Breastfeeding questions? amount and pumping?

Question

I have a few questions regarding breastfeeding. 1. Other than increasing the times your baby feeds can you increase your amount of milk by pumping? 2. I have a 4 month old - I feel he isn't getting enough to eat. Today I fed him every two hours during the day - which is fine - but could my milk be decreasing??? He has been exclusively breastfed.
I am just worried I don't have enough milk. Thanks so much

Answer 1

1. Yes... but only when you add pumping to your normal nursing times... don't replace a nursing session w/ a pumping session... keep nursing as usual, try to get baby to nurse more frequently, if baby just won't latch on between "mealtimes" then pump instead.
2. No your milk is probably not decreasing... this is an awesome breastfeeding website, if you have not already seen it... http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/growth-spurt.html that's the page on growth spurts... this is the key part for you:
When do babies have growth spurts?
Common times for growth spurts are during the first few days at home and around 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months (more or less). Babies don't read calendars, however, so your baby may do things differently.

--- basically, no your milk is NOT decreasing your baby is just on track for an average growth spurt... best thing to do is let him nurse as much as he wants the right now.. it wont last long... he is trying to increase your supply - not because it is decreasing, but because he's just grown and is hungrier... he knows how to increase your supply to meet his new needs... LET HIM :)

Answer 2

I had the same concerns when my son was that age. He was breastfed exclusively until he was 6 months old, then it was just breastmilk and solids until he weaned himself and started on whole milk at 13 months. He certainly didn't starve during his first 6 months, so he must have been getting enough. I've heard pumping can increase your supply, but more importantly, focus on your diet. Are you drinking plenty of water? Are you eating a balanced diet every day? That's really important for milk production. Finally, breastfeeding is really supply and demand - the more your baby eats, the more milk you will produce. So basically, it will be there when he needs it. Kudos to you for giving your son the best possible nutrition!

Answer 3

The more you nurse- the better your supply. Your baby may be nursing more because he is going through a growth spurt. Breastfeeding momma's can always tell- their babies give clear indicators while nursing and nursing more often.

Is your milk decreasing? Likely not. Yes, you can increase your supply by pumping, but remember that the amount you pump out may not be what you actually have- it's what the pump was able to draw out. Babies are far better than a pump at getting the milk to come.

Answer 4

Please, pleasse, please don't let anyone convince you that you are 'losing' your milk. As long as you aren't on medication and you are still exclusively feeding on demand then it is extremely rare that you would 'lose' your milk. Just relax and let your baby guide you. The beauty of breastfeeding is that they don't have to drink 'x' amount of milk every four hours. They will feed until satisfied and that's the way it should be. If your son is happy and physically well then he is doing fine. Just ask yourself this - do you eat exactly the same amount of food at exactly the same time of day, every day? Probably not, and neither does your son.
P.S Introducing solids too early will decrease your milk so you should continue exclusive breastfeeding until at least 6mths.

Answer 5

Yep, breastfeeding is supply and demand, pumping should help. Add in a few pumpings a day stagger them throughout the day. Do it for 20-30 minutes or so. It should take 3-4 days to really notice a difference. Pumping is different than nursing as its not as natural and can take a while to get the hang of, but stick to it, make sure you are in a comfortable position that you can stay in for a while. Try to relax, that's really important in pumping. And drink tons of water. Goodluck, it should work great. You can also freeze the milk or store it in breast milk bags, my favorites were the gerber brand ones.

Answer 6

This is a normal worry with new Moms. You can increase your milk supply by using a pump. Just see that your baby is doing well on the growth chart when you go for a check up. You can store breastmilk in the fridge for a few hours or in the freezer for a longer amount of time. You can also supplement with a bottle (formula) if you are really worried. I did that with my first child. Hang in there. : )

Answer 7

Hi KC,
Yes you can increase your milk by pumping, and also there are herbs that you can get over the counter, one is called milk thistle.Are you taking birth control? that will reduce your milk. I was on the patch for my fourth son, and it decreased my milk. There is also no harm in supplementing if your baby is still hungry. Your son is old enough that it is not going to make him stop nursing. Good luck

Answer 8

Do an 'experiment' with your baby. Don't nurse him on a schedule, but let him nurse when he is 'hungry' (crying and seeking your nipples to suck) ... if he's not getting enough milk, he'll be hungry sooner, if he is getting enough, he'll be satisfied longer. And you shouldn't 'worry' about your baby getting enough. Many women have 'way too much' milk at first, and it does 'decrease' to just the amount the baby needs to grow and be strong ... but to the mom, that seems like the baby isn't getting 'enough' in comparison to when their milk first came in. It's natural, but it's also sort of 'weird' and many women don't know, and are afraid to ask or don't know who to ask ... but you did ask, and I KNOW ...

Answer 9

#1 Breastmilk digests in 1.5-2 hours and it is normal for babies to eat at least that often, in fact many eat more than once an hour

#2 If your baby is making enough wet diapers and gaining weight they are getting enough milk. Period.

#3 4 months is the normal time for a growth spurt.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/growth-spurt.html
When do babies have growth spurts?

Common times for growth spurts are during the first few days at home and around 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months (more or less). Babies don't read calendars, however, so your baby may do things differently.


http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enoughmilk-older.html
WET DIAPERS: 4 - 5+ sopping wet diapers per day.
To feel what a sufficiently wet diaper is like, pour 4-6 tablespoons (60-90 mL) of water into a clean diaper (if baby wets more often, then the amount of urine per diaper may be less). Diapers may be wetter in the morning, especially with older babies. Urine should be pale and mild smelling.
DIRTY DIAPERS: Depends on your child.
Number ranges from many per day to one every 7 – 10+ days. After 4 - 6 weeks, some babies switch to an infrequent stooling pattern. This is normal as long as baby is gaining well, and stools are soft and profuse if several days have passed. More on infant stooling.
OTHER POSITIVE SIGNS: After a feeding, mom’s breast feels softer and baby seems reasonably content. Baby is alert, active and meeting developmental milestones.



http://www.todaysparent.com/article.jsp?content=1266685
Anthropologist Kathy Dettwyler from Texas A&M University says that nursing a lot is typical of babies around the world. She cites a study done in 2000 that looked at the feeding behaviour of infants aged three to four months in three different communities: families from Washington, DC, the Ba’Aka hunter-gatherers and the Ngandu farmers, both of the Central African Republic. They found that the Ba’Aka babies nursed 4.02 times per hour, the Ngandu babies nursed 2.01 times per hour and the American babies nursed 1.6 times per hour. Certainly the American babies nursed less often than the two African groups, but they nursed more frequently than many new parents expect.



http://breastfeed.com/resources/articles/expectation.htm
Breast milk is natural and digests very quickly – usually within two hours. Therefore, breastfed babies eat often. In the early weeks, they may eat eight to 20 times a day – or more. It depends.

As a lactation consultant, I frequently hear moms say, "Well I tried to breastfeed my first child but they always wanted to eat, and my milk could never fill them up like formula did. They were always hungry." Get it? The formula makes them feel very full, but is that good for them? Not really. Formula is deficient in all immunological properties.

I then ask the mothers, "Before you changed to formula, was your baby gaining weight well and having plenty of wet diapers and bowel movements?"

"Oh, yes," they say. "That was going well." I have come to understand that the reason these moms quit is not that their baby is not growing well or that they did not have enough milk, but because they didn't want to feed as often as the baby needed to eat and felt that by switching to an artificial food, the baby would be "happier" and "more content." Their baby would behave more like TV babies. Their perception was that something was wrong because their babies ate often. Perhaps that feeling was reinforced by "helpful" friends or family members.



"He Can't Be Hungry. He Just Ate!"
http://www.wiessinger.baka.com/bfing/howworks/hungry.html


So I Nursed Him Every 45 Minutes
http://www.llli.org//NB/Law45com.html

Answer 10

pumping could help increase your supply. it was suggested to me to get my supply up a bit as my baby is not gaining enough weight.