I think my supply has dried up 😭

[iamsuchatit]

DD is 7 days old and I haven’t been able to get her to latch. (Large breasts and flat nipples, lack of DH support and I couldn’t get nipple shields to work)

I haven’t been expressing that much because I’m an idiot although I did manage to express a fair bit yesterday. I had been waiting for a better pump to arrive. I woke up today and my breasts were really soft and I’ve tried expressing this evening and nothing’s coming out

Will it come back or is that it?

[BunloafAndCrumpets]

Oh OP I hear you. I had the same sadness when I struggled to feed my first baby. She had tongue tie (have you had your baby checked?) and could only latch on for a couple of sucks before popping off again. We had the tongue tie cut but it still didn't really work. I was heartbroken too but with the benefit of hindsight I'm ok about it now.

Here is what helped me and what I told myself with her and then going in to feeding my second baby

-she had the colostrum which is the really important stuff
-you can spend loads of time cuddling and bonding while trying to get feeding to work. It's not just the milk actually going in which is beneficial. The closeness is too
-we are so lucky to have formula and clean water and it's absolutely perfectly ok to use formula for any reason at all

• I mix fed both babies for five months. By the end with my daughter she was barely getting a drop from me I don't think but she was still happy to try and have a cuddle in bed

-it is so much better to have a happy mum than to have one sending herself doolally (am referring to me here not you!) stressing about feeding and waking self at all hours to pump

Practical tips:
-You can keep breast pump parts in a clean bag in the fridge and then they only need washing and sterilising every 24h (lifesaver for me!)
-if you're formula feeding a lot get a perfect prep, it will save time making bottles and you need all the time you can get when pumping and feeding!

Lastly: you are amazing. Most people don't have to try this hard to get breast milk into their babies. Especially given that your DH isn't helpful with it. You're doing a great job. It's ok to stop at any point if you feel overwhelmed. Wishing you all the best.

[iamsuchatit]

@BunloafAndCrumpets - no one has checked for tounge tie. My issue is more flat nipples but other people have managed with that so it’s clearky just me that’s the failure there. I just don’t like having the choice taken from me also wherever I go for help all I see is “breast is best” which just feels like even more of a kick in the balls.

I really want to mix feed since I don’t see exclusive breast feeding being an option but I’m expressing but unable to do the 8-12 times a day that is suggested.

Thanks @BunloafAndCrumpets but I don’t feel amazing. Just fed and changed DD and I got really frustrated with her so I’m feeling super shit tonight.

[Celebelly]

It's tough. My little one is five weeks now but was unable to latch for first two to three weeks. She can latch now but it's not a very good one and causes me a lot of pain so we tend to only do one breastfeed a day and that's mostly where she comfort sucks.


I've pumped exclusively therefore since we left hospital. It's hard work - I pump every 2-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 or 4-5 overnight, depending on her sleep, and I just about keep up with demand. We maybe supplement with 100ml formula every few days.

If you want her to have breast milk but latching is an issue then I'd recommend starting a pumping schedule. You'll need to do it often while supply is being established and you might not get much to start, but boobs work on supply and demand so the more you pump then the more milk they'll start to produce. You can power pump too, which mimics cluster feeding.

There's websites about pumping that might help. But I won't lie, it's hard work (although there are good points too in that DP can feed get expressed milk at any time and that helps me get longer periods of sleep) but if you really want to feed breast milk then it might be worth looking into. You can rent hospital
grade pumps too, which are much more efficient at getting milk out.

[Celebelly]

Also while expressing is a bit time consuming, I don't think it's much more so than breastfeeding in those early weeks. You need to feed 8-12 times when breastfeeding anyway, and feeds can often take a long time
due to cluster feeding. The ladies in my antenatal group are sometimes feeding for 4+ hours of an evening in these early weeks, so if you have time to breastfeed then you have time to pump right now.

[iamsuchatit]

@Celebelly - that’s reassuring to hear. I had thought I would probably need to go down that route.

Can I just ask how do you fit in the expressing with a newborn? Mine doesn’t want to sleep...

[Iwrotethissongfor]

What’s your real life support been like? Do you know you can hire a lactation consultant? Depending on area it’s just over £100 and spend the whole day at your house observing you and baby’s problem areas and giving lots of practical advice and support. It was £120 in my area including follow up support over phone and email. They usually come out the next day or two after you make contact as they know your baby’s food source is a majorly important and urgent thing to sort. Mentally, it’s a real lift too.

[Celebelly]

Handsfree pumping bra! It's a game changer. That and a double pump mean you can be done in 15 mins and you're still able to hold your baby to comfort them or even bottle feed!