I am on a real BF low :(

[Happybunny]

I am getting so depressed about the whole thing; I want to BF so much, but I am so worried that it is not going well and little April is not getting what she needs from me.

I got her weighed on Monday (she was 6 weeks exactly) and she had only put on 5oz in 3 weeks! In total she has put on 13oz since birth! All the guidelines for BF babies say about 4-8oz a week is normal!
HV is not concerned - just said to keep feeding her every two hours (but not at night - let her sleep) and we will weigh her next week.
I feed the little one ALL DAY, every hour and she can go for 45 minutes! I just feel she can't be getting anything if she isn't piling on the weight.

I am going to a Sure Start BF supprt group and the BF counsellor has been giving me some help on gettin April in good positions, but she is still not putting enough weight on.

I bought a pump the other day because I thought I could try expressing to stimulate supply. I could only get 1oz in about 45 minutes from both boobs when I tried it last night - and I got nothing when I did it this morning. How much are you supposed to get? How much would I give my little one from a bottle for one feed?

I am sorry to rant, I need to write this all down as I am so down.
I am so scared that my little one is going hungry because I am failing her.
Has anyone got any ideas/thoughts? I really need some help?

 

[Becky]

I'm not sure about how much you should get from expressing but I know that some women have a great supply of milk but can't get anything out by expressing. My mum used to say the minute baby was on milk would flow out but anything else (pump/hand) and she's get nothing.

I really agree with your HV, the fact is that she is gaining weight so she must be getting a good amount.

How is she in other ways, does she sleep, is she contented etc? If so then she isn't hungry and therefore there probably isn't a problem. Some babies don't gain weight consistently, so try not to worry, the fact your health visitor is on the case is a good thing, if she was worried she would tell you.

 

[zebrastripes]

At 6 weeks your supply is only really getting itself properly settled. Don't worry about her weight, if your HV is not concerned then you shouldn't be either. Don't forget when you are reading "guidelines" that every baby is vastly different. Just because she isn't growing as fast as other babies doesn't mean there's a problem- she's just saving up for a huge growth spurt Willow was a slow grower as well, but I wasn't worried at all- after all, weight isn't the only issue and just because a baby is heavier doesn't mean it is happier IYKWIM? As long as she isn't losing weight don't worry. She may even be going through a bit of a spurt now if she's feeding all day plus they do feed so much at this stage anyway.
She is clearly not going hungry if she's gaining weight she is just doing it slowly and there is nothing wrong with that.


Don't forget that your supply will always match your demand! make sure you drink loads of water, maybe stay in bed for a day doing nothing but feeding baby if you feel like you need a boost, or take fenugreek to put your mind at rest.


Just relax, go with the flow and try not to worry as stress won't help either. Your boobs are constantly adjusting to your infants varying needs, that's the beauty of BF You're doing great as it is

 

[LisaJ1986]

My daughter gained 1lb in the 1st 2 weeks but now it's settled on 3oz a week. Apparently thats good. In my 1st go at expressing i only got a little over an ounce. Some days i get 2oz max, others i can get 4, both boobs out together. Occasionally i can get some out of 1 but not the other. They say skin to skin can help stimulate milk production. I really worry i'm not making enough as some days she wants every half hour or so. But the Health Visitor is happy. I was crying last night coz i was struggling with her. I just got OH to take her off me til i calmed down then tried her again.

 

[KJ]

when you pump you have to stimulate the 'let down' reflex. It is very hard to get the hang of it to start with.

You never 'see' the let down when you're breastfeeding cause it's in baby's gob at the time.

I only got dribbles for the first few times I pumped. And I was pumping for ages!

Then the 3rd time, I was just about to give up, gave a few more squeezes, felt a tingling in both boobs, and WHOOOSH!! Out it all came pouring! Think I ended up with abotu 3oz in like 5 mins after only getting a dribble in the previous 15mins!

It's a real art. People have different let-down reflexes, some people's are stimulated really easily and some are very difficult. Mine was more on the difficult side. Asher never had any problems getting it, but the pump did.

Anyway, once I realised this, it still took some practice, but I managed to use the pump and get the let-down most of the time.

So just becasue you can't pump much, doesn't mean you don't have a good supply.

K.xx

 

[muppetmummy]

I agree that the HV would say if she thought the weight gain was an issue, logans been feeding more than usual the last couple days, i think they're both due a growth spurt

 

[DebbieM]

Another thing about expressing is this....

there are good times and bad times to express. If I express around a time when Luke is due a feed, then I can get up to 5oz off one boob, especially if he hasn't fed off that boob for a few hours. If I try at a time when he wouldn't usually be feeding, I can get next to nothing. I just gave it a go tonight (literally 10 mins ago) and I got less than an ounce. If I was to try later on around 11pm when he usually has a big feed before bed, I reckon I would get around 3-5oz.

My best time is in the morning around 8-9am. It might be worth figuring out when your best time is if that is possible yet.

Don't worry. Your baby sounds like she is doing fine. Not all babies put on masses of weight each week.

Health Visitors are all too quick to get you worrying..... Get this.....

Luke was born at 6lb 11oz and now weighs 12lb 5oz. In the first few weeks he was putting on up to 13oz a week! He then went down to around 9oz, then to 6oz and then last week he put on 3.5oz and this week only 1.5oz! This means that he went from around the 9th centile on his chart to the 45th(ish) and has now dropped to around the 30th. The HV said it isn't an issue but they will keep an eye on it. Somehow though, they make you feel like it IS an issue. They just have a way of making you feel like that I think!

You know what's good for your baby and if she is happy thats the main thing!