Newborn Nursing Issues

I have three girls. 3, 6, 8. I breast fed all three. It is the most amazing thing you can do for your child! Breast milk works on supply and demand. Unless the hungry one is cuasing mom to bleed I'm not sure why or who told her to supplement. If a baby is going thru a growth spirt, for example, the baby will continue to nurse after the milk is gone from that breast in order to stimulate and build up moms milk supply.
La Leche League is a wonderful support as well! Don't give up mom!

Bottle supplements are a slippery slope. The reduced stimulation to the body causes the body to produce less milk. Has your sister been to a LLL meeting? I think it is still at the Church on Cooper St. at 8pm on the First Wednesday of the month. My twins are almost 6, so I am out of the loop.

I remember that it takes three days for your body to respond to the baby's demand for milk. If the baby misses a nursing for a bottle, your body will produce less milk. For your sister to drop the supplements, she should be prepared to nurse frequently for three days letting the baby nurse at every feeding for as long as the baby likes.

I had twins at 40 and the hospital started my guys with supplemental bottles rather than diagnosing their tied tongues.

I went on a nursing campaign after the kids had a frenulectomy (spelling?)and re-learned how to latch on.

No bottles, and no pumping. We nursed round the clock (not really, but it felt like that). I let the babies nurse as much as possible to stimulate my body's production of milk.

It was worth every minute. They are strong and healthy having enjoyed the benefits of my mature imune system while their own imune system developed.

Hi S., congratulations on your new baby niece! Hungry babies need to go to the breast. If your sister regularly supplements with formula, she isn't going to ever have enough milk to breastfeed exclusively. Filling a baby up with formula does not increase milk production. Putting the baby to the breast more often does. Moms are made to be able to produce enough milk for their babies, no matter what size the baby is at birth, but the way to do that is to put the baby to the breast early and often, and for that to be their sole source of nutrition.

my first question would be why did she have to supplement? check out www.kellymom.com and www.drjaygordon.com for more help and advice! nursing is all about supply and demand - so the more she nurses at first - the more milk she will produce. breastfed babies can sometimes lose a little weight at first and it sometimes takes a few days for mom's milk to come in - all perfectly normal. the most important thing for her to do is to put the baby to her breast to stimulate milk production. bottles flow much more easily than nipples so it is best to get baby used to the breast first then introduce the bottle. babies have to use lots more muscles to nurse than to bottle feed so your sister is not completely off in her thinking. however - many babies can switch easily. see if you can find a good lactation consultant for her or go to a la leche league meeting - check out http://www.llli.org/Web/NewYork.html to find one near her.
good luck and please email me if you have any other questions or need support to help her!!!
you are a great aunt!!
J.

You did not say WHY the baby had to be supplemented. Breast feeding is supply and demand and did you know that a mothers milk changes to fit the growth needs of her child. I suggest that you and your sister get in touch with La Leche league who have been supporters of breastfeeding for years and they will be able to get you in touch with a support group or support you themselves with needed information. Tell her to KEEP breastfeeding! It is the best for your child!

Dear S.,
The more a mother supplements, the less breast milk she will make. Maybe your sister could try breast feeding exclusively and after a short while she will make enough milk and not need to supplement. Please note that at first she may be nursing every hour for 20 minutes a session for baby to feel satisfied, but I think it's worth it in the end..especially if she doesn't like the idea of supplementing.

While there is a lot of concern about babies preferring bottle to breast, and while breastfeeding is definitely supply and demand, babies who receive a supplement do not necessarily turn off of the breast.

My twins received both breast and bottle (the latter was sometimes breast milk and sometimes formula) as they were born very underweight. They went back and forth easily. I always breastfeed them first, and then if they needed more provided a bottle. That ensured the demand on my production. I nursed them both for six months.

With a bottle, it means that the baby's father (or Aunt S.!) can feed the baby at night or whenever mom needs a break. That can be a lovely experience for the non-mom adult.

Another bit of food for thought -- my third baby was VERY hungry in her first two weeks and I gave her some supplemental formula. After a few weeks, because I always gave her breast first, my supply increased and now she is exclusively breastfed and happy.

- M.

I just had a baby mid Feb and in the hospital I had a hard time with breastfeeding. We supplemented because I was worried that my daughter wasnt getting enough to eat. She was 9 lbs. All the nurses at the hospital talked about nipple confusion if I used a bottle too much or even if I introduced a binky too early. I gave her the bottle when I felt I needed to and noticed that I needed to less and less.I also gave her the binky but she still prefers her Mommy. I would suggest that even if you give her a bottle offer the breast first. Eventually, she will prefer your breast. You will start to notice a decrease in supplements even if she seems like she is starving all the time.

hi S., and congrats! i dont know all the details, but i would say that your sister is absolutely right to be concerned. i would get that baby off the bottle right now if at all possible. and if there is a real medical reason that the baby must be supplemented, be sure that she nurses the baby first every time, then offer the bottle after the baby has emptied both breasts. she must nurse or pump at least every 3 hours, especially at the beginning, this is the crucial time. i dont know many people who supplemented in the beginning and were still nursing a month later. her milk supply will drop very quickly, and the baby definitely may develop a preference for the bottle, it is much easier for him. he needs to develop his sucking at the breast. a big baby is not a reason in itself to supplement, if anything it is a reason not to, as she needs to stimulate her breasts to make more milk. people nurse bigger babies than that, they nurse twins and triplets, etc. they nurse toddlers and newborns at the same time. my first baby was almost 9 lbs, the nurses in the hospital convinced me that giving him bottles would be no problem, and it lead to 2 months of a nightmare getting him off the bottles, it was horrible, crying and bleeding etc. my daughter was over 9 lbs, and she was in the nicu and had to have bottles, they didnt let me nurse her at all, so i pumped every 2-3 hours around the clock for almost a week, then she switched to the breast with no problem at all. my last son was the biggest yet, at 9.5, and he is the only one that has never had a drop of formula, and he had totally different problems in the beginning, a poor latch, which we also overcame.... my point is that all babies are different and all nursing relationships are different. if your sister is truly determined to nurse as i was, she can overcome it like i did with my first, but i am still so angry that my first 2 months as a mommy was spent mostly crying and stressing, and it was so unneccesary, just due to ill-informed, careless nurses. ill never get that time back. best of luck to her, if you need more help please feel free to contact me, i overcame lots of different nursing issues over the years, and got lots of wonderful help from lots of wonderful people, friends and professionals, and message boards! good luck, D.

I thought that my son was not getting enough from nursing, but I when I went to the specialist, she weighed my baby, handed him back to me for nursing, and when he was finished, she wieghed him again, and he was a few ozs heavier. So that eased my mind. If the doctor recommends supplementing, it could be because her milk production is low, and better to have a healthy baby that anything else. I bottle fed my breastmilk to my son, My husband also bottle fed my breastmilk to my son, and we also fed him regular formula to supplement his intake when I went back to work. His preference...nursing at mommy's breast, even after all of that. We used advent bottles. You could buy a hand held breast pump that went right onto the top of the bottle, which eliminated a lot of the mess. And oh ya, my son was 9 lbs, 11 oz when he was born...so he was a big one too.

It seems odd that her doctor/midwife would recommend supplementation when the baby is so large to begin with, and at 1.5 weeks old isn't expected to have gained back her birth weight yet. Try consulting a different physician who is pro-breastfeeding. As for prefering the bottle, my son receives breastmilk in the bottle while I'm at work and did get frustrated for a while because it's easier to get milk from a bottle than from mom - but we had strict rules (while I'm home, I'm the only source so deal with it!) and he's adjusted.

Has she seen a lactation consultant?
Maybe she should look into one, and look into something like mothers milk tea, or fenugreek.
Nursing is a supply and demand thing. The more she nurses, the larger her supply will get.
I would suggest offering the breast first, then bottle as a last resort.

WOW 10lbs. Mine were only 7 and 8 lbs. I was very determine to nurse and NURSE only but had to give in to supplemental formula in the beginning because I didn't have enough milk.

In the beginning your milk comes in slowly because small babies only need 2-3 oz at a time. If she wants to change the baby over to mostly mom's milk she needs to just start her factory. She needs to remember to EAT, SLEEP and DRINK plenty of fluids. Try not to stress too much because stress affects the milk factory. Lastly and MOST importantly, start pumping both breast. If the baby is feeding on one, then use an electric pump on the other. The more you pump the more your body knows it needs to increase the supply. Occasionally, when its feeding time, let dad bottle feed with mom's milk and pump both breasts. I know this is not the most natural thing (pumping), but it's the best way to get the needed supply for your baby so that there is minimal formula supplementation.

Good luck!

I breastfeed all 4 of my children but the first 2 I was a very young mother and listened to all the wrong advice. I only breastfed both of my daughters about a month as they appeared to be hungry all the time. I didn't think I was providing enough milk so I supplemented with a bottle. Of course, they both liked the bottle better as it was easier to drink from. Which only made my milk supply decrease even more. My third was born with a cleft lip & palate which made breastfeeding very difficult if not almost impossible. My last child I breastfed everytime she wanted to eat which was about every 2 hours. When you nurse alot the body makes more milk to feed the baby. Breast milk digests quicker than formula which is why breastfed babies always want to eat sooner. Try not to supplement so much as yes, the baby will prefer the bottle to the breast as it is less work. Tell your sister to hang in there.

The baby can learn to be flexible as long as your sister continues to offer both the breast and the bottle on a regular basis. Even better, you or the dad can give the bottles so the baby can receive love and nurturance from others. Remember many mothers of twins nurse two 7-8 pound babies quite successfully. The breast will adjust and up the the flow of milk accordingly as long as your sister is not allowing herself to get dehydrated. She should drink a glass of water every time she nurses.

My son was 10 lbs 7 oz at birth. My milk did not come in for 7 days, I was on two nasty antibiotics until he was 4 weeks old which turned my milk GREEN and it tasted nasty--ask me how I know! I did lots of pumping and dumping, he was purely formula/bottle fed for almost 5 weeks and was 2 months old before he was strictly breastfed. He nursed until he was two.

If she is worried about not having enough milk, I used fenugreek capsules, Mother's Milk Tea and drank LOTS of water, nursed a lot (once he would take my milk) and pumped a lot. So a baby can become only breastfed after necessary supplementation, it just takes determination and work.

Good luck to your sister!

I am a new mom to a four month old and if I have learned one thing in the last four months it is not to worry about something until it happens. If your neice is doing well, worry about her not doing well when she has shown no signs of a problem is no good for mom or baby. Easier said than done, but I had to figure out how to relax or I would have gone crazy.

We have been giving our daughter a bottle at least once a day from the start and she still nurses with no problems. Once in a while, if she is very tired and hungry (usually because we are out and make her wait too long) she gets impatient with my letdown and cries a little. Other than that, she is fine. Hang in there and good job supporting your sister, she needs it right now.

Hi S.,
As long as your sister has the patience to nurse on demand, she will have plenty of milk for your niece! My son was supplemented as well, but as soon as I came home, I took him off the formula, and he still nurses to this day (2 years old on Tuesday).

Best,
S.

Hi S.- Congrats on being an aunt. I'm guessing that your sister is being told that her daughter needs supplementation until her milks comes in a bit more, but this is a lie!!! Babies are born with more than enough extra fat to carry them over in the first few days of life before their mom's milk comes in. What she needs to be doing is actively nursing her on demand and/or every 2hrs. This means every two hrs. from the start of the nursing, so if the nursing takes an hour then she nurses an hour later. With all the suckling that the baby is doing your sisters milk supply will increase to meet the babies needs. I remember in the first three months of my daughter's life going through 2 1/2hr feeding sessions, when I was convinced she was not getting milk out- but amazingly enough most of the time she was and if she wasn't that day, the next day I would be totally engorged with milk thanks to the prior days suckling.

My doctors tried to tell me my daughter needed supplementation so I alternated pumping with my nursing sassions so that I didn't have to give her formula. I was exhausted and my baby got serious nipple confusion. Once I saw a lactation consultant I learned I didn't need to do this and we just had to get my daughter off the bottle.

Encourage your sister to bet her baby on her boob like crazy. She is made to provide everything her daughter needs. Breastfeeding can be very difficult in the beginning- even though it's natural (go figure) and if your sister wants it enough she can make it happen.

Good Luck!
S.

The Dr. told me with both of my kids that they needed to be supplemented with formula when they came home. Both my kids lost about 1/2 lb during their first week home. But, both of them also threw up the formula so I just stepped up the breastfeeding and fed them as frequently as I could. The demand really increased the supply and within the second weeks, they both gained. I never tried to give them formula again. They were 3 1/2 yrs apart and the same thing happened with both of them.I breast fed my son for 18 months and my daughter for 23 months.

The other two women gave good advice. I would just add that babies, especially breastfeed ones don't know that they are suppose to be on a schedual. My little guy was about 9 lbs when he was born and loved to eat also. Sometimes he wanted to nurse every 1hr sometimes he'd go 2 and a half. You just have to feed him when he wants to in the beginning.

Hi S.

My daughter was a preemie and had to spend 5 weeks in the hospital. My milk supply was pretty low at first and so she had supplemented feedings at the hospital. However when she came home she had no problem breast feeding. Everyone's experience varies though. Maybe she should try pumping off her milk so that the hospital uses her milk to supplement baby girl until she comes home, that way she would still be getting mama's milk.

My son was born in December and weighed 10 lbs, 3 oz. Before he was born I swore I was going to breastfeed only. Because of his size, he was so hungry before my milk came in that I agreed to let the nursery supplement one of his feedings per day with formula while we were in the hospital. When we got home, I continued to supplement on of his feedings with formula until my milk came in. However, I did not realize how challenging breastfeeding would be at the beginning and so continued to supplement one feeding at night. This decision has been such a positive one for me and my baby. My husband would feed him his one bottle per day and that allowed the two of them to bond and it also gave me a much needed break. Also, now my son has no problem taking a bottle since he has been taking one since birth. Nowadays if I get a chance to pump during the day, I feed my son the expressed milk in the bottle at night or if not, formula. I use an organic formula as well. To ease your sister's worries, my son is now 3 months old and is a great nurser as well as takes a bottle.

Congrats to your sister and to you, new aunt!

As a mother of 2 LARGE newborns.....10lbs 7oz and 9lbs 4oz...I assure you that a mom's body can produce the milk necessary for even large, hungry newborns. I was in a panic with my 10lb-er (the first nursing baby in my family)...he only nursed on one side for 10 minutes and wouldn't take the other side. He slept 4-5 hours at night as soon as my milk came in. My family (and hospital nurses) had me convinced that I wasn't producing enough and he was starving. After I stopped feeding into the bottle feeding mentality (which revolves around ounces consumed) and just measured wet/soiled diapers (if the baby is pooping and peeing regularly, he/she is fine!), nursing was less stressful and my baby thrived! Neither of my children needed formula and went straight to milk around 1 year old.

So, my advice to your sister is not to panic about how much her child is eating and does he/she need more bottles. Nurse on demand....some days will be non-stop, but it will get better. It takes about 5-6 weeks to get nursing down pat. Once you get over that hump, it's hard to imagine dealing with bottles/formula at all!

Good luck to your sister!

there is a FABULOUS lactation specialist in Stratford -- a mile or so from Target in Trumbull. This woman is a GENIUS and I higly suggest your sister visit with her. She is also an MD and takes insurance. Her name is Dr. Elizabeth Smiley. Her name will come up a lot. Not sure where you live, but worth the drive. I used her with great luck myself.

Btw, I had three children and nursed all three. I supplemented at the hospital and it was a GODSEND. My children would nurse from me and take bottles, whether expressed breast milk or formula, from other people and in fact fared much better than my friends who never supplemented and had a hard time getting their babies to take milk from other people when needed. My children are now 9,7 and 2.5/ I nursed my first two for 11 months and my last for 18 months thanks to Dr. Smiley!

i will repeat what everyone says, the more she supplements, the more her body thinks it doesnt need to make more. unless she stops supplementing and nursing the baby, her body will never make enough. why did they supplement? did they ever check her glucose level? my daughter didnt nurse for about 24 hours but her glucose level was fine so there was no need to worry. how often does she feed? if it was me, i would stop supplementing and start feeding her around the clock every 2 hours to increase her milk. yes its hard to wake up in the middle of the night when the baby may still be sleeping, but in a few days, her body should be fine with making the proper amount. you dont even have to wake the baby usually, they kinda eat in their sleep. otherwise, i would go get a pump and pump after the baby is all done to try and get the breast completely empty. in no time, her milk production should rise.
really, as her sister, i applaud you to try and find answers for her. i hope you will give her the info asap. im not saying it will be easy for a few days, but by next week everything could be on track! if i were in her shoes, i would really want to know the facts. i noticed 2 different opinions in the hospital, some nurses were very supportive of breastfeeding, while others didnt seem so at all. one would try to help me get the baby to feed for 15 minutes. she said dont worry and try again later and as long as the glucose was alright, there was no need for anything. right after, a different nurse would come in and say that they were going to take the baby and give it a bottle if i didnt get her to eat(without doing the test). it just seems that even though the AAP states very strong support over mothers breastfeeding, the medical community does not always follow their recommendations.
please go to LaLeche online and call them. they have women who can answer all her questions and get the support and CORRECT facts she needs. being a first time mom is really hard, im sure she is not sure what the right thing to do is. she should have gotten all the facts about what supplemention can do to your milk supply. just let her know, she can feed her baby, her body will make enough to feed her now, just as her body could feed her at a year old.
please update me on this. she can do it!!!

Hi S. - as you probably know the first couple of weeks of nursing are the most difficult - you are exhausted, trying to adjust to having a new baby, and then your milk comes in and you are engorged and uncomfortable until everything adjusts. I just had my 3rd baby and I am also 40 yrs old. My other kids are 6 and 9 yrs. Here are a few things that have helped me:

- Nursing baby skin on skin whenever possible - makes everything more comfy and baby will be more content, may nurse longer
- wake baby up to nurse every 2 to 3 hours at first to make sure she is getting enough
-if baby falls asleep while nursing, burp her, sit her up, tickle feet etc to wake her back up and put her back on.
- see her pedicatrician or lactation consultant to make sure baby is latched on properly - if she's not she may not get as much in a feeding and it will cause nipple irritations.
-if milk supply is a problem, try to nurse both sides in one feeding- but make sure baby stays on one side for 20 mins if possible to make sure she is getting the fatty milk at the back, which will keep her fuller
- try not to supplement if at all possible - the more she supplements, the more her milk supply will decrease. Pump some breast milk into a bottle for hubby to feed to baby if she needs the rest. But introducing a bottle is not recommended until 5 weeks or so.
- drink tons and tons and tons of fluids! This is so important
- try the herbal teas they have for nursing moms - they are supposed to help support lactation
- sleep/rest whenever she can
- don't give up! so many moms give up during this difficult time because it is so overwhelming - it will get easier and soon enough your sister will feel like it is the most natural thing in the world. good luck - I hope things go well for her!

M.

When I had my son, I was in the hospital for a week and I couldn't nurse him. I thought all my milk as gone. As soon as I got home, I started nursing around the clock and within days I was back to a good milk supply, I couldn't believe it. I supplemented with formula for a week just to be sure. He always preferred the breast to the bottle, even right at the beginning when there wasn't much milk.

It's hard to judge how much milk a baby is getting from breastfeeding.... I always stressed about this with my 3. However, if your sister focuses her energy on breastfeeding, and then treats the supplimentation as an afterthought, she will be less stressed and will be able to breastfeed exclusively, when the time is right. It helps to breastfeed, as if the baby is exclusively breastfeeding, then "top the baby off" with the formula. Don't end early, with knowledge that the formula is there. Eventually, her body with catch up with that big, healthy baby!

My daughter is now 3 years old but I had to supplement her, she lost over 10% of her body weight because my milk had not come in. If your sister hasnt spoken to a lactation specialist yet she should. I was given the name of some herbal supplements and also recommended to drink mothers milk tea, they are found at health stores. I dont remember the names of the supplements but my milk production definitely was increased. I think I supplemented for over a week but less than two weeks. I am not sure the method of supplementation your sister is using but I had a angel hair pasta size tube that was attached to my chest so she was getting supplement while nursing.

I wish your sister luck, also I have been told by a mother of three: one child only wanted to be nursed, another child only wanted the bottle and the third child only wanted to be fed!!

Best of everything to your family on the new addition.

mom advice: stop supplementing!!!! mom's milk is supply and demand, the less the baby takes from mom the less she will produce