Milk drying up?

[Nicolalove353]

So I have to admit I donot bf all the time like I should and I have not been pumping at all lately. My son is 5 weeks old and it has been a huge struggle to bf. he had probs latching in the beginning and it has been super painful. I was on the brink if quoting many times but I have been able to stick it out this long at least. I love breast feeding my son but it just hurts a lot. It had gotten soooo much better but it starts to hurt after 10 minutes. Because of the pain I supplement formula and I prob nurse him between 3-5x a day. I always have to take him off my boob too because it starts to hurt. I nurse him between 10-20 min on each side. I haven't been pumping because I just hate doing it. I finally pumped tonight about 5 hours after I nursed last and I only got 1/2 oz.

So my questions are:

Does it sound like milk is drying up?

Do I need to bf a certain amount per day to stop milk from drying up?

Do I have to bf during the night? (I normally just give him bottles at night and nurse first thing in the morning)

Do I have to pump to keep my supply up?

If it sounds like my milk is going, is there any way I can get it back?

I really want to keep nursing him. I really love it, I just wish it didn't hurt so much. Any help is appreciated!

 

[cat_reversing]

they say if bf is done correctly it shouldn't hurt but I found it did hurt for the first few months then things settled down and it didn't hurt any more but you should rule out any latch issues, and any health factors like tongue tie, see dr or lactation consultant if you have any concerns healthwise.

bf works on a supply and demand process so the more baby suckles the more milk you make and if you start combi feeding it can lead to less milk being produced ( I say 'can' because many women use both successfully).

You only need to pump if you want to feed by bottle, otherwise you just need to feed on demand, whenever that is.

You're still in the early weeks so unlikely milk will just dry up, If you don't want that then you have to get back on the sofa and feed, feed and feed.
there are 2 hormones involved in bf, one produces milk (prolactin) and the other makes the milk come down in the breast so baby can feed (oxytocin).
Prolactin levels are higher at night between 12am and 4am so if you want to increase supply it's a good idea to have a feed in that time.

If it's important to you then do try and ditch the bottles, yes growth spurts can mean hours of nursing as baby tries to increase supply but it'll get better over time. You and baby will benefit greatly from the experience emotionally and physically so please continue if you can.

 

[Nicolalove353]

I am trying to wean Asher off of formula but it is so depressing because I feel like I do not satisfy him with breast feeding. I nurse him as much as I can but my nipples hurt so much at times. I have been cutting down his formula and nursing in its place but now I am worried he is not getting enough at 4 days I had to take him to emergency because he only had one pee diaper that day. The dr told me he was starving and dehydrated and stuck a bottle in his mouth. I sobbed because my baby was hungry and because I was so worried about nipple confusion. Now I'm worried he won't be satisfied with my milk alone.

I have been to lactation support and they said Asher is staying on the tip. He is doing better now and taking more of my nipple into his mouth. What I think is happening is he is such a wiggled that he slips on my boob and that is when it starts hurting. I used to not relatch because it would take forever to latch him. He is latching better now so I try to relatch if it starts to hurt.

I guess I will try to nurse at night. That is really interesting about the hormones , thanks for telling me that. Hopefully that will help bring more milk in.

 

[cat_reversing]

there are other things you can try to stimulate milk production, a spice called fenugreek worked for me or dr can give something if there really is an issue with low milk.
You can get fenugreek from a health store in capsules or get powder from the supermarket and mix it with water/apple juice, 1 tsp 2-3 times a day, it smells like maple syrup and might make you smell a bit like a curry but if it ups your milk and you shouldn't need to take it for more than a couple of weeks at most.
Re latch, it can help if you try a different position, eg football hold (baby body under your arm coming round to the front and hold your lower breast between thumb and fingers making a flat shape which might be easier for baby to get in his mouth than a completely round.
You can also try pumping, then you can rest your nipples and baby can have a good easy feed, or mix bmilk and formula then gradually decrease the formula. Babies like bottles coz it's easier to get the milk, it comes out at a nice steady rate whereas bfeeding will flow then lessen then flow then lessen, it's harder work for baby.
We combi fed from birth as lo had low blood sugars due to my gestational diabetes, we carried on because OH was paranoid baby wouldn't get enough from me, thanks for the confidence eh?! I felt and still feel really strongly about breast feeding and I was determined to ditch the bottles so I upped supply and bfed a lot and gave less and less formula then one day just didn't give any formula and hey look we're still here at 10 months, and all that from one breast (other one didn't work well)
keep going, I promise it will get easier with time, doesn't feel like it now but it will, get comfy on the sofa eat and drink well yourself and get as much rest as you can.