I understand that the baby is better than a pump at emptying your breasts, and I have tried everything to getting my supply higher. My labor was horrible everything went wrong and after my milk supply never fully came in. I was given a prescription for a hospital grade breast pump at 5 days post partum and was told to pump after every feeding every two hours. My baby seems hungry alot and cries so my hubby supplements after feedings with formula. she wont take the bottle from me which breaks my heart when my hubby is at work and she cries. After taking mothers milk tea and a prescription of reglan to increase my milk supply i have broken into an allergic reaction and have had hives for over two weeks that drive me crazy. I have had my hubby give her the bottle and just pumped to see what I could get and usually its no more than 2 to 3 ounces total. My baby is 6 wks and 10lbs and will take 4 ounces from a bottle. I worry so much.
2006-10-27 09:23:30 · 6 answers · asked by 343535445 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Other - Pregnancy & Parenting
First and foremost, stop worrying. That is probably the biggest problem. Most moms who worry a lot, actually inhibit the "let down" of their milk. Also supplementing with formula will only *DECREASE* your milk supply, so stop that right away. The best advise anyone ever gave me on this was to have a drink. No kidding. Have a glass of wine (not the bottle!) or a beer (not a six pack!). It will help you relax. It won't hurt your baby, as long as you don't get drunk. The doctors/hospitals/lactation consultants even recommend it. Make sure you are drinking enough water. Nursing dries you up, increasing you fluids should definitely increase your supply. Also make sure you are eating enough. I was ravenously hungry when I was nursing. Also, as you nurse, close your eyes and take nice big deep soothing breaths (this helped me let down to a pump while at work). Your baby will always get more out of your breast than a pump, a lot more than you think. Breast milk is the *PERFECT* food for your baby. So, it has very little waste and is digested very quickly. Breastfed babies need to eat more often than formula fed babies. My daughter nursed every 90 minutes (during the day, and slept 12 hours in a row every night!) for the first 6 months. For a while, to build up your milk supply, you may need to have her at the breast more often than not. It will get easier, I promise. Contact La Leche League (www.lalecheleague.org). But, most importantly...RELAX!!!
Good luck, and congrats!
2006-10-27 10:43:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
My first baby was hard to nurse at first. I was paranoid I wasn't producing enough milk. For the first two to three months I fed him every hour. Eventually my milk supply increased to about 4 ounces when I pumped. I nursed him to a year and never pumped more than 4 ounces of milk from both breasts at a time. He has always been small, 5 percent or less on the charts, still doesn't eat alot. He cried after he ate for a while to, I tried to supplement with formula but he wouldn't take that either. I later found out that certain foods I ate gave him a stomach ache. I also increased my water consumption greatly. Hope this helps.
2006-10-27 09:38:32 · answer #2 · answered by bearby02 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
2-3 ounces is a pretty good amount to pump. Is that one or both breasts?
What you can pump is no indication of supply because if you are getting that much out, baby should be able to get out MORE if she is latched on and nursing correctly. She is better at extracting milk than the pump. The pump is man's best substitute.
Have you worked with a Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) or a La Leche League Leader at all?
2006-10-27 09:27:18 · answer #3 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get expert advice on this.
My opinion is that if you can pump 3 oz then the baby will be getting more. Stressing over it will not help the supply so try to be relaxed. You are doing your best and baby is getting some breast milk so try not to worry. Your baby is a good weight so theres no worry there.
2006-10-27 09:32:23 · answer #4 · answered by huggz 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Your first solution would be to let baby keep nursing, and let her nurse again in 30 min if she has too, that supply will eventually build up. Also make sure you're drinking PLENTY of water as that makes a large difference in your supply, but she may just need to nurse more often :)
2006-10-27 09:27:44 · answer #5 · answered by lovesmikey 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
u should let you hubby try the "suck and spit" method to try to extract another oz or two ...
2006-10-27 09:35:01 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋