Breast feeding?

Question

I am currently 27 weeks pregnant. This is my first baby and I want to breast feed. Please read all the way through and answer ALL the questions I have. My mother and my grandmother apparently both had problems with their milk "coming in" and not producing enough...does that mean I will not have enough milk? People keep saying that my colostrum should be in by now...but it is not..is that normal? How do you know if you are producing enough milk for your baby? If your baby gets up every hour on the hour to eat..does that mean you are not producing enough?? Any good websites or advice..or just general info would be helpful. Thanks

Answer 1

you should borrow some breast feeding book from library. i am not trying to be rude but most of the reason of your mother and grandmother not producing enough milk is because they don`t know how breast feeding work.

breast feeding is a hard work, it is not like formula milk. breast feeding baby need to breast feeding every 2 hour and some time even 1 hour. you must remember that the more you nurse her the more milk you produce. whenever she cry just put her at your breast.

Answer 2

My mother and my grandmother apparently both had problems with their milk "coming in" and not producing enough...does that mean I will not have enough milk?

*There is a good chance your mother and grandmother were not given advice or support to feed their baby's the way nature intended. They may not have been allowed to put the baby to breast right away and their babies may have been whisked off to the nursery right away. They may have been told to give bottles "until their milk came in" which is crap because milk will not come in if there is no demand for it! They may have quit too early because their milk was late coming in. They may have been instructed to put their babies on rigid feeding schedules, which can undermine the breastfeeding relationship. There are many sad pitfalls the uninformed can be snared by:-(

People keep saying that my colostrum should be in by now...but it is not..is that normal?

*I never could get a drop of colostrum out until my babies were born. Never had a problem with milk supply!

How do you know if you are producing enough milk for your baby?

*if the baby is peeing several times a day and pooping several times a week (or several times a day, lol!!), you are alright!

If your baby gets up every hour on the hour to eat..does that mean you are not producing enough??

*No, it means your baby is getting your supply ready for a growth spurt! It is totally normal for a newborn to be on the breast more than off in the first few weeks.

Any good websites or advice..or just general info would be helpful. Thanks

*Read lots of books! Your local library should have some. Such as: "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding", "The Nursing Mother's Companion" "So that's What They're for" and Dr. Sears "The Baby Book".

Some great websites are:

http://www.mothering.com

http://www.mothering.com/discussions

http://forums.llli.org/

http://www.kellymom.com (This is THE BEST!!!)
AND
http://www.lalecheleague.org/resources/assistance.html?m=0,0

Answer 3

First off, I think that is great that you are looking into this so early. You should see if you can't see a Lactation Consultant before the baby is born. I think there is stuff they can do to help your milk come in.
Babies can nurse every hour to let you body know to make more milk. Which does happen when they go through growth spurts so yes it does mean your body isn't producing enough milk but it helps more milk come in.
You will know you are producing enough if you can see that your baby is swallowing milk and is urinating often.
Your colostrum comes in different for everyone. Once you are further along, like full term, you can try squeezing some out, it is really thick & yellow. I wouldn't worry about that now though, I am sure it will come in after the baby is born.

Answer 4

First of all, good for you for thinking about breastfeeding! It is a great thing for you and your baby. That said, lets cover some of your concerns.

Unfortunately, the medical community was not very well educated on breastfeeding in your mothers day and defiantly in your grandmothers day. A woman who truly can not produce enough milk for her infant is a rare medical situation. There are so many reasons someone would not be producing enough milk. Some of them include stress (which makes a huge difference), low hydration, improper latch (which can drastically effect how much milk an infant can get from a breast, and therefore your breast is not effectively emptied) and restrictive clothing.

Your colostrum is most likely 'in' by now, but you may not be able to express any. It is not a good idea to try and do this as nipple stimulation can potentially trigger contractions. That aside, the amount of colostrum you produce is not indicative of your milk supply.

You know you are producing enough milk for your baby primarily from baby's wet diaper count (6-8 soaking wet diapers a day for a newborn) and the baby's weight gain.

If your baby gets up every hour to eat it most likely means they are in a growth spurt. Babies have their first growth spurt at 3 days (if they are born healthy and term) Your newborn will have a sporadic nursing schedules the first 6 weeks or so as you and your baby inform your body how much milk to produce and how many babies there are to feed.

I highly suggest http://www.breastfeeding.com and http://www.lalecheleague.org/ for breastfeeding information. Also, you may want to look into your local La Leche League for help. The leaders of each group must complete a year of education in breastfeeding, and they have a lot of resources to help you. Your hospital or OB office should be able to provide you with a telephone number. Good luck and congratulations.

Answer 5

Hey Almost:

There are a LOT of misconceptions when it comes to breast milk and breastfeeding. First off, keep in mind that breast-feeding is dependent upon demand, which means the more you breastfeed, the more milk you will produce. Take a look at these websites:
www.007.com
goingbraless.net (a braless website but has a LOT of good information about breastfeeding)
www.lalecheleague.org

La Leche League is a great resource for women wanting to breastfeed exclusively, but I've heard quite a few women complain that they can be quite militant. Also, don't always take your doctor's advice for granted; many doctors have formula companies in their back pockets, so they may feel pressure to push bottle-feeding on you.

Also, keep in mind newborns have VERY small stomachs, so breastfeeding every hour or so can be perfectly normal. Look up information as to when you can reasonably expect your baby to handle long feedings and always gather as many resources as possible. Just because one "authentic" resource says something doesn't make it right. And no, just because the women in your family had problems doesn't mean you will. After all, you have half your dad's genes.

Answer 6

I have breastfed all 4 of my babies :) I have never had my colostrum come in before the baby was born. My milk usually came in about 3 days after baby was born. Your mother and grandmother have nothing to do with how much milk you will make. Neither does the size of your breasts. You will know if you are producing enough milk if baby is gaining weight, having wet and dirty diapers, and seems satisfied after feeding instead of crying for more. The best website for advice on breastfeeding is www.kellymom.com . Good for you for choosing breastmilk for your baby! Good luck!

Answer 7

Just because your mom and grandmother had problems doesn't mean that you will too. Some woman have problems with one baby and not with the other. I would suggest that you consult a lactation consultant; they will be able to to come to your house and teach you how to nurse and answer any question you may have.
Don't worry about your colostrum not being in yet, give it a few more weeks and talk to your doctor.
There are 2 ways of telling if your baby is getting enough to eat.
If your baby is gaining weight then you know it is getting enough, and if your baby always seems hungry. You have to be careful with this one though because some babies will nurse for comfort rather than hunger. Once you get the hang of nursing you will be able to tell if your baby is feeding for if is it just comforting itself. But like I said contact a lactation consultant.

Answer 8

1. It is very rare for a woman to not be able to produce enough milk - as long as the baby has the proper latch and is nursing as often as he/she needs to - then you will definitely have enough milk for the baby.

2. All women are different - I didn't have any colostrum leaking during my pregnancy - I'm sure it was there, it just didn't present itself until my child was born.

3. As long as your child is nursing enough - then you will produce enough milk.

4. You baby gets up every hour on the hour because he/she has a small tummy and can only take so much milk in one sitting. It's quite normal for a baby to nurse if spurts - every hour on the hour for a few hours and then not quite so much for the next few. Young infants need to eat every couple of hours anyway.

5. Babycenter.com has a lot of good information - as does the Huggies message board.

Answer 9

Your milk supply will be fine. Colostrum does not usually come in until the baby is born, maybe afew weeks before. If your baby is having regular bowel movements and wet diapers than he is getting enough milk. My son ate every hour and I had more than enough milk. Just don't breastfeed on a schedule, that hinders supply. Don't limit nursing time on each side. Let your child nurse whenever he wants and for as long as he wants on each side. I recommend going to a La Leche League Meeting in your area. They can give you helpful hints and advice on breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a simple matter of Supply and Demand. My sister in law claimed to have milk supply issues but her children were fed on a schedule and she limited their feedings to 10 minutes on each side. it ultimately spelled breastfeeding disaster. Oh and if you are going to use birth control after the baby is born don't use anythin with estrogen in it. Estrogen will help to dry up your milk. Enjoy the breastfeeding experience it is wonderful.

Answer 10

for me, my colostrum I never seen until after the baby was born. at first the baby will lose some birthweight less than 1lb usually, and as u continue to breastfeed the baby will gain weight, and because breastmilk is easier for the baby to digest it will be hungry about every 1 - 1 and a half hrs. at least mine was and I felt like i was feeding her every 45 minutes! Also at first breastfeeding can be painful!! but get LANOLIN breast cream its a life saver!! trust me on this! It took my baby about 3 painfully long weeks to get the hang of breastfeeding, but its so worth it! After I had her I lost about 40+ lbs in a month. And the bond is so awesome.....