Milk supply so low i want to give up

[scotties101]

My ds is 3mths now and is feeding from both breasts and then screaming for more every time i feed him. I end up giving him formula to which he then drinks another 4-5 ounces. My hv told me to express everytime he has finished feeding to see if anything was left but there never was. I tried giving him a bottle only for the last two feeds at night and expressing instead but i can only get 1-2 ounces off both breats and feel useless. I now feel like its pointless breastfeeding as i have to carry bottles of formula everywhere as well to finish each feed. How long will it take to completely dry up if i stop?

No.yuo poor love,you have been badly advised!

it is quite simple really.
The more you let your baby suck,the more milk you will make for him.If he screams for more,you put him back on the boob.
If you start introducing bottles,then there is less demand on the breasts thus they make less.

It's easy to see where it can all go pear shaped isn't it.

What you express is not an indication of how much milk you have,I was a poor expresser but managed to breastfeed for a looooong time.
Your HV really should know better than to offer such crap advice.

You need to perhaps spend a few days on staying home with the baby and feeding him for as long as poss and however often he wants it.

Some people suggest what is called a 'babymoon' literally stripping off and taking to bed with the baby to get their supply up again.

You're quite right re there being no point to breastfeeding and carrying bottles everywhere but it is important for you to understand that as long as you are giving bottles,your suplly will sadly be low.

Maybe talking to one of the helplines would be a good idea?
Try lovely folk at Assoc for breastfedding Mothers

0870 401 7711

Don't let misleading information make you give up breastfeeding.

scotties, moondog's explanation is right, and your health visitor is giving you very poor support.
If your baby cries after giving both breasts, put him back on the first breast again, followed by the second one, again.
Expressing does not give any indication of what the baby can get out.
However, if you have been giving 4-5 ounces after more than just the occasional feed, you may need to work hard on your milk supply....and if it is 'each feed' then you're gonna have to work even harder....but it can be done.
Give the helplines a call, and work out a way of gradually reducing the amount of formula you are giving, as your supply increases.

Good luck

I go to a breastfeeding support group and it was the hv there that told me to try expressing to try and encourage more supply. I've tried the skin to skin for a few days and i've tried getting ds to feed more often but the stubborn mite wont! if he doesnt get what he wants there and then he just screams and i end up crying myself . its so hard, ive always had a low supply and ds has never been a big drinker but over the last few weeks he seems to be on a constant growth spurt. my hv bless her does seem to have offered me every trick she knows, and she does spend alot of time talking to me and encouraging me it just doesnt seem to work. Will try that support line and see what they recommend. thanks for your help

Scottie,I am nowhere near as knowledgeable as Tiktok (who gives the best advice in UK probably)but doubtless the ease with which a baby can get milk form a bottle probably compares unfavourably with the increased effort associated with breastfeeding.

So again,as long as bottles are on the scene,it merely compounds the problem.

Do you try and feed somewhere quite and calm?
Lie down in the dark maybe? That often worked when mine were like this?

I really hope you ring. It is so comforting to talk it thorugh with someone who knows what they are on about.

Expressing to encourage supply is not a bad idea, but the main thing is to feed more often...and from the sound of it, your baby and you are going to need to work quite hard on this. Don't expect to come down from supplements of 4-5 oz at most feeds straight away - it could take several weeks to get to full breastfeeding, but with encouragement and support, and a lot of time, it can be done.

You might decide it's too hard to do this - and that is your choice.
You might decide to see how far you can get in a couple of weeks, and reducing any formula is a step forward.

It's up to you, to decide what the priorities are, and it sounds like you have done a lot of soul searching and heartbreaking to try to make it work. Find someone who will listen and not judge....and take it from there.

yeah your right tiktok. the hardest thing is that ive tried so hard and spend my time with other mothers in the group who have so much milk that they could easily feed my ds as well as their own! which makes me feel really inadequate. I will keep going though

A friend of mine went from breast/ bottle to exclusive breastfeeding but it took a number of weeks. Her baby had been hospitalised due to poor weight gain when she was advised to start topping up.

I showed her how to hand express which she found much easier than when using a pump and she got much more. The expressing was just to get the milk flowing before a feed because her baby got really fractious on the breast. Also her baby has slept all night from 3 weeks which was not good for milk production. She started to set the alarmand express once during the night.

She then started to reduce the amount of top up formula by 1oz over a few days. This ofcourse meant breastfeeding more often. Eventually she stated waking the baby at night because breastfeeding was easier than expressing.

If you feed or expess at least 3 hourly and there is no increase in supply, you could try Domeridone 10mg, 3 times a day for 10 days to give your supply a boost.

As Tiktok says it will take time and perseverence to to it.

another hv at a drop-in centre did suggest i try something but it wasnt domeridone, i will check tomorrow. i do feed ds every 2 1/2 to 3 hrs, sadly i was just feeling like it was one of those things and i should give up, but all your comments have given me a boost, thanks heeps

Hi scotty, fist of all do not take domeridone unless prescribed for relactation purposes as it has some rare but nasty side effects, palpitations, dizziness etc etc. But you may want to try kelly mom website to help increase your supply. My supply has allways been pathetic but im a stuborn so and so!!! Belive me i have taken all the herbs etc etc and i have a 4yr old to entertain too. So i really do sympathise. Keep going if you really want to and feel its not detrimental to your health and sanity. But allways remember you need to be happy and healthy and enjoy your baby, if decisions you have made make you unhappy, change them. Life is too short to beat yourself up.