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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

DS 8 days old and milk still not come in

43 replies

Mozismyhero · 30/11/2010 23:21

Help. I am at my wits end. Had C-sec last Monday and had probelms with feeding since.

Milk still not come in. When I express, I produce pitiful amounts (max 10 mls) and DS is never satisfied. As of yesterday, I am on domperidone to increase supply, DS is feeding constantly and am expressing as much as I can but this is not much as I am feeding all the time.

We are topping up DS with formula as he is so hungry. This breaks my heart but nothing else to do. Today he had about 200 mls.

Feel so down about all this. On verge of tears all the time and just feel like giving up and moving over to formula. Really wanted to BF and love doing it though but don't know how much longer I can do this. DH so supportive and encouraging me to give it time as he knows I will rwegret giving up but...

Anyone out there had similar experiences and kept going with success? Any advice? Thank you.

OP posts:

MoonUnitAlpha · 04/12/2010 18:31

Could you get a bfc to watch you feed - check that the latch is good and your ds is transferring milk effectively.

Caz10 · 04/12/2010 18:35

Have you been specifically told to express? If not I'd pack it in for the time being, and let your DS feed as much as poss - that will stimulate your supply. Expressing can be soul destroying, you don't need that right now.

The domperidone took a week or so to kick in for me I felt - or maybe DD's latch had just improved in that time I don't know.

Someone from the BFN came to my house - totally saved BF-ing for me! She also put me in touch with the lactation consultant at the maternity unit where DD was born - is that an option for you?

Good luck!

Original poster

Mozismyhero · 04/12/2010 19:10

Latch been checked - is OK.

NCT on phone and the many different MWs I've seen said express to increase supply.

Spoken to consultant at hospital - she is calling me back on Monday to see how we're going.

DS sleeping for now and I'm expressing. Might be a long few days!

Alternatively, might just give up and get on the formula!

OP posts:

SantaIsMyLoveSlave · 04/12/2010 19:31

When you say "milk not come in" what do you mean? Are you still only getting colostrum when you express?

Original poster

Mozismyhero · 04/12/2010 19:38

No, just no volume of milk. When express just getting 5mls or less and DS has never been satisfied at my breast (ie pulled off himself).

OP posts:

SantaIsMyLoveSlave · 04/12/2010 20:07

I never managed to express and the DCs were like that too (I remember being in tears when DS was about 5-6 weeks and seemed to have been feeding constantly for that whole time), but I exclusively breast-fed both of them.

It doesn't mean that you don't have a problem, but not being able to express and having a baby who never seems satisfied in the early weeks doesn't necessarily mean that you did have a problem either.

Original poster

Mozismyhero · 04/12/2010 20:14

Thanks Santa, I just feel so desperate and useless at times. He's asleep now, hopefully feels satisfied?

Will persist as long as I can.

OP posts:

StealthPolarBear · 04/12/2010 20:17

oh you poor thing :( nothing I can say that hasn't already been said, just really feel for you.

Caz10 · 04/12/2010 21:14

It is horrible, horrible, I remember DD going for a whole day refusing to latch on, seemed like she screamed hungrily for weeks, etc.

However, she is now almost 3 and still feeding occasionally , just started mix-feeding when I went back to work at 9mths! So it is do-able. I think my top tips for help were getting RL help (once a week BFN group, total lifesaver) and also the boost of the domperidone to start with.

Good luck!!

Yika · 04/12/2010 21:49

Oh gosh how I sympathise; my milk also didn't come in (also severe blood loss and anaemia although I had a vaginal birth) and I'm now at 9 weeks still struggling to build up supply. I have supplemented every day from about day 3 but manage to breastfeed at least half the time and slightly improving supply.

The 'symptoms' of my hungry baby were exactly as you describe and I also found it heartbreaking (and a great relief to see her contented face after a bottle, yet also a feeling of failure and sadness on my part).

Now I'm no expert but I read somewhere (amid all the sometimes conflicting advice that I got) that it was better NOT to express if it seemed that that just drained the small amount that you had so that you had nothing for the next feed. Is this the case with you or does it not really make a difference?

A good tip I found was to 'power-pump' (express 10 mins, rest 10 mins, repeat during one hour) at the same time every day for a week. I was able to double my yield this way and it also meant that I could concentrate the expressing in a short span of time (the evening, in my case, while doing things like read this forum :)) and thus get breaks between feeds rather than incessantly pumping.

When I first tried expressing, on day 4, I did not get a single drop (milk not yet in). In the 8 weeks afterwards, I was never able to express more than 40 ml. After a week of power pumping I got up to 95 ml. (NB this was after a really good night's sleep and when feeling very relaxed.)

That said, following advice on here I'm now going to express throughout the day as I still am not managing to exclusively breastfeed.

But although this is still my goal I've come to terms with mixed feeding and discovered there are some benefits, e.g. someone else can help you out with it if need be! Baby is contented and putting on weight. And still getting the benefits of whatever breast milk I can give.

Original poster

Mozismyhero · 04/12/2010 23:07

Thanks Yika, good to know I'm not alone IYSWIM. Will try power pumping - I hate expressing all the time.

OP posts:

JiltedJohnsJulie · 05/12/2010 09:37

Moz, when you said your milk hadn't come in I thought you meant that you were producing Colostrum still too .

From experience I never had the sensation of my milk coming in either. DS was exactly how you describe. The reason I didn't feel my milk come in was because he drank it all and was still never seemed satisfied. Have faith in what you are doing, he could just be greedy . Don't forget too that feeding all the time in a newborn is fairly normal behaviour.

As for the Babymoon, sounds like a good idea but he has got used to the ff and will probably be a bit frustrated at first. Don't forget too that the more you feed the more you produce. Also, have a read of reducing formula top-ups on Kellymom.

Will the Lactation Consultant be able to see you feed on Monday? Have someone trained see you feed should be really useful.

It is very easy to think that you are not producing enough milk, keep with it, it will get better.

crikeybadger · 06/12/2010 11:27

How are you getting on now Mozismyhero?

Hope the lactation consultant can give you some help today.

swanriver · 06/12/2010 12:19

hi Moz, my milk took ages to come in after c-section 7-8 days. I would ditch expressing, go to bed with baby, rest with him, offer breast as often as possible and give formula top-ups so that you can feel as relaxed as possible. And get some rest. Problem with all these people telling you to express is that it increases stress, leaves you no time whatsoever to rest between feeds and as another poster said increases stress on baby for next feed when there is less in breast...yes yes I know breast can always make more, but when you have a screaming baby and you think there isn't enough to start with it DOESN'T HELP.

So Babymoon, keep waking baby to feed every two hours, don't kill yourself expressing. A small formula top-up after the feed. It worked for me. Then when feeding is more established you can try and reduce top-ups, or not as case may be. It is possible to mixed feed if you want, although people say it isn't, as long as you don't lose confidence in your ability to give your baby some breastfeeds. You can't go wrong with some breastfeeds. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Anyway that is just my opinion!!!

swanriver · 06/12/2010 12:20

I think Yika puts it perfectly!

Original poster

Mozismyhero · 06/12/2010 20:14

Hi all, thanks for the advice.

Didn't hear from consultant but did contact NCT again and kept on with Babymoon. Feel like we really got somewhere and feel much better today. DS had 50mls overnight and another 50mls this morning but nothing else all day and I feel like my supply is starting to increase. I feel much more confident with my supply and am starting to think that my milk has come in and my breasts have just not swollen/got sore etc.

Also, like you say Swanriver, have ditched expressing. DS feeding loads so don't really have time for it and, as you say, expressing does make me feel bad and feeding DS makes me feel good so will just stick with that.

Will keep going. Thanks again for support

OP posts:

Maternelle · 06/12/2010 20:35

I had the same experience with both my DCs.
I also had C-S and the milk was just not coming in. I had good support, good latch etc... just very little milk.

For DD I ended up mixed-feeding until she turned 14 months and for DS, I was prescribed domperidone, which helped. I ended up nearly EBF.
And we carried on until his 26 months.
I was heart-broken as this was so important to me, and I am glad I tried so hard.
Expecting DC3 now and hoping it works out this time.
Good luck and well done for trying so hard.

SantaIsMyLoveSlave · 06/12/2010 22:15

Well done! Sounds like things are picking up for you.

I really never got engorged or sore unless I missed a feed or two for some reason. The only way I knew that my milk had come in in the early weeks was seeing the occasional drop of milk rather than colostrum -- there was none of this "rock hard breasts" business.

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