giving her a pacifier until it's closer to 2 hours. She may be sucking for comfort and not because she is hungry.

Also, I don't know if you are switching breasts during feedings. I've read differing opinions on that, but if you are switching, you could try only doing 1 breast per feeding. That way she would completely drain the breast.

In any event, I would more or less feed "on-demand", breast OR bottle. A baby that age knows when it's hungry and when it's full--I'm not a fan of regimented feeding schedules for infants. It's easy to obsess about how many ounces they're drinking once they are on a bottle. So long as she's growing and she has lots of wet diapers, she's OK. I couldn't even begin to tell you how many ounces my son drank. I was both breastfeeding and bottle feeding and we never paid much attention to the amounts. Our pediatrician at the time said, "Watch the output [poop and pee] and don't worry so much about the input."

As far as pumping and how often and when and if you should do so exclusively, the only person that can answer that is you. You have to find a way to make breastfeeding work for you, and how you handle it may change over time. I would really take it one day at a time. There is no "right" answer to any of that, and breastfeeding doesn't have to be an "all or nothing" deal. I don't know how realistic it is to not use at least a little formula if you are going to be working full-time, and you shouldn't feel like a failure if you choose to do so. I had to use some formula w/my son from Day 1. Good luck!