Nutrition

I had very similar issues early on-not gaining enough, supplementing with formula- and drove myself crazy. But now, Olivia is exclusively a breasfed/expressed milk baby. If you are close to SSHospital, I would definitely check into the breastfeeding group. They help with any issues you may be having and weigh the baby before and after a feeding-it's always more than you think. The group meets everyday from 1:00-2:00 in the classroom on the 2nd floor near Maternity.
Good Luck!

Hi P.,

it depends on the weight of the baby. The lactation consultant at our mom's group gave us a great formula for figuring out how much to give baby. It worked really great for us! If you want it, feel free to email me off list - ____@____.com

Good luck!
T.

The only true way to know how much your baby is getting is to strip them nake and weigh them before they fed and them again after again naked. You need a baby scale so you can tell oz. Your body makes what the baby demands. If in the morning they drink 6oz by breast they may only drink 4 by bottle. My son was breast only from me and if I was there I did his feeding. At night he would wake up once and would never take the breast so my husband would give him the bottle I pumped at midnight. He wasn't much of a bottle drinker. I breastfed him until 3. Also experiment with nipples and bottles. I found the best was the Playtex nursers and they flat nipple, it resembles the natural breast better then the others, for my son. Each baby has their own prefence. If you get the starter pack it comes with 4 different nipples so see which one is the favorite and stick with it. Also try the suggestions for increasing milk supply in Michelle's responses.

Whoa, P., that's way too much math for Mommy brains!! My advice is to work on your baby's latch. Go to La Leche League meetings and/or talk to a lactation consultant and see if you can get your baby to latch on better. Then you shouldn't need to supplement and your baby will get the right amount of milk that she needs. You'll produce more milk as she nurses more. Pumping isn't quite the same stimulation so it won't change how much milk you produce. You can do it!

Are you seeking help from a lactation consultant to help with tath latch? Middlesex Hospital has a great support group on tues. mornings were they will work with you after the meeting. If you are not near middlesex you should check around you for help!!

The only way you know if the baby is getting enough while nursing is if she is gaining weight at the right rate. You cannot gauge how much you are making by what you produce for the pump. Some women have no problems producing for the pump, others do not make as much. So just because you pump 3 oz at one session does not mean that there are only 3 oz there for baby when she nurses. There might be a lot more. Also, as the baby gets bigger they get better at nursing and can eat more faster. So 20 minutes of nursing for a 7 week old will entail different amounts of milk than 20 minutes of nursing for a 14 week old.

There is a bf support group at South Shore Hospital where you strip your baby down to diaper, weigh them, nurse them, then weigh them again. It's a great way to be reassured your baby is getting milk because you see the ounce difference on the scale right away! This group has lactation consultants there to help with any issues too and its a great way to bond with other nursing moms. I think it's run daily. You may want to see if there's a similar group near where you live. Good luck!

Whatever your body produces is good enough for your baby, don't worry about the numbers. It takes awhile for many babies to latch on properly but if you want to continue to breastfeed and you don't want your nipples to be sore you need to seek help with a lactation consultant or a doctor to get it worked it out. I promise it doesn't take very long. Because she is young I would suggest pumping very little, only for the times you are going to be working and only breastfeeding her when you are with her. Try single side feeding, let her empty one breast and then offer the other if she needs it, then switch for the next feeding. As long as you are eating well, drinking lots of water and getting rest you will make enough milk for her whatever that will be, her and her needs will actually determine the amount your breasts produce and it will go up and down according to her needs and growth spurts etc. You are doing a great job and keep the good work and don't be afraid to ask a nurse or someone for help with latching.