At hospital one week post partum the milk hasn't come yet

[ImYourWomanJonSnow]

Had elcs a week ago, discarged home, all fine with me and baby. He has been losing weight steadily since birth and roday community midwife referred us back to hospital.

His latch seems fine and he is eager to feed - although does get lazy and sleepy and slows down and wants to be latched back on as soon as I put him down. He hasn't slept much poor thing since he was born and I have pretty much spent the whole of last week sitting with him feeding. All seems to be fine with my nipples. But my milk hasn't come in yet, my breasts are enlarged and I'm getting white creamy liquid when I press.

At hospital they got me to express after every feed from the opposite breast that I fed from iyswim to stimulate supply. I have been getting 15ml this way. I have also been supplementing with formula 30ml for a couple of feeds to help him settle since we came into hospital.

I feel like a failure to be honest, I guess I should be happy to see him sleep and be content for a change. But I'm starting to doubt whether the milk will ever come in now, I'm so disappointed that I won't be able to feed my baby.

Not aure why I'm posting, I guess I need some handholding and am keen to hear experience if you had delayed milk.

[Gannetseatfish]

Hi, I had a emcs nearly 2 years ago and milk took over a week to come in. I was in hospital for over 8 days after the birth and baby had jaundice so was very sleepy and didn't feed much. Once we got home we fed for nearly 48 hours non stop and then milk came in! You could try the pump but I would be careful with it as I had terrible over supply problems from using the pump once my body got going. Good luck and don't give up hope yet just feed as much as you can, eat and drink lots and hopefully things will work out soon. X

[2014newme]

Happened to me they gave me meds but didn't make much difference I used formula top ups

[wineapotamus]

You must be exhausted you poor thing. Don't lose heart, my milk took a good while to come in too, maybe a week or so. Just keep trying to feed and offer top ups. If it works on the boob great, if not that's fine too, don't be hard on yourself. You're both going to be fine.

[LemonCurdles]

Handhold OP.

I could have wrote your post previously. It is absolutely exhausing what you're going through. bfeed, sterilise, top up, express and repeat... non stop.

I felt like an exhausted heffer constantly getting milked. As soon as I'd finished trying to express ds would wake and the cycle would start again.

After a week I was only expressing 5ml. My hospital loaned me an electric pump machine to take home to use. I still wasn't producing in the second week and my mw prescribed domperidone. I started to offer feeds from both sides then express from both (don't know if that made a difference) and I managed to ebf from then on.

You're absolutely not a failure OP, It's really fucking hard. Your baby is getting nourishment from whatever source necessary. You sound like a loving and caring mother

[ImYourWomanJonSnow]

Thank you for your kind replies, I have been sleeping, the baby is absolutely zonked by the formula and its such a novelty for me to have deep sleep too.

So we are going to continue with formula top ups for now. I'm keen to keep trying do this evening i bfed him for an hour skin to skin. I don't think he's getting much milk but at least we are close and I'm hoping this will encourage my milk. This is then topped up by the little amount of milk I expressed previously and then formula. He's been prescribed 70ml milk prr fred bit half that amount seems to sate him so I'm going on what he wants.

Now that I had some sleep I'm calmer. Like you say it's not about me and what I want, the important thing is that the baby is ok and getting nutrition whichever way.

Each midwife shift seems to have slightly different advice, the latest is that I do have milk but my supply is low. She helpfully added that it's because I need to drink more water and eat better - I have been drinking 3 litres of water per day and eating normally.

[passthewineplz]

Are you both still in hospital?

Expressing milk is totally different to a baby feeding at the breast. Babies tend to be more effective at draining milk from the breast, so please don't get disheartened that you're not expressing enough milk.

It takes approx 3-5 days for your milk to come in, before this you produce colostrum and baby doesn't need a lot of this as his tummy is tiny.

In the early days you need to feed feed feed to help establish your supply. If you express you're not draining the breast as effectively as the baby, and introducing formula feeds means that your body isn't putting the order in so to speak (for the time of day that baby is having formula).

If your DS falls asleep whilst feeding, try and rouse him by tickling his feet, gently blowing on his face or changing his nappy.

If one breast is feeling drained, offer the other breast, likewise offer the other breast if he's unsatisfied whilst feeding. This will help increase your supply (as well as eating and drinking properly, and plenty of skin to skin etc)

What was your DSs weight loss? Was it more than 10% of his birth weight? (I'm assuming so, as he was admitted to hospital).

If so, and he's yet to gain his birth weight continue with the advice given in hospital (formula top ups and expressing), then once he has gained his birth weight and if you want to ebf try the advice (skin to skin, rousing him if he falls asleep, offering the other breast etc).

Also ask your mv if there's any BF support groups so that you can meet other breastfeeding mums, as it's good to share experiences and know what you're experiencing is normal.

[ImYourWomanJonSnow]

Passthewine yes we are still at hospital. They initially thought he'd lost 15% but on re-weigh at hospital it turned out to be just over 10%.

I agree re expressing, with my first child I had good supply when he bf and almost nothing when I tried to pump. I'm expressing now following advice by hospital but don't think I'll want to continue.

I have been feeding him round the clock before hospital, we would both get up to 2 hr sleep per night, he would then just drop from sheer tiredness for 3-4 hr naps. I did the tickling and rousing etc but it feels like the right thing for now is tovoffer topbups until he regains weight and take it from there.

[passthewineplz]

I think you're doing the right thing with the top ups, hopefully he'll gain weight quicker and you'll be able to leave hospital sooner.

Then as you say, once he's you're home and he's regained his birthweight you can reassess what you want to do from there.

Hope you feel a bit better for talking.

[Want2bSupermum]

I had an awful time with DD1. I had preeclampsia and the drugs they gave me to prevent a seizure resulted in my milk not coming in.

For me my breasts were never engorged. If you are getting engorged you are producing milk. On day 3 the lactation consultant gave me a huge hug of water and had me drinking lots of water, like 2-3 liters a day minimum. She also had me eating the BF friendly menu. I ate a lot of oatmeal!

On top of this I did constant skin on skin with DD for 3 days. I was in bed the whole time and only left bed to go to the bathroom.

With DD2, my third, I did drinking lots of water and the skin on skin on days 3-5 and it got my milk coming in. My day 5 I was pumping every 2-3 hours and getting close to 4oz out at each feed.

[mydailymailhell]

My heart goes out to you as I experienced something similar - c section and delayed milk but added to that was weight loss, jaundice and tongue tie. I was wracked with guilt re formula and it ruined my first weeks with baby. I then decided that I wanted to enjoy feeding my baby in whatever form that took. Eight weeks on, I'm still combined feeding and not feeling g bad about it as long as baby is happy. I'm having ongoing issues with supply despite bfing for hours each day and am taking fenugreek and domperidone.

You are doing an amazing job.

[bf1000]

70ml top ups is a huge amount for a new born baby to take. A new born usually only takes short naps and the constant feeding is what's bringing the milk in. I don't think I had more than a hour sleep for first 4 weeks.
My first lost 12 % and I expressed and topped up with expressed milk after every feed. For a day or 2. Remember if baby is having 70ml of formula baby is basically going into a milk deep sleep which is unnatural at this age so this results in not waking when baby should to stimulate milk. Look up; top up trap.

Ask to see the hospital lactation expert. Ask for a SNS (supplement nursing system) So any top ups are delivered while nursing to simulate the milk get, baby checked for tongue tie by an expertm. Do not be fobbed off by hospital staff not giving proper nursing support. It is easier for them to get baby on formula than to support breatfeeding but it is your and your baby's right to have adequate and correct support.

Lots of mums have a bumpy start and are able to go on to breastfeed and stop top ups but you need the right support. Good luck OP x

[ImYourWomanJonSnow]

Thank you bf! 70ml formula didn't seem right to me either. I refused when they offered to take the baby away and feed him. What I'm doing instead is one hour bf skin to skin with lots of tickling and waking, followed by expressed milk (getting about 25ml now) and only top up with formula if he still looks unsettled- i only had to do it once and he only drank 20 ml.

He's been waking every two hours over night for feeds so this seems right.

Thank you everyone for your support, it's good to know it's not just me. I'll get family to bring bf food to hospital. I'm really at a loss whether Milk has come in or not, what I'm getting is creamy yellowy white (like nice vanilla ice cream colour) liquid. I'm not engorged but my breasts have become large and feel full - never rock hard but they do get emptied regularly.

Great to hear that combined feeding is possible if we end up doing that. I have been reading about nipple confusion etc but I guess it doesn't happen that way for every baby. I'll keep trying.

[bf1000]

It sounds like your milk is in like double cream x if you are feeding regularly they may not go rock hard as that can happen if they go longer than normal between feeds.
It's a worry when your baby loses weight because it makes us question everything x

Also after a section there can be a delay in milk also sometimes the fluids given prior to baby being born can artificially make baby weigh more than baby would naturally weigh so that can make it appear that baby has lost a greater % of weight Dr Newham has some great article about this.

X

[ImYourWomanJonSnow]

He's just been weighed, has gained over night so they will be sending us home soon. He's about 8% from his birth weight now, seems like the hospital stay did the trick.

Am planning on continuing breastmilk topups until my milk is established.

[bf1000]

Glad things are looking up x

[ittooshallpass]

I had ecs. My milk never came in. I was devastated. It had never occurred to me that this could even happen.

Be kind to yourself OP. If it doesn't come in, it doesn't come in. I spent way too long stressing about it when I could have been enjoying my baby.

[Oddsocksforeveryone]

I have had 3 sections, 2 emergency one planned. My milk always takes at least a week to come in properly. My first 2 breastfeed for 2 years each, my last is 10 months old and was never all that interested in breast feeding and started refusing it by 6 months. I'm certain is because things are different now and there was so much pressure on me to formula feed her as she was losing weight so I did and it affected me building up a good supply. I cried and cried when I gave her a bottle.
Sorry you are going through this, persevere if you can but I wish that there was more education that is not always as easy as just 'stick your boob in baby's mouth and milk comes out' it's not always that simple.
Hugs and good luck x

[Desperad0]

has he been checked for tongue tie? could be falling asleep as he's trying hard but not taking so much. DS2 seemed to be latched ok and wasn't picked up for weeks as he was getting some milk just not hugely efficiently

[passthewineplz]

Glad you've had a good night, it def sounds as though you're doing the right things.

It does sound as though you're milk has started to come in, with colostrum you only produce small amounts.

[Want2bSupermum]

Breasts feeling large and full sounds like the start of your milk coming in. Great to hear the baby is doing well with weight gain. Good luck!