low milk supply?? advice gratefully received

[teabags]

DS is 4 weeks, he only feeds for 10 mins at a time, he has been like that since birth but is content between feeds and sleeps well etc. But I'm worried my milk supply is decreasing but his demands are increasing. Today he has seemed hungrier but as I am only used to feeding for 10 mins from one side I feel like I can't keep up with his demands now. I am expressing as well to try and increase my supply but the amount I can express is going down. Am I right to be worried about my supply? Does this make sense? Im getting myself worked up over this as he has been unsettled tonight and I think it is due to hunger?

Your milk shouldn't run dry as the more your ds suckles the more milk you produce. I would keep at the expressing as this also gives you an idea of how much you are producing (although babies are better at getting milk that pumps so don't be too alarmed if you only get a couple of ounces).

If he is anything like my ds - at around 6 weeks he will go through a growth spurt and want to feed more often, don't think this is because you are producing too little milk, its just that he is needing more calories.

At 4 weeks I was feeding ds every 2.5-3 hours with one longer break during the night (thank god!). I also used to panic that my milk was runing out as some days ds wanted to feed all day but last summer was mega hot and I think he was thirsty some of the time.

Sounds completely normal - ahhh, the many, many things they don't tell you eh?

I think the best way to increase your supply to meet his demands is just to feed as often and for as long as he wants. Don't worry if you've been in a pattern and it changes - that's totally normal and it doesn't mean anything's wrong.

I really wouldn't bother with expressing. Feeding more is much more efficient at building your supply and expressing is such a faff at this stage (not getting much out does not mean your supply has decreased by the way).

Don't express. It just adds another layer of fretting for you.

If he's hungry, feed him. If you do that, your supply will be fine.

Babies are unsettled sometimes - it's their job to baffle us and they are funny buggers, so remember that too.

PLEASE don't worry about the amount you can express - it is NOTHING LIKE the amount he can get from you, I promise.

Foxy - don't mean to contradict, but for a lot of people the amount they can express is no indication of how much they are producing. In the early weeks I couldn't get anything out of my left side but there was loads there!

I just think sometimes expressing can make you needlessly anxious about your supply - obviously if that's not the case for you then that's fine.

Ds was born in November and also sometimes wanted to feed all the time so it's not just in hot weather.

I was actually terrible at expressing - did it twice and barely got 2 ounces but on hindsight wished I'd persevered as I think it would have helped my confidence and answer to the eternal 'is he getting enough'.

Before ds was born we were armed with pump and bottle so dh could give one feed a day - never happened...

did find using pump a godsend in the first week mind as I was so engorged my nipples were flat and ds kept sliding off!

thanks, it does feel like he is draining me dry of my milk. When I express I get barely and ounce, especially on my left side which does add to my anxiousness. I also express of an evening and get a bit more then. But yes, I'll stop fretting over the amount I can express as he does sleep between feeds and is doing pretty well during the night so I guess there is something there!
This is my 2nd baby. I feel I should know better but the same worries are there as last time

Ho teabags, my dd suckles till my boobs are flat as pancakes but there is still milk left in there!!! It's normal to worry but unless he's not gaining weight, honestly, he's fine.

Are you eating and drinking enough? I do think that having three good meals a day (esp. breakfast) does wonders for feeling like there's plenty of milk there. Try and have a glass of water at every feed.

Otherwise, if you demand feed him, there is no reason that you would have a supply problem. But sometimes we just to have something to worry about don't we I bf DS1 for 22m, but still worried that I wouldn't be able to feed DS2 when he was born, then worried when he lost weight after birth (was born 9lb 3oz, lost a bit, but then piled it back on) - was almost ashamed that he'd dropped a bit though. Mad in hindsight!