How can baby get enough breast milk...

[whenwill]

Here's my tip for helping baby get enough breastmilk. Can you add yours?

I thought is was lack of hormones but mothers and animals always have fed their babies in the past. I just couldn't understand why dd (8lbs at birth) sometimes seemed so hungry but unhappy with being offered breast, yet couldn't believe that i couldn't feed her, after carrying her for so long.

It does seem some babies sometimes get frustrated, wakeful (overtired) and hungry when trying to boost supply. There are always tiny bits of milk there but sometimes subsequent let downs can take ages to stimulate.

I was told babies would just suckle for hours but dd used to come off before full/drunk and later when really hundgry pull off, hit me, cry and go on hunger strike for hours and just WOULD NOT stay on and suck unless the flow was fast (i used suppplemental nursing system to observe this). She didn't know it would come back if she stayed on or something.

My milk seemed really responsive to this and supply would rapidly decrease further and just one day of her not being so hungry meant not enough milk (in the first/second let down) the next day.

I found it hard to ride it out like maybe past mothers did, esp. with more importance on the smoothness of weight gain curves than bf. I couldn't deal with waiting for deep sleepy feeds or whatever it would have taken??? (still don't know?). Instead, when it dipped each month I pumped for a few ounces (long time) after a few evening feeds (and half ounce after morning feed) to increase supply (pump more patient that dd's sucking). I used to carry carton of formula around just in case and by having it there it made me calmer and more in control when I didn't use it (I still have it!).

Perhaps pumping is not 'natural' but it kept me going and when she was older and more robust I wasn't so worried about her not feeding and around month 3/4 it settled down as she started to comfort feed more (side lying or sling in a monkey position), which I think must have kept up supply. Now I'm weaning and she comes off unhappy because she wants to comfort suck and the milk won't stop coming!

I found bf much much harder than i ever expected but even with the frustration etc. it meant we had a lively interactive relationship, getting to know each other and bond in difficult circumstances as well as good. DD knew I was there and doing something when she cried even if she wasn't happy with my abilities to make it better. I feel so proud of myself that I managed it this far after so many people tempted me to give up. (now I have bity teeth issues for another thread).

what eleanor said. just feed on demand, supply sorts itself out

I agree with Eleanor. Well done you for sticking it out, you did fantastically well, takes a lot of determination when you have concerns like you have.

BUT yes, formula companies have done a wonderful job in making us doubt out abilities. There are several questions you hear frequently running a breastfeeding group, and one of them is "How can I make sure baby is getting enough milk". Pumping, like you say, is a great tool at times for some people, but isn't something you have to do.

Its sounds like there was possibly a latch problem from what you're describing. Also sounds like its now sorted, which is good.

So, whilst its wonderful to hear that pumping worked for you (and wonderful to hear that you used a supplementation device as opposed to a bottle!), lets not get ourselves to the point where we think we have to do it :)

Feed on demand, supply will regulate. If you have concerns, go to your nearest breastfeeding group.

no offence taken. Demand feeding is what I completely tried to do. Was not worried at all about bf when i was pregnant. But sometimes DD really was hungry though after a feed and it stopped her sleeping and being happy. Sucking fist, smaking lips, opening mouth to me, on and off frustrated first started in the evening but then afternoon and morning (as supply decreased due to decreased 'demand'). Sometimes too tired to feed and had less wee. Latch assessed by many people and seen by lll group and was no problem.

I just can't see how we would be that out of the ordinary and it seems many people end up giving formula when they actually want to bf just because their babies don't stay on/get full. Perhaps the vast majority of babies that bf aren't affected by those things so they bf? What triggers people to say they don't have enough milk?

I got the let down and flow info from lll and it really helped me understand dd's behaviour. My instinct was to do something about it however so i did fail at not letting nature run it's course completely but it meant I continued bfing. Someone else suggested drinking more water.

There are thing you can try with feeding before resorting to pumping though. Changing sides frequently for example. once baby gets fussy on one side switch to the other and so on. You are never empty and the less milk in the beat the higher the fat content.

Some babies are just more fussy then others though, some times fussy behaviour is about wanting comfort and breastfeeding can help this.

if your DD wasn't keen on feeding for comfort to start with but this has changed, she could have had a slight tounge tie. I've come across a number of TT babies who won't comfort feed. But the could be other reasons to, or just fussy newborn behaviour.

hmmm. She basically was very fussy like that every few weeks until week 12 until i pumped up an oversupply probably.
Same behaviour once recently when didn't eat much tea and wanted more milk than I easily had- she just comes off and won't suck for more than a sec. when back on (cries and bites!). She didn't fed more than 5-10 mins at a time anyway.
Yes, i forgot about switching sides and breast compressions. They helped for a minute or so but not enough for dd. Is there anyone who has had this and not pumped or switched to formula? what happened? once i left her and she screamed to sleep, woke up, frantically sucked two mins and went back to sleep.

I know tt can be missed but was checked by pediatrician at 24 hours old as she would only suck for few sucks unless colostrum/formula was actually on me. I have met other similar mums. How can i tell if tt? what is it?

Paediatricians can miss tongue tie too! good info about tongue tie here

If it was the standard pad check they don't often check for tounge tie. It is also quit really missed radically if postiera as only a specialist would be able to spot it.

If you've managed to get this far then there is probably no need to have anything done about it now. But its worth being aware of for any more children you may have. as it does seem to run in families.

The biting and short feeds you describe are also possibly symptoms. They are often only able to access the faster following milk as can't massage the breast as effectively as a baby without a tounge tie.

And to answer your question as to what it is have a read hear milkmatters.org.uk/2011/04/15/hidden-cause-of-feeding-problems-however-you-feed-your-baby/

thanks guys. I'll have a look!

Are you sure they weren't growth spurts link? The happen pretty frequently at regular intervals. Whenever dd had hers she was always on and off the breast, fussing and never seemed satisfed.

Good for you for carrying on in difficult circumstances.

Yes! it was posterior tongue tie. Apparently really common, like 5-10% have some sort of tie but doesn't always affect feeding- but often does! so thats a good tip: check for tongue tie!