i have a 6 week old whom i have to bottlefeed due to my very low milk supply?

Question

i ffel so sad about it,even though she is gaining weight normally..is it possible for me to increase my milk supply?i get just an ounce by pumping.or is it too late that even if i nurse he r very frequentlyr i won have any change and i could just bottlefeed her.the lact.cons asked me to take reglan,but it makes me sickk

lots of
thanks for all the answers.

Answer 1

There are some things that you can take, but they may or may not work.
My wife had the same problem. What she did was to breast feed and bottle feed our son.
Our son is very healthy, and is VERY attached to my wife. So, if you are worried about bonding, don't. She will love you just as much either way. Also, just from your question I can sense that you love her very much.
Just make sure that you don't stress yourself too much over this. A child is very aware of the mother's feelings and will react to how the mother feels.

Answer 2

sometimes at 4-8 weeks baby has a growth spurt so it seems like you don't enough milk to satisfy them but in actual fact you need to feed more to encourage a larger supply. The more you feed the more milk you will produce till you have enough for that particular baby and age. This continues to happen all the time as the baby grows and demands more. It might take a week or two of 2 hourly feeding but it will happen.
A lot of people say the exact same thing at 6weeks because they don't realise the above.

Also when you are pumping you don't usually get very much for the first several tries and takes a while to establish the 'knack' of pumping. It can take 2-3 weeks to get full bottles every pump because it is different to when you baby latch's on itself.

If you really want to breastfeed you can go to a natural health shop and get some natural supplements to increase your supply that won't make you feel sick.
Also feed your baby as often as you can to increase your supply.

Also I wonder, if you don't have enough milk your baby shouldn't be gaining weight normally??? If she was underfed she should be 'underweight'. So that leads me to believe you probably have the perfect amount for your baby and maybe don't realise it??/

anyway, I hope something in there helped you out. If you have to bottlefeed then don't feel bad. A lot of people do and there is nothing wrong with it. Just don't give up breastfeeding if you can help it

Answer 3

Pumping is not a true indication of supply... a baby is far better at getting milk than a pump.

Can you take a nursing 'holiday'? Basically you and baby in bed for a weekend with lots of skin to skin and nurse nurse nurse!

Make sure you are eating and drinking well. Drink lots of water... although this doesn't mean more milk it will keep you hydrated.

Fenegreek has been known to increase milk supply... it can be found in health shops.

www.kellymom. com (two spaces) has lots of information on breastfeeding that you might find useful. Also contact some breastfeeding helplines and get the help of some lactation experts.

Is there a breastfeednig clinic at your hospital or GP's? If you can find one try a breastfeeding support group.

One last thing... have someone look at your latch. A poor latch doesn't always hurt and can mean that baby is sucking as effectivly leading to poor supply.

Good luck x

Answer 4

The same thing happened to me and I was able to go on to nurse for more than 12 months.

I went to the lactation consultants and they helped my latch, they also recommended Fenugreek--it's an herb that you can buy at the health food store that helps improve supply. You can drink Mother's Milk Tea, and have a bowl of real oatmeal every morning--all of those things will help you increase your supply. I never took Reglan.

My biggest secret, and it's not really a secret, is something my mother told me: Just sit down and nurse the baby. Nurse them 24/7 if you have to. You WILL make enough, you just need to nurse her more.

Remember:
1. A pump is NEVER a good indication of how much you are making because baby always gets more than a pump
2. Respond to your baby, nurse her when she wants and for as long as she wants
3. Every ounce you supplement is an ounce that your body doesn't know it needs to make, but since it sounds like you're doing a lot of supplementing, you should not just automatically drop the formula
3. SLOWLY decrease the formula supplements, I'll link to a great site that will help you with the technical details.

You can do it!

Answer 5

A week after my daughter was born, I got an infection and went to the emergency room. The doctor gave me the wrong antibiotics and I had to stop breast feeding for a week. I had to pump, then throw the milk out. When I could breast feed again, I coudn't keep up with her appitite. So, here is what I did. I breast fed her what I could, then bottle fed what I couldn't. That way she was still getting the benifit of the breast milk, and the bonding. You may be able to catch up by pumping and feeding as much as possible, but if not try breast feeding first, then following up with the bottle if your baby is still hungry. It may take a few days for your childs stomache to get used to formula. I hope this helps.

Answer 6

Sorry you are having difficulty with nursing. in addition to going and talking to LaLeche League == here are some things to consider:
1) Please take care of yourself, eat a healthy diet, drink lots of water, get lots of rest -- like nap when your baby naps and you are refreshed and ready to nurse.
2) There are natural food to help with lactation. My favorites were brewer's yeast (I put it on salad, oatmeal, casseroles, and even pizza), and fenugreek powder.
3) Reduce or quit the bottlefeeding if you are intent on nursing. Your milk supply adjusts to the demand -- how much your baby is eating. If your baby is getting full from bottlefeeding (formula) then baby is unlikely to nurse further.
4) Use on demand feeding -- no schedule. The more you nurse, the more milk you make.
5) What type of pump are you using? Make sure the pump is positioned so you can get milk to flow. Be rested and relaxed while you pump.

Answer 7

Breastfeeding is grant and demand. So the extra you placed your son to the breast the extra grant you will get. So by utilising supplementing you're telling your physique which you do no longer desire as plenty milk. while you're frightened that he's no longer eating sufficient and sense such as you are able to desire to complement till your milk grant is larger, provide him a complement yet get a breast pump and pump so your breast have the stimulation and produces milk for that feeding. additionally ensure you're eating a good number of water and eating plenty energy and verify he's latched on wisely. there's no longer something incorrect with supplementing in case you opt to. I nursed approximately 80% of the time while my son replaced right into a newborn and evetually much less and much less till i ended at 6mths. He had no subject switching from breast to bottle. good success

Answer 8

wake your baby every 2 hours and nurse, the more you nurse the more milk you'll make, also take hot showers or heat pack your breasts- heat also increases your milk production. Try to only give the bottle if necessary after the baby nurses and you're dry, find a breastfeeding consultant most hospitals have them in L and D to make sure baby isn't tongue tied and is latching properly. GL and hang in there

Answer 9

It is not too late! Please contact your nearest La leche League! They have people who can help you with breastfeeding if you want! There are many options out there if you want to breast feed.

Answer 10

Don't feel bad about it. Nowadays, Formula is almost as good as breast milk. If you can't, you can't.