Struggling with milk supply again

[chipperchick]

Please help - I am worried that I may have to switch to formula after struggling with milk supply for second time, 8 weeks in. I'm not sure the stress of bf is worth it right now.

Have been exclusive b/f dd for 8 weeks. Had bad patch 4-6 weeks, then has just started again now - fusses/cries at breast then slow and sleepy to feed, breasts feel squidgy. Unsettled during day and evening (ok at night mostly, sleeps midnight to 5am). Worried she is hungry.

I thought things were sorted at about 7 weeks - she was more settled, my breasts felt full, b/f was going well and she gulped my milk down fast. So much so she was vomiting after feeds I think as they were so big.

BF adviser suspected thrush, which might have explained previous bad patch. Tried treatment for 4 days, but as she started to vomit (which I now think may be from overfeeding and wind), so I stopped it. GP saw her last week said her mouth was fine.

Why is my milk supply changing like this? Can't think of anything I am doing differently. I can't bear the thought that will be a struggle on and off like this for months....Nipples also now getting sore as she pulls around on them during feeds. Please help.

Hi, I'm not a great expert at this although I have bf two babies I will try.

The first things you should do is stop your baby pulling on your nipples. This will only lead to sore cracked nipples which is enough to send anoyone over the edge . If she starts to pull, immediately break the suction and re-latch on properly.
My DD2 started this at 5 months and I was in so much pain I couldn't feed her more than twice a day.

Don't worry about your breasts feeling soft and swidgy, that just means the milk supply is settling rather than going.

And 8 weeks is early days still (I know it doesn't feel like it). The will be some other MNers on who will have more words of wisdom but I hope this helps a bit.

I spoke to a bf adviser last night, who reassured me, and evening feed went ok. But she woke at 3.30am, which she hasn't done for weeks. And morning feed was a struggle, lots of fussing even though I should have most milk at this time of day. Still worried that she wants more milk than I am producing at the moment, and I don't know why this is happening when I had plenty last week.
Also breasts becoming lopsided - left one is now bigger than right?!

chipperchick - do you think you might be micro-analysing the situation, understandably because of the difficult time you had before?

It's normal for babies to wake up unpredictably at times, and normal to wake in the night at 'new' times, it's normal for the breasts to feel a bit lop sided, even very lop sided, at times, and it's normal for babies to have spells of unsettledness and fussiness.....how would you feel if you just went with the flow and fed her as often as she seems to ask? That's usually the best way to sort things out

i was trying to restart bf last week after not feeding (but expressing) for 2 1/2 weeks. It is hard, but stick with it if you want to. My DD found it hard when feeding both from bottle and me, she would cry and be unsettle, especially on bottle

I took the advice from the lovely ladies on here and have just been feeding her when ever she wants. Night feeds are ok, but early mornings are worse. This morning i feed her at 5am, 6.15am, 8am, and 10am. Im shattered especially as she feeds for about 20-25 mins each feed. It is worth it, and im certain it will settle down in next week.
HTH, oh and skin to skin really helps too

oh and my boobs are lop sided too, did this with dd1, and also found one side is better than the other

it sounds like things are going well. boobs feel soft when your supply is evenly matched to your baby's needs. my ds went through a patch of fussiness like you describe too, it does end!

if you're finding demand feeding exhausting, stay in your pjs all day in bed with baby, get people to bring you lots of yummy food and drink plenty of liquid. won't 'increase milk supply' as desired but will ensure you're well rested and more able to cope.

get some good nip cream too. hth

thanks for the advice everyone. i think i can micro-analyse tik-tok, yes! i find it frustrating when things have been going well, to fall back into a bad pattern that thought had escaped. it's so tiring too, when the feeds are long and stressful.

i just tried to feed her, took an hour and think she hardly took anything - seems to just be nibbling away.

i was reading more about this, we have been using a dummy, could she be suffering from nipple confusion? she is wanting the dummy more and more and now can't get to sleep without it. wondering whether is causing feeding problems now?

will try skin to skin, thanks for tips.

i didn't use a dummy. i'm not sure how you'd know if the baby wanted a dummy or a feed. with bf they do suckle for comfort as well as purely out of hunger. i guess nipple confusion could be another factor too. however i do know plenty mums have given dummies and successfully bfed as well.

i think the thing you have to get your head round is that things do change. so yes one minute you think oh yes we have a nice routine here, she wakes x number of times at night, she has x number of feeds in the day and suckles for x minutes at a time. but it will change and change and change. it doesn't mean there is something wrong. she may start feeding for a very short length of time. you will probably worry she hasn;t suckled for long enough. however it'll just be that she's got more efficient at feeding. there's also growth spurt every few months which throw everything up in the air. and you'll be forever trying to 'solve' things. DYSWIM? a lot of it is going with the flow, riding the crappy times out.

hth

throw away your watch!

honestly you'll be much happier without it

I've never found a baby with a feeding routine until 12-15 weeks so maybe you just need to give yourself and your LO a bit more time.
You really are doing OK

It's not a 'bad pattern', chipper....it's just a different one

I don't think you have a 'feeding problem', but if you get your baby weighed and the result gives you concern, then yes, you might want to ditch the dummy.

thanks for words of encouragement and advice - sorry for delay DH convinced me to go out for a bit, which has made me feel better - get some perspective!

think i am looking for the 'answer' to fixing what i believe to be problems....sounds like consensus is i need to relax and go with flow. the more i read the more worried i get! i will try to relax (not too hard of course!), just tricky when bf feels like a struggle, and i worry i'm doing something wrong. am hoping the norm will be the good week i had, rather than these bad patches and things will get easier again.

last feed was very slow and sleepy again after fussy start, but maybe she's just not so hungry today...

My DS went through fussy period around the 8 week mark (as did lots of LO's on my postnatal thread) - it passes.

My breasts are also much softer - is not a sign of poor supply but that your breasts are making the correct amount of milk.

I would advise that you get your LO weighed as unless their weight gain indicates any issue, I dont think that there is an issue with your supply at all.

p.s. for the pulling around. I took DS off with Little finger in corner of mouth then put him back on.

Hey chipperchick. I'm not an expert, but had a similar tough time at the beginning.
Babies often have a growth spurt at around 6 to 8 weeks and want more milk. As your milk supply tends to lag a few days behind, it can feel like you don't have enough milk. Try sticking it out for a few days and it should get better as your milk supply increases again. It does get easier - I promise.
I think most people find their baby latches on better to one side on the other, and since it's a demand/supply thing, tend to have one breast which is a bit bigger.
Agree with dal21 about taking your LO off if they're pulling you. Also I found lanolin helped.
Hope this helps.