First Timer, can someone please explain a few things re: milk supply, latching, expressing and topping up with formula? EVERYTHING really!

[scruffymomma]

Hello there

I'm a first time mum to a 2 week old and bf is causing a few stresses. My DS kept losing weight so midwife advised me to express which I've been doing, it seems to keep lo much happier but by night time I don't feel like I've got enough milk to satisfy him and he won't go down so I've been giving him formula after his night time feeds which he guzzles right down and goes straight to sleep.

I read on MN that this combined feeding can cause problems with milk supply but I'm not sure why? If I'm not skipping breastfeeds and expressing then I'd assumed I should be stimulating my supply?

Also is it normal for him to get more milk from one breast? When he's on the right side he's much less happy and will take much more formula after his bf.

AND after he's latched he'll suck quite hard for a little while then it feels like he's just using me as a bit of a dummy, feels like he pulls his head back and then chews on my nips - ouch. Any tips to stop him doing this? I've started undressing him to stop him falling asleep, he generally feeds for about 30-45 mins.

And last question, does expressing give you sore breasts for the first few weeks? I thought i was just getting over the mangled nipples stage and now my breasts and nips are tender and sore, I'm putting it down to expressing but maybe I'm having ongoing latch problems?

Sorry if these are all very obvious questions, bf feels still feels like a complete mystery and I need my little boy to start putting on weight. I feel like I'm not really equipped to satisfy his hunger myself

Many thanks if you've made it this far!

SM

1. You are perfectly equipped to satisfy his hunger yourself, don't let that worry you . The trick is making sure enough of what you make gets into the baby.

1. 'Cluster feeding' ie feeding constantly in the evenings, is really, really common and is the instinctive way a baby boosts your supply. Giving formula will mean your body doesn't know the baby is trying to boost your supply, iyswim, so it can't respond, so your supply won't increase, so he becomes more dependent on formula... this is how mixed feeding ends up interfering with supply.

However hard you express a baby is more efficient.

1. Many babies express a preference for one side over the other - so long as it evens out within the feeds over a whole day you shouldn't get too lopsided. Have you tried the rugby-ball hold (ie with him under your armpit) for the less-favoured side?

1. Sore nips can be caused by poor latch and/or over-vigorous exprtessing, but sore breasts sounds like something more serious, perhaps thrush.

Have you got a breastfeeding counsellor? If not, ring one of the helplines on Hunker's blog and see if you can arrange to see someone in real life - MN can only do so much...

You say when he's on the right side he takes more formula afterwards - are you not offering both breasts per feed ? The best thing to get more milk into your DS is to get him to remove milk more often from your breasts - so offering more feeds, offering both breasts per feed, or even offering third and fourth sides (can help with babies that go to sleep, then increased flow when changing sides can help keep then interested).
How much weight did he loose ? Is he back to birth weight now ?

Some great advice already on this thread, but just wanted to add reassurance that I don't think I've met anyone who didn't doubt that they had enough milk in the early weeks, myself included. DD, however, has never had formula, and is still feeding at 2.2 years, so I really did have enough!

I think there is an idea that your breasts "run out" of milk, esp in the evenings, but this isnt true. Breast do not empty or run out, the more your baby sucks, the more milk you produce.
Offer both sides per feed, feed as often as he wants - which will be loads in the first few weeks. Try skin to skin - feed him with only a nappy on and take off your top/bra so he snuggles up, this is goof for boosting supply. Feeding lying down can make life easier if you can manage this, as does co-sleeping
Loads of helpful info here:

www.kellymom.com/bf/index.html

HTH and congrats on your baby.