Help my baby doesn't nurse long enough to get full!?

Question

I wanted to breast feed my baby from birth, however she weighted 8lb and wasn't peeing enough at the hospital so me had to give her formula until my milk came in. Now she is 6 weeks and at 2-3 weeks it seemed like I wasn't giving her enough when she nursed so we gave her a bottle to fill up. Now she will only stay on the breast for a few minutes and mostly to just fall asleep. I am pumping about three times in 24 hours but only get 3oz per side. I need to know if we confused her and she doesn't want the breast anymore? And how often do I need to pump so my milk won't dry up and she can still get some breast milk? Any finally how do I find time to pump more when I am bottle feeding and she is staying up more and more during the day?

Answer 1

The hospital really shouldnt have given a bottle. they did that to me too and caused problems. With my daughter they gave formula in a dropper and she didnt get used to the bottle nipple. anyway ... it is what it is but dont give up, things will work out...
I would go to pumping 8-12 times per day and give her only bottles for a while. I wouldnt try to nurse until you get a good supply unless you just want to. after you get a really really good milk supply built up you will have so much milk it will squirt out without the baby even sucking! If she has been getting bottles she is used to the milk coming out faster.
You only have to pump that much for a little while and once you have plenty of milk you can cut back, but, you will need a really good pump like medela lactina or medela pump in style.
pump every chance you get! You can set in the floor and pump while she is on a blanket in front of you, when she is sleeping, at night, just any time you get a chance. This will be hard for a little while but I promise it will get much easier and you will be glad you didnt give up. She will probably sleep longer after getting all full bottles of milk. The baby going to sleep does NOT mean she is full. My son did that too and woke up 20 minutes later hungry and he actually lost weight b/c I listend to people telling me not to give formula.
This is what I did and it worked. It was hard but easier than nursing all the time and still pumping and bottle feeding. It took less time when I went to pumping all the time. after I got a good milk supply I went back to breastfeeding.
you can talk to a lactation consultant, too.

Answer 2

I am not sure who told you that you had to give your baby a bottle in the hospital, but they gave you mis-guided advice and started you and your baby off on the wrong foot. Her weight has nothing to do with breast feeding. 8 pounds is a very nice sized baby and she shouldn't have had any problems because of that. Additionally, breast fed newborns only pee a little bit until mom's milk comes in and that is perfectly normal. Before your milk comes in you produce colostrum which is a good source of nutrients and antibodies, but there is only a small amount of it produced at one time. I am not sure what you used as a indicator to think you weren't giving her enough at 2-3 weeks. If it was how frequent she nursed, it is normal for breast fed newborns to eat every 1-3 hours and will often go through "cluster" feedings where it seems as though you are feeding her continuously around the clock. This is normal as well. Breast milk production is based on supply and demand. The more your baby demands the more you will supply. 3 ounces per breast is plenty at a pumping session. Your milk will not dry up as long as you continue to nurse and pump. Drinking from a bottle is considerably easier than drinking from a breast. Some babies will hold out for the bottle since it doesn't take near as much work. I would suggest that you don't give her a supplemental bottle any more and just nurse her on demand for a couple weeks. You will likely find her eating often, but this is what will build up your milk supply. Pumping is not as efficient at emptying your breast as your baby is so while pumping does help keep milk production up, your baby nursing will increase your milk production even more. She will also benefit from the more mature "hind milk" that is found at the end of a nursing just before the breast is emptied. If your baby falls asleep at the breast, you can do a few things to wake her up. Make sure she is not too warm. Undress her a bit, even down to just her diaper if need be. Rub her feet while she nurses if she slows down. Gently move your breast around inside her mouth to start the suckling motion again. Move positions, either hers or yours. Take her off the breast and burp her. Depending on how efficient she is at nursing, it could take anywhere between 5-20 minutes on each breast to empty it. An active nursing baby generally can empty a breast in about 10 minutes. Any additional nursing is mostly to satisfy the sucking that babies need and for comfort.

Answer 3

Nursing is supply and demand. The more your baby nurses, the more you'll make until you make just the right amount for your baby.

Supplementing, especially in the hospital with bottles and formula is a big problem. It's very often the cause of low supply. Bottles, with artificial nipples are also easier for babies to get milk out of, and require different sucking reflexes than breasts. Babies who are given both bottles and breasts too soon can develop something called "nipple confusion" where it becomes difficult for them to nurse when they're given both. This is why it's often suggested not to introduce artifical nipples of any kind until at least six weeks of nursing, when a good supply has been established. Because you've already done both bottles and breasts, you may need some help getting things back in order. A La Leche League leader near you or IBCLC lactation consultant can help you work on re-establishing your milk supply and developing a really strong breastfeeding relationship with your baby.

Kellymom.com has lots of good information about increasing milk supply, and making sure your baby is getting what she needs, and your milk supply is at its best. Good luck and good for you for trying to do what's best for your baby.

Answer 4

i had the same problem their stomachs at birth are the size of a marble and then right now it should probably be a little bigger than a golfball so how much milk do you think can fit in that stomach?? a little! this is the ultimate test to see if she has had enough...you get a wipe or a wet cloth (slightly wet) and pass it by baby's cheek or thigh if she still sucks then she still has more to eat but just takes rest (and that includes falling asleep) when babys falls completely asleep that means she's full remember breast milk digests Very Quickly and with the size of a golf ball at that age they get hungry quickly! you do not need to supplement..the reason you only pump 3oz is because thats all she gets thru out her feeding periods until she starts demanding more when shes older but sometimes she may stop get off the breast to rest and try again and so forth or sometimes she's done...so just feed on demand dont make a schedule for her just yet only for sleeping cycles! otherwise your fine sometimes baby may pee 2 teaspoons and sometimes up to 1/3 of a cup as long as she wets the diaper no matter what amount its ok i promise!...

So remember 1.tiny stomach digests very quickly
2. keep close eye to see if shes done or resting
3. Dont need to pump your going to mess up your milk supply your body is trying to demand how much milk is needed for baby unless you tend to freeze for later that works!
4. Dont Supplement and if she needs vitamin D (because doctors want to supplement for that cause as well) make sure you take vitamin D for higher doses in milk for baby or a quick sunlight will help!!
5. Congrats for breastfeeding and GOODLUCK!!

Answer 5

im sorry to hear u r having a problem sorta like mine
my baby was 11 pounds at birth and need to b fed formula because the baby was so big so by the time my milk came in my baby could of cared less about it so i tried pumping like u do but u need a baby to nurse cuz it is different and after only pumping eventually u will only get an oz ata time it will keep decreasing if u r only pumpin it sux its a bad spot to b in i would pump till ya cant pump anymore i stopped at 3 months but do it as long as u can cuz it really is best even if its half formula half breastmilk and another thing is i stopped pumping but my milk didnt fully go away for months and when my baby was 5 months and more active my baby all the sudden was beeter at breastfeedin i stopped breastfeedin for 2 months and still had some milk and outta no where started feeding the baby at 5 months again and the baby took to it for 2 more months its weird sometime at this age they are too tired to nurse and relize they can get a bottle and its easier sop they give up breastfeeding and when they get older they come back to it so keep pumping and keepin your milk up eventually your child will coem back to the breast
good luck and congrats

Answer 6

That timing is advantageous. My 6 month old has in no way in his existence nursed longer than 7 minutes and is interior the 89th percentile for height and weight. He many times nurses 4-5 minutes if your little guy is gaining weight properly then no concerns. some toddlers are purely greater useful nursers! If he stops eating, he's finished and have been given what he mandatory. If he latches on properly, he probably isn't swallowing air. it may desire to sound like he's.

Answer 7

Ok, one thing you need to understand about nursing is it's all about supply-and-demand. If you don't 'demand' the milk it won't be supplied. If you want her to nurse, stop giving her the bottle. Give her one bottle per day and let your partner feed her (make sure it's breast milk! no formula!). Sometimes it's confusing to have the 'mommy' smell and the bottle together, you may have to leave the room or even the house. I recommend your partner feed the baby while you take a nap! I know it's frustrating, but perseverance will pay off. You may have her on one breast or the other all day long for a couple days, but she will get enough to eat if you give her a chance to let -your- body know -her- demands.

Answer 8

you need to pump as much as you would feed her and for as long as you would feed her. if the case is she isn't getting full enough because there isn't enough milk then pumping for a longer should get your supply up soon! in the mean time nurse her until you're "empty" then give her the bottle to fill he up the rest of the way! good luck!

Answer 9

Call La Leche League and/or a lactation consultant. Doctors are not the best resource in this situation. They don't teach anything about breastfeeding in med school.

Answer 10

I'm so sorry that the hospital staff was unsupportive regarding your plan to breastfeed. Sadly, this happens often -- a lot of L&D staff and even hospital pediatricians do not know or do not care to know that all the fluids a baby needs through her first year of life come from breast milk. A mother's milk usually does not come in until about the 3rd day after delivery but sometimes not until a week goes by. Until then, a baby is nourished by colostrum, a straw-colored liquid full of nutrients and antibodies.

More than likely, your baby was not getting enough wet diapers because her sucking reflex as a newborn wasn't developed well enough and she was not getting enough colostrum. What your hospital SHOULD have done was call in its lactation consultant to observe you nursing your baby, evaluate her latch and sucking, and offer her expertise in helping overcome any obstacles.

By offering your baby formula, the hospital has trained your baby to take what is essentially the easy way out. It doesn't take that much work to get milk or formula from a bottle, and the liquids in a bottle come out quickly versus having to work to suckle from a breast. She may be falling asleep at the breast because it makes her a lot more tired to nurse than it does to drink from a bottle.

So what can you do at this point to increase your milk supply and get your daughter to take the breast more?

1. Contact your local La Leche League. You can find your local chapter at http://www.lalecheleague.org . LLL is an international organization that exists to support all stages of breastfeeding. Each chapter holds monthly meetings in which moms share their experiences, ask questions, and learn more about nursing. You may enjoy getting out of the house with your daughter and meeting other moms with babies in your area. Plus, the LLL Leaders are highly trained specialists in lactation and nursing. Give your LLL chapter's leader a call and explain to her exactly what has happened to your nursing relationship with your daughter from birth. The LLL leader may ask to come over to observe the two of you to help, or she may tell you to come to the next meeting and help you there. But LLL is the first step to take if you truly want to enjoy a nursing experience.

2. If the LLL chapter is too far for you, contact a local lactation consultant. I would normally ask you to ask your hospital, but seeing as they started this all, I recommend you asking your pediatrician for a referral. Most lactation consultants charge for their services, but their help is worth every penny.

3. Breastmilk is supply and demand -- your daughter needs to demand it in order for your body to up the supply. A pump does not always work, for psychological reasons (it's not a loving trusting baby but a plastic and metal contraption). What you need to do is put your baby to the breast more frequently, working to cut back on how many bottles you give her a day. It may be a battle, since she's used to the almost instant gratification she gets from a bottle. In the long run, it is best for her and for you.

Set up a schedule in which you go into a quiet, dimmed room, sit on a comfortable chair, and latch your baby on. You can gently stroke her cheek to start her nursing, and by keeping distractions to a minimum you'll encourage her interest in the breast. She may only nurse for a few minutes and pull off. Simply stroke her cheek to get her sucking reflex going and relatch. Begin with a goal of 5 minutes and slowly build up to 10, then 15. Offer only one breast, so that she gets the blue-white foremilk and the protein- and lipid-rich hind milk that comes after nursing for about 15 or 20 minutes. At the next nursing, do the same thing but offer the other breast.

4. Pumping is okay, but you want to breastfeed your baby, not bottle-feed her breast milk. From the sounds of it, you are having difficulty letting your milk down for the pump as well. Some women add pumping times to their feeding schedule to build up supply. Some moms nurse on one breast while pumping the other, hoping the let down from nursing will make pumping more successful. Try this or just lose the pump and put your baby directly on. Again, the more she nurses the more your milk will come in.

5. Drink lots and lots of water, to the point of eliminating any other beverage (especially sweet and caffeinated beverages) from your diet. A mother's body needs lots of water to make milk.

6. If nursing with more frequency and drinking more water isn't upping your supply, ask your OB for a prescription to Reglan. This medicine will increase your milk supply, usually between 72 hours to one week of starting it. You can also try taking 600 mg of fenugreek (available in health food stores) per day. Again, this will take effect between 72 hours and a week. Fenugreek has been used for centuries to increase milk supply. The downside, however, is that it makes you smell (your urine, your sweat, and your breast milk will all smell like maple syrup).

I do think that this can all be traced back to your baby needing just a little helping hand when she was born to build up her sucking reflex. Once she gets this help and is trained to suck correctly, she will probably be more successful on the breast. So please contact a lactation consultant or La Leche League ASAP. Good luck!