Worried about supply

[infinita4]

Hi all, I have been bf about 2.5 wks now. Until recently, if I didn't feed or pump for 4 hrs, my breasts were very full & sore, esp overnight as gaps were longer. The past few days I have only fed my LO once overnight (one sided feeds overnight at instruction of health nurse) & the other boob isn't sore at the 6/7am feed. Last night this means I didnt feed off my right for 8 hours and it didn't feel hard or hurt! Is my supply drying up already?? I am very worried. Any advice? I am expressing once a day but should I add a second?

 

[MommyJogger]

It can be normal to not feel "fullness". That full feeling will eventually be an unusual one and your supply will regulate-- meaning that eventually you'll be only making the correct amount of milk for lo. But at 2.5 weeks in I would say it would be unusual to go 4 hours without feeding lo and going such a long time could end up hurting your supply.
Are you feeding on demand? Or pumping due to bf problems? The best way to succeed at bf is to nurse, nurse, nurse at the breast, frequently and on demand. As for the 'one-sided feeds only' at night, that makes no sense to me. This is called 'block feeding' and it's a method some use to decrease supply. When you're building your supply, it's better to offer the second breast once baby finishes the first one. They don't have to take it, but it's good to offer, especially at night. Night nursing is important-- it sets your body up for long-term bf success.

 

[infinita4]

I am feeding on demand, which ends up being every 2 - 3 hrs during the day & every 3 - 4 overnight. Usu she'll want a feed at 11pm, then one at 3am & then goes back to every 2 - 3 hrs after that. So there's one longer stretch of 4 hrs overnight. So for example, I'll feed left breast at 11pm & offer right (she may not take), right only at 3am, and then left at 5am (and offer right). I am not sure why the nurse said to only do 1 side overnight, its frustrating cause u get conflicting advice fom diff LC/nurses.!! My main concern is that the left breast doesnt feel hard or sore when it hasnt fed between 11 & 5. Last night she did two 4 hr stretches so it went 8 hrs & wasnt sore. I have been pumping because my nipples are still a bit sore & it helps just to rest them 1 feed a day & do a bottle of ebm and pump instead. I usu pump once a day w/ a double pump & get about 120 mls in 15 mins. Yest I pumped twice due to my supply worry & got a total of 230ml yest. Not sure if this is a normal amt? I also agree its too early for supply to regulate. Very puzzled by everything breastfeeding related, its one of the hardest & most challenging things I have ever had to do!

 

[MommyJogger]

That makes sense! I was reading incorrectly that you were either pumping or feeding every 4 hours all day/night. I would actually say that what you're experiencing is normal. There's a huge range among women for how long it may take a supply to regulate, so there's not really a "too early" or "too late".
When she'd done feeding at night, is it that she's fallen back asleep or that she removes herself from the breast awake? If she's awake, I would offer the other breast. If she's asleep, I would let a sleeping baby lie. Has she gained enough weight that she's reached her birth weight again?
There are a lot of hurdles when breastfeeding that will make a woman wonder about her supply. The best way to tell if a baby is getting enough breast milk is by counting their wet diapers. By about a week old, they should be having 4-6 very wet diapers each day. So if you ever start to question or wonder or some crazy nurse advises you that your supply is suffering, just count those diapers.
There's a fantastic site: kellymom.com that's full of reliable, evidence-based breastfeeding information and it's all very well organized. It's the go-to resource for a ton of us.
Feeding on demand is really all you need to do-- it sounds like you're doing great! Just keep up the good work, the pain will be gone before you know it, and it'll be smooth sailing.

 

[infinita4]

Thank u so much for all the advice She was back up to birth weight in 2 weeks. I will prob take her to get weighed again next wk as dont want to wait til 6 wk appt. Before I was doing 2 daily feeds with ebm as nipples were really sore, but have cut to one as they are now only semi-sore. Hence only expressing once a day now. I guess thats why I was partially worried about supply. But I have since been told that baby's sucking is more efficient thsn pumping, so shouldn't decrease supply to replace expressing session w/ bf. Will def check out kelly mom site! Can't wait for the pain to go away! This site is helping me persevere!! Oh and she usu falls asleep at boob at night feeds. I try to rouse her a few times, but once that fails & milk is dripping down her face I call it a day & put her back down.