Baby 6 days old, need help!

[@llli*elandlanes.mommy]

I had my fourth child via csection 6 days ago and started breastfeeding about an hour and20 minutes after he was born. Breastfeeding in the hospital went great-supportive staff and he started having green bowel moments on day two and on day 4 they started to turn yellow. Plenty of wet and dirty diapers.
I can only nurse from my right breast due to make lumpectomy at the age of 14. This has never been a problem as I elusively pumped for my first child (had no breastfeeding help-didn't know what I was doing) and made around 48 oz per day from right breast alone.

Yesterday I noticed that my breast no longer felt full. I've never had that happen this early before. Baby no longer gulps or swallows as often and is fussy at breast if I'm not doing compressions. Today he had two yellow pee diapers. He's still pooping but not at every diaper. He just had one very pale urine now.
I had my husband get some fenugreek as that has helped me in the past while recovering from mastitis.

The only thing I can think of us that two days ago and part of yesterday I probably dehydrated. Should I supplement until it builds? He seems very hungry and upset and he's been on the breast now for a while and is hardly sucking of swallowing.

Baby sleeps with me, nurses on demand, for how long he wants to.
I'm also taking lecething as I usually start to get plug ducts around 10 days post partum if I do not.

Would having my tubes tied affect breastfeeding?
Thanks in advance.
Miranda

[@llli*maddieb]

Feeling engorged or super full, while common in the early weeks, is actually an indication that baby is not nursing often or effectively enough, OR, that mom has over production and baby could not possibly keep up. Since we know you pumped enough milk for 2 babies from one breast with your first, and have a history of plugs, I think we can safely say there was some overproduction going on at least with that baby and quite possibly your others as well.

If you had overproduction with your other kids and not this one, or it is less with this one, then you may be used to feeling much more full, and seeing many more poops and pees and much more rapid weight gain in the early weeks than what is "average." You may even be used to a baby who nurses less often than this one does?

As long as baby is pooping an "OK" size poop (see article I will attach below) 3 - 5 times in 24 hours, that is usually a pretty good indicator baby is getting enough. Pees are very hard to read, and of course every poop diaper may be hiding a pee. But if baby is pooping enough, no reason to even worry about pees. Poops tell the story much better than pees.

But the most accurate measurement is accurately checked weight gain. So if you are concerned, I would suggest getting baby weighed. Measure all weights from lowest known weight, (rather than birth weight which is likely inflated after a C-section.) Try to be sure baby is weighed on the exact same scale as the previous weight check whenever possible, baby naked or in dry disposable only, and weight check done with care and precision and double check the numbers yourself.

I would not suggest supplementing unless you know there really is a problem. If you are really alarmed, you can try pumping or hand expressing some milk and giving baby that, but any supplementing at this age even with your own milk is potentially very problematic and really should be done only if necessary. If you do supplement I suggest starting with very small amounts at a time given with a syringe so as to be the least impactful on normal nursing frequency. I will attach a video that explains this.

According to the lactation text Breastfeeding Answers Made Simple, tubal ligation itself does not affect milk production. But of course, surgery as a stress on mom's body certainly can, (temporarily) and you have in effect had two surgeries. (I assume this was done the same time as cesarean.) But certainly by 6 days your production should be ok unless there are complications. Dehydration certainly is to be avoided, but if you have been able to rehydrate production should jump back quickly.

Is this your first cesarean? How is your overall recovery going? Are you able to hydrate effectively now? Eating ok? Are you still needing to take narcotic pain meds? Is baby nursing with normal frequency (at least 10-12 times in 24 hours) and is nursing comfortable?

Keeping a diaper log (poops) http://www.llli.org/docs/00000000000...diaper_log.pdf

Supplementing with syringe and other alternatives: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrrrC5NyNnQ

[@llli*mommal]

with MaddieB!

I just want to add that getting your tubes tied does not impact lactation. The only way it could would be if the procedure made you sick and unable to nurse as a result.

[@llli*elandlanes.mommy]

This is my 4 csection-2 were emergency, 2 were planned. This one was planned.
My pain has been worse this time. I stopped taking the Percocet they gave me made him sleepy.
As far as eating, I'm having to remind and make myself eat. I have no appetite at all. I'm taking vitamins and am eating-hopefully it's enough.
He is nursing a lot. At least 12 times. My last two nursed that much also. It always feels like I'm nursing non stop the first month or so. I just remember feeling so full between nursing sessions or having to pump a little in between sessions. My breast doesn't feel much different between sessions.
His urine is back to normal now and he has had two really heavy dirty and wet diapers today plus a small dirty and wet diaper.
I'm just so nervous. It's been 5 years since I've had a baby. Mine always take about two weeks to regain their weight but then gain really fast after that.
He was born at 7.4, discharged at 6.13 and at 4 days old was 6.11 I'm going to get him weighed tomorrow on the same scale he was weighed on at 4 days.

[@llli*elandlanes.mommy]

Also, I was a lays able to band express a lot before but right now it's not as easy..

[@llli*elandlanes.mommy]

He had another "ok" poopy diaper

[@llli*maddieb]

I understand being nervous- I had 6 years between my 2nd and third and I was nervous and lots of things really were different- I also have all cesarean births, and recovery is different each time I find. If you cannot manage your pain with whatever non-narcotics you have been prescribed, I suggest talking to your doctor. I am also a little concerned that you have little appetite. As I am sure you know, things like constipation and healing pain are common after these surgeries and can really make you feel rotten overall, but it is important you eat something and drink enough water to stay hydrated.

The good news is, lots of poops. This is a very good sign things are going to be ok. Is it possible the apparent weight loss after discharge was scale error due to a different scale? A friend told me about a 1/2 pound difference in 24 hours due to use of different scales. (In that case it looked like baby had magically gained 8 ounces overnight, so no one worried- oddly, in my opinion) but of course if the scales had been used in the opposite order, everyone would have freaked out. So, scale error does happen!

[@llli*elandlanes.mommy]

I called the hospital and he can't be weighed on their scale since he left the nursery. But I'm taking him to the scale he was weighed on at 4 days old when I go in for my wound check tomorrow.

I'm not constipated, thankfully and I'm drinking enough to have clear to pale urine.
He hasn't been as fussy at the breast today so hopefully things will be ok..

Thanks for responding

[@llli*maddieb]

But I'm taking him to the scale he was weighed on at 4 days old when I go in for my wound check tomorrow.

That is fine. Just measure gain from 4 days to whatever tomorrow is- 8 days? Let us know what happens.

I misspoke before, when I thought the weight check was off due to different scales. Of course it still may have been, but I thought you were discharged at 4 days, and the lower weight was taken later than 4 days. Reading it again, I think you are saying that 4 days was the most recent and the lowest weight check? It is actually not unusual for a baby to lose weight from birth weight for up to 4 days, in fact longer sometimes is entirely normal when there was a cesarean esp. So keep that in mind. Of course it is important that baby is starting to gaining now, by 6-8 days, but if baby lost even more weight before gaining, the numbers might not be fantastic, even if baby is on the way back up and at this moment in time getting plenty of milk and gaining fine. Don't let it be all about the number on the scale, in other words.

[@llli*elandlanes.mommy]

Thank you and I will update his weight tomorrow!
And you got it right-he was discharged at 2 days old weighing 6.13. Recheck at 4 days old weighing 6.11.