Low milk supply? or lazy baby?

[Nancyella]

Hello Ladies!  Hope you are all well, where ever you may be in the world! 
This is the first time I have been on this message board so I am still feeling my way around it inbetween Feeds, and trying to get Isabella to sleep!  She is 8 weeks and 4 days and is the most placid little girl, who hardly ever cries and every day is showing us bigger and bigger smiles and giggles!  My husband describes the feeling when we look at her so well as "as if someone is pouring warm honey over your heart"!!

My problem is that I would really love to breastfeed solely ( with no formula top up), but after about 10 mins Ella starts to arch her back and pull off me and start to cry.  I have interpreted this as her getting angry that the milk flow has slowed/ stopped.  I have tried putting her back to it over and over again, but she gets more and more angry with me and I get all wound up aswell, and I figure that me getting upset is probably going to stop any milk coming even if it is there to start with!!  I have tried putting her across to the other side, but she will do exactly the same thing- She'll drink contentedly ( actually, you can hear her gulping it down) and then the sucking slows and she starts fussing again.
First thing in the morning however, when my boobs are full, we dont have a problem ( usually!)

It isn't wind, as I've tried burping her frequently.  When I squeeze the nipple after she's pulled away, it sometimes squirts out, but when I express (straight after) I only get about 1 ounze, if that.

I am drinking gallons of water, getting rest, eatting as well as poss.  I've also tried feeding her every 2 hours to stimulate production, but as the day goes on, she is on each boob for less and less time, and as it is best to tank her up for the nights ( she sleeps 7-9 hours a night bless her!) I end up giving her formula  ( in a hyberman bottle and I make her "work" for it, as I figure, maybe she's just lazy as we had used normal bottles that she used to polish off really quickly?

I'm also taking 'Galactogil' granules that you dissove in water and take 3 times a day before meals to increase milk production ( don't know if it's just a french product or if you can get it everywhere).

This problem has been going on for about a month now, and everytime she does it, it upsets me as I feel sort of rejected, and as if me and my boobs are not doing our job! Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Merci
Nancy x

[Erin M]

Are you sure she's not just becoming a more efficient feeder?  I think even 10 minutes may have been a long time for my Katie at 8 weeks.  She may just be crying because she's done.  Aside from the crying, is she otherwise content?  Does she have enoug wet/poopy diapers?  Is she gaining weight?  If you can answer yes to all those questions, she's getting enough and I wouldn't worry.

As far as expressing, your little one can always get more from you than a pump can, so I wouldn't worry.  Being able to express even an ounce after nursing seems more than enough to me.  I know you've probably heard this, but you should avoid using formula if you want to solely breast feed, since breastfeeding works best on supply and demand.  If you use formula, it lowers the demand on your body, which then produces less. 

-Erin

[annamum]

I absolutely agree with Erin. My daughter at 7 weeks was staying on my boob for 5 minutes and she was done. Most babies at this age become efficient and they don't want to hang on your breast if they are done.

I would say that you are taking good care of yourself, feeding often, and being able to express 1 oz after feeding seems just fine to me, obviously there is some milk there for your little one. As long as your daughter (dd) is able to go at least 2 hours between feeds, poops and pees a lot she is doing great. How is her weight gain, that is also a good indicator of your milk supply. A baby her age should be gaining approximately 1 oz per day till 2nd month and then 0.5 oz per day till 6 months.

Also, I agree that using formula will only decrease your supply, however kudos to you for using haberman feeder! Try to stick to breast only, if she is done in 10 minutes, take her off the breast and see how the day looks like, how often she needs to feed then.

Good luck!

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Do you have a lactation clinic near you? Something I did in the beginning when I was bf and worried about supply (dd would do the same thing but it turned out she has reflux) I went to a lactation clinic where they weighed dd then I fed her then they weighed her again so they could get an idea how much she was getting from me. Just a thought. Good luck to you! And great name for your daughter by the way... :lol:

Sharon

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Btw, LOVE the honey comment! My dh and I always say it's like opening a present every day...

Sharon

[Nancyella]

Thanks everyone for replying to me. 
You may be right and she may be finished, but when I move her over to the other boob she opens her mouth wide and "attacks" it as if she's still ravenous!

I will however try your suggestion of just bfing her today and see how long we can go between feeds.

Her weight is fine.  At her last check up she was bang on perfect weight. And i s'pose she wouldn't be able to sleep for an average of 8 hours per night if she wasnt getrting enough in the day would she? Tonight will be the acid test if she hasn't had and formula all day!
Thanks again
Nancy

P.s  How did you put those beautiful pictures of your children on your messages?

[Nancyella]

BTW sharon, what did you do abuot the reflux? Because dd is possetting alot.......

[annamum]

WOW, she sleeps 8 hours at night, she must be getting enough, believe me!

If you think she may have reflux, have her doctor check her for that, I think they have some test to identify if this is a problem. Also, we have a board on reflux, you may want to check this out.

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Hi again, I agree with Monica. Check out the reflux board and if any red flags go off for you... speak to your doctor. Dd was a bad case... major weight loss, hospital stays, aspirating, etc. But there are varying degrees of reflux and some can be managed quite well at home and without meds. The symptoms are posted on the other thread and feel free to post again there if you have more questions! Lot's of wonderful mum's here to help you.

You attach a picture in your profile which is at the top of the page when you are viewing all the threads. Does that make sense?

Sharon