Low milk supply :(

[wlovew]

My baby girl was born 9/19 and due to severe meconium aspiration she was taken from me immediately after birth. I didn't get to do skin to skin or get her to latch on and it was devastating. They took her to NICU and I didn't get to see her for almost 8 agonizing hours. When I finally did she had so many tubes in her little face that latching on was very difficult for her to do so they had me use a nipple shield. Due to the fact that I didn't get to do this right away with her I think it hindered my milk production and now, almost 3 weeks later, I am still struggling. I don't want to give up. I am supplementing with formula after almost every feed if I don't have an ounce of pumped milk to give her but she doesn't get enough milk from just the breasts She was not gaining weight once I brought her home, she was still losing. I pump after almost every feed and the other day I got 2 ounces from my left breast and 1 ounce from the right at one pumping session and that's the most I've ever gotten and I haven't come even close to that since then. I take fenugreek, motherlove plus and I had my placenta encapsulated. I drink TONS of water and I try to eat as much as I can (healthy). I am a single mom and have not had any help so I would consider myself pretty stressed out, mostly about the milk supply tho. I've become used to the lack of sleep. I just want to breastfeed my baby girl!!! Has anyone else had a similar experience and come out on top and able to stop supplementing and just breastfeed????

 

[spicyorange]

Don't use how much you can pump as a measure of how much baby is getting because they are much better at getting milk out than pumping, that said I'd baby isn't gaining weight then she possibly isn't getting enough. Are you still using a nipple shield? If you can stop that will help. Also express for a few minutes after the milk stops and try to feed of both breasts if you can. You might need to supplement but in time you should boost your silt and be able to cut down how much you add. Your doing great. Keep it up.x

 

[noon_child]

My baby girl was born 9/19 and due to severe meconium aspiration she was taken from me immediately after birth...latching on was very difficult for her t...Due to the fact that I didn't get to do this right away with her I think it hindered my milk production

I dont want to diminish anything in your story or suggest you are not struggling but I just wanted to reassure you that milk is totally hormone driven in those first few days (even FF mums have their milk come in just as strongly as BF mums) so dont get hung up on the idea that your supply has been ruined - you did the best you could under very difficult circumstances and it wont have made the kind of difference you describe.

She was not gaining weight once I brought her home, she was still losing.

For how long was she losing weight? It is very normal for babies to lose weight during the first few days (as they can only really start gaining once milk proper comes in). Once milk has come in the main cause of weight loss early on, is baby not being able to extract the milk, not the milk not being there. However it is possible to suffer with low supply if any of your placenta was retained which I think is more common after a traumatic birth. If there is any chance you have retained placental tissue you must get it checked out.

Do you have any nipple pain?
Are your nipples squashed/cracked/angled etc. after feeds?
Are you still using the sheild? (this can reduce supply)

Supplementing with formula is going to be the main cause of any supply issues you have. Sometimes it is necessary when LO has a physical problem extracting milk, or you have a physical problem producing milk, but it is important to find out whether we are dealing with normal weight loss and normal baby behaviour (growth spurts etc.) which doesn't need intervention.

 

[wlovew]

I'm trying to get her off the shield it is very difficult!!!! I know it is making it harder for her to extract my milk I've seen a LC and we did a weigh feed weigh and after getting her on without the shield (a rare thing) she got a lot more milk whereas with the shield she got non but I know she's getting some it was just a fluke at the moment. I am trying my best I wish she would take my nipple the LCs all have said my breasts look great for breastfeeding.

 

[noon_child]

I'm trying to get her off the shield it is very difficult!!!! I know it is making it harder for her to extract my milk I've seen a LC and we did a weigh feed weigh and after getting her on without the shield (a rare thing) she got a lot more milk whereas with the shield she got non but I know she's getting some it was just a fluke at the moment. I am trying my best I wish she would take my nipple the LCs all have said my breasts look great for breastfeeding.

I'd focus on trying without the sheild on which ever feeds are usually the calmest and easiest (eg first morning feed when she is still sleepy and milk is ready to flow straight away). It sounds like she has nipple preference (babies are usually programmed to push everything except a nipple out of their mouth, for safety reasons, but some think a plastic teat or sheild is the "safe" item and push real nipples out as "foreign objects"). The only way she will unlearn this is by realising that she gets milk when feeding directly from the breast.

Also unless you have been told she is dangerously underweight, I'd ditch the formula top ups. You want her hungry often and returning to the breast (even if it is with the sheild) very frequently to stimulate your supply. obviously it is your choice based on your child's health.

 

[wlovew]

Oh I hate to give her formula but she had lost 10% of her body weight so she needed it. A nurse comes Monday to do a checkup and I'm hoping she is back up to her birth weight by then of 9lbs 4.5oz!

 

[noon_child]

Oh I hate to give her formula but she had lost 10% of her body weight so she needed it. A nurse comes Monday to do a checkup and I'm hoping she is back up to her birth weight by then of 9lbs 4.5oz!

Did you have any IV fluids during labour? This can sometimes bump up baby's birth weight so that it isn't a true reflection. This means it takes a lot longer for baby to reach 'birthweight' because actually they weren't that heavy without all the additional fluid.

 

[wlovew]

Yep I did but not very long

 

[spicyorange]

Have you tried putting milk onto your nipple to encourage the latch and sucking. Do you have any bf support clinics you can go to for help