Demand nursing schedule ok now?

[@llli*cstrong]

I had my three week appt today, and my little boy finally gained back to his birthweight....and more!! I am so happy, I can hardly stop smiling. We have been nursing practically non stop because since his third day of life, doctors have been hinting that I needed to supplement with formula. He was born 9 pounds, 9 ounces, 21 inches long. The whole pregnancy the doctors insisted he was not a big baby. Hah! He lost over ten percent of his body weight while in the hospital (5 days), and at our two week appt he still was 5 ounces shy.
I had a very traumatic 33 hour labor, which unfortunately ultimately ended in cesarean section. So I think my body had a hard time with my milk coming in, but boy, is it working now!
My question is, can I stop waking my LO every two hours now that he is gaining better? Or should I still be setting his schedule?
I appreciate any and all input, I am obviously a first time new mommy, and it is such an amazing experience. I just wanna do a great job!

Thanks, ladies.

[@llli*mommal]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the new baby! Sorry his birth was so difficult, and that you've been hounded by the not-so-subtle hints about supplementing. Did you have IV fluids during your birth? Just so you know, the longer you have fluids the more likely it is that the fluids will bloat the baby, artificially inflating his birth weight. Since that fluid weight is quickly excreted as urine, it can make neonatal weight loss appear more severe than it really is. And the artificially inflated birth weight can make the goal of having the baby back at birth weight by 2 weeks unreachable.

At this point, with a 3 week old baby, I would continue to wake him every 2-3 hours during the day, and every 3-4 at night. I'd probably allow the occasional longer stretch of sleep, but there's no harm in waking baby a little more often, so why not? Another way to think about the baby's nursing pattern would be to focus less on the artificial time interval, and more on making sure the baby nurses at least 10-12 times a day.

[@llli*maddieb]

I agree...as long as baby is waking and nursing enough all on his own, then no need to encourage more nursing probably, although it certainly cannot hurt. But if baby is not nursing 10 times OR MORE on his own in each 24 hour day I would certainly wake baby and encourge more nursing for now.

[@llli*amysmom]

Now that he's gained back his birth weight you can probably back off a bit. I would let him set his own schedule. Although I would wake him / offer if he hadn't nursed in 3 or 3.5 hours. I wouldn't go longer than that.

[@llli*cstrong]

Thank you SO much, mommal, meg, and amysmom! Last night I had my alarm set for every 2.5 hours, and my LO woke ME up sooner than that each time. Sigh of relief! What a difference a day makes!

I am still pumping at least once a day, which allows my hubby to give a bottle of breast milk once at night, and also helps to increase my supply. I am trying to get prepared for returning back to work, and I want to have lots of BM for grandma to give him. I have noticed that my right breast has a much higher supply than my left. How can I go about increasing the left supply? I have just been offering the left breast more often in the hopes that this will work, but no progress so far.

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

Just keep offering the left breast. Many bf'ing mamas notice asymmetry. My experience is that LO will tend to prefer the breast with the more abundant supply (in my case it's always the left!), which will then tend to further increase the supply in that breast, etc. So I try to preferentially offer the other breast to even things out.

[@llli*monika.h]

An IV can cause a baby to be born with extra water weight. Sounds like his weight gain is right on track and you are off to a good start.

As long as he's nursing well and you're getting the right diaper count and weight gain...I would just let him set his own schedule.

You can offer the breast lots-while he's awake, but I wouldn't bother waking him up to feed.

To increase the supply in your left breast, offer the left breast more often. Also be aware that it's very normal to have 1 breast produce more than the other.

Congratulations on your new baby!

[@llli*cstrong]

Ok, thank you so much. I've been offering the left breast more often, and when I pumped yesterday, only a few drops came out. However, I got about 1.5 ounces from the right breast. Yikes! I am really getting concerned about my milk drying up?! I went 4.5 hours between feelings last night for the first time, since my hubby fed LO a breast milk bottle in the morning, and it was a rough night, so I slept thru. Can that be too long and allow problems with my supply??
I just tried to pump right breast after first morning feeding in four hours, and barely got an ounce from my right breast this time! This is so stressful!
I suppose I will stop pumping my left breast, and just nurse a lot from it, even tho there's not a lot of milk coming out? I am so scared that my supply is dwindling already, and he's only 25 days old! I nursed almost every single hour yesterday, or two hours max, from both breasts, and he just never seemed completely satiated. Help!

[@llli*maddieb]

ok what you are able to produce when you pump means zero. it has zero meaning for a mom who is basically exclusively breastfeeding her baby. and milk does not dry up overnight.

you tell you have enough milk by baby gaining appropriately via breastfeeding normally.

breastfeeding 'normally' does not include uneeded pumping and bottle feeding. i suggest, stop pumping and simply nurse. pumping is an intervention for when a baby cannot nurse for some reason, or times of separation, or to build supply if needed. otherwise pumping and bottles cause way more trouble than it is worth, especially this early. now that baby is gaining appropriately at the breast you can just nurse. normally a baby of this age nurses a minimum of 10 times a 24 hour day. longer stretches are fine as long as baby is nursing at least about that minimum. BUT go ahead and offer to nurse more often if you feel like it or baby cues. cues come from baby and your body. stop worrying about the clock and focus on what your body and your baby are telling you to do.

here are suggestions for your husband: http://www.llli.org/docs/00000000000...t_partners.pdf

[@llli*monika.h]

Your milk is not going to dry up overnight. A 4.5 hour stretch at night won't make a difference to your supply. Even if you supply decreased, all you would need to do is nurse more and it would go back up.
Please also know that there are many reason to not be able to pump much. If you were only getting drops, you probably didn't let a "let down". Some woman have tons of milk, but can't get anything out with a pump. It is much easier and more natural to let down your milk to your baby than to a pump.

Just relax and nurse and enjoy your baby. Follow his cues and also offer the breast lots. Sounds like you're both doing great!