my colostrum has run out!

[muppetmummy]

Logan was only born yesterday morning and had about 5x 10 min feeds during the day. I was really pleased cos after a bit of difficulty with him latching immediately after birth, he seemed to pick it up really well and was very eager to feed, shouting when he wanted food.

Last night he didnt settle at all, he was wanting to be on the breast constantly. I was fine with that and put him in bed with me hoping to get some sleep while he fed (midwife said co-sleeping is fine).
Each time he latched on i nodded off only to be woken mins later by him coming off boob screaming.

i thought at first he had wind or tummy pain, he did seem to make a few bottom burps! this went on all night, him constantly on the breast then coming off screaming seeming more and more distressed each time.

At around 6am this morning, after no sleep since going into labour thu morning something clicked and i checked my boobs. they seemed empty! i can normally hand express loads but this morning i could hardly squeeze a single drop out!
I think maybe he was getting upset and frustrated because he was hungry and there was no colostrum left!

He was so distressed I gave him some formula in a bottle and he gulped down just under 2oz. Id rather have not done this but with him being so upset and us both being up all night i felt there was no choice.
He fell asleep on my chest in his womb position after his feed and i got my first 2 hours sleep since waking up in labour 6'45am thu!! (he has yet to sleep in his moses basket, he cries when i put him in it, i normally put him on the bed with me ontop of the duvet, oh slept on sofa last night)

i tried really hard to sleep when he was sleeping yesterday afternoon but i felt wide awake then!

I would like to try and get my colostrum back to continue breastfeeding, is this possible and how?

If i am correct about the lack of colostrum there could be two causes..my breast implants (i had trouble satifying james appetite and only breastfed for a week) or the fact I;ve had no sleep for days and hardly eaten for days due to being tired and busy,

i have a breast pump and fenugreek tablets, would these be any use?
what should i do if theres a repeat of yesterdays hungryness and no colostrum

i will ask midwife when she comes around later but i thought there are loads of breastfeeders here with lots of experience who might have good advive]

thanks

 

[beanie]

first of all congratulations on Logan's arrival (fab name)

it is highly unlikely that you ahve run out of colostrum. Only 2% of women are pohysically unable to breastfeed, and the fact that you have been feeding him shows that you are able to do so. Breast implants should not affect the milk supply (dependant on where they were placed and again the fact you have fed him shows this is ok). What you have been describing is in fact normal behaviour, baby will be demanding to be on the breast alot, as he is building up your milk supply to help him grow.
Is he giving you wet nappies? I would ask the midwife to check your latch just to make sure this is ok. I would also advise not giving any more bottles either as this is less time at the breast. your milk supply is dependant on your body recieving the message that milk is needed. yes diet can be a factor in milk supply but it will not mean you stop producing milk, women in famine conditions have been known to breastfeed baby fine so don't worry about that (but do try and eat healthy snacks, little and often is usually the best way when you are not feeling hungry.) Try and get rest too when you can.

pay no attention to what you can express,this is not an accurate measure. if you had been feeding all night then it will be hard to get much out as the flow will be a lot slower. I really sympathise, it is so tough these first few weeks but it sounds as though you are doing a fantastic job hun

 

[valentine]

Hey mm!

Congratulations on the birth of baby Logan! I couldn't get online for days/weeks afterwards, so you are doing really well!

The only way to ensure your milk supply comes in and to stimulate your body to make more colostrum is to put Logan to the breast and let him suck. Its simple supply and demand. I would really advise against using a breast pump at this stage, so just put Logan to the breast as much as possible. Have you had your latch checked? It may be worth asking your visiting midwife to check this for you as soon as possible.

I was never able to hand express colostrum or milk but have no problem expressing into a pump. I think its very unlikely your colostrum has run out as as soon as your baby takes the colostrum/milk, your body is making more, even while feeding. Using formula this early if you are keen to breastfeed is probably shouldn't be continued as Logan may get nipple confusion (easier to suck from bottle than from breast so may get lazy at the breast) and it definitely won't help your milk to come in or stimulate your body to make more colostrum. I don't know anything about implants, but I do know there are a few women on here who have and are breast feeding successfully with them.

I would advise eating a varied diet regularly - try and have a bowl of porridge or two this morning (oats are excellent for breastfeeding mothers), a salad and chicken or fish for lunch or some homemade soup. Those people that are asking if they can help out? Get them into the kitchen! Try and eat lots of fruit and veg and fibre.

I hope today goes really well for you. If I was you, I'd try and get some food and go to bed with my baby for the day. This is a really crucial time for you and breast feeding so sod the visitors and get your partner to take your other son for the day and just bed in.

Good luck - I hope I've helped.

Valentine Xxx

 

[muppetmummy]

thanks for the replies, going to go back to bed and try and feed him and nap. will make more of an effort to eat today, i either forgot yesterday, or when i did remember it kept getting put off!

just worried because i can normally shoot a jet of colostrum at OH and today there isn't even a drop hardly in there, or so it seems!

 

[lisa&alex]

just wanted to add to what the girls said and also speakc from experience as my colostrum ran out on both of my babies on day 3.. i quit on day 3 with charlotte.. and went into the birth centre to stay overnight with ed to help with my feeding..

there are some key tips that i picked up that you need to try to ensure you are able to keep feeding..

*1st of all lots of skin to skin.
*you must nurse the baby atleast every 2 hrs to ensure your milk kicks in in a few days.
*express when you can to keep your nipples stimulated.. (i had to feed him.. then express for 10 mins each boob after to ensure all the colostrum was off.. then had the alarm to wake me 2 hrs later for the next feed.)
*give him a dropper/seringe full 5mls of formula before each feed to get him interested in the taste if he is sleepy and strip him off to jsut his nappy.
*and most of all.. get help and support if you need it.

i personally wouldnt give a full bottle of formula.. perhaps a few mls here and there to get him interested.. but you need him to really be on the best all the time to get your milk kicking in.. subsituting for formula this early on will really confuse your body. he may be on there hours but thats normal.. get help ring your midwife and tell ehr your struggling with feeding.. and most of all good luck xxx

 

[muppetmummy]

thanks for the advice logan is really interested in feeding and wouldnt let me go more than 2 hours. its my body letting the side down

he's latched on several times this afternoon for a feed. although he still cried quite a bit he seemed a lot happier and satisfied than he did this morning.

will keep on and try and avoid formula

 

[Bloom]

Hang on in there MM your doing great.

 

[muppetmummy]

got the lanisol and pads ready
just seen midwife, she watched him latch and said he's doing fine, she says not to worry, its just cos he's quite a big baby.

 

[zebrastripes]

Don't worry,your milk will come in soon. Mine didn't come in until about the 2nd or 3rd night in hospital, Willow was starting to get very hungry,and crying,but I just let her stay on the boob, next thing I knew I was waking up with a very wet bed and a very happy baby!

 

[*saulino*]

Hi

hope the midwife put your mind at ease give it a bit and you will notice a difference if this is what you want dont give up it can be very hard, tiring and stressful at first but trust me it gets better

 

[muppetmummy]

i gave in and gave logan 2oz of formula at 4.30 this morning after 6 hours of non stop feeding.
He would scream his head off if I stopped him to go to the loo, even if OH held him for a couple mins.

After 6 hours of this I still had had only 2 hours of sleep in almost 4 days (those 2 hours after giving him some formula!), and logan was getting distressed and frustrated with the breast like he had the night before, I think he was knackered too!

He gulped the 2oz down in no time and looked like he wanted more but i didn't give it cos I know it would just fill his tiny tummy and make him not want to feed, which will affect my milk production.

We both went sleep at about 5am, and he woke up at 6.30am for more food, I put him on the breast (though he looked disappointed it wasn't an easy to get to bottle of formlula!)

Then we both went back to sleep and I woke up at 8am and had to get ready for midwife coming at 9am.

Logan has red/orange spots in his nappy which is a sign he's not getting enough milk but midwife says not to worry and keep trying, and don't feel too bad if I have to give formula as back up.

I obviously want to avoid giving formula as I know it will not help the feeding but it feels like a catch 22 situation. I will just have to wait till my milk comes in and see if things improve.

My worry at the moment is because I have breast implants I can't just trust nature to do its job, I've messed with nature, therefore maybe my boobs aren't working properly (wish I'd never had them )

worried that logan might be starving, and am starting to wonder if I am doing the right thing breast feeding, or is it just me being selfish wanting the closeness when I cant provide what he needs.
Its similar to the situation I was in with James as a baby, in the end the midwives suggested I give him formula as he was low birth weight to start with and had an infection so wasn't in a position where he could afford to lose weight.

Logans obviously sleepy and not wanting to feed this morning, will just keep encouraging him to feed and will see what happens when my milk comes in.

Hope I'm doing the right thing and not starving my poor logie bear

 

[muppetmummy]

my milk has started to come in today and it's made a huge difference. Logan fed constantly from 11,30am- about half hour ago, and seems so much happier and satisfied. He even played in his play gym for a bit earlier, normally he's too hungry to bother

I did have to give him a couple of ounces of formula to settle him last night as he was getting distressed again, but I'm hoping now I have milk he'll be ok.
His nappys have been soaking wet today, normally I can only tell if he's wee'd if he's done it on me!

Thanks again for the advice

 

[lisa&alex]

the urates in the nappy are really normal hun... try not to worry you are doing the right thing by feeding him. keep him to the breast as often as u can.. well done for perserveering lost would have quit!

 

[KJ]

Well done!

I think a lot of people confuse the few days before their milk comes in with having no milk.

I certainly never 'saw' anything wet come out of my boobs for the 3 days until my milk came in. Ash was feeding a lot then. But we don't have much colostrum so babies have to feed a lot in the first few days and most of the time they do lose weight. Ash lost about 7 ounces. But then when the milk comes in everything sorts itself out.

So breastfed babies only get colostrum for the first few days. If they aren't allowed to suck as much as they want, your milk won't come in properly so it's paramount that you avoid topping up as much as poss in the first few days.

I was amazed the difference it made when my milk came in! Suddenly I had something to feed him with and the feeds got further apart and he was a lot happier.

I think we should def be told about that first 3-4 days. Because you really don't realise what it's like until you're going through it.

HOpefully now your milk has come in he'll be a happy boy!!

K.xx

 

[happy-chick]

Glad things are improving hun, your doing a fantastic job

 

[valentine]

Brilliant new mm! Try and keep him on the boob as much as possible and avoid topping up if you can as this may interfere with your supply in these crucial first few weeks. You're doing brilliantly!

Valentine Xxx

 

[beanie]

fab news

 

[Melanie]

Im so glad that things are looking up for you! Those first few days waiting for your milk are a nightmare arent they!

It sounds like you are doing everything right hun, i would probably stop with the formula all together if i were you but remember at the end of the day you have to do what works for you and your LO.

 

[muppetmummy]

yesterday Logan started feeding at 11.30am and continued throughout the day and night with no spaces between feeds!! 16 hours of constant feeding moving from one boob to the other!!

Is this normal? It seems really excessive. I carried on feeding him till 3am when he was getting really fussy again, latching on, then pulling off screaming, and screaming when he wanted to change boobs instead of the usual rooting signs.

I wondered if he was just tired seeing has he'd not really slept during the 16 hours apart from falling asleep on the boob every now and then for a few mins.
I tried rocking him to sleep, winding, nappy change. But unless he had my boob in his mouth he was screaming hysterically, getting really worked up, even on the boob he wasn't as settled as he had been.

I was really feeling I couldn't carry on feeding at this point, beinh knackered I'd got to the point where I'd started seeing things.
So i gave him a bloody bottle of formula!! I really didn't want to and had tried to avoid it for as long as possible, but I just had to get sleep and Logan was getting more and more distressed. From the amount of noise he was making you'd think I was killing him!

He had 3.5 oz of formula, then fell asleep till 6am, woke up for short suck on the boobage then fell asleep again. He's still asleep now at 9.40am, will try and wake him up for a feed in a bit.

So is this normal? The length of time he's feeding for constantly? During this feeding marathon he often fell asleep but he's got a 6th sense, as soon as I move or try and put him down he wakes up, when he's awake he has to have boobage.

Could he just want to suck? Would a dummy help?

I am totally confused and don't know why he's doing this, it's every night now.

 

[muppetmummy]

thanks i was worried it meant something was wrong.

ive been trying to cosleep but its impossible to sleep when he gets like that. he screams and pulls himself of the boob every couple mins.

i need to find a way to calm him down without resorting to formula