Breastfeeding problems...Help!?

Question

My sister is trying to breastfeed her 1 week old little girl. She had a difficult delivery and the 2nd and 3rd day she breast feed the baby only a few times. She gave extra formula with a bottle. She is now better and trying very hard to breastfeed. Her milk has come in but it does not seem like it is a lot. She started feeding from the breast every two hours then pumping to stimulate further to get her body to produce more milk. This seems to be working but it is still not enough to satisfy the baby. She tries pumping and after emptying both breast she gets not quite an ounce of milk. She can milk her breast with her fingers and still get milk out but when she tries to pump she gets nothing. Any suggestions. She also bought the top of the line pump so I do not believe it is the pump itself. PLEASE HELP SO SHE DOES NOY GET FRUSTRATED AND QUITS. SHE REALLY WANTS TO BE ABLE TO BREASTFEED. THANKS!

Answer 1

Its hard, but the best advice is to be patient.

Her milk production should go up as time goes by. I pumped after every time I nursed for the first two weeks. It sucked, especially when you get so little from pumping. (Just under an ounc is not so bad for now!) Things that help me: leaning forward while pumping and drinking lots of fluids.

It is ok to supplement until her milk supply goes up (although many disagree...) Look into a lactation clinic visit. Those are great because they weigh the baby and give you good advice specific to your own situation.

Answer 2

It's all supply and demand. She's doing all the right things to stimulate milk production.

Remember a baby is WAY more efficient at getting milk out of a breast than a pump is. (I've tried to pump sometimes and if I'm uptight about it then I get an ounce... when I'm relaxed, in a quiet environment, drinking a big glass of water while I pump I get more out. Suggest she look at a picture of the baby when she pumps to stimulate her let-down reflex. Use massage and breast compressions while nursing/pumping to increase flow.)

When she's nursing, as long as she's still hearing the baby swallowing then let baby stay on the breast.

It's tough for sure. There's definitely a learning curve to successfully breastfeeding. My milk took nearly 5 days to come in after a c-section. I came home tired and frustrated. Someone had told me that the best thing you can do is not have formula in your house and I probably should have listened. My husband was reading the label on a can of formula while I was sobbing and trying to figure out a good position to hold and nurse my baby. 11-months later though we're still going strong with breastfeeding.

A friend of mine that had a baby two days after I did couldn't BF her baby right away. Because of a medical condition she didn't have much milk come in for a few weeks. Eventually though over a few weeks she built her supply up so that she could breastfeed and she got back to the point that she actually stopped using formula for several months!! (Our babies are now 11-months old and she's now 4 months pregnant again and found it too exhausting so she's gone back to formula part time.)

I think she may have been taking a herbal supplement too that's supposed to help with this... (fenugreek or domperidone? There's also something called "Mother's Milk Tea"...) I don't know much about these, but they may be worth looking in to. She should talk to her doctor or a lactation consultant (through the hospital. La Leche League or local public health clinic) They can likely tell her more about options that will help boost milk production.

Don't get discouraged too easily. Any amount of breast milk that she can give her baby is a good thing. It changes daily to meet baby's nutritional needs so once she's re-established the quality of milk will be perfect for baby.

Hang in there! It will get easier.

Answer 3

This story sounds just like mine, only two years later. I had a long labor, and easy(fairly) delivery and was all about breastfeeding my duaghter. Well, after being in the hospital with the nurses and the Lactation consultants and going home and pumping, I still had to supplement. Talk about a let down for me. Breastfeeding was something I desperately wanted to do for my daughter, I just wasn't creating enough milk for her. No matter how often I pumped or fed or expressed, it just wasn't happening. I know how your sister feels, but tell her to give it a little more time and keep feeding as often as possible. If all she can do is supplement with a bottle, then at least the baby is still getting the breastmilk also. Even a little is better than none at all. I was able to supplement for about 4 1/2 months before I dried up. There are also herbal supplements that she can try. Good luck to her.

Answer 4

She can start nursing more frequently, every hour or so. Start each nursing session of the opposite breast she started on the last time, empty first breast before moving to the other side. Tell her not to offer more bottles as that is just sabbotaging her bf'ing. Go to www.laleacheleague.org for tips and call a lactation consultant.

Good luck!

ETA: as far as pumping, the baby still has better ability to get milk from breast than a pump, so her baby is getting more than what she is able to pump out. When I first started pumping (after my milk supply was good) I knew baby was getting lots but still I couldn't pump much until after numerous times of pumping, maybe she doesn't have a let-down for the pump. Tell her to relax, put the pump down and bf baby often and her supply will be up soon

Answer 5

Why does she think that the baby is not satisfied? First time mothers often worry that the baby is not getting enough breast milk because they can't measure the ounces that the baby is getting. It is better to check and count wet diapers. Is the baby wetting at least 4 diapers a day? Relaxing is one of the best ways to produce milk. Your sister should drink a lot of fluids, nurse in a quiet, comfortable place, and relax. Also, her milk might not have come in until day 5 after the birth (or even later since she didn't nurse much the first couple days). Don't give up. It's well worth the effort and time. See if you can find another mother who is (or has) nursed to give her some pointers.

Answer 6

First, she needs to call a lactation consultant. Then she needs to nurse as frequently as possible. Don't give the baby any more bottles. At one week, there shouldn't be a whole lot of milk in the breasts. Sucking stimulates the breasts to make milk, so the more of it the better. She could also pump the breast for around fifteen minutes immediately after feeding to baby to help production. Don't give up, it just takes time and patience!

Answer 7

I had the same problem with not being able to get out as much milk as when my son was eating as well. Let that baby eat as much as the baby wants. As long as she is latching on good. I know it will be inconvienient for her to feed her every hour or so but It might be what she needs to do to make enough milk. The more milk extracted the more milk she will make. It takes time. It will be tough. But its worth it. Dont give up! Babies are the best extractors of milk, not pumps. It will get easier with time. Believe me I know~ lalecheleague.com has good advice if you want to check it out. dont let her quit!

Answer 8

She just need to keep it pumping and breastfeed her baby. The more you suck it the more it will produce. Sometimes stress can control the hormone that produces milk.

Its been 2 weeks for me before I produce a lot of milk.. Just tell her to let her baby suck her breast.

Answer 9

She needs to get hooked up with a lactation consultant. If my doctor hadn't sent me to one, I would have quit with my first baby.

With my 4th baby,I could not pump much milk at all but he was getting enough when he nursed. There are many posibilities as to what could be going on but I doubt it is that she can't make enough milk for the baby. It is actually very rare for a mother not to be able to produce enough milk for her baby. I can't stress enough her need for support. Her ob/gyn, hospital or peditrician should be able to direct her to a le leche league leader or lactation consultant. Also the LLL has a great book called "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding". She can probably get it from the library. Much luck to your sis. P~

Answer 10

Tell your sis not to stress. My first breast feeding experience was terrible. My son would not latch on, then he wanted to eat all the time. I was exhausted. My sisters breast milk would literally squirt out when she would breast feed her son, and i could barely get a drop. But the more i let my son breast feed the more milk i had.