Breastfeeding help please ....!?

Question

my baby is 12 days old , seems to me she doesnt get enough milk , she is always hungry even after one hour of breastfeeding ,i give her the formula after breastfeeding she sometimes takes 60ml !! so what is the problem and how to solve it ? i want her to take only my milk and feel full

Answer 1

If a baby is peeing enough, pooping enough, and gaining enough they are getting enough milk PERIOD.

Is your milk supply really low?
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html#supply

http://www.mother-2-mother.com/cc-baby-B.htm#Fussiness
Many times during a baby's fussy time they will refuse the breast. After several frustrating attempts at nursing, the parents may "break down" and offer a bottle of expressed breastmilk or formula thinking that the fussiness is related to low supply or something wrong with mom's milk. Kathy gives a better understanding of this particular concern here, as well as explaining what happens when baby is offered a bottle and "guzzles" it down:

Parents who don't know this is "normal" frequently respond as you did by giving a bottle because they think the baby isn't "happy or satisfied" with the breast. When the bottle goes in the baby's mouth the mouth fills with milk, the baby is obligated to swallow and the action of swallowing initiates another suck. The suck again fills the mouth and the cycle repeats, giving an appearance of the baby "gulping the bottle down hungrily".

This of course only contributes to mom and dad's fear that the baby wasn't getting enough at the breast and they keep offering more and more bottles (understandably). Which then causes a true low milk supply. Often the baby falls asleep peacefully after this episode which also reinforces to the parents that the bottle was just what the baby needed. What has really happened is the baby has by coincidence come to the natural conclusion of the fussy spell (most parents give the bottle as a last resort which means the fussiness has been going on for awhile) and/or the baby has withdrawn because "gulping" down the bottle was actually stressful and NOT what the baby wanted but she could not stop the flow, so exhausted, she falls asleep. So don't offer bottles during any fussy time.

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detsleepthrough.html
Human children are designed (whether you believe by millions of years of evolution, or by God, it doesn't matter) -- to nurse *very* frequently, based on the composition of the milk of the species, the fact that all higher primates (Primates are the zoological Order to which humans belong, higher primates include monkeys and apes) keep their offspring in the mother's arms or on her back for several years, the size of the young child's stomach, the rapidity with which breast milk is digested, the need for an almost constant source of nutrients to grow that huge brain (in humans, especially), and so on. By very frequently, I mean 3-4 times per hour, for a few minutes each time. The way in which some young infants are fed in our culture -- trying to get them to shift to a 3-4 hour schedule, with feedings of 15-20 minutes at a time, goes against our basic physiology. But humans are very adaptable, and some mothers will be able to make sufficient milk with this very infrequent stimulation and draining of the breasts, and some children will be able to adapt to large meals spaced far apart. Unfortunately, some mothers don't make enough milk with this little nursing, and some babies can't adjust, and so are fussy, cry a lot, seem to want to nurse "before it is time" and fail to grow and thrive. Of course, usually the mother's body is blamed -- "You can't make enough milk" -- rather than the culturally-imposed expectation that feeding every 3-4 hours should be sufficient, and the mother begins supplementing with formula, which leads to a steady spiral downward to complete weaning from the breast.

http://www.todaysparent.com/article.jsp?content=1266685
Lactation consultant Diane Wiessinger of Ithaca, New York, agrees. “I once led a meeting where I told the mothers — all experienced breastfeeding mothers — that we were going to write the real baby book, one that told new mothers what they needed to know,” she recalls. “One woman said, ‘New mothers need to know that newborns will nurse every hour.’ Another mother spoke up and said, ‘Yeah, and the feedings will last an hour.’ Everyone laughed, and I think that laughter meant that this is a common experience. Babies don’t really nurse all the time, but it can sure feel that way — especially at first.”

[...]

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
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.

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

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

Answer 2

You can't really compare your experience with someone else's, and deduce that one thing is better than the other. Do you know that its specifically the formula that has meant your children don't get as sick as the other children you have met? Do you know that its simply because the little girl was breast fed, that that is why she is ill? Basically, no you don't. So you're comparing two things that really aren't comparable and most likely have nothing to do with one another. As for breastfeeding not being healthy, again its all a matter of opinion. Simply because you have a bad diet, doesn't mean everyone does. If you were breastfeeding and knew that whatever you ate, the baby would get, surely that would make you want to only give the baby the best? You had to do the same when pregnant, you had to stop drinking, smoking etc. So why is breastfeeding any different? Say breastfeeding is unhealthy is totally wrong, and something that many women don't do. How does that argument work concerning a woman with a healthy diet, a woman that doesn't smoke? Formula is great, it was made for a specific purpose, and fulfils that purpose well. Its not better or worse than breastfeeding. But there are additional benefits that, at least the first part of the breast milk, gives that formula cannot.

Answer 3

It's probably just the urge to suck, but if she's really fussy too you may want to read a little about 'lactose overload'. In the early days I was very inefficient at pumping, but didn't realize it. I fed my son a few bottles of pure foremilk, and that started a long chain of fussing and constant feedings - but the constant feedings actually made it worse. Finally, I did a little research and put a 'schedule' in place; every feeding within a 3 hour period was done on the ride side only, and then for the next 3 hours it was only on the left side. After a few days, he was feeling MUCH better. www.llli.org and www.kellymom.com both have a lot of good information on breastfeeding.

Answer 4

I'd talk to a lactation nurse for ways to increase milk production. For me, all I had to do was get treated for hypothyroidism and eat more calories. If you don't get extra calories during the day, your body won't be able to provide much milk. You won't produce much milk if you have hypothyroidism. Considering your baby is nursing for a whole hour and still not getting enough to eat, there may be a problem with your supply or your baby. If your baby is allergic to the formula, she will want to drink tons of formula and will seem never to get satisfied. The more you feed her formula, the less milk you will produce. I got a hospital-grade breast pump from my local family pharmacy and rented it for a month. Using it increased my milk supply, as did eating dessert at every meal. I tend to eat healthy, low-calorie foods, so I wasn't eating enough calories to make milk for my baby. Once I started eating more, my milk became more abundant. I tended to eat healthier desserts, though, which contained fruit. I started losing the last of the "baby" weight when I decreased my caloric intake in order to wean my daughter from nursing.

The site below may offer you more help. You've chosen a healthy way to feed your baby. I hope you enjoy nursing your daughter as long as you prefer.

Answer 5

Was she gaining enough weight when she was only breastfeeding? If she was, then there is no problem other than she is using your breast as a pacifier. I had this problem with my son and starting using a pacifier to put him to sleep. Also, breastfed babies have to eat more often because they digest breastmilk faster than formula. You need to stop supplementing with formula, because this is going to reduce your milk supply. I suggest getting a breast pump to increase your supply and talk with a lactation consultant.

Answer 6

Don't give formula. It is likely that your baby is in a growth spurt and is not sated because she is growing. For the first 6 weeks it is very common for a baby to be hungry all the time. Do not give formula- it is more filling and your baby will want to nurse less, sending a message to your body that milk is not necessary thereby producing less.

How is her latch? Is she latching on properly? Without forumla, is she wetting at least 8 diapers a day? Is she having a bowel movement?

To check: is her bottom lip curled under when nursing and around the aerola? Is she taking the aerola and the nipple in her mouth?
Is her tongue curled around your aerola and nipple?
These are things to check for.


Nurse on demand.
Nurse often.
Burp your baby and nurse again.
Expect that for the first 6 weeks, your baby is going to nurse a lot and it is normal. She is helping to build up your supply and she is filling herself us.
Expect that anytime your baby goes through a growth spurt, she is going to want to nurse more often.

If your latch is fine, she is nursing for comfort as well as for food- and this is also good. She is stimulating your body to produce more.

This will pass, I promise you! It takes time. For the first 6 weeks with both of mine, all I did was nurse. It levels off though.

Good luck and keep your chin up!

Answer 7

Newborns are hungry often because their tummies are soo tiny.

Stop giving your baby formula if you want to have a successful breastfeeding relationship.

Answer 8

First, unless your baby is not gaining weight or she is losing weight then you need to stop supplementing.
Try getting a real breast pump, one that they use in the hospital, you can rent them. Breastfeed her and then when she is done pump. Make sure you are feeding her every 3-4 hours even if she doesn't seem hungry, then make sure you pump.
The only way to make more milk is to keep feeding, that's the only way that your body knows to make more milk.

You may need to see a lactation consultant

Answer 9

You are not letting your milk down. You will know when it is down because you get a tingly feelling and the baby will start gulping to swallow the milk fast enough. I had this problem when I was breastfeeding because I was tense and also at first my nipples hurt so I was dreading the pain. When you get ready to nurse get comfortable and try to totally relax. It will help a lot.

Answer 10

Here's the deal:

Breastmilk is supply and demand. Every ml of formula you feed her is breast milk that you are not making. You JUST have to feed the baby. Feed the baby every 45 minutes if you have to. She is so young that it's normal and natural for them to nurse so often. Your milk is perfect, there's nothing wrong with it. Breastmilk is designed to digest easily because their tummies are so small. It's NORMAL and natural for her to nurse every 1-2 hours. As she gets older, her tummy will grow and she will be able to hold more milk. Take it one week at a time. After week 6 things get a LOT better.

NOTHING is wrong with your milk. Nothing is wrong with your supply, you just have to nurse your baby more. I had supply problems with my first baby, and as soon as I stopped giving him formula, my breasts started making enough milk (within 24 hours.) Babies will often take formula after a feed, not because they are hungry because you offered it. Stop offering formula and you will make enough milk. Full stop.

If you nurse your baby when she wants and as long as she wants she will get enough.

Answer 11

dont give up. Just keep nursing make sure she's latched on good. Are you switching breast in one feeding. You want her to get the foremilk ( in the begining of each feeding) and the hindmilk( after foremilk ,hindmilk is packed with calories!)Drink water and keep yr calories up. They do love the closeness and the smell of us. Let her nurse. Congrats u now have a siamese twin!LOL Breatmilks digests in about an hr and a half.