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[gertrude]

she's feeding for between 5/6mins and 12/15mins on average - just done a 9/4/2/4 mix (different boobs - L/R/R/L) which just doesnt seem long enough to me

 

[muddles]

roonsma
What makes you think your supply is down? In the first few weeks your LO will want to feed frequently and for LONG periods of time, with sometimes not much break in between. It doesn't mean your milk is drying up or that it isn't any good, it is just your LO building up your supply.

Remember there are lots of growth spurts in the first few months so it may seem like all of a sudden you can't satisfy your LO, but it's just them building your supply up to match what they are demanding. but it will soon pass. Your baby will always be able to get more milk out than when you express so don't use what you can express as a guide to how much milk you have.

If you are worried about your baby's latch have you had a breastfeeding specialist check it?

 

[muddles]

she's feeding for between 5/6mins and 12/15mins on average - just done a 9/4/2/4 mix (different boobs - L/R/R/L) which just doesnt seem long enough to me

When she comes off the first boob for the first time how long has she been feeding on that side roughly?

I only ask because if I put my LO on one side and he comes off I always offer the same side again (and don't swap sides) and more often than not he latches back on and feeds for longer on that side. If when I try to latch him back on the original boob again he just keeps coming off then I swap as he is obviously finished that side. If when she comes off she doesn't want to latch back on either side then she is finished (or perhaps has a burp).

Try not to get too hung up on the amount of time she is spending feeding, though i remember a phase when he was tiny of writing down how long Oliver fed for and whether he had one side or both sides. As long as she is satisified you are doing fine!

 

[abstersmum]

Hi Gertrude my dd was 7lbs 8oz when born then went to 6lbs 15oz and it took her 5 weeks to get back to birth weight she is now 9lbs 5oz at 13 weeks and doing well she eats fine is alert and meeting all her milestones she's just a slow grower, I pump twice a day using an electric pump to give her a 4oz top up at night but it took me a long time to get to 4oz at first if you have any questions please feel free to pm me

 

[JellyBeann]

Hi Gertrude my dd was 7lbs 8oz when born then went to 6lbs 15oz and it took her 5 weeks to get back to birth weight she is now 9lbs 5oz at 13 weeks and doing well she eats fine is alert and meeting all her milestones she's just a slow grower, I pump twice a day using an electric pump to give her a 4oz top up at night but it took me a long time to get to 4oz at first if you have any questions please feel free to pm me

Totally off topic but I read that as my dad, and got really confused!

 

[maybebaby3]

hi gertrude how are you getting on? have they weighed LO again. try not to worry too much. it's early days still and your supply is still being established.

 

[maybebaby3]

roonsma - i agree with muddles

 

[reedsgirl1138]

Hey ladies...I am always worried that my DS is eating often enough and should I still be timing how long he is on each side? Sometimes he will go 4/5 hours and then only nurse 20 min on each side. He was 8lbs 4oz at birth 8lbs even when we went home 2 days later and yesterday he was 9lbs 3.8oz so I think he is getting enough but it just seems like a long span of time between nursings.

 

[kmac625]

Reedsgirl, as long as your lo has plenty of wet and dirty diapers, is gaining weight and is alert when awake I wouldn't worry about the odd time of going longer between feeds. Enjoy the break because you'll miss those times at the next growth spurt.

 

[lynnikins]

Hey ladies...I am always worried that my DS is eating often enough and should I still be timing how long he is on each side? Sometimes he will go 4/5 hours and then only nurse 20 min on each side. He was 8lbs 4oz at birth 8lbs even when we went home 2 days later and yesterday he was 9lbs 3.8oz so I think he is getting enough but it just seems like a long span of time between nursings.

i agree with kmac EJ would sometimes ( very rarely ) go longer between feeds if we were out and about doing things he just wouldnt ask for his feed for a bit longer, i would want to be feeding him more than 5 hrly if it was that kind of break every time as at his age he will need more feeds in a day than that but if hes gaining weight and having wet and dirty nappies then it all sounds fine

 

[maybebaby3]

reedsgirl1138 - some babies are more efficient at getting the milk out than others. also maybe you have a fast letdown of milk, that is what i have. when i express it only takes 5-10mins to get the milk out. if he's gaining weight and having plenty of wet nappies then i'd say it's all fine. you're doing a great job

 

[reedsgirl1138]

Thank you ladies. One more quesion....should I be feeling my milk let down while nursing? I usually have a tingly burning feeling but it happens between feedings is that normal?

 

[muddles]

Reedsgirl I don't feel my let down anymore but my LO is still getting plenty of milk as I can hear him gulping. I used to only ever feel it either at random times between feeds (thank God for breast pads!) or at the start of a feed.

 

[lynnikins]

i havent felt let down since he was about 4 months old lol

 

[summer rain]

I only felt one of the later let downs during a feed during the first couple of weeks; never at the start, after that I don't really feel anything though I 'see' the letdown because I can leak suddenly or milk suddenly comes spurting out 10 or 15 minutes into expressing xx

 

[maybebaby3]

yeah i still get let down at feeds and in between! i need to use breastpads all the time as i leak a lot!

 

[jenny82]

Just nosy-ed my way into the BF section and this thread. Awesome thread

I hope to making great use of it in 6 months time. I will really, really need help this time, and I'm going to actively seek it out, be it online or in RL

 

[Wish]

Hi everyone.
I gave birth to my twins via c section on the 1st of march and they are 8 weeks now, I breastfed them in the start or should i say i tried to but as i wasn't producing enough milk they encourged me to give them formula as well, both babies got jaundiced very soon after that and my doc and mf said it was because they weren't taking eating enough.
i got frustrated and started giving them more n more formula (everybody said my milk wasn't working for my babies).
so during all that my bf left behind somewhere which i so regret now.... these are my last babies and i really wanted to bf them, my question is is it too late to start it all again, i tried 2 -3 times but there's nothing iguess becoz my son just comes off within seconds.
(i dont try with him enyway as he's still little jaundiced and takes as little as 1-2 oz per feed every 3-4 hours)
are there anyone who experienced the same thing??????? any positive feed back or any suggestions would be of great help.
I really really want to bf them.

 

[lynnikins]

i would advise getting the Lact-Aid supplimeting system which is like a little tube you tape to your breast so it runs into their mouth and you supplement them with FF while BF them so they give your breasts the stimulation to produce milk but dont go hungry at the same time. and keep putting them to the breast as much as possible, i'll see if i can track down the mum who was using this kind of system to feed through low supply

 

[summer rain]

Wish, I agree with Lynnikins about the lact-aid/SNS, I am so sorry about your experiences. Jaundice is very common and very, very rarely is it ever due to not producing enough milk, yet some hospitals/doctors this is the first thing they blame. The fact that one of your LOs is still slightly jaundiced shows that this is some type of hereditary jaundice rather than anything to do with breastmilk or breastfeeding. Has your son who is still jaundiced had prolonged jaundice testing? xx