Breast feeding advice and info?

Question

i need to know the signs of my milk drying up. my b*****s have shrunk and my baby don't want to nurse much anymore. i think it's because i don't have enough milk to fill her up. she is 5wks. also she drinks soy formula and between that and nursing she seems to spit up a lot. advice please!! i love nursing but am i making her sick? is it possible she is emptying my milk when feeding or just rejecting me? how long does it take for me to produce more milk from last feeding?

thanks for your help

Answer 1

It's possible that your little one might just be taking to the nipple on the bottle more than the breast.  Try to only breast feed for awhile and see how it goes.  Spitting up is nothing to be too concerned with unless it is a-lot at one time... and all of the time.  She may be just eating too much at one time.  Do you pump?  This will help your milk production in case your LO is not feeding enough from you.  Plus, it would be a good thing for you to put in her bottle instead of formula.... or in addition to.  Although, I found that if I mixed my milk with soy formula it soured.  I had to use Similac (ready mixed).  You could also store it in the freezer for later feedings.  And, by the way, you cannot make your child sick from breast feeding her unless something you eat is upsetting her.  You might want to watch your diet.... garlic, chocolate, nuts, wheat, spicy foods and dairy are all things that might give your baby an upset tummy.   It's a-lot to keep up with.  Try and relax... stress is also a culprit of low milk production.  Good luck.

Answer 2

she is more likely to be sick from the soy than from human milk

it takes less than two hours for a baby to digest a feeding, your b*****s are always producing milk they are never truely empty, the less milk they have in them the faster they produce milk.

if you want to increase your milk supply stop giving the baby formula, the more she nurses the more milk you will make

the only sure way to know that you are having a supply issue is no weight gain or weight loss in the baby, or lack of wet diapers

Answer 3

I really want to help you.  When I had my first child no one helped me and I ended up weaning and felt soooooo sad about it.  Shrinking b*****s could mean that your milk is drying up, but why?  How often did you nurse?  In the early weeks is should be on demand to help bring in more milk.  Also 1.5 to 3 hoursduring the day and not more than 4 hours at night.  If your baby was sleeping longer and you did not wake him your supply will not increase.  

Supplementing with formula also contributes to your problem by making baby more full and could cause nipple confusion beacuse of the use of the bottle.

Now first take your baby to the doctor to see why she is spitting up.  Second, talk to a lactation consultant in your hospital who can rent you a pump and give you tips on how to increase supply.  Congrats for your baby.  Nursing is very hard work esp if you want to increase your supply but it is worth it.  Good luck..

Edit...if you need to use formula for medical reasons do so but keep in touch with the lactation lady to guide you and don't just stop the bottle and starve the baby...keep nusing and don't give up...

Answer 4

Generally speaking milk works on supply and demand.  So the more your baby nurses the more milk you make -however because you are supplementing there is a good possibility that your baby is not getting as much milk as they should when they breastfeed.  This reduced demand reduces supply, and increases the amount taken from the bottle.

b*****s do not need time to refill, they emptier they are the faster they make milk.  Put your baby to the breast as often as they cue to nurse and you will always have enough milk IF the baby is nursing effective -except in the case of a few chronic and serious maternal health conditions.

Its far more likely the formula is making her spit up.  Or the simple act of bottle feeding itself.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-su...

Is your milk supply really low?

First of all, is your milk supply really low? Often, mothers think that their milk supply is low when it really isn't. If your baby is gaining weight well on breastmilk alone, then you do not have a problem with milk supply.

It's important to note that the feel of the breast, the behavior of your baby, the frequency of nursing, the sensation of let-down, or the amount you pump are not valid ways to determine if you have enough milk for your baby.

What if you're not quite sure about baby's current weight gain (perhaps baby hasn't had a weight check lately)? If baby is having an adequate number of wet and dirty diapers then the following things do NOT mean that you have a low milk supply:

    * Your baby nurses frequently. Breastmilk is digested quickly (usually in 1.5-2 hours), so breastfed babies need to eat more often than formula-fed babies. Many babies have a strong need to suck. Also, babies often need continuous contact with mom in order to feel secure. All these things are normal, and you cannot spoil your baby by meeting these needs.

    * Your baby suddenly increases the frequency and/or length of nursings. This is often a growth spurt. The baby nurses more (this usually lasts a few days to a week), which increases your milk supply. Don't offer baby supplements when this happens: supplementing will inform your body that the baby doesn't need the extra milk, and your supply will drop.

    * Your baby nurses more often and is fussy in the evening.

    * Your baby doesn't nurse as long as she did previously. As babies get older and better at nursing, they become more efficient at extracting milk.

    * Your baby is fussy. Many babies have a fussy time of day - often in the evening. Some babies are fussy much of the time. This can have many reasons, and sometimes the fussiness goes away before you find the reason.

    * Your baby guzzles down a bottle of formula or expressed milk after nursing. Many babies will willingly take a bottle even after they have a full feeding at the breast. Read more here from board-certified lactation consultant Kathy Kuhn about why baby may do this and how this can affect milk supply. Of course, if you regularly supplement baby after nursing, your milk supply will drop (see below).

    * Your b*****s don't leak milk, or only leak a little, or stop leaking. Leaking has nothing to do with your milk supply. It often stops after your milk supply has adjusted to your baby's needs.

    * Your b*****s suddenly seem softer. Again, this normally happens after your milk supply has adjusted to your baby's needs.

    * You never feel a let-down sensation, or it doesn't seem as strong as before. Some women never feel a let-down. This has nothing to do with milk supply.

    * You get very little or no milk when you pump. The amount of milk that you can pump is not an accurate measure of your milk supply. A baby with a healthy suck milks your breast much more efficiently than any pump. Also, pumping is an acquired skill (different than nursing), and can be very dependent on the type of pump. Some women who have abundant milk supplies are unable to get any milk when they pump. In addition, it is very common and normal for pumping output to decrease over time.

See also Is my baby getting enough milk?

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkpr...

Do b*****s need time to refill?

Many people mistakenly think of a mother's milk supply as being like "flesh-covered bottles" that are completely emptied and then need time to refill before baby nurses again. This is simply not how we understand milk production to function.

First of all, milk is being produced at all times, so the breast is never empty. Research has shown that babies do not take all the milk available from the breast - the amount that baby drinks depends upon his appetite. The amount of milk removed from the breast varies from feed to feed, but averages around 75-80% of the available milk.

! Trying to completely empty a breast is like trying to empty a river -- it's impossible, since more milk will keep flowing in while milk is being removed.

Research also tells  

Answer 5

the more often she drinks...the more milk you will make...it  usually takes about 1-2 hours for you to fill up...are you dehydrated?? that could affect your milk supply...make sure you drink lots of water...

the fact that she is drinking formula as well may be causing problems because your b*****s do not think she needs as much milk as she does...if possible i would just breastfeed solely...

is she having formula because you think that you do not have enough milk for her??? because that will just make matters worse because you will make even less milk...

if you are not feeding her you need to pump to get your milk supply up..she may also be having some nipple confusion...most babies cannot handle a bottle and a breast until about 5 months because they require 2 completely different sucking techniques...you need to try to pick one and stick with it if possible....

lots of babies start to prefer bottles because they barely need to suck to get the milk out and it takes a lot of work to nurse from you...so they pick the easiest way...

hope this helps a bit...good luck..