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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Breast feeding - it's all going wrong!!!

15 replies

wishingchair · 28/11/2006 11:23

DD2 is 14 weeks now and has been feeding ok to a fairly flexible routine:

7am, 10.30am, 2pm, 5pm, 7pm, 11pm ... then usually once in the night. (as I say this is flexible and it's not unusual for me to do an extra feed during the day)

She's always been a speedy feeder (10 mins would be unusually long) but recently she's been doing only about 3 mins, then she breaks off with wind. By the time I've winded her and got her interested again (maybe half an hour or more later), she's tired so she has another 3 mins then falls asleep!

The result of this is I think my supply is dwindling. And she now wakes up twice in the night (she never gets wind for those night feeds and she'll do a good 5-10 mins).

I got an electric expresser yesterday (had a manual one with DD1 and never had much success) and I'm going to try to express after feeds to try to bolster supply. This morning (according to a guide to increase supply I've got) I had to express an ounce before the first morning feed and I really struggled to get that ounce. Maybe I'm just not good at expressing!!

So I'd really appreciate your advice on all of this ... I don't know why the day time feeds are so difficult when night feeds are fine, am I doing the right thing to try to increase my supply, what else should I be doing?? I don't want to stop b/f yet ...

OP posts:

MrsBadger · 28/11/2006 11:33

I'm sure someone more expert will be along in a minute, but it seems quite common that several-month-old babies feed better / longer at night - everything's dark and relaxed so there are fewer distractions.

I'm not convinced your supply is dwindling - it may be that she's taking less in the day but just making up for it with the big night feeds...

No experience in the expressing dept but if it's a pain and you're not trying to (eg) build a freezer stock, I'd be tempted to stop and just feed on her cues for a bit - babies are meant to be much better than pumps at getting the milk out and hence better at stimulating supply.

NotQuiteCockney · 28/11/2006 11:36

I'm assuming she's exclusively breastfed? If so, there's no way for your supply to go wrong - if it did, she'd be starving hungery and crying all the time and really really cranky. (I assume she's generally happy, and her weight is ok?)

Are you offering both sides at every feed? Are you cosleeping, to make feeding in the night easier?

Expressing is a skill, like breastfeeding - you can have a great supply and be doing just fine, and still be unable to express. If you keep expressing, you'll get better at it, but I'm not sure you need to express at all, unless there are other details I'm missing ...

Original poster

wishingchair · 28/11/2006 11:50

Thanks you guys - the only reason I'm expressing is cos she seems to lose interest so quickly that I don't feel I'm producing enough milk ...

I think she is mjaking up for it all at night but I want it to be the other way around!! I've gott another DD so can't catch up with my sleep during the day

OP posts:

Original poster

wishingchair · 28/11/2006 11:53

Sorry -yes she is exlusively breast fed, I do offer both sides (is it possible for a baby to get what they need with less than 5 mins per breast????), she is next to my bed but we're not co-sleeping.

OP posts:

NotQuiteCockney · 28/11/2006 11:58

Yes, I think they can get what they need that fast. I'm pretty sure bottlefed babies drain the bottle that fast, anyway.

My DS2 used to do a lot of very fast feeds. Of course, now he's two, he likes to feed for an hour if he can. [confused emoticon]

prettybird · 28/11/2006 11:58

She could just be going thorugh a grwoth spurt - hence the night feeds. They'll help buid yout supply up, and once she's thorugh the growth spurt, she may settle down again.

Don't worry about the amount you are expressing - the specialists on here have often said that that is not a true inidcation of how much your feeding.

Original poster

wishingchair · 28/11/2006 12:04

ok, that makes me feel a bit better. She does have v.explosive poos so maybe she is just a guzzler!

OP posts:

tiktok · 28/11/2006 12:11

wishing, good posts already on this.

There's nothing in your post that makes me think your supply is dwindling. You are describing a speedy feeder, that's all. Please don't think you need to bother with expressing

Sophiev73 · 28/11/2006 12:15

Agree with the speedy feeding -my dss both chomped with passion for about 7 mins then a big fart and all over! I couldn't believe they were getting enough but both were/are massive and very healthy so it must just be flying out! Feel relieved you're not sat there for an hour at night like some others...

SCV3 · 28/11/2006 12:20

My baby is two weeks old tomorrow and he only feeds for 5 minutes at a time and not often in the day. He then becomes very very hungry for 2 hours at night and I felt I didnt have enough milk for his hungry time and have thought twice about getting the formula out!!
He was weighed yesterday and was 10lb 7oz (he was 10lb 2 born) so he is obviously getting enough even though I dont think he is.
I am sure your body will be producing the amount your baby needs.
My other son is 18 months old and he was 10lb 14oz born and was constantly feeding but again only for a short time. I expressed a lot to try and increase supply but just found that the days I didnt do it , that I leaked a lot!!!

Philomytha · 28/11/2006 12:21

Babies can get their milk very quickly. My son was very speedy at that age, about 2-5 mins was normal, 10 mins was a long feed. He ate very often, about every hour and a half during the day and only once or twice at night. If you want to reduce the night feeds you'll probably need to offer the breast more frequently during the day, especially in the early evening - try every time she gets a bit grizzly.

cc21 · 28/11/2006 14:28

Just wanted to add that my 14 week old will never feed longer than 10 mins before she gets bored. Thought it was just me but glad to hear its oka for them to have short feeds. She does tend to feed every 2/3 hours so I suppose she's getting the volume that way.

VoodooFig · 28/11/2006 14:36

omg my dd eats for 20-30 mins and as a result
I get bitten and nasty nipp infections....count your blessings speedy feeders!!!!!!!

my mil is a mw and when I told her I was having trouble expressing she said its because the baby needs all the milk my body can make at the mo, and to rest and eat plenty b4 trying to xpress again.

DizzyBint · 28/11/2006 14:40

expressing doesn't work as well as a baby at getting your milk because it's a man made attempt at replicating how breastfeeding works. all it is is a vacuum with perhaps some slight compression involved. your baby is far better designed to get your milk!

mabel1973 · 28/11/2006 15:06

just really echoing what others have said, but my DS2 is 10 weeks and feeds very quickly and I am sure he can't be getting enough, but he goes a good 3 or so hours between ffeds and is putiing on 1lb a fortnight. So if your DD is putting on weight fine, that extra night feed maybe just a growth spurt and things will sort themselves out. If you are feeding regularly, exclusively ,I don't see how your supply could dwindle.

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