Breastfeeding - Shortage of Milk, Supplementing with Formula

hi D., tara w had a great response, she is absolutely right. if you do want to keep nursing, you really are at a critical stage right now. the more you supplement, the less you will make, your body wont keep up with her growing needs. she is demanding more in order to boost your supply, it all works well if you leave it alone and go with it, amazing really. first of all, are you sure she is really hungry? or just wants to be held and/or suck? very possible. if you do want to get over this bump in the road, i strongly recommend you stop giving bottles. i know it can be hard, believe me i have been there. breastfeed whenever she wants, but be sure you have a good latch. check out this website, the video clips at the bottom saved me with my third baby, he was losing weight in the beginning, i had to go every 2 days for weight checks, nursing in the docs office forever with weight checks before and after. it was awful. they wanted me to supplement but i didnt, and thank goodness they supported me and helped us through it. we tried the assymetrical latch, it saved us. he is now 14 mos and huge, nursing right now :) http://breastfeedingonline.com/newman.shtml scroll down to where it says "latching" and watch the videos carefully, they will also show you what to look for, with the pause and the gulping. im sure there is other good info there too. also, try oatmeal with maple syrup, the "regular" cheap kind of syrup, log cabin or whatever, not the real stuff. the fake syrup has fenugreek, and the oatmeal helps a lot too, real oatmeal. i really saw a difference, i ate a bowl twice a day for a while. i know you are drinking water. also, no caffiene, no meds, cold meds will dehydrate you among others. and try to relax and eat well and get rest. hilarious, right? i know..... if you stick with it and really try not to supplement, you will get through this and it will be sooooooo worth it, for both of you.
also, just so you know, i know it seems like its all you do right now, but that wont last. the more she nurses the stronger she gets and the faster your milk comes, before you know it, she will be full in 10-20 min or so. anything past that is mostly for comfort, and its up to you how much of that you want to do. it will all even out if you just let it. its a self-balancing system, really. i had a lot of trouble with my first, i was supplementing too, sore nipples, it was a mess, i was crying all the time. then the other mamas all told me to just let it go, to just get rid of my bottles, my clocks, my little charts and lists and stuff, and to just nurse him when he was hungry. and everything just fell into place and we nursed exclusively after that, and it was wonderful.
have a nurse-in. just relax in bed with her for a couple of days, and just enjoy her and breastfeed her, have your husband cater to you with some healthy food and drink and oatmeal, and dont worry about anything else. you should see your supply boost back up in a few days. and if she somehow goes more than 2 hours without nursing, then you should pump if you just cant get her to nurse (which doesnt sound likely). and remember that whatever you pump is no indicator of how much she is getting nursing, she is more efficient than the pump. and if you just cant do it, if you are both really miserable, then remember that you already gave her an excellent start, and that you should both be happy eating, whatever she is eating. enjoy this time, you wont believe how fast it goes. and congrats!!!

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Please don't be discouraged, you have only been at this for 2 weeks. Your milk supply will not regulate itself for another month or two. It is totally normal to have less milk in the afternoons and evenings. You make the most milk overnight while you sleep. The more formula you give, the less milk your body will produce. And since your daughter is so young, if you give her more bottles at this age, she will begin to prefer the bottles since it is much easier to suck milk from a bottle than it is to suck from the breast so she may get lazy at the breast. You need to get her eating at the breast as much as possible and your milk supply will go up in the next week or so. The way your supply works is the more it is used, the more you make. The less it is used, the less your body makes. And pumping is way less efficient than breastfeeding so you are not giving your daughter more milk by pumping for her. She can actually get out more on her own. At 2 weeks, you need to be sleeping when your daughter is sleeping, not pumping. Eating for 40 minutes or even longer is normal at that age. After this, she can't fit any more milk in her stomach so she is probably not crying for more milk. She is probably just fussy because most babies are fussy in the late afternoon/evening. Don't mistake this for not having enough. Another thing is that she is probably going through a growth spurt and wants to nurse more often. If you let her nurse longer, your body will begin to adjust and make more. Just keep at it. You have to give it at least 2 months before everything will be going smoothly. Trust me, I know how hard it is. I had a c-section and the nurses gave my son several bottles before I could get in to breastfeed him, so he basically imprinted on the bottle instead of the breast. It took me about 3 months before everything was going smoothly. Just keep at it and don't get discouraged. Also, here are two great resources on breastfeeding that really helped me a lot. Go and buy The Breastfeeding Book by Dr. Sears and check out the website http://www.kellymom.com. I could not have continued breastfeeding without them. My son is now 7 months old and is an extremely healthy breastfed baby. Send me a message if you need any other advice!

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Hey D.,
I had a similar problem with my daughter. I just left her on my breast constantly. It only takes a couple of days, but your body and milk supply will catch up. There are two things I would suggest you can take as a supplement. Both you could get at whole foods or Wegmans. The first is mother's milk tea. I started drinking this and really noticed more milk right away, the second is fenno greek pills. These also stimulate the milk supply. Don't give up! You are giving your baby the best chance right now. Breast milk is best. Formula doesn't have all of those vital nutriants that breast milk has. Even if you continue to supplement with formula, which I recommend you stop doing for the reasons these ladies have already said, I would still breast feed as often as you can. It is better than none at all! good luck!

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why do you think she's not getting enough milk? it's normal for teeny tiny ones to lose some weight the first week or two. also, newborns tend to be (in my experience) crankier in the afternoons and evenings because they're still getting used to an adult schedule (sleep at night, awake during the day). it may be too early to judge whether she's getting enough.
i wouldn't limit how much time she spends on the breast. even if it's an hour on each side - it may be tiring for you, but the more she nurses, the more milk you *will* produce. i vividly remembering once nursing my son on each side about 3 times in a row because after each side he cried. when he was done, he finally was peaceful and fell asleep. I also remember there were times when he nursed a lot and about 2 or 3 days later my body would catch up - i would be engorged for a few days until it would all equal out.
it's not a seamless process, but it's one in which your production and your baby's needs WILL find a balance. give it some time and let your pediatrician worry about weight gain - you certainly will have a lot of visits coming up!

Hi D.,

Congratulations on your baby girl! A two week old does not need much milk. Their bellies are tiny. The more you nurse, the more your body will catch up. The reason why she's crying could be that she has gas or is trying to sleep while on the breast.

As long as she's gaining weight, there's no need to supplement with formula. She's getting plenty from you.

If you have questions, see a lactation specialist. They are angels!!!! I used one at our Pediatrician's office with my daugther for latching issues.

As my daughter got older I took Fenugreek and Mother's tea to increase supply.

Good luck!
J.

Is your baby gaining enough weight? The same thing happened to me and when I asked our daughter's doctor about it, he decided to weigh her again the next week. She had gained 10 ounces in a week, so we knew she was getting enough to eat. We figured out that she just wanted to suck and didn't really need more food. This may be the case with your daughter. Once ours started using a pacifier, the constant nursing stopped and she's still gaining plenty of weight.

D., I thought I was the only one with that problem!!!! It's good to know I am not. My son is now 6 weeks and for about 3 weeks I have been slowly losing milk..I have done all the same things you have including exclusively pumping (per lactation consultant)instead of right to the breast, and I amlosing more and more. I am lucky if I get 3 oz's out of both breasts combined. My son has been supplemented with formula for weeks now an does fine. I mean you want to make sure your daughter is nurished no matter what it is from! I usually give him breastmilk the first three feedings (6,9,and 2 or 3pm) then by his 5/6 o'clock feeding I start feeding him formula. I am sure you are like me and want your daughter to have some type of breastmilk. As I talked to my pediatrition (including yesterday) She said it is perfectly fine to do that.
My only suggestion is when you use formula start off with the powder. We made the mistake of starting him off with the premade enfamil and now he WILL NOT take any powdered enfamil. The lactation consultant said that she thought she told us that but she didn't.
I hope my experience helps and good luck!
J.

Fenugreek pills. You can buy them in any vitamin section and they do not harm the baby in any way. Follow the dosing directions on the back of the bottle and your good to go. I took them whem my supply was low and they made the difference. Also, alot of water to you may not be alot of water to your supply. You really need to pound the water. Along with the supplements I drank about 2 gallons of water a day until my supply was at a place where I could feel my let downs full force and knew my son was getting enough milk. stick it out for a week or so and you'll see a difference really soon.

Please please don't switch to formula. Believe me, if you nurse her every time SHE wants, you will produce enough milk. Read every pro-breast feeding link you can, including le leche, Dr. Sears Attachment Parenting book, Dr. Sears Baby Book - the benefits of breast feeding outweigh the benefits to formula so much. The rule is, the more you bf, the more milk you produce. The less you bf, the less you produce. When Emma was 2 weeks old, I basically nursed every hour. Sometimes every 45 minutes. I thought I was crazy because all the books say approximately every 2 hours. Also, every time I put DD down, she cried. Then I read something that said "everytime I put my daughter down, she cries" and the response was "stop putting her down!" And guess what? It worked!! I wore her in a sling for the first 4 months. Now she's much more independent (5.5 months) Anyway - all the books I've read say there won't be a shortage of milk if you nurse on demand. Try pumping right after she eats, or on the other side. The more you pump the more you can freeze for when you return to work, and the more milk you'll produce. Baby girl is growing so much at this age! Make sure she has a proper latch (do the "lip flip" if she doesn't - see Dr. Sears THE BABY BOOK) and feed her as much as she wants as often as you can. She wants you, your body, your warmth, your cuddles. I know it seems like you'll be nursing this way forever, but you won't. Only durning major growth spurts, like 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks - oh my - six months!!!!!!! Good luck!

Hi! Congratulations on your baby girl! I had a really low supply when I was breastfeeding my daughter...we solved it with lots of skin to skin contact, pumping whenever I could and some herbal supplements- I took Fenugreek and Goat's Rue. After a few stressful weeks, my supply went up and my daughter nursed like a champ. However, I couldn't have done it without the help of the lactation consultants at Breastfeeding Resources in Stratford, Ct. You might want to check in with a lactation consultant near you for help. Or, you may want to switch to formula, and if that's what you decide to do, that's fine too! Happy, healthy babies and happy, healthy mommies are what's important! Good luck and enjoy!!!

D.,
I was having major supply problems, the lactation specialist suggested I pump every 1/2 hour for at least 15 minutes each breast to stimulate my supply. I would end up with about 2oz - TOTAL - A DAY.

Eventually the lactation specialist asked what meds I was on and I told her. (I am on meds that I HAVE to be on - my OBGYN and my son's pediatrician both OKed breastfeeding while on this med.) It turns out certain medications have shown tendencies to stunt milk supply. Not enough studies have been done to definitely make this link, but as soon as I mentioned the med she said "That's why".

So I had to choose between stopping the med and being so sick that I literally couldn't take care of my baby or switch to formula. My husband and I decided it was more important to give him love and affection from his mother than breast milk. Believe me - I was full of guilt, but that is a difficult choice. There is a substitute for breast milk (formula) - there is not a substitute for a healthy mama.

I tell you all of this because if you go to a lactation specialist make sure you let them know any meds. And if you are unable to continue with nursing your baby will still know your love. Cuddling with the bottle can be a very special time, if you make it so.

Best of luck
SAS

I think it is great that you have given your daughter some breast milk. I went through the same sort of thing where I didn't think my son was getting enough so I would give a bottle afterwards just to make sure he was satisfied. The nurses at the hospital though told me to try a few things that supposedly increase your milk supply - oatmeal and Mother's Milk Tea, which should be in the natural foods section of the grocery store, and of course drink lots of water. But don't beat yourself up over it, my first son did formula only and my second son is on formula only now and they are both great. And you may find you have peace of mind knowing she definitely drank 3oz or whatever it may be...Good luck.

D.,

Above all, don't limit her if she is looking for more. I remember 20-30 minutes for my DS when he was that age. It felt like forever, but timing is not everything. Give her what she wants and don't pull away. That being said...

I just reread your post, and have to say: keep water next to you while you are nursing, and sip a couple ounces every few minutes. This is what I am wishing someone had told me.

Among other things you can try:

Mother's milk tea (according to box directions)

Fenugreek and/or Blessed Thistle; available in single herb preparations, you just have to locate them.

I wish you good luck and congratulations on your new daughter!
M.

There are dietary supplements that you can take to increase your breast milk. The Motherhood maternity store sells a tea and you can also try Fenugreek or hopps ( drink a dark beer every night).
Good Luck!

There is a tea called Mothers Milk Tea...I have seen it at our local grocery store...it's supposed to help...I never used it but have heard good things about it.

Is she crying because she wants more or does she need to burp/is she gassy?

Enjoy her...they grow WAY too quickly.
J.

I had problems with supply, and also latching. I saw 3 lactation specialists and a breastfeeding medicine MD. I ended up pumping exclusively, which I still do although recently started supplementing, and I was on Domperidone to increase my supply. If you write to Drjacknewman.com , he's a well known breastfeeding dr in Canada, and he is very helpful over the internet. The Domperidone helped a lot, I ordered it overseas. You can also try Fenugreek, but that did nothing for me. Two weeks is still early though. Also, 20 minutes on each breast seems like she should be getting enough. Are you emptying out each breast so she gets the hindmilk? Could she not be latching properly? On Dr Newman's site, there are videos on how her latch should look to be taking in a good meal. Good luck.

Dear D.,

I had the same issue. Right after the birth, my body did not produce enough milk to support my baby's growth. Also, with breast-feeding, it's hard to tell if the baby is getting enough.

I gave birth to a baby girl in June. When we weight her 3 weeks after the birth at the Peds office, we realize she did not put on enough weight. The ped recommended one ounce of formula every other feeding. After supplimenting with formula for two weeks, I was able to produce enough milk to breast-feed solely. Now I am back to work, my mom or the nanny gives her one bottle of formula per day.

You should check with her peds see if that is what they would recommend, and if so, how much and how frequent it should be. Every baby is different than the other. They would probably want to weight her and check to see the progress.

There are also herbal products the Dr can prescribe to help producing more milk. Eventually I didn't really need it, but they are available and should be safe for the baby.

Hope this helps.

S.

I had the same problem, it is very frustrating. But believe me, stick with it, it is sooooo worth it. What I did and worked since my baby has been soley breastfeed since 2 months old is that I continued to feed him whenever he was hungry but I would have a bottle handy to "top him off". That way, the baby gets enough to eat and you are encouraging your body to make more milk. It can take up to a month or more to get your milk supply to a mature level. I also took Blessed Thistle, which is a herb that increases milk production. I only took that for a month and it seemed to help. Stick with it, the joy of breastfeeding can not be undestated. Don't worry about "nipple confusion", it didn't happen to me.

Hey D.,
I second the "seeing a lactation specialist"....I had major issues when I came home from the hospital with my daughter not wanting to latch on...and as soon as I went to the lactation lady things were much better...they teach you how to pump, when to pump and what natural stuff you can take to increase your breastmilk....its amazing the things I learned I was doing wrong when I thought I was doing it all right....LOL...they are also very patient with you....which I really needed..felt a bit weird to be topless with the lactation lady showing me how to do things but after I got over that and did it I was soo happy I did....Hope this helps!!
Meg :)

Hi D.,

Marshmallow Root can be very good to help bring in your milk. You can usually find it at a health food store, you can make a tea with it, add a little Chamomile to it and you should be set. Good luck!

R.

If possible, try to both nurse and supplement with formula! The connection you develop with your baby will still be just as strong, and the immunity boost is definitely worth it!

Good luck, and keep listening to your baby and your heart. :)

Just echoing the comments- if you really want to breast feed stick with it and check with a lactation consultant eithe through the hospital or a La Leche League. Crying arounfd feedings can be frustrating and it was frustrating for me as mom not to know how much my son was eatting. But as long as thr growth comtinues your body and theirs are doing fine. Breastfeeding isn't easy, check out the suport networks some of them are great! (checking them out doesn't mean you don;t have to stick with them long term- just to get you over a hump)

What makes you think your baby isnt getting enough? If you want to keep her nursing, you have to get rid of the formula immediately! Only 2% (or less) of women have true supply issues and chances are, you are not one of them. What is probably happening is your baby is going through a growth spurt, which could be confused with "not making enough." Its a normal part of breastfeeding, but if you dont know what to expect, it can confuse you. Babies go through growth spurts at 7-14 days, then again at 3 weeks, then at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. Baby will nurse, nurse, and nurse and then cry to nurse again. This is how they insure your supply will be built to match the demands of their growth spurt. By intorducing formula, you are interfering with this normal pattern and your supply will suffer. My advice (as long as you want to keep nursing) is to get rid of the formula for good! Spend some time on the couch, in bed, or in a recliner and just nurse all day. Don't leave, have some snacks and drinks handy and curl up with her. Let her dictate your supply by being available to nurse on demand. Dont limit her. This is a completely normal phase in nursing and if you want it to work, you have to ditch the bottles. I know its hard...so many Mom's (myself included) worry baby isnt getting enough and worry we arent making enough. The vast majority of us do, we just need to trust our bodies and stop listening to everyone's well meaning advice about how "so and so didnt make enough either!" Trust your body! Give her the good stuff, and hang in there!

COngratulations on your new little girl!!! I have 1 year old twins that I was initially breastfeeding when they were first born. I had to stop actually nursing b/c my daughter wasn't an effective nurser and was losing weight. I really didnt want to give up brestfeeding so I sarted pumping and bottle feeding them breastmilk, this way I knew how much she was drinking. It was great. The babies still had the benefit of breastmilk and I was confident my daughter was getting enough to eat. It worked out for us. When I couldn't keep up with how much they needed we supplemented 1-2 ounces formula only when necessary. I hope these suggestions work out for you. Dont stress too much. Just enjoy your little angel!!

Hi D.,

I went through the same situation with my newborn a few months ago and thought about supplementing with formula. But, I promise it gets better. I read (and my doctor told me) that supplementing can often contribute even more to your low milk supply because your baby isn't nursing as much as she could so your supply goes down. One thing I tried (and still take even though my baby is 6 months old) is an herb called Fenugreek. It's completely safe and natural and really helps your milk supply come in. You can get it at any Whole Foods. It really works! On times that I take it, I have to wear the nursing pads and I'm able to pump alot! Also, keep in mind that your milk is still coming in. It took me at least a month to really get down the nursing thing to the point where I could tell that she was satisfied and felt that my milk really came in. Another thing to consider is that she might just like the comfort of nursing and she protests when it's taken away. All things to consider. Try these things before you consider giving up. Good luck!! It gets much easier, I promise!

To answer your question, I have to explain how breastfeeding works, and what makes your body produce milk. It is milk removal that produces milk. The more your baby feeds, the more milk will be produced. By giving formula, you are telling your body that you don't need that feeding of breastmilk. And 2 weeks is too soon to be pumping. Your baby knows how to remove milk better than any pump. It sounds like your 2 week old little girl is "cluster feeding" in the afternoon. This is completely normal. She wants more, and should be put back on the breast. At her age, you should be nursing almost constantly. Again, this is normal, and there is nothing more important you can be doing for you and your daughter. Try to cut out the supplements, stop pumping and just nurse her.
If you have any questions about her not getting enough, check with your pediatrician as far as weight gain, and how many wet and poopy diapers she should have for her age. This is a crucial time in the breastfeeding experience, and if you stop now, you may regret it in the future. This is not the easiest time, but you will get through it. I gave up on my first 2 kids when it got tough, and I feel so badly now. My third I nursed successfully and it was the best experience of my life. Keep up the good work!
L. RNC CNM

Hi D.,
it's good to know that some of us baby boomers still believe in providing the bast for our children no matter what the cost, or how inconvienient it may be. i wish that i could offer you some assistance however, it may not be all that bad as it seems.
I rememeber when i had my last girl and i would be nursing and fall to sleep in the process. when i woke up it would be almost an hour later and she still be nursing. I too believe that she was not getting so i told her Dr. which was a really good one, whom i really miss. She explained to me that babies are really comfortable when nursing and can and will nurse all day if you let her.
what this meant to me was that though it may seem that they aren't getting enough but as long as they are getting a little, they are recieving the best of the best.
And D., if you remember when we were children our parents gave us carnation milk it has the same vitamins as the formulers that the doctors recommend. i am not telling yo to do that but to talk to her dr. When i stop feeding my baby the brest i tried the formuler and it messed her stomach up. so i had to go old school and her dr. was fine with it and she is healthy to this day.
jasmine is now six yrs young and one of the smartest children in her 1rs grd class.

About me i am 38 yrs young, a single divorsed mother of three daughters, originally from the bronx, now i am a resident of the state of Virginia.

Take it easy D., motherhood does get better
J.

You sound exactly like me when my daughter was 2 weeks old. I really wanted to breastfeed, but I didn't feel like she was getting enough. Ultimately, I decided to switch over to just formula. THe breastfeeding wasn't working for me and my family. There are no wrong decisions here. You need to do what is best for you and your family.

Breastfeeding does have a lot of advantages, when it works. And, I know a lot of people are anti-formula. I know I felt very guilty when I made the switch. Looking back, I am not sorry I did it. My daughter is now 2 years old, and a delight! She is very bright and happy. As for sickness, I don't notice her getting any more/less than other kids that were breastfed.

Good luck!

How are your daughter's diapers? Does she wet her diaper in between feedings? If so, then she might not be crying for more milk, it might just be the need to suck on something, in which case a pacifier might come in handy. When my 2nd daughter was born I went through the same thing, wondering if my baby was getting enough milk because she seemed to want to eat literally every hour, but her doctor said that if she's wetting her diapers, then she is getting enough to eat, and she is crying for another reason.

if you can, stick with the breastfeeding. give your body time to adjust. if you can, see a lactation consultant. that's what we did when i had some challenges nursing, and it really helped reassure me that my baby was growing and getting the nutrition she needed.

good luck!

D., Congratulations on the beautiful girl. I had the same situation with my daughter. She was nursing every hour for 9 hours one day and it was a very stressful time. The dr told me to let her nurse on one side for 20-30 min and then give her a bottle of formula and let her take as much as she wanted, needless to say it was a excellent solution. The stress of not being able to produce subsided and she got the benefit of nursing and also the bottle. Talk to you dr and see what they say. Blessings to you all.

A.

I had the same problem with my first son. I supplemented with formula after each feeding and eventually got to the point where I didn't need to. The great thing was that if I couldn't nurse, I could always give him a bottle. My third baby a boy who is now 19 months needed a bottle after each feeding until I had to stop nursing because of surgery. He had a big appetite and was growing fast. I now have my fourth a baby girl who is 3 months and I nurse her but 1-2 times a day she needs a bottle to top her off. I have learned that each one has different needs and my body can not always fulfill them. So most importantly don't stress out and make sure you have time to relax.

I'm going through the same thing right now. My supply decreased after I went back to work. I can only get about 2 oz when I pump. I'm trying to take some herbs right now- Fenugreek and Mother's Milk tea. I'll let you know if it helps. I'm also debating renting a hospital grade pump because mine isn't a good one and it takes too long with this one to pump at work so I rarely do it and that's not helping either. I'm also thinking of contacting La Leche or something to see if they have more ideas. I really don't want to give up because it's the only thing she will eat sometimes and it is a great experience.

This is probably just your body adjusting and you will need more than 2 weeks for your body to fully adjust to the demand of your baby but don't worry, you'll get there!!! It sounds like you are doing all the right things with the water, food, and extra pumping. But I know with the extra pumping in between actual nursing it probably feels like that is all you do. In the meantime, supplementation with formula is an option, but you should still pump at that interval and build up a reservoir to keep in the frig or freeze.

Check and see if your hospital has a lactation support hotline, if you can go to see them for an appt, or even if a lactation expert will come to you. If so, they should be able to help you best before you consider fully switching to formula.

Maybe your baby isn't actually crying for more? I loved seeing this woman on Oprah who had decoded baby cries--here's the link, I hope this helps you along the way.

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/oprahshow1_ss_20...

Hi D.,

I have a seven month old baby girl who had been breast fed pretty much exclusively(she had some jaundice at the beginning so we supplemented with formula)since birth. I noticed at the beginning that she seemed fussy at the breast too. I would suggest that you let her nurse for as long as she wants and let her naturally "fall off" your breast. I remember at the beginning that she would nurse for almost an hour(both sides combined). IT seems like a long time but I think they are slower at the beginning to feed. I have not given my daughter formula since the jaundice the first few days. My husband would give her some formula before I breast fed when I was getting my naps in between feedings if she became fussy.

I have the book "The Breastfeeding Book" by Dr. Martha and William Sears and it has been a tremendous help to me in regard to breastfeeding q and a. I still use it. I would recommend it to you and also check with your pediatrician's lactation counselor about your problems. Mine was a great help and it saved my sanity:) Best of luck to you and congratulations!!

A.

Hi D., Congrats on your baby girl. It has been a long time since I breastfed; my youngest of 5 is now 25 but I know a hungry baby is no fun. By all means give her formula to keep her satisfied. Back in my day we were told to have some beer and/ or some wine to thicken up the milk. Most important is try not to get sressed over this. The baby feels everything you feel. If she feeds for 20 minutes on each breast she should be getting enough and just may need to burp or be comforted to sleep. I would say contact La Leche League but I think they frown on any formula. How long is she sleeping? At only 2 weeks I would not want you to give up on nursing. The benefits to baby and you are wonderful. Hang in there. I hope the yunger moms can give you better advice and more encouragement. I will say a prayer....Grandma Mary

Hello D.,

I don't claim to be an expert here, and I would suggest that you ask your pediatrician or try to be in touch with a lactation consultant, but I do have a son who did the same thing to me. He is now 3 1/2 months old, and he is a big boy -- not overweight but very tall. He wasn't getting enough breast milk, and I was in too much pain to make things work the right way. So we decided to do both. I nurse my son in the morning for his first feeding, and then I work long days so I end up pumping. During the day he eats as much milk as I can pump and for his other feedings he has formula. I try to nurse him one other time during the day if our schedules work out properly. My husband and I wanted him to get as much breastmilk as possible but know that sometimes that just wasn't working as wonderfully as we would have hoped. He does fine with both.

I hope everything works out for you!
Blessings,
J.

D.,
Are you by any chance on an antihistamine? That dries up milk. Just a thought.

I went through the same thing. I never managed to produce enough milk, and at 8 weeks, my son was dangerously underweight. At the doctor's instruction, I started supplementing with formula. I would nurse for ten minutes on each side and then give him a bottle until he was full. The difference it made was incredible! My son is now a year old. I have continued to nurse and suppliment the whole time (though not so regimented on the timing of each) and it's worked beautifully.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

My advice would be to try and feed her as often as possible to help your milk supply build up. Also, make an appointment with a lactation consultant before switching to formula...they are wonderfully helpful and supportive.

Are you sure that's the problem? I'm only asking because many times moms think there's not enough milk, when there is in fact plenty. Could she be crying for another reason? If I were you, I'd contact a lactation consultant--there are safe herbs you can take to increase milk supply, and they work. I don't know where you're located, but The Postpartum Place (formerly Lactation Resource Center) in Chatham can be helpful, and many times can answer questions over the phone. Also, they sell the herbs to increase supply...www.postpartumplace.com

I am glad you sent out your question, same problem for me with my boys.....lots of water is the answer too,but that was not my problem. Et peanuts and garlic and I found they help and never mind this allergy thing. I have allergies to nuts and my boys aren't. Also, I ate Teddy Bear Peanut Butter or Nature's Place I heard is delicious and I don't eat those junky peanut better i.e. Peter Pan. I ate the Teddy Bear peanut butter, garlic all the time, but some can't tolerate it, my babies did. Also, my midwife suggested Fenugreek, you get at the health food store. It is natural and it was used back during the Biblical times. There is a tea you can get at the same kind of store, but it takes time, but Fenugreek is quicker and it worked wonders for me. If you want to get both because you like to have tea, go for it. I used both and it worked, but preferred Fengugreek because it kept it going. I always lose milk by three months, but I was able to produce more milk til 8 months. Try it and see if it works for you. Pumping will not help you produce milk if you depend on it, they are nothing like a baby sucking milk. I heard and never had the chance and time to try, if you breastfeed and pump afterwards they say it helps that way. Let me know if you have any questions and what else I and other moms can help you with.

A lactation consultant could really save the day - one did for me with my first one! After a bout of illness, my supply went down, and she recommended Fenugreek (I think that's how it's spelled). It's an over-the-counter herbal and I noticed a difference within a week. I wanted to quit, but was able to boost my supply back up and continue breastfeeding until baby and I chose to stop. Best of luck!

Hello~ Your baby is still so young, it is possible that your production will increase and you can forgo the formula but if not, it's ok to supplement breastmilk with formula. If nursing is not problematic for you, I would recommend continuing nursing as nutritionally, it is great for your child and it's also great for bonding. If it's too difficult, it's ok to stop and move exclusively to formula.

Ah, I feel your pain! I had my first two years ago (almost exactly) and am still in the hospital having had my second yesterday morning. This is my first opportunity to check my email and when I saw your post, I had to reply. Apparently, "low milk supply" is much more the exceptional problem than the rule. Most women have the opposite issues: engorgement,etc. Well, I can just encourage you with these words: with persistence, you can give your daughter the benefits of breastmilk even with low supply. Any amount you can give her is beneficial. So, with that in mind, I can share with you the things that I did that helped last time and the things that I've been learning for this time around.
1. Pumping after each feeding for about 15 minutes. Learned today that pumping both breasts simultaneously is the best way, b/c it produces more prolactin than pumping breasts individually.
2. Be sure you have a great latch. Learned this today: there should be no *pain* for you and minimal discomfort for you. If you're experiencing pain or more than minimal discomfort, there may be something wrong with the latch. And if you're experiencing pain, then the hormones your body produces because of the pain can counteract the hormones your body produces (the good ones) from a good breastfeeding and can hinder the process. Might need a lactation consultant to help you with this one.
3. Frequent feedings (yes, it's true - they can come in clusters; scheduling before 3 or 4 weeks into the breastfeeding process with your baby, which I tried to do last time, can mess things up) and utilizing the skin-to-skin technique.
4. These home remedies and herbal remedies:
~Guinness (in moderation, of course, and drunk just after a feeding, b/c the alcohol stays in your system for 1-1.5 hrs after consumption);
~Brewer's Yeast
~Fenugreek (or you might try Mother's Milk, if you can spring for it financially, or other stuff that combines Fenugreek with other herbs)
~I feel like I'm forgetting other home and herbal remedies - other mamas can jump in.
5. Prescriptions:
~Domperidone - not FDA approved in the US, even though it's not at all harmful to mother or babhy; so in addition to having to find a pedi or lactation consultant who will write the scrip, you then have to find an actual apothecary (compounding pharmacist) who will make it for you. But, once I FINALLY learned about it, did my research, found someone to legally prescribe it and legally prepare it, it was kind of too late, but it still doubled my meager supply. If only I'd found it sooner last time...
~Reglan - good for increasing production; bad for anyone with any history of depression. Has other negative side effects for Mama, too.
These things are NOT medical advice!! Remember that. Talk with your pedi and a good lactation consultant. It's just my anecdotal witness. :)
Blessings to you. Enjoy basking in your new baby!

Your baby may have gas or may want to go to sleep while nursing which can also cause that crying. Many hospitals offer a lactation consultant who can come to your home to help you with suggestions.

Hi D.. I went through exactly what you're going through! I pumped and pumped, but I guess my milk never really came in. I had to supplement with formula all the time. Some say any breast milk you can give is better than none, but it became such a hassle, and my poor baby was really hungry. I have to say that my son has truly thrived on formula. He doesn't seem any "worse for wear" because of it. Now that he's almost 9 months old, he is down to only one bottle of formula a day, plus the formula I mix in his cereal. I don't think you should worry about switching to formula. Just keep in mind that once you do, you'll see that he's eating more, which means more spit-up! lol We started my son on Enfamil with Lipil, but I would suggest the Gentlease--which is supposed to be easier on the stomach. The Enfamil/Lipil seemed to give my baby lots of gas for some reason. Now that he's old, we've switched to Nestle Good Start, and that seems much better for him.

Good luck, Mama! And don't stress about having to switch to formula. The important thing is that your baby gets enough to eat. :-)

well D. Im going to tell you please don't give up my advise to you is to keep going with it. My name is M. and i'm the mother of a two year old whom I breastfeed for 10 1/2 months. For the first 2weeks their is no milk, the baby is getting all the vitamins, your milk will increase after two weeks. I pumped as well and put the milk in a bottle during some of my feedings so when I did go back to work my mom who watched over him wouldn't have a problem. Also it's good so your husband could pitch in with the feeding when your tired. Anyway keep it up and if your milk doesn't increase talk to your doctor about mixing it with a formula. Good Luck

I think you're doing great. Your making every effort. My advice is not to switch entirely to formula. It's a sacrifice to breastfeed, but needless to say how beneficial. For one it it'll save you tons of money, and it's convenient if you don't have a bottle around. Keep eating as much as you can, juicing is great, and rest as much as possible. Hope this helps. A little about me I'm turning 40 today and have a boy 3 years and 4 months old. He nursed exclusively until he was 14 months. But I do stay at home. My daughter is 19 months and still nursing. With love, from C.

I had the same problem with my first son. It didn't seem to matter how much I drank or pumped (which usually was only about an ounce after 30 minutes of pumping) I didn't make enough. When he was 7 weeks old he had already fallen off the growth curve so I decided to supplement with formula and continued to breast feed/pump what I could so he could get the benefits of atleast alittle breast milk.He was such a happier baby with supplementation. When he was four months old he refused breast milk all together and continued on formula until he turned one. He is now an energetic and bright 16 month old who will be a big brother any day now. I plan to try breast feeding again this time around. Although I will do my best to be successful this time I will listen to my baby's needs above all the hype of breast feeding - it just doesn't work for everyone. Good luck