Milk supply not sufficient at 3 month old. Why? Does coffee 2-3 cups a day reduce the supply?

Question

She has always been a "nibbler". She'll drink for about 10 min, then either fall asleep or pull away and not want it anymore. Cuz of this, she usually gets hungry within 1-2 hours. But lately in the evenings, she shows the hunger signs like 1/2 hour after the last feeding. So today after she fed on both side for 20 min (combined), I pumped for 10 min and barely got any milk. How long and how frequently should a 3 mon be breastfeeding?

Answer 1

firstly i just want to say to all those people with nothing to say thats useful to us parents to not bother saying anything at all, because you obviously arent a parent and dont find the job a very serious one.
now with that out of the way..........................
so your baby is not drinking much at times and drinking tonnes at others? if your baby is hungry you'll know about it. just try her on formular if sitting around for an hour breastfeeding is a hassle but i'd say that by the sounds of it your baby is getting quiet enough milk. sometimes the pump wont get out the milk because your nipple isnt getting that sensation that a baby's tongue can give when suckling. things are usually all over the place and just a bit new when you havnt had a baby before and dont know what to expect. at 3 months old u'll find that u have to adapt to them rather than the other way around and just as you do they'll change their ways and you'll have to readapt again. its hard work but just dont listen to others who think that the way their baby is, is normal because your baby is normal. actually i dont think there even is a normal. your baby just.....is. 3 months is hard because what your going through is one of those stages that they just eventually get over. its not scheduled, you dont just know when your going to need to feed them next and u wish you were the one in charge. patience mummy, she'll eat when she needs to eat xxx

Answer 2

There is no right or wrong answer as to how long a baby should nurse. Breast milk works on supply & demand - so if she is starting to get hungrier (maybe going through a growth spurt) she'll nurse more frequently for a week or so to up your milk supply. Don't worry to much if you pumped and got very little out - supply and demand means theres no wastage - the breasts produce what she needs - so if she has just nursed - they'll be empty for a while. A 3 month old will nurse anywhere from 10minutes-40minutes between 8 and 12 times a day. However, as I said, if she's going through a growth spurt, she'll nurse more to get that milk flowing - as long as she's gaining weight - rest assured she's getting enough. Also, rest assured that when weaning starts @ approx 6 months they'll nurse much less frequently. Good luck

I should add... 2-3 coffees probably won't have too much effect providing you drink plenty of other fluids such as juices and water. God, I'd be a monster without my morning cuppa!

Answer 3

I'm sorry you're having a rough go at it. Here are some basic rules to remember. All babies go through changes in their eating patterns. At three months old she should have just finished or is finishing a big growing spurt - this alone will cause babe to change eating patterns. Secondly, since she is only 3 mths old she is only eating about 2-3 ounces each feeding. Third, a baby expresses the milk much better than a pump!! (This was hard for me to grasp too, I figured I should be getting out 2-3 ounces and barely got 1!)

Now to answer your question. Feed her on demand as long as you can. 15-20 mins each side 2-4 hours apart during the day. At night she might be learning to sleep all night long woo hoo if she is lol. Unless you have to, don't pump. If you do have to pump before you feed her. This will help with your let-down, enabling her to get more milk and also helping her to latch on better (should engorgement be an issue). If she nibbles then burp her when she gets fidgety after a burp offer the other side. All my kids get fidgety when they need to burp too. Don't get discouraged, you're doing great! Keep it up.

Oh yea, she should be having 4-6 wet diapers a day, just FYI so you know she's eating enough!

Answer 4

I think the last couple of responses pretty much covered it. Please don't be discouraged by some of the things people put on here. I am so proud you are breastfeeding and adamant about it. You are NOT a wuss. Sometimes when you are stressed it can cause your milk production to decrease significantly. Just try to relax as much as possible. When she falls asleep after only a few min. try rubbing her cheek or gently blowing in her face for only a second to wake her up. Stick to it though, she will catch on, and the rewards will be worth it. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't work out. You gave it a fighting chance and sometimes women dry up. R u on any medications that might interfere. You are doing great, just keep up the good work. She will thank you in the long run for being so patient with her. I have a 3 month old born June 15. She eats just about every 2 hours, sometimes more. Every baby is definitely different though

Answer 5

I had the same problem with my little girl (being a nibbler). You already have 4 or 5 really good answers, so I wont reiterate everything that they have said but I'll confirm a few key points. Every baby nurses differently, so dont listen verbatim to what anyone else says is the 'right' length to nurse, number of times, etc. On demand really is better than a schedule. Around your daughter's age my girl started to change her ways a bit and would take in more at a time which meant the frequency went down. But it was always more than 8 or 9 times a day, 15 min each side. I would change her diaper, take off her clothes, something like that to wake her up a bit if I felt she should have taken in more before she stopped, but there were many times when she would be so sound asleep there was NOTHING I could do but let her sleep it off, and be there for her when she'd wake up still hungry. This wont last forever, dont worry! Be confident and don't think (even if you have others telling you) you dont have enough for your child. My sister-in-law also has a nibbler, wanting to nurse all the time but falling asleep or turning away quickly after starting. She thought she didnt have enough milk so she started giving formula (she started by giving small bottles after each feeding then that quickly turned to exclusive bottle feeding). You know what, her little girl still does the same thing! She has maybe half a bottle, refuses the rest or falls asleep, then 2 hrs later is acting hungry again (when the normal schedule is a bottle every 4 hrs). And she still cries at night before bed-time. That can be caused by other reasons, not just hunger. Maybe she's had a very stimulating day and needs to express that by crying. Maybe she wants to be held, maybe she has a tummy ache, wow the list goes on and on for why a baby cries!
I too got NOTHING with the breastpump and thought I therefore lacked milk but not so... I found to get any out I had to use it while I was nursing. Otherwise, my let-down reflex wouldnt kick in. I also found that expressing by hand got out more milk than the pump. Dont worry about not leaving enough for her if you pump just before or during a feeding, you should still have plently left. I would get out all I could just before a feed, and then could still hear her swallowing while nursing and be happy after. That is important, to see her jaw working and to listen for her actually drinking milk and not just gumming you. I found a nice article online, you can follow the link below to get the full thing but here's an excerpt:
At around 3 months of age, feedings become quicker and less frequent. Your baby is able to drink more milk at one time and your body naturally and easily adjusts. However, your baby''s feeding patterns often fluctuate within the first 6 months. Needs typically increase during growth spurts, which usually occur around the following ages:

10 days to 2 weeks
5 to 6 weeks
2½ to 3 months
4½ to 6 months
During growth spurts, your baby may seem to be hungry every 1 to 2 hours. By feeding your baby on demand, your milk supply increases. After about 2 to 4 days, you will have increased your milk supply at each feeding to satisfy your baby for a longer period. The number of feedings will then gradually decrease.

Before the age of 6 months, do not supplement your breast-fed baby''s diet with formula, food, or water, even during a growth spurt. Doing so can decrease your milk production. Early bottle feedings can also make it more difficult for your baby to latch on to your breast.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

Answer 6

I breast fed all three of my children. Its so easy to think you aren't producing enough milk. Believe me I know.
Always make sure your baby has finished on one side before offering the other. When your baby first begins to suck the milk she gets is more of a drink and the rich more filling hind milk will follow after, so if your baby doesn't feed for long enough on one side she may not be getting enough hind milk.
Also babies can increase the amount of time they are feeding in order to increase your supply, for instance when they are ready for a growth spurt.
If your baby is filling nappies and growing you should try not worry.
Try to talk to other mums who have had success with breastfeeding. Ask your health visitor or midwife for local information.
Lack of good advice is probably why some mothers find it so difficult. I know thats why I did with my first.
Good luck, I hope it works out for you and your baby.xx

Answer 7

This is normal! In the evening she is stack feeding, storing up enough to sleep longer between feedings. I breastfed both of my children for 2 years each and never could pump much even from a full breast! You have enough milk to feed her, if you are concerned keep track of how many wet diapers she has in a day that should reassure you.

Answer 8

well first of all you shouldn't be drinking coffee. a diet much like that of while you were pregnant is best while you breast feed. keep in mind whatever you put in your body will be passed along to baby. if you feel that you aren't supplying enough milk to her, look into formula. i'd even see the dr. you might not be producing enough, or maybe something else is going on with baby.

Answer 9

Some women don't produce enough milk I ran out about the same time with two kids. It's wasn't that they weren't feeding enough it was that i couldn't produce anymore. So it's probably your production that has slowed down. They should be feeding about every 3 hours or so about 15 minutes on each side.

Answer 10

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