Should i just stop... what else can i do?..?

Question

I really would like to continue breasfeeding my baby.. he is now 1 month old.. i was planning to do so until he is 3 or 4 months old... i am stacking up on breastmilk. (freezing it).. for when i decide to stop he will still have breastmilk..
anyways.. i dont have that much milk.. or it seems to me that i dont.. ( i only pump out 2 oz out of one breast and 0 oz out of the other).. i am not sure why this happens
I have been taking fenugreek pills./ drinking lots of water . and it hasnt really done anything.. (atleast i havent noticed any change)..
I am still pumping out the same amount as i did before..
Also .. if i am breast feeding my son and he falls asleep then wakes up and is hungry again isnt that a sighn he isnt getting enough?..
i dont know what to do ..
and i really dont want to stop..
please any advice

i know i should be asking my dr..
my son just went to a check up and the dr said hes growing fine..

Answer 1

That is kind of what happened to me. I just pumped what I could and gave it to him but gave him mostly formula. I did this for about a month and then just went to formula. Maybe you, like me, are not cut out for breastfeeding. I would start supplementing with formula to make sure he is getting enough, continue to try pumping and see what you get and give him that in addition to formula. Just do that as long as you can.

Answer 2

Don't stop breast feeding him. I am also having problems with the pump. I know that if he is having more than 6 wet diapers a day then it is fine. I know that BMs are different. My son only has one a day but it is a whole lot. I know that he is getting enough to eat (he gained almost 3 lbs in the first 2 weeks and is now growing out of most of the 0-3 month clothes) I have a really hard time letting down sometimes. I have gotten better results pumping when I am watching TV. I think about the little man and also before I start pumping I massage my breast with a warm towel. That is the only thing that has helped me. You can also try to get the little man to feed every hour during the day to build up your milk. It should take about a week for you to see results. I hope that helped!!

Answer 3

**if i am breast feeding my son and he falls asleep then wakes up and is hungry again isnt that a sighn he isnt getting enough?.**

NO, this is totally normal in breastfed babies, don't let this worry you. As for the pumping issue, relax, a lot of women find pumping very difficult, and don't let down well to the pump, but are able to breastfeed their babies with no problem. I'm one of them, when I pumped for my son, I could barely get 3 ounces total from both breasts. However when it comes to baby feeding from the breast, well then I am a veritable cow lol (I am feeding a 3 month old and a 3 yo at the moment, and have more than enough milk for them). Babies are much more efficient at stripping milk from the breast than a pump is, and you can be sure that your baby is getting a lot more milk from you than the pump does. As long as you put him to the breast every time he is hungry, you will produce enough milk for him.

As long as your baby is producing about 8 wet nappies a day, and gaining weight steadily, he is getting enough. Let THIS be your guide, and not anything else, like the amount you can pump. Stick with it, you are doing the best thing for your baby.

Answer 4

Your milk is just now being fully established. Why do you want to quit at 3 or 4 months old? Your baby needs BM to keep him healthy.

Each breast will make different amts of milk depending upon how much it is nursed or pumped. If you are stocking up that means you are pumping between nursings. Your breasts should be empty after a feeding and will not produce that much extra milk unless you pump, pump, pump. Remember, pumping is never as effective as nursing.

NB's fall asleep when nursing. You can stimulate you baby by rubbing his head, getting him naked or using a cool cloth to awaken him. It is also normal for a baby to wake up hungry. For BF babies they do this every 2-3 hrs for 1-3 months and then some sleep longer, others don't.

As long as baby is making 8-10 wet/soiled diapers and gaining weight, he is eating enough. Babies digestive tracts are small. They need small, frequent feeding.

To increase your milk try oatmeal, every morning, Mother's milk tea (several times a day), Blessed Thistle and pump!

BF will become easy for you. Give it time. It's convenient and it's always there. Don't stop. The WHO recommends BFing for 2 years. Your baby will be stronger and smarter.

Answer 5

As long as the baby is gaining weight and has 6 to 8 wet diapers a day, he's getting enough. A lot of women don't get much milk when they pump; I'm nursing my third baby and have never gotten more than 5 ounces in a single session--and that was when the baby was 9 months old. Is the doctor worried about his weight gain?

On the fenugreek: when I was taking it I was told you had to take enough so that your sweat smells like maple syrup.

Some women don't produce enough milk but this is very rare. Also, babies nurse for a lot of reasons, not just hunger. Babies nurse for comfort and for closeness, too.

I guess my point is that it's easy to get a little freaked out when the baby is so little and helpless, and when you aren't sleeping enough. If you're worried talk to the pediatrician, who might send you to a consultant or just relieve your worries about the baby eating enough. A doctor would also be able to tell if you are one of those rare women who doesn't produce enough milk.

Hang in there. I almost quit nursing my first when he was a week old. At six weeks it got so easy and natural I couldn't imagine coping with a bottle.

Answer 6

You really can't rely on how much you can pump as a good way to see how much you have, especially if you are stressing about the numbers. I know when I am stressing about anything and I try to pump I barely get anything. Pumping just isn't the same as a baby nursing, my sister in law couldn't pump anything, but successfully breastfed her daughter to 8 months.

As far as a baby waking up hungry, I don't think my son has ever woken up and didn't want to eat.

The way you know that you are making enough milk is by his weight gain and how many wet diapers he has a day. If his doctor isn't worried about his weight and he has at least 6 wet diapers a day, you should be alright.

Answer 7

A newborn will nurse every two hours, and even more when he's growing. If he just turned 1 month you're not going to be producing a ton of milk, if youre feeding and pumping keep it up, your body will make more.

You need to be sleeping enough, eating enough (500 extra calories each day) and drink more water than when pregnant.

Dont stop, it will get better I promise. I thought I was only going to breast feed for the first 6 months, but after i got the hang of it i realized just how good it is for baby I decided to keep going until he's weened completely at one year.

Just getting through the winter without being sick is reason alone. He's so freaking healthy. Keep it up, you're doing great.

Answer 8

Sounds as if you are doing really well...there are so many ?ns when doing this the first time round....and conflicting advice doesn't help.
Not many mothers would have enough milk to pump out extra..so well done. As well as drinking lots of water, remember to try to sit down.....you body does need this resting to produce the milk.
Babies don't need long at the breast to take what they need. Try not to feed too often as you may get sore nipples and it's good to have a definite gap between feeds so that a good hunger and suck is there at a feeding time.
Place him near the window so different light patterns take his attention as he grows older....will also give him something else to occupy his thoughts!
Your midwife may well have some helpful comments to encourage you....but keep going as long as is possible with the breast feeding, for baby's and your benefit.

Answer 9

as long as he has plenty of wet and poopy diaper he is getting enough milk. Many women can't get alot out of pumping, but the baby is better at getting the milk out. Newborns will want to eat every few hrs, so its natural that he wakes up hungry. You may want to use some of your frozen milk to suppliment if you are really concerned. Talk to a lactation nurse as well, they may have soem ideas on how to develop a stornger supply, as well as reassuring yiou that all is going well with your nursing. If you find that you are not making enough milk, you can always suppliment while you are nursing, thats what I had to do (I have a breast deformity and can not make milk in one breast). I still nursed my son, then supplimentd with formula after. He nursed until 22 months!!!

Answer 10

I'm not sure what fenugreek pills are, but in creasing your water intake and nursing often should help. Also remember some woment won't let down for the pump. That happened t me. I arranged my schedule around my baby's feedings so I didn't have to stop then when she got older to where she was eating more solids, I didn't have to worry because she wasn't nursing as often. Talk to your Dr. and see what they suggest.

Answer 11

First off....RELAX!!!!!! This is the main reason new mommies don't produce enough milk....or are unable to pump enough. I don't know where you live, but contact La Leche Leauge or your local WIC office will have a lactation consultant available for you to talk face to face with. I could ramble on and on at things you can do, but you really need someone to come in(or you go see) to help you get over this VERY COMMON herdle. I urge you not to give up. Out of all the things I miss breastfeeding my babies is #1. It is so good for them not only physically, but emotionally. Hang in there.