Advice please!

[Kirsty.Y.84]

Hi ladies

I gave birth to our little boy 6 days ago, and have had huge trouble getting him to latch on to the breast. This has meant that I have been having to express milk for every feed and feed him by bottle. Up until today, I have been able to do this with no difficulty, and have managed to express his night feeds prior to going to bed. Today however, he has started to take 3 and a half to 4 ounces per feed. This is proving very difficult to express this amount in one go, and I'm starting to get very sore.

As far as I understood, your breasts would produce enough milk to feed your baby, so whatever they were taking, would be replenished, but whenever I try to express, I get to about 3 ounces and it dries up!

I'm just after some advice really on whether it is normal for him to be taking so much in one feed (bearing in mind he was born at 6lb 7 and now weighs 6lb 1 at his 5 day check, so he's not a big baby at all). If this is normal, are there any ways to increase my milk flow?

I'm not sure I can continue to express like this as my nipples are so sore and it is becoming such a huge chore I dread him waking for his next feed.

Also, any tips on the best formula milk to buy as I am considering this as a top up as a last resort.

Thanks in advance xx

 

[Princess81]

I'd keep trying him with the latch, him being attached is the best stimulation for your supply.
Fenugreek tablets from holland and Barrett are good, drink loads of water and eat loads of oaty foods like porridge.
Can you go to a bf support group? X

 

[l_maclean]

Have you thought about trying nipple sheilds to get him to latch. These are the only way I can bf. G won't latch naturally at all!!

Pumps can't get the same amount put as a baby can unfortunately. Also I believe babys saliva helps regulate supply - your body can't be fooled by a pump indefinitely.

If you want to try boosting it though - oaty foods like porridge, drink lots, and you can get fenugreek tablets from health stores.

Xxx


On my iPhone - so cant see tickers

 

[Kirsty.Y.84]

Thanks ladies.

I try and latch him every day, and he latches on, has a couple of sucks and then gets angry and screams. I know it's because he has to work harder to get milk from the breast, but unfortunately, as he just wont feed, we had no choice but to bottle feed him the expressed milk.

I have been to breast feeding support groups, and had a breast feeding support worker visit me in hospital one on one, and have had loads of advice, but I think I may just have to face the fact that I have a lazy baby! In hospital, we hadn't managed to feed him much at all, and he ended up being dehydrated and I just can't risk him not getting enough milk as I felt so guilty.

This is certainly not something I ever thought I would have to overcome, I thought breast feeding would be so natural, but my baby hates my breast! xx

 

[BabyBrain]

Albert was the same chick, he has a small mouth (none of us have any idea what gene created it lol) and as he was only 6lb when he was born my nipple took up about half his face lol, our best reult at bf was getting his ear stuck to the side of his head . It turns out he had a milk allergy and even bf was making him bad but that's another story. Even after I stopped expressing, skin to skin made my milk go mad and we'd both be soaked, that coupled with the sanatogen new mum vitamins I was taking meant I could express 4oz a time.

 

[Kirsty.Y.84]

Yes Finn has a tiny mouth too, and my breasts went from a DD during pregnancy to an F when my milk came in, so they are huge compared to his little face! It's so frustrating not being able to feed him. I really don't want to give him formula, but if I can't get enough out to satisfy him, what choice do I have? He's due to wake in an hour for a feed and I am now looking at the breast pump with dread! xx

 

[Maria1977]

Have u spoken to BFing support hun? They are fab and will work with you snd baby to help with any BFing issues.

There's a fair bit you can do to increase supply, make sure to drink alot of water. Oats and fenugreek as well will increase supply.

Baby does need to go on boob though as it's the messages from baby's saliva that maintain supply.

Good luck hunxxx

 

[x_larlybelle_x]

Kirsty take a trip to the sunlight centre on Richmond road on Thursday at 1pm and speak to Wendy. She is the lactation & bf guru in Medway. She has helped me fix Henry's latch (he suddenly forgot how to latch at 13 weeks!) Wendy will watch how he latches (or not if he struggles) & suggest ways to help.

She is amazing. It's from 1-3ish & u can meet other bf mums. It's only a small group but they r lovely. Xxxx

 

[pinkyprincess]

You've done well so far. If your determined you CAN exclusively pump but I don't think it's easy http://www.mother-2-mother.com/ExclusivePumping.htm so there is that option, even of you want to hold off formulae for as long as you can but knowing that it's there when you've had enough if that makes sense? Ish did it for a while so she might have some advice.

I think your first stop is the bf support people! Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

 

[BevG]

try hand expressing a lil bit off before putting him on to get the let down to happen faster as if you have a slow letdown that may frustrate him. apart from that i cant suggest anything that the ladies havent already. formulas are mostly the same, diff babies take to diff ones so try whichever one takes your fancy and go from there. i use aptimil, others use sma gold or cow and gate, or theres hipp organic too i think

o and persevere, day 5 was the most painful for me but it takes about a week for your nipples to toughen up, get some lansinoh cream if you havent already as its the shizz for sore nips and express a lil milk out n rub it into them to help them heal

 

[hellywelly]

Kirsty I had EXACTLY the same problem as you are describing with my little girl when she first arrived. I had someone come to the house everyday for over a week to help me try and feed and she was having none of it. I spent a fortnight expressing but I think they are right when they say your body can't be fooled as after this my supply started to dry up and by three weeks she was formula fed.

I'm not writing this to sound like a merchant of doom, and I think you need to see the breast feeding experts that the others have suggested, but what I would say is if you end up formula feeding then please don't think you haven't done a fab job trying to breastfeed or that you are in any way a failure. I spent a month feeling horrific and totally let down by my body and so guilty about it all, and now I realise that this was a COMPLETE waste of my time and emotions. I have an extremely content and happy formula fed baby who is thriving, and I could have saved myself a whole lot of tears and bother by accepting this fact rather than beating myself up over the fact BF didn't work for us. I've got everything crossed that it works out for you my lovely, but don't let it get you down if it doesn't. xxx