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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

help!!! when does milk come in

43 replies

porcamiseria · 08/09/2010 03:05

sat here with a hungry 9lb, 2 day old baby, he is so big and hungry that there is no colustrum left, and his sucking is so frustrated and hard that both nipples are agony

i need to have a couple hours sleep to replenish colustrum but he wont even let me do that

in tears....any advice

OP posts:
Monkeytoo · 08/09/2010 04:01

Hello - sending a non-mumsnet like big hug!

It's technically supposed to be three days but can take longer. Especially if you had a traumatic birth or a c-section and / or are still retaining a lot of fluid. I totally know it doesn't help when you're in this stage but what your baby is doing will actually help the milk come in - he's 'ordering' it if that makes sense.

Have you got some lansinoh type cream to put on between feedings and you don't need to wash it off and it can help the soreness. You can also buy cool gel pads (Boots sells them)to put in your bra which help ease the discomfort. It would probably be a good idea to get hold of the details of a breastfeeding advisor too so they can help to check your LOs latch is good just in case. I know the first few days (and weeks) can feel a bit desperate, especially with breastfeeding so it does get better I promise.

WhatSheSaid · 08/09/2010 04:11

Did you have a c section? It can delay milk coming in. I've had 2 and milk came in on day 5 1st time and day 4 2nd time (sorry, probably not what you want to hear!)

Agree about lanisoh cream, just keep putting it on constantly if you're sore - it's magic stuff.

UmmNoor · 08/09/2010 05:15

I gave birth on Thursday eve and my milk came in the following Monday evening following a fever. Like you, I was in agony with dd who seemed to be chasing me around the bed trying to feed and I dreaded feeding her! I agree with trying to get hold of a breastfeeding counsellor, mine was great and gave me lots of tips and support when I was ready to give formula. I ended up bf dd for 20 months! Good luck!

YunoYurbubson · 08/09/2010 05:27

Oh it's hard isn't it. It will come soon. And the more he sucks now the sooner it will come.

PeasPlease · 08/09/2010 06:37

If you are desperate you could try giving him a tiny amount of boiled water ~5ml or something. We used a syringe to do it with DD, then DH took her off me in a sling and let me sleep a couple of hours. Hang in there, very soon there will be milk all over the place Smile

chimchar · 08/09/2010 06:41

oh bless you....

keep at it. the more your baby feeds, the more your body will deliver..

i second lasionoh cream. its about a tenner for a tube, but so worth it... use it to waterproof your nipples!

hope you've managed a bit of kip by now....everything is so much harder when you're tired isn't it?

big hugs x

Zimm · 08/09/2010 08:46

Poor you - mine took about 4 days I think. Hang in there, it is so much easier when the milk comes in. And that cream is magic. also my current top tip is to lie in a hot bath face down (do this while DP takes screaming baby to another room if necessary) for 10 mins or less if baby is screaming- have the water as hot as you can bear. This will help massively with the pain and also stimulate breasts to encourage faster let down. I'm not sure if let principle applies to colostrum but it is def worth a try if only for the pain relief!

jemjabella · 08/09/2010 09:24

Your colostrum won't run out. :) Get help with your latch in case that's exacerbating pain and your milk will be in before you know it.

VirginOnTheRidiculous · 08/09/2010 09:28

How are things now?

Colostrum, like milk, doesn't 'run out'. It may feel like it but that's not how it works.

Emster30 · 08/09/2010 09:41

you poor thing. don't panic if it takes a while - mine wasn't properly in till day 6, i'm afraid.

sayanything · 08/09/2010 09:47

Oh poor you. My milk came in on day 3 in such abundant quantities I ended up with a very painful case of engorgement... Definitely try Lansinoh and compresses. The midwives at my hospital gave me a great tip: for cold compresses, wet a couple of nappies and put them in the freezer, for hot compresses pour some hot water on another pair of nappies. Best of luck!

emmylou157 · 08/09/2010 09:55

hi,
I went through a similar thing. My milk came in on day 5 but day 3 & 4 I didn't have enough for her - think it was because she didn't feed well after birth for a couple of days.

This may not be very popular on here but in the end I cup fed her some formula the night of day 4. I did this because she has stopped weeing and pooing and had urate crystals in her nappy - pink/orange crystals. I was worried she was getting dehydrated and also the longer it was going on fer the more distressed all 3 of us were becoming.

I gave it her via a cup and used ready made cartons of formula so I didn't cause nipple confusion. Luckily the next day my milk came in. However, before I gave her any formula I made sure she suckled for a while on both breasts as if you don't let them suckle then the 'demand' isn't there and your milk may take longer to come in.

She is not fine (5 weeks on) and is breastfeeding really well with no problems. It might be worth ringing your midwife and asking her to come and check he is latching on well as sometimes a poor latch can mean less stimulation to produce milk.

I know how distressing it is and I felt so useless but stick with it and you will be fine. If he is still weeing and pooing ok then I would just keep doing what you are doing as he must be getting something.

pud1 · 08/09/2010 10:01

i had the same problem. i can honestly say i would not have carried on if it was not for the support a midwife gave me. she told me to latch the baby on and then drip formula milk down my breast, baby then gets milk but continues to suck so it does not stop the stimulation. i have never heard of this before or since but it worked.

StarlightMcKenzie · 08/09/2010 10:04

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StarlightMcKenzie · 08/09/2010 10:06

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crikeybadger · 08/09/2010 10:09

Good advice from starlight

Colostrom won't run out and it isn't replenished by sleep Smile

Have you got a midwife coming to see you today?

pud1 · 08/09/2010 10:12

i think i did it on day three. i refused to leave the hospital until i was ok with feeding. my milk came in on day 4. my dd's mouth was really dry so it helped alot. you just squirt drops on from a bottle. is a bit messy and you end up with sticky boobs

DashingRedhead · 08/09/2010 10:25

I haven't read all the posts, but with my first, it trickled in on day 5 after my c-section. DD did suck a lot 'placing her order' as Monkeytoo put it. Lansinoh definitely helps. And contact an NCT or other breastfeeding adviser to come round and check up that your LO is latching on correctly. If it's agony you might find adjusting positions helps a bit. Get someone else to take baby out for a walk, if you have someone handy. Or get your DP or someone to put baby in a sling.

Pud1 - that is brilliant. Never heard that before.

Good luck PM and remember it will come.

Original poster
porcamiseria · 08/09/2010 12:02

thanks so much everyone, I think colustrum is CRUEL!!! Pud we did what you said at 5am, and he managed some kip, then when we woke my boobs had some food. I am now feeding him boob every two hours

they warned me at hospital this might happen as he is such a big baby

I will also get midwife to check latch is OK, and am caning lansinoh!!!!

come on milk....i need you

thanks again for the support, you know how dark it can get when by 3am they are screaming!!! and it feels like razers in your nipples

OP posts:
ShowOfHands · 08/09/2010 12:06

You're doing brilliantly.

And all babies behave this way at first. From 5lbers to 12lbers. It's (surprisingly) nothing to do with their size!

SirBoobAlot · 08/09/2010 12:25

Second what ShowOfHands said - normal behaviour, regardless of how much they weigh :)

SkilpadsMom · 08/09/2010 12:28

My seven week old baby is breastfeeding now with gusto and I was in a similar position to you - he was 8lb 12oz and eating for England, and it is such hard work for them to get the colostrum out !!
It feels so desperate, I know, just hang in there - the MW will help with latching on and as long as he is still suckling and producing wet/dirty nappies, it is ok -

Painful as it is, him suckling means he will keep stimulatiing the milk production.

you're doing brilliantly for persevering - you can do it! Smile

petisa · 08/09/2010 14:13

Hi porca - congratulations!!!! Sounds like you have a v healthy, robust little boy there!

My little dd2 arrived on 25th August and all is well.

It's so hard, isn't it, and yes, colostrum is cruel, even though it's magic stuff. They have to suck so hard to get it out and it's agony. Dd2 fed for a whole 12 hours in the hospital with only a couple of short snoozes, I don't know how my nipples stood it. I kind of have a hole in one now... Hope the lansinoh helps you! I've used a whole tube now and it's helped so much. Dd2 has had a permanently shiny sticky face poor thing! Grin

Give your new ds to someone to hold to get a break every so often. He'll be fine, he certainly has enough weight on him to survive till your milk comes in. Mine took 3 days and dd still gained weight in her first week.

Good luck, all the best!

Purplebuns · 08/09/2010 14:28

Well done so far!
The more he suckles the better your milk supply will be, again I know I am repeating, but offering breast hourly may be a good idea, Especially at night as you produce more prolactin, which makes more milk. Also you make milk all the time while he is feeding and feeding will make more milk, so going to sleep to make more milk won't really work.
Maybe see a breastfeeding counsellor would be good as they can check a few things to make sure he is extracting milk properly.

Keep going once you are over this bit hopefully it will be a breeze!

MiniMarmite · 08/09/2010 14:38

My DS was 9lb too and my nipples were bleeding within 24 hours so, this might be controversial, but I used a couple of formula top ups just for a couple of days until my milk came in and a dummy which he was happy to suck ferociously for short periods (I did have to manage the beginnings of nipple confusion a few weeks in but didn't amount to much).

I still made sure I 'fed' him myself at least once every three hours (but in reality was much more frequently than that especially in the first 2-3 days).

Milk came in around day 5 for me I think.

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