breast milk looks watery and baby 'fussing'

[newmum2Ellie]

I recently switched to formula feeding at night only and my lo (now 15wks) went from waking every 2hrs to sleeping through the night.

I thought this was fantastic but then found that my lo couldn't get enough breast milk in the late afternoon.

Interestingly, I was told by the health visitor that stopping night feeds would be painful and that I would take a while to adjust but on night two there were no leaks at all and I felt as though I had suddenly completely dried up.

I have just begun expressing again in the mornings to try and increase my supply (which I desperately need to do as am going back to work soon) but recently she has been fussing at the breast and seems uninterested in eating.

When I'm expressing the milk looks ever so watery and I'm wondering if this is perhaps the reason she is extra hungry in the afternoon?

Today she woke from her mornign nap after just an hour completely distressed and was absolutely STARVING even though she had only eaten two hours earlier. I gave her water to start with, thinking I could keep her going till she was due her next feed and she drank 2oz straight off (she's never been interested in water before). As a result I realised she must be really hungry so I fed her and she fed well from both sides. By then she was wide awake and didn't want to go back down so I kept her up and she was happy for half an hour but then needed another nap.

I start back at work next week and I really wanted to be able to tell her childminder to stick to EASY but if we have more days like today I don't see how I can ask someone else to implement it when I can't?!

I can't understand why this should have happened suddenly as she has put herself on a 3.5hr routine from a 3hr one and it WAS working beautifully.

Please help.

Eleanor's mummy.

[daisymelan]

Hello,

Seems like a lot of issues to tackle.  I will offer some words on a few of them.  Was your milk always watery or is this something new?  I was surprised at how watery it was when I first pumped.  I also didn't leak when I first started dropping night feeds.... some women do and I guess some don't.  I would fill up quite a bit though......  maybe your lo wasn't taking very much at nights and more just snacking??

Will you be giving your little one expressed breast milk when you return to work? 

I think the best way to increase supply is to pump right after a feed...  that's been the advice i've received.

Good luck!  Keep us posted.

[deenz]

Another couple of thoughts for you:

breastmilk does look rather watery at the start of the feed (when breasts are full), it then starts looking more 'creamy' the less milk is in there (further into the feed)... maybe you are just expressing off the first milk??  Are you expressing off a breast that has already been fed off?

Cutting out night feeds could have impacted on your supply, but I would imagine that this should work itself out after a while if you let dd feed as often as she likes in the afternoon (difficult I know with a return to work).  Supply is often lower at this time anyway.

[newmum2Ellie]

Thanks for your thoughts.

I'm sure my breast milk didn't used to be quite so watery when I expressed regularly (before xmas) although it may have been when I first started.

I was hoping to give her expressed milk when she goes to the childminders so I've been pumping from both sides at the same time with a dual electric pump 1-2 hours after her morning feed. I do this because mornings are best for expressing and - as my lo gets up between 6am and 7am - I can't imagine getting up earlier just to express. I don't usually express immediately after a feed (altho have tried this in the afternoon to increase my supply at that time) because she generally needs my attention then (she can get a bit gassy). I find it's easier to express when she's gone down for her morning nap as I can relax and not have to worry about paying her attention when I've got two pumps clasped to my boobs!

I guess I should really express again in the afternoon but I find this the most difficult time as this is when my lo is at her most demanding.

To make matters worse she's been really grumpy during the last three days and won't sleep for nearly as long as she used to (she used to have two 1.5-2hr naps per day and a good late afternoon nap before bath and bedtime).

She had been doing so well on EASY and everything just seems to have gone to pot this week!!

Eleanor's mummy

[Sarah J]

could your lo be having a growth spurt??  that could account for the hunger. 

i have been expressing milk on and off throughout my ds five and a half months and my milk does seem watery sometimes but not others, i don't think that it has coincided with my babe being extra hungry.  it is supposed to be more like skimmed milk at first, like a thirst quencher, and the milk at the back is fattier.  i don't think you should worry about your milk if bf has gone well up to now.  breasts will produce on demand and re absorb what is not needed, it sounds like yours are doing a great job to me......!!!!

thats just my two penneth, i hope it helps!!!

[newmum2Ellie]

Just wanted to update you on what's happened since last week as I had also posted on the nap section thinking it could be a nap problem (she was waking up early and not wanting to stay up long).

By last Thu I was at the end of my tether so I put her down for her morning nap and, when she woke after an hour or so, I left her to go back on her own and left her sleeping. Normally I would have woken her up after 2hrs.

In the end she slept for THREE hours and woke up bang on time for a feed (FOUR hours after last feed). She fed beautifully as she was obviously hungry so I decided that perhaps she hadn't been waking from hunger and that's maybe why she was fussing.

That afternoon she had another THREE hour nap and was in a much much better mood. That left me worrying that she might not sleep through but she did.

Yesterday she slept 2.5hrs in the morning and was again in a better mood although she was still a bit under the weather/tired looking. By then she actually had red cheeks and was dribbling which makes me think that she was teething. She'd also been suffering from a bit of a cold so I think that's why she needed the extra sleep and was off her food.

Today she's better again and staying awake longer too.

I think the most useful bit of advice is what BW says about knowing your own baby and using the routine as a guideline. Although she shouldn't be having two 3hr naps, that's obviously what she needed the other day and it wasn't until afterwards I realised that she must simply have been feeling under the weather!

Still struggling with the late afternoon feeds and trying to fing time to express but my milk is looking a bit better now too. On the advice of a friend I've been having a teensy bit of stout in the evenings (not sure if that's helped). I have also had a rotten cold so perhaps that had something to do with it also?

Anyway, THANKS to BW and this site I was confident enough to follow my instincts and it's paid off.

Message to others: If it all seems to go to pot just hang in there and do what seems best for your baby at the time (even if it means not sticking rigidly to the routine). Just keep following the basic principles of BW and it will all come together in the end!

[daisymelan]

So happy to hear the great news!  And I agree, the most important part of BW is recognizing your los cues.  Thank you for keeping us posted.  BTW, your lo is adorable.

[deenz]

That's great!!  Well done!