2 wo low milk supply (I think!)

[MC18]

My 2 week old has been super slow in gaining weight and still isn't back up to her birth weight. I'm doing everything I can to increase my milk supply but I feel like since I didn't feed her right away I'm doomed (c-section, took time to stabilize me and then her blood sugar was low).

Her ped. has me supplementing every feed with a bottle and it's killing me. Any suggestions??

[becj86]

What are your breasts like after a feed? I just wonder as I had a C-section (+ 2 days in ICU in which I fed him only a few times) and was breastfeeding and DS was slow gaining weight too. I had oversupply from all the pumping I was told to do after the C-section because apparently milk doesn't come in without the labour but everything I did to increase my supply just backfired because he was struggling so much with the amount of milk squirting down his throat and not getting much fat and not gaining.

You're absolutely not doomed because you didn't feed her right away, I breastfed for 2.5 years and DS had formula for his first feed and a few supplemental feeds until we worked out I had too much milk, not insufficient.

Are you able to pump after a feed? Could you supplement with pumped breastmilk? Has she been checked for tongue tie, etc.? Has she  had a weighed feed so you know how much she's getting and that she's able to transfer milk efficiently? Undersupply is not particularly common, so worth looking at other reasons she might not be gaining too. Are you feeding frequently? That will increase your supply.

That said, were you on a drip for a long time before delivery? Sometimes that can inflate birthweight and make it take longer for LO to get back to birthweight.

Sorry, that's a lot of questions, but hopefully something will click and you'll be able to work something out for you and your baby.

Here's some info that might be useful:
I'm worried I may have low milk supply
Breast compression
Oversupply and Overactive (Forceful) Let-Down

[Shiv52]

Hugs xx

My LO didn't get back to birth weight until day 21 and my MW wasn't concerned so long as she was putting on weight so first thing is not to panic. Is your paed supportive of BFing?

Any evidence of tongue tie? My DD had one and once clipped it helped.

She was also really really sleepy and I wasn't probably feeding often enough.  They said 3 hours in the day and 4 at night.  I gave a few bottles in those first three weeks but by week 4 I was just feeding from
The boob all time.

You're doing great. The first month is so
Hard. I found that with all three of mine. 

[MC18]

What are your breasts like after a feed?

My boobs never feel very full so it's hard to say that they feel emptied.

Are you able to pump after a feed? Could you supplement with pumped breastmilk? Has she been checked for tongue tie, etc.? Has she  had a weighed feed so you know how much she's getting and that she's able to transfer milk efficiently? Undersupply is not particularly common, so worth looking at other reasons she might not be gaining too. Are you feeding frequently? That will increase your supply.

That said, were you on a drip for a long time before delivery? Sometimes that can inflate birthweight and make it take longer for LO to get back to birthweight.

I pump barely .25 oz between both sides, so that wont give her much. The lactation consultant didn't see any tongue tie. Her weighed feed showed just a 1 oz gain in 10 minutes of feeding. I try to feed every 2-3 hours during the day.
I was on a drip, so that makes a lot of sense.

Thanks for all the support! I'm pretty determined to stick to it, I just can't help sobbing every time I pull out the bottle

[Shiv52]

It took a few weeks for my boobs to feel full. Are you feeling a let down at all?

I couldn't pump anything at all for the first while and it's not an indication of how much the baby is getting xx

What are nappies like? Plenty of wet? What colour is poo?

You'll get there. Honestly by week 4/5 it was like we hadn't had issues at all xx

[becj86]

Here's some info re: volume of milk per feed: http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/

Hugs xx

[MC18]

Update: Still supplement, but thank g-d my 4 week old LO is finally gaining. Pumping does show an increase in my milk supply, so I give her the breast before the bottle at every feeding.

Had a lactation consultant take a look and there's no tongue tie.

Praying that it only goes uphill from here and we can eliminate the bottle altogether! (although it is really nice to involve hubby in the feeding process...)

[*Ali*]

Fingers crossed for you. Well done for persevering.

[Shiv52]

Howve you been getting on?

[MC18]

Still going at it, but my milk supply hasn't increased to more than 1 oz (both sides combined) per pump so she's still getting the bottle too after she's emptied both sides.

[*Ali*]

Remember pumping output is no indication of supply. It just shows how well your body responds to a pump. Your baby will be getting significantly more.. They used to say 1oz more than you can pump which would be 2ozs but they found even that was often grossly underestimating more often than not. When are you pumping in relation to feeds? Straight after or mid way  before the next feed or what?

How many feeds is LO having in 24hrs? Are you offering regularly, going by the clock or her cues? She shoud be on 8-12 feeds a day until ypur supply is established. How much formula or you giving at each feed? I'd give the bare minimum so you can offer the breast again sooner.

You can also offer the first breast again and then the second breast again  after you think she has finished both sides. Your breasts are never truly empty. They are making milk constantly even during the feed

Keep up the hard work. It will pay off.

[Shiv52]

I topped up with bottles with DD3 and 5 weeks I just bit the bullet and weaned them.   I was so unsure as she'd only just reached her birth weight and was tiny but pumping was irritating me and I was getting nothing but a few drops. I weaned the top up of the first two feeds and just fed fed fed and then every few days weaned another and my confidence grew that I was making enough and I Was feeling a strong let down much more. Babies will always take a top up with a bottle whether they are full or not and what I realised was not offering the top up was fine as she stayed  settled.  It took a couple of weeks but then the top ups were gone. WE did a couple of days in bed doing lots of skin to skin. And that really helped too.

You're doing great xxx