Possible to boost milk supply after 8 weeks? Feeling desperate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve cranked up my supply with both kids by “triple feeding”: nurse, pump and bottle feed. Before going to drugs, consider trying this:
—Nurse baby on one-side for 20 minutes of continuous sucking. If baby nods off, wake her up and add a minute or two to nursing.
—Hand baby off to spouse or put in crib.
—Pump immediately for 10 minutes. If you get anything, spouse can give that to baby. Don’t be surprised, though, if you get just a few drops.

Do this every 3 hours during the day and when baby wakes up at night. All weekend. Switch breast for each feeding. One breast per feeding.

It’s breastfeeding boot camp. But it’s only a weekend. I did it for 36 hours and went from pumping drops after nursing to pumping 5 oz after nursing. Basically you’re tricking the body into thinking the baby wants more by pumping. Once that was done, I stopped pumping after nursing.

Drink lots of water. No guests or chores. I just rinsed the pump in the middle of the night. Breast milk is very hardy and can sit out for up to 10 hours.

Just sleep, eat and feed the baby. And be kind to yourself. One thing that does impact supply is stress. If you don’t pump after nursing, that’s fine. Sleep is always more important than pumping.

Good luck.

Did you do this as late as 8 weeks? I wish so much I’d done this when DD was just a few days old.

look, triple feeding at 8 weeks when you already have weeks of exhaustion built up is not necessary.

Not only is it unnecessary, but it's the kind of pure insanity that makes other moms think that they must do everything possilbe, including sacrifing their mental health, to make sure a drop of formula never touches their baby's lips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m Canadian and did domperidone. The difference for me what night and day. We also utilized an SNS With formula while nursing until my supply was established and DD was gaining weight.

That being said, you need to consult with an IBCLC. DON’T go this alone. Results with the domperidone can vary, and your dosage may need titration. I had pretty clear cut IGT, but it did allow me to eventually BF exclusively.

Again - get the help from professionals. Contact the Breastfeeding Centre in Toronto as they would have IBCLCs used to a domperidone protocol.

All this said, OP - breastfeeding should not be this fraught. I am all for doing what you can, but sometimes you have to let go of the “perfect” experience and make your experience perfect within the constraints of reality.

Thanks, I will call the breastfeeding center if I decide to do the domperidone. I’ve met 3 times with LCs but I really feel my daughter is hungry.

please read what you wrote! why are you letting your baby go hungry when you can literally step out the door and get formula? it’s not rational.

This is my first baby and it's a very confusing situation when multiple LCs and the pediatrician insist she's fine. It has made me doubt my own instincts.

I feel like I just started to trust my gut more, which is why I'm posting here as a sounding board and looking for other women's experiences. I'll give her formula tonight but I would like to get more stable with breastfeeding.

OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you sound like a great mom who's trying to do the best for your child. Why the resistance to supplementing with formula if you think your baby is hungry and not getting enough milk? It will meet all needs -- give your child nutrition you think she's lacking, and relieve your worry and stress levels.

I guess everyone has got in my head. I gave birth at a "baby friendly" hospital, the LCs insist she's getting enough, pediatrician says she's okay...but I know what I see and I'm sort of breaking out of the fog.

OP

[Anonymous]

I can't seem to stop beating myself up about the fact that DH had been wearing her for so many naps while working from home. I feel like if I'd been holding her, I would have been able to read her cues more often and build supply. I feel like I was so lazy with my own baby. I know I need to move on since I can't change the past and don't want to spend my mat leave feeling like crap.

Other than the feeding stress, I get a ton of joy from being with my baby - the feeding thing is the only difficult issue we're having and she is so sweet and smiley and a great sleeper.

OP

[Anonymous]

OP please stop beating yourself up. A baby let you know when she's hungry. Your husband holding her did not tank your supply. If the pediatrician and LCs are fine. She is fine.

She likely cries after eating due to swallowing some air. She needs burping.

Formula is also 100% fine. Please throw all that craziness out the window. My husband was exclusively formula fed and the guy has an engineering PhD.

[Anonymous]

Also, OP, I don't want you to doubt yourself, but you sound a bit like I did when I got diagnosed with post partum anxiety. Sometimes those "maternal instncts" are just constant red alarms blaring in your head. It doesn't mean you are a bad mom.

Please call your OB or pediatrician (it was the pediatrician who caught my PPA).

[Anonymous]

OP, I’ve breastfed a total of 4 years so far between 2 kids and love it. If your baby is still hungry after nursing, you can give some formula with zero guilt. It does not make you any less of a nursing mother.

[Anonymous]

OP, please read this reply because I WAS YOU. I had some sort of demon take over my brain and hiss "you must keep breastfeeding at all costs". I didn't sleep for months because I was triple feeding. I had no support, my baby had terrible reflux and threw everything up, she always seemed hungry even after hours at the breast.

I started supplementing and the world opened up. I could sleep, she was happy and well fed. Everyone was happier. I continued to nurse until eight months. It was the best of both worlds.

There is a combination of social pressure and an evolutionary cog in our brain that makes us keep going to feed our babies no matter what that can conspire so make you crazy. The feelings you're feeling are valid. It makes sense that you feel this way. All that being said, formula isn't poison! It's just food. I know you look at your baby and just want the best and purest thing for her. But someday she'll eat an Oreo and McDonald's and be fine. In two months she'll start eating solids. Just feed her, trust your instincts and I promise you will feel better in a week.

[Anonymous]

You are causing yourself way too much stress. Give her some formula and see how much she drinks. That should tell you if she still is hungry. My kids all had formula after breastfeeding issues and were fine. Yours will be too!

[Anonymous]

Just supplement. It will give you peace of mind. If she doesn’t need or want it, she won’t drink it. I know it seems like the end of the world right now but trust me, it is fine. It will not ruin your breastfeeding relationship. It will not harm her. If she needs it, it will be great! Don’t kill yourself trying to do the triple feed. It is not worth it. And trust me, that is also not a realistic thing when you have a second kid. Or at least I was a lot less interested in trying out of exhaustion and guilt for my first!

[Anonymous]

My breasts got really deflated at this age. Felt empty and baby was always fussy. Keep powering through. During the witching hours sit and feed. Baby will suckle, scream, suckle scream. That’s normal keep going. Night nurse as well. Pound water, set a reminder on your phone every 30m drink! Spend long periods of time refilling multiple water bottles and stationing them around so they’re ready.
Eat lots of super healthy food. One day at a time!

[Anonymous]

If pediatrician says baby’s fine I would not supplement!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you sound like a great mom who's trying to do the best for your child. Why the resistance to supplementing with formula if you think your baby is hungry and not getting enough milk? It will meet all needs -- give your child nutrition you think she's lacking, and relieve your worry and stress levels.

I guess everyone has got in my head. I gave birth at a "baby friendly" hospital, the LCs insist she's getting enough, pediatrician says she's okay...but I know what I see and I'm sort of breaking out of the fog.

OP

They ALL said this to me from the “baby friendly hospital” on down, until the 8 week checkup when the doctor freaked out about weight loss. we struggled along for weeks longer, all the while I kept thinking “I always thought babies were supposed to be fat!” when I finally accepted I would never pump enough when I returned to work, I started adding in formula. and then felt like an idiot when I saw how fast he plumped up and how much happier he was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't seem to stop beating myself up about the fact that DH had been wearing her for so many naps while working from home. I feel like if I'd been holding her, I would have been able to read her cues more often and build supply. I feel like I was so lazy with my own baby. I know I need to move on since I can't change the past and don't want to spend my mat leave feeling like crap.

Other than the feeding stress, I get a ton of joy from being with my baby - the feeding thing is the only difficult issue we're having and she is so sweet and smiley and a great sleeper.

OP

Don’t feel bad. I’m the PP with a similar experience. my DS was such a lazy feeder! he’d nurse a little and then fall asleep. He was cranky but not always, so I didn’t realize he was hungry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If pediatrician says baby’s fine I would not supplement!

Some peds say this until the baby is literally failure-to-thrive. They’re propagandized not to interfere with “breastfeeding goals.”