Breastfeeding Questions - York,PA

Hi J.,

I would suggest nursing your baby on-demand - as often or as long as she wants to nurse. At around 3-4 weeks, your baby will be going through her first growth spurt - so that may explain the fussiness at feeding times. It usually goes back to normal after a few days to a week and your baby will settle into her new routine. She will have additional growth spurts at 6 and 12 weeks as well. Many women think they are loosing their milk supply during a growth spurt because it seems like the baby isn't satisfied with nursing - but it is just your baby telling your body to make more milk - so don't worry if she seems to still be hungry - just keep nursing and switching sides until she seems satisfied.

You don't need to take a bottle with you when you go out if you don't want to. I always nursed my son in public. I used nursing shirts so that I could easily nurse him discretely. That way you don't have to prepare anything to take with you - you always have your supply on demand.

Also, sometime at around 6-8 weeks, your milk supply will "regulate" and you will start making just what your baby needs instead of "overproducing" - so don't be worried if the amount that you can pump goes down.

Congrats again on your new baby!
J.

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The milk is already flowing on the one side. When you switch her, it takes a little bit for the milk to start flowing. She is impatient because it was already working on the other side. Try manually expressing a little milk from the new side before you latch her on. This should make it so that it is flowing right away.

If she still is fussing it may be that she just wants to nurse on one side at a time. Simply start with a different breast each time so that she is emptying at least one breast completely at each feeding.

At 4 weeks old, probably 2-4 ounces per feeding. Probably closer to 4 ounces. It would depend on your baby. You probably want to take a 3 or 4 ounce bottle with you. I would take a 4 ounce bottle and see how much she drinks. If she only drinks 2 1/2 to 3 ounces maybe take three ounces the next time. But if you have enough milk to do it, I would take 4 ounces each time because her needs will increase as she grows.

Good luck. Hope this helps.

Hi J.,

I have heard that some babies prefer to nurse at one breast at a time. Maybe she just doesn't like switching over. Just alternate breasts at each feeding rather than in the middle of a feeding. I can ask my daughter about this if you like (she is a breastfeeding consultant).

Hope this helps some.
K.
www.joyfulconnections.net

Hi J.. Congratultions on your new baby girl!

I also breast feed my daughter and have been doing it for 6 months now. In the beginning I worried about EVERYTHING. How much was she getting, how much should she be getting, how long she was eating for. Things changed so often it was crazy, and they have continued changing. After my milk was established (around 6 weeks) I stopped feeding from both breasts during a feeding. It was just easier and my daughter seemed to do better without unlatching and starting on a new breast. She would sometimes feed for 45 minutes (usually falling asleep). Around 4 months it all changed and I thought she was starting a nursing strike. She would only eat for 5 minutes at a time. This 5 minute eating schedule has continued, so it wasn't a strike, I guess she just became a more efficient eater...I took her to the doctor worried she wasn't getting enough but she has continued to gain enough weight,etc. Anyway, just go with the flow. As your daughter gets older and you both get more used to nursing everything will fall into place.

As for pumping, I have heard that doing a yield (as one other person mentioned-pumping about 10 min before a normal nursing time to see how many ounces you get) always ends up being less that what baby gets...baby is much more efficient at getting the milk out, so you can assume baby is getting about 1-2 ounces more than what you pumped. I also used to take a bottle of expressed milk when we went out, but that has worn off now, as nursing is much easier and I am more comfortable nursing in public.

As for the fussing at the second breast--Maybe your daughter is finished after the first breast, but is sleepy and just wants something to suck on while falling asleep and then gets irritated that she's getting milk when she really just needs to suck? Just a guess...does she use a pacifier?

hi! Everything you are saying is very normal for a newbie and you are doing everything really well. By now your milk is more mature, and she may be satisfied with just hte one side for a little while. Don't get to set- she's bound to hit a growth spurt soon and it will all change again, and you'll adjust again. That's what I found with breastfeeding- just feed on demand and do what seems natural. I suggest taking 3 ounces or so with you in the bottle to answer your question. And she'll probably want that every 2 hours give or take a little. Great job! Enjoy your girls!

I know what you are feeling - I was always so worried about how much milk was son was getting. He is now three and I have a 4 1/2 month old daughter. My pediatrician gave me great advise - about 10 minutes before the kiddo would eat, pump for 15-20 minutes and see how much you get, that is about what the baby is getting. Then just give her a bottle with what you pumped.

Don't worry about the only taking one side (also a concern I had). Your daughter will take what she needs / wants. If she is falling asleep as she eats, you could try to move her feeding 30 minutes earlier, or laying her down a little earlier. Just some thoughts. Good luck!

Hi J.,
I breastfed all three of my kids, my youngest until she was a year old, and the best advice I can give is to go with your gut! It's hard to know exactly how many ounces your baby has eaten, or how many she needs, so I usually relied on if they had as many wet diapers as they were supposed to.If she seems happy and content, not fussy or hungry, and is gaining weight, try not to worry about ounces and measurements. My babies all ended up nursing on one side per feeding when they were a few weeks old. Try putting a safety pin on the side of your bra that you need to feed on next, cause it gets hard to remember!Enjoy your wonderful baby and have a wonderful nursing experience!
~S.

J.,

With breastfed babies there is no way to tell how many ounces they are getting at each feeding. If you're not going to nurse when you're out and about, consider the guidelines for formula fed babies. For those fed strictly formula (in your case pumped breastmilk) the typical daily intake for babies this young can be anywhere from 16 to 32 ounces. So use that range to gage how many ounces she should get based on the number of feedings a day she has. I would use the higher number (32 ounces) as your indicator.

Since this is a new problem for you and her consider any schedule or dietary changes that may have occurred. Are you drinking more milk or eating more dairy? Maybe a different food this past week? Also, when did you begin pumping and have you increased or changed your pumping schedule?

With my three, I have always fed from one side per feeding. I had one daughter that could feed fully in 10 minutes flat from BOTH sides she was that efficient. My other two would take a bit longer for a feeding and I kept them on one side.

The single sided feeding is a good method as it allows the baby to get the full benefit from the feeding. From the fore-milk (which is light and watery) to the hind-milk (which is more robust in both nutrients and fat content) which helps them to feel satiated.

Best of luck with your newest Blessing.

Rolinda
Wife, Mother, Friend

I don't think you can clearly determine how many ounces she should have, every child is different and their demands are different as well.
While my son was fine with nursing on one side most of the time (which when pumped made up about 3-4 oz) my friends baby would eat much more, but she also was producing more than twice as much milk as I was.

What matters is that the baby is content and grows and gains weight at an acceptable rate. My son was always off the growth charts throughout the first year, but he grew in proportion.

I would never wake a sleeping child for a feeding. Enjoy the rest while she sleeps and if you are able to, feed her on demand.

Good luck
K.