Enough Milk?

[@llli*huesitos.juju81]

Hi, I'm a new mom, my baby was born a week ago, he weight 5lb,11oz and he lost more than 10% of his weight by day 3. The pediatrician recommended to supplement with 1or 2 oz of formula after every breast feeding; every 2 to 3 hours. After doing that for two days he gained 6oz, which is great and his current weight is 5lb,7oz. I started pumping between feedings and the max that I have got is 2 oz from both breasts, is that too low?, I started with 10 min on each side and went up to 20 but still I don't get more than that. I have been drinking fluids, how much is the right amount? and I have been eating well, anything that I should avoid?, anything that I could eat to increase the amount of milk?Every feeding is different, sometimes he is calm and latches on right away, other times he is fuzzy and cries a lot even having the breast in his mouth. I have tried different positions except for laying down, the one that has work better so far is the cradle hold and sometimes the crossover. I always offer my breast first and then a bottle with breast milk that I have pumped, sometimes he is satisfied and sometimes he is not, then is when I gave him formula, after that he is totally out. My concern is that I'm not producing enough milk and I don't know what to do, please help me

[@llli*mommal]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the new baby!

Since you are pumping, you can and should supplement with pumped milk rather than formula. Your milk has just as many calories and formula, and is better for your child than formula. Getting 2 oz from both breasts in between feedings is fine. At this age, most babies are taking only 2-4 oz when they nurse at the breast. Pumping is generally not as good at removing milk from the breast as a nursing baby is, so you may be making a lot more than 2 oz at a time.

You should drink as much water as you are thirsty for. You don't need to aim for some artificial target amount of water.

Food is the same: eat much as you are hungry for. The only thing you want to avoid is large quantities of peppermint or sage, since those herbs are through to have a negative impact on supply.

It's very normal for new babies to have difficulty latching on, or to be fussy even when the breast is in their mouth. They have to learn to make the connection between sucking on a breast and getting milk. Babies who get a lot of bottles from very early on often discover that eating from a bottle is much easier than eating from the breast, and that can lead them to act fussy at the breast. There are ways to supplement other than bottles- spoon, syringe, cup, lactation aid (Medela SNS or Lact-Aid)- and I would definintely look into using one of those.

How often does baby nurse, and how often are you pumping? And what sort of pump do you have?

Since you are in Philadelphia, I suggest calling the Bryn Mawr Birth Center (610-525-6086, http://www.thebirthcenter.org/) and asking if they will refer you to a really good lactation consultant in the area. The midwives at BMBC are excellent, and I would trust them to know who is good in your area. And I do think you would benefit a lot from some in-person assistance!

[@llli*huesitos.juju81]

Thank you for the reply, I went to see a Lactation Consultant and it was very helpful; my baby is gaining weight at a normal pace so we are out of the woods with that
and I'm exclusively breast feeding, no formula at all. I got a better pump, recommended by the lactation consultant and I have been pumping after every feeding to keep the supply as she suggested.

My concern now is that I have this burning sensation on my breast after every feeding and it hurts really bad, also the first latch hurts like hell and after that keeps hurting, not as bad as the first one but I still feel pain. I have checked if his latching properly and I think he is. It could be that my nipples are so sore maybe for an incorrect latch and haven't had the time to recover or it is jus a matter of time and some day it is going to stop hurting? Sometimes after he feeds from one breast my nippel looks white it's that normal?

[@llli*mommal]

The nipple turning white after a feeding sounds like vasospasm: http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/moth...ple-blanching/ it's a sudden and painful constriction of the blood vessels, often caused by compression of the nipple due to a poor latch. Can you go back to the LC?