Low milk supply with 2nd baby

[Bubblegum21415]

Hi, I just had my 2nd baby 3 weeks ago and my milk supply is way lower than my first. I remember being able to pump 6-8 oz in 1 sitting from each side with my first at 3 weeks. Whereas now I'm lucky to get 3oz combined from both breast. My 2nd also seems to be constantly on my boob. I could easily be breastfeeding for 1 hours and she still seems hungry. Whenever she has a bottle she seems to drink it quickly and is content and falls asleep for a long period of time. Whereas when she's breastfed she doesn't sleep for longer than 30 minutes. I currently drink about 2-3L of water, have 3 meals a day, take Fenugreek supplement (took them with my first as well) and pump 1-2 times a day. I really want to continue breastfeeding but it's taking up so much time especially when she still seems hungry. She's gaining weight so I know she's not starving and has about 7 dirty nappies in 24 hours. I just need some advice on what to do to increase my supply or if anyone else's supply was different for their 2nd baby.

No advice for you sadly but came on here to find this exact thread! I could have written this post myself.
It's so disheartening but you've done amazing to persist. I'm on day 12 and considering packing it in. Husband goes back to work soon and I cannot look after my toddler and do what i'm currently doing. He will sleep after a feed if he's in my arms, if he's put down or even moved into the carrier he wakes up within 15 mins crying.
Midwife advice was bulk up my diet, drink more, express between feeds (lol). I think it's because he was 9lbs 5 whereas my first was 7lbs!!!
Hoping someone wise comes along to help us!!!!

A few suggestions

are you using the same pump as first time round? Get a new pump set and pump parts

use breast compressions when feeding to push more milk in when baby is at the breast

how much are you giving in a bottle and how often? This will greatly affect your supply and baby’s enthusiasm at the breast. Ensure youre paced feeding. You really should express every time a bottle is given but also it may be you need to express after every feed for a while to up your supply (if you really do have a low supply!)

see an ibclc for full assessment and more importantly an oral function assessment to find out if there’s a reason baby isn’t transferring milk well - is it that baby isn’t transferring milk and therefore causing low supply, or is it low supply and is therefore low transfer? This will be carefully assessed by a lactation consultant (you can search for a local one on lcgb website)

sometimes it’s not a low supply, it’s that you’re not responding well to a pump, and latch needs a slight adjustment to get baby feeding more effectively. Low supply can be caused by many things and really it needs face to face help.

It’s normal for breastfed babies not to sleep for long, if she has formula it takes a lot longer for them to digest the milk and therefore they sleep for longer periods

Congratulations on your new baby OP. My second DC is due next month so I guess I’ll find out then how different it might be.
Do you have a breastfeeding support group in your area that you could speak to?
Might also be worth reading this article in case anything helps:
www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com/blog/low-milk-supply-101

Honestly this advice makes me mad because the amount you eat doesn’t have any impact on milk supply unless you’re absolutely starving yourself.
all babies are different and some are more fractious than others. Is it comfortable when he’s feeding? Does he come off the breast content? Do you hear a good pattern of suck, swallow, suck, swallow?
is he gaining weight ok? Are you exclusively breastfeeding?
id get yourself a sling to wear as babies will sleep for longer up against you and you get two hands free

Oh and OP I’ve just re read your thread and saw you’ve previously been able to pump 6-8oz per side each time!! That’s an insane oversupply and actually not what you’re aiming for to prove you have a “good supply”. Oversupply comes with its own complications.
it may be you have perceived low supply but actually everything is OK!
again i would really recommend a skilled face to face assessment

The amount you are pumping is really good and doesn’t indicate low supply, plus he is gaining weight so sounds fine! but the persistent feeding does sound stressful so you might want to seek local support for that.

Thank you!

So his latch is great, from the get go he's had that sussed. I can hear the pattern of him drinking. However, he falls asleep after about 10 minutes. I then stir him, change him, whatever i need to do. He latches on again, feeds for 5 - 10 mins and falls asleep. I try and put him down, he cries and is rooting again straight away. He would be seriously content to snack every half an hour for a 5 minute feed... which I actually wouldn't mind in the early weeks if I didn't have a very very active toddler. I remember with my first he would feed for about half an hour to an hour and was then always awake for a while. I know they're all different but my second just seems to sleep all day. When I give him formula he is more alert and content after.

I had a c section so I have been told i could still be waiting for full supply. I've been advised that he is only getting the watery milk and not the creamy stuff to fully satisfy him for longer.

He lost weight on day 5 and then didn't gain by 10, was basically the same weight. Day 12 he was very slightly bigger but I had given him an extra formula bottle each day and expressed.

After a feed he's happy if he's in my arms asleep but very rarely wakes up or will allow me to put him down! Bless him. I am having to do formula in order to leave the house. Hes having two bottles of 60ml.

Are you expressing whenever a bottle is given? If not, it’s extremely important.
c section can delay your milk coming in for a few days but by day 12 you’d expect milk to have “come in”
again I’d see if you can get some support from a lactation consultant. Ask your midwife if your trust has one and if not seek a private consultation if that’s an option. It makes me sad that most good breastfeeding care comes at an expense.

Do as much skin to skin as possible and get latch and tongue tie checked for by an IBCLC not a midwife without that qualification. Tongue ties are really missed and can cause all sorts of problems. Lots of areas have free feeding cafes or you can pay privately.

I think its normal to have two different experiences. Breastfeeding is designed to suit your baby and the time of year and all-sorts so will vary. If she is gaining weight then its going well. Babies do feed a lot! Some more then others. I wouldn't say you have a supply issue just because you are expressing less than previously.

Are you eating enough? With my
Second she wasn't gaining weight and they were considering putting me on a medication for boosting supply. But i started eating snacks and having more drinks to boost supply and that did the trick. I made flapjacks with loads of nuts and oats and drank them with milky hot
Chocolates. Lots of peanut butter. Upped
My dairy and protein.

If she’s on your boob more she’s probably not leaving as much for you to pump. I think this is just cluster feeding and if she’s gaining weight you know she is getting enough. 3 meals a day may not be enough though, I’d be starving breastfeeding unless they were maaassive meals

My daughter never fed for longer than 5-7 minutes every 1-2h until 7-8 months!
She had allergies and reflux which weren't resolved until 5 months and in that time she went down to 5-10 second feeds! Totally 1-2 minutes from 8am until 8pm. Still had beautiful weight gain. No idea how!
I could collect 2-3 Oz with a haakaa in the early day on the other side and once I had a manual pump I usually got 2-4oz at a time.
You description of your current baby sounds very normal. Are there any breastfeeding groups near you? It might help to see a plethora of different normals to see where your two experiences fit.

I also just wanted to share the experience of my grandmother. She couldn't breastfeed her first as he was too poorly and she then never had enough supply for my mum and her sister. Her sister had babies of the same age and she topped up her nieces when she saw them. Supply issues are as old as time the difference is we don't have a village in the same situation. If baby is happy, content and thriving it might be a case of working with her rhythm