Advice on relactating

[MrsGiraffe12]

So, I BF my 2 week old DD for 5 days. Then switched to formula as my nips were mashed and she was always on the boob.

Now I'm feeling horrible and guilty about stopping for "selfish" reasons. Since Tuesday last week she has had 5x 20 min feeds from each boob and I've expressed approximately 2 oz of milk in 15 mins from each breast 3 times.

To relactate do I just keep her on the boob pretty much all the time and only offer boob, or do I still need to top up with formula? And do I need to pump in between breastfeeds x

And how do I know if she's feeding or just sucking for comfort x

I've not got any experience of this but Kellymom is an awesome source of bf information.
kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/relactation/

I took 3 fenugreek 3 times a day plus domperidome from GP to help increase my lactation when I first started bf as my baby couldn't feed direct from me after rocky start in hospital. The Kelly mom article has good advice. I also pumped every 3 hours round the clock except for the 11pm shift when I gave myself a break. It took 2 weeks to get my supply up enought to then be ale to exclusively bf my 5 wk old baby. You may need less for how old yr baby is and what milk they need, but yes extra pumping is the way to do it.

Hi giraffe, replied bin a rush earlier but just to add ... If u listen intently when baby feeds you can hear if t hey are swallowing. Also watch their neck muscles to see the swallow movement. Keep a record of how many wet and dirty nappies and ask your health visitor if the amount is ok.

Re top up ... In my case my baby was on a feeding plan from hospital of 65ml every 3 hrs. When I later started bf the hospital advised to let baby feed as long as wanted at breast, then offer half the top up ie 35ml approx. In time we phased out top up as my milk increased. (I knew it was increasing as pump output was gradually rising). But the above measures were specific for my baby's weight , age and need, so best to get advice from your GP or health visitor as every baby and feeding situ is unique.

You are not selfish for trying bf and stopping so don't be hard on yourself. My experience was that increasing your supply takes Time and effort, be kind to yourself. Do u have a bf support group u can go to for help with positioning and latch so it's more comfortable? Best wishes for it all.