where has my milk gone :'(

[yeahuloveme]

okay long story short I had my daughter a month early, both her and I were in hospital for 9 days due to being ill. At the hospital she was on a three hour feeding plan, and I was expressing using the hospital pumps. I came home to a great supply but my pump broke! so I used a manual one..... now my milk supply is shite! my left one just got LESS than one oz! where as it was getting 2, I was able to epress a whole 4 oz bottle after a feed, now I feel like I can't even do this right! what can I do to get my supply back, I have not done my right side as she needs a feed soon and I don't want her to have NOTHING! I do have two bottles in the fridge to give her if I run out, but I am heart broken, I feel such a failure. This was the one thing that was going right and I love feeding her but now that's going wrong

 

[summer rain]

okay long story short I had my daughter a month early, both her and I were in hospital for 9 days due to being ill. At the hospital she was on a three hour feeding plan, and I was expressing using the hospital pumps. I came home to a great supply but my pump broke! so I used a manual one..... now my milk supply is shite! my left one just got LESS than one oz! where as it was getting 2, I was able to epress a whole 4 oz bottle after a feed, now I feel like I can't even do this right! what can I do to get my supply back, I have not done my right side as she needs a feed soon and I don't want her to have NOTHING! I do have two bottles in the fridge to give her if I run out, but I am heart broken, I feel such a failure. This was the one thing that was going right and I love feeding her but now that's going wrong

Firstly it's completely normal to not be able to express well after the initial first few weeks. Pump manufacturers will never let you know this because if women knew there was a strong possibility pumping wouldn't be successful long term the companies wouldn't sell as many products. A normal amount to get out during a pumping session is actually only 0.5 to 2oz. However some women get less than this but feed directly successfully. Pumping is no indicator of supply at all and you dont just dry up. If I were you I would feed baby directly and not faff about with expressing for now xx

 

[yeahuloveme]

I now have a new born crying that they are hungry no milk and feel like shit! I can't even do this right!

 

[staralfur]

Is there a specific reason you're not able to feed directly from the breast?

 

[yeahuloveme]

I do feed dirrect as well but express as we are going away and my mom is having her over night in a few weeks, and daddy does a feed when he gets in from work, and when we go out we take a bottle of expressed. I fed her through the night, so maybe I just don't have enough to express as well at the moment but plenty to keep her belly full

 

[summer rain]

I do feed dirrect as well but express as we are going away and my mom is having her over night in a few weeks, and daddy does a feed when he gets in from work, and when we go out we take a bottle of expressed. I fed her through the night, so maybe I just don't have enough to express as well at the moment but plenty to keep her belly full

It could also be that your baby is going through a growth spurt at the moment, this is just building your supply for the future and doesn't mean you don't have enough milk now xx

 

[yeahuloveme]

she is 15 days old, so I believe that she is due a growth spurt around now, I just want to make sure we always have enough for her, if needs be we will get formula but I don't want to.

 

[supertabby]

Given her age I'd said she's going through a growth spurt. She'll want to feed constantly for a few days and it'll feel like she's not getting any milk but she is, and she's sucking longer than needed too to tell your body it's time to increase supply. Growth spurts can be so frustrating and formula becomes tempting but the best thing to do is ride it out, it's a normal part of establishing bf.

And pumping can be very erratic - it's no indication of how much milk baby's getting.

 

[yeahuloveme]

that would explain the three hour feed the other day! I was left with deflated boobs! lol

 

[yeahuloveme]

its back we were out so I gave her a bottle, came home expressed just under 4oz, then she woke, I did not expect her to get much but thought I would try any way at the very least to remind her how to latch, she got a 20 min feed from one boob and 7 from the other, and that could be because she was full the second one, I was shocked to see milk round her mouth etc! not sure why last night was so bad, but happy to know that I have a bit more left now

 

[supertabby]

that would explain the three hour feed the other day! I was left with deflated boobs! lol

Oh yes! Lol

 

[yeahuloveme]

I was at my wits end that day, I was thinking how are you STILL feeding child! strangly enough.... back to one oz, clearly I am not a night pumper and its holding it back for her night feeds lol. I am no longer worried though, she has just had a feed as well after her bath and is sparked out next to her daddy in bed