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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

so upset, no milk All day, just bought formula

28 replies

babykittle · 13/10/2013 15:28

I am in tears. I haven't got enough milk for a feed. Been dry since 8am when have baby a little feed

I have tried everything! Just had to feed last of my frozen milk as Ds not fed properly all day. Totally distraught

OP posts:
KippyVonKipperson · 13/10/2013 15:32

Hey, I couldn't leave your post unanswered, don't be sad, you are doing the best for your baby no matter how you feed him. Ensuring he's not hungry is the best thing you can do right now, be that formula or breast milk.

How old is your son and why do you think you have no milk? Would you like to continue trying to breastfeed him?

Don't be too hard on yourself, just cuddle your baby and take each hour as it comes. I'm sure there'll be some helpful people along here soon.

WildeRumpus · 13/10/2013 15:44

Why do you think you have run out of milk? If you had milk this morning, yesterday or a few days ago you will still now.

Pop your baby on your boob and he will get the.milk going. How old is the baby?

Original poster
babykittle · 13/10/2013 15:47

Thanks Kippy,
I am desperate to breastfeed. He is 4.5 months. Everything was going great till a month ago. Then milk sometimes 'disappeared' but only for day few hours. I have posted before about it. This is first time it's been all day.

I can't get milk out and he won't stay at either breast for more than a few seconds. He keeps squealing at me, not crying yet per se.

He hasn't napped much since this morning either. He usually feeds then naps.

Feeling so down.

OP posts:
Original poster
babykittle · 13/10/2013 15:50

I didn't really have milk this morning.
He had a bad night, last feed was about 4am for maybe 20 mins?. Got up at 8am. He fell asleep on me. Haven't fed since apart from a few seconds at each breast. I have him last frozen milk at 3pm

OP posts:
nevergoogle · 13/10/2013 15:50

could be that you're not getting a 'let down' rather than there's no milk, especially if he's not on the boob for very long.
could you relax, express until you get a let down then pop him on the boob?

WildeRumpus · 13/10/2013 16:06

Ah ok. You almost certainly will still have milk. What you need to establish is why he isn't staying on the boob. My Lo is the same age and has had issues with teething which make him fussy and pull off the boob a lot, which then gives him wind and upsets him further... Could your baby be teething? Could he be poorly and fussing because of that? Development and growth spurts all affect sleep too and make them.cranky. or as a pp said you could have a slow.let down which is making him cross.

Have a look at kellymom website I reckon. Type something like.fussy baby kellymom into google?

Sorry if you know all this! :)

Original poster
babykittle · 13/10/2013 17:40

No, not heard of slow let down, I will investigate. Thanks

I just returned from a walk and had 5 minutes of feeding and now off and squealing.

Oh and yes he is teething,

OP posts:
Wishfulmakeupping · 13/10/2013 17:42

What have you used for the teething? I've found with my dd that calpol teething gel and 5 minutes chomping on a cold teething ring she's able to have a good feed

tiktok · 13/10/2013 17:43

babykittle - mothers of babies aged 4 mths don't dry up. They really don't (unless they have been giving lots of formula top ups and you would have said if that was the case). Something else is happening.

This 'something else' is either:

  • you are misinterpreting normal physiological changes as 'no milk'
  • your baby is having mini-nursing strikes
  • your baby only needs a short time on the breast and you have tried to keep him on to the point where he resists and fights back (this can lead to the baby resisting the breast at all ie nursing strike)
  • your baby is teething or has something else going on in his mouth

The most unlikely reason is that you have no milk - honestly, truly running out of milk like this is unknown in the literature. Plenty of women think they have run out, and this can happen when bf is in the early stages and it's not going well, but not after several weeks/months.

Hope things work out for you.

Original poster
babykittle · 13/10/2013 18:14

Just tried to express. Got about 1ml. Before used to get 130ml

OP posts:
Original poster
babykittle · 13/10/2013 18:15

Using calpol and teether toys (cool keys, gummi glove etc)

OP posts:
5madthings · 13/10/2013 18:15

How much you can express is irrelevant and it often gets harder to express as baby gets older.

Original poster
babykittle · 13/10/2013 18:18

Sorry tiktok, just saw your message
yes, there was a bit of feeding strike this afternoon, I think because of the pressure.

I have used no formula. He 'dream fed' at 8am and only just managed 5 mins at each breast on my return this evening. He's really squeaking and pulling at my t-shirt

OP posts:
5madthings · 13/10/2013 18:19

Have you tried going to bed and doing lots of skin to skin? Or abath together?

tiktok · 13/10/2013 18:21

Very hard to guage milk production by expressing, babykittle, and it's very common for very established breastfeeders to find they get much less than they used to when expressing (see threads on here, passim).

But I hear ya....that is a real difference.

So....let's look outside the box. Things that are known to make supply drop (not dry up - that's still way, way, unlikely):

Have you started any contraception? Mirena, pill, depo ie hormonal?
Has your baby started to go through the night without feeding - a long night, I mean?
Has your baby been having a formula bottle/bottles?
Did you schedule in the early days, maybe trying to feed no more than x hourly? Or have you tried to schedule at any other time?
Have you had any serious or scary shock that could interfere (temporarily) with let down?

AndMiffyWentToSleep · 13/10/2013 18:24

I went through times of being able to express very little - I'm not sure it equates to how much the baby can get out, though. So don't let that stress you (sounds like you have plenty of other stresses - sorry I don't have better advice).
Teething sucks.

tiktok · 13/10/2013 18:25

X posted with you, babykittle.

He had five mins, and this is first feed since 8 am....the most likely explanation is that he is teething or has something going on in his mouth that makes him only tolerate enough milk to keep him going, but he does not want to be uncomfortable ... but the pulling at your shirt indicates he does want to feed. What happens if you put him on again?

Original poster
babykittle · 13/10/2013 18:26

Thanks all
Tried skin to skin. Usually works, not today. The hot water had run out Hmm so no bath
No contraception
No going through night, wrote the opposite, a regression
No formula or bottle till today
Demand feed from day 1
No shocks, super from this

OP posts:
Original poster
babykittle · 13/10/2013 18:46

...and not pregnant Wink

OP posts:
RandomMess · 13/10/2013 18:50

thinking outside the box could he have a sore mouth from either hand, foot & mouth or a first outbreak of coldsores/herpes - would be hungry and wanting to feed but too painful to do so - more so than with teething perhaps?

Original poster
babykittle · 13/10/2013 19:49

I don't think so, but am off to Dr tomorrow
Thanks once again everyone. It helps just too get this out and talk to someone

OP posts:
RandomMess · 13/10/2013 19:50

Did he wolf down the expressed milk or not interested in that either? he could have a very sore throat Sad

TarkaTheOtter · 13/10/2013 19:52

Any chance you could be about to get your period?

alittlebitcountry · 13/10/2013 20:00

If you have advice from TikTok, ou can't do much better, but for what it's worth, Jack Newman's website is usually very good as well:

tiktok · 13/10/2013 21:06

Pregnancy and period both possible reasons for a mini-nursing strike - good thinking. OP says she isn't pg, but it's certainly poss she could be starting a period....