Worried I've run out of milk

[Macca18]

My little man is nearly 4 weeks old and today he started to feed pretty much every 1-2 hours (uesaly it's every 3-4 hours) It has gotten to a stage were i had to give him a bottle of expressed milk before bed to calm him down as he was getting worked up like he wasn't getting enough milk from my breasts. Is it possible to run out or has he just fed so much in the day that I'm not processed enough to keep up with the demand??

 

[mac1979]

Just let him nurse as much as he wants so your body will make more milk, around 4 weeks is a growth spurt and the cluster feeding tells your body to make more. Be sure to keep drinking lots of water and keep your calorie intake up. I've found if I have less than 2000 calories a day my supply suffers. That amount will vary for each individual.

 

[mac1979]

You can also google recipes for lactation cookies and eating oatmeal helps to increase production too.

 

[noon_child]

Yep sounds like a growth spurt. It will take a few days for your supply to totally catch up. Skin to skin can help increase milk and keeping him like that will help him get to the breast as soon as he's hungry rather than getting to the point where he's upset. If he is too upset to latch, don't forget to talk to him, stroke him etc (I always got so stressed about her not latching I forgot to reassure her!). If you do give expressed milk you could try maybe only 1/2 ounce to an ounce, and once he's calmer he may relatch.