BF preemie w/ Hypoplastic/Tubular breast

[@llli*tylerevelyn]

Hello!

My daughter was born at 34 weeks and 2 days. She was in NICU for two weeks, and was given mostly tube feedings. Her last few days in the hospital was able to attempt to nurse, but the nurses gave her a bottle when I wasnt there. At the time we left the hospital, she was consuming about 40ml every three hours, and I was supplying that.. and even a little more. I began pumping the day she was born, and my supply appreared to be great. The lactation consultant at the hospital actually said I was doing better than most with my supply. My daughter is now 1month and a few weeks, and we are still trying to ween her off of the bottle, to breast feed exclusively. Currently, I am still having to pump a few times a day, as she is not getting enough, or seeming satisfied by just the breast alone. A few weeks ago, when we first began having troubles latching on, we saw a lactation consultant that informed me that my breast were tubular, or hypoplastic. I began taking goats rue, and Gaia Herb's lacatation support; with fenugreek, blessed thistle, etc. I am currently making about 60-70 ml. every three hours. My daughter seems satisfied with this amount and sometimes only eats about 60-65 mls. every three hours. She has plenty of wet diapers, and is gaining weight still. Should I be making more milk? How much should she be eating at this point? what van

[@llli*melissawoods]

Well, are you exclusively pumping? How do you know exactly what you are making? Or is that in addition to nursing? If her diapers are fine and she is gaining weight well you don't need to worry about supply... And with tubular breasts it's hard to say exactly if that's a problem till you see if you can successfully make enough milk. Did your breasts change during pregnancy?

[@llli*katmar]

Hi! Seems to me that you can pump everyhing she eats right now, and if she ends up needing supplementation later (not that Im saying she will) you can deal with that then. So is the LC saying the breast shape is affecting the latch? It seems to me that the latch is the issue, not the supply. Our experience was remarkably similar! Though I have unconventional nipples, not breast tissue. Also 34w, gavage feeding, bottle introduction, pumping, 2 wks in NICU. it took us until our due date to make the switch to the breast. Part of that was a tongue tie issue, some of it was just LOs bottle preference. I highly suggest looking at kellymom for info on moving from bottle to breast. I found finishing at the breast, dreamfeeds, and appropriate bottle technique pivotal. I also needed lots of help with the latch over several weeks, even after we made the switch. Finally, making the switch was a leap of faith: he'd gained enough that I knew we'd be safe if he didn't get as much for a day or two, but we were ok as long as we fed for hour sessions, and we were able to make it stick. I'm happy to share details if theyd be helpful.
Good work with the pumping!

[@llli*tylerevelyn]

We bought a NUK nipple bottle, to help with the transition, and it helped so much! She is latching on like a pro now. A problem I am having now is that she won't empty my breast.. which if what ive read is correct- is important for your supply. She will only eat enough to satisfy herself, then she wants to sleep and eat less than an hour later. I have tried everything to get her to finish eating- she pushes away and shakes her head. she simply will not empty my breast. She refuses to eat from a bottle now, too. So if I pump, she wont eat the pumped milk.

[@llli*katmar]

Great! Now just follow her lead. She doesnt have to empty your breast. Actually, though it might be an adjustment for you, feeding once an hour is fine for her. Even good! Your milk will adjust so that she gets everything she needs. It sounds like you might have a bit of an oversupply from pumping; you did say you were pumping more than she was drinking. We had the same issue. As long as she has enough wet diapers and weight gain, you're fine. Sounds like you're doing great! Finally you get to relax a little and enjoy your baby!