Should I wake my baby for a feed (trying to rescue dwindling supply)?

[tirednewmummy]

I've been having lots of trouble breastfeeding my 3.5 week old ds. Feeding is not painful and the latch looks ok to me, but I am very concerned about low supply. DS has been constantly hungry since day 5 (my milk did not come in until day 6 after traumatic birth and blood loss) and I have topped-up with expressed milk and/or formula just so I could get some rest. I am now having even more problems with supply (the amount I can pump is falling), but I desperately want to keep breastfeeding and ideally lose the top ups. So I'm working very hard to breastfeed on demand and I've started taking Motilium. I've also found breast compression to be helpful.

My question is: My ds has been asleep for 2 hours 10 minutes now. Should I feed him when he wakes? Or, since I am trying to boost a dwindling supply, should I wake him for a feed if he goes much beyond 2 hours during the day.

Also has anyone here managed to rescue a similar situation (formula top ups and dwindling supply) and restore exclusive breastfeeding?

I would offer at least every two hours in the day and every 4 hours at night if you want to stimulate supply. No experience of formula top ups but hopefully someone will come along soon who will be more helpful.

don't think because you can't express it that you have no milk - the baby is much better at stimulating a letdown than you are. This is particularly the case if you are stressed about how much you are getting.

If you can manage it - try expressing while the baby feeds - that way the letdown in one breast stimulates the supply in the other - a bit like tandem feeding twins.

Also have lots and lots of skin to skin time with your baby - which should stimulate your body to realise it is milk making mode.

I wouldn't wake him before three hours - because he may not feed anyway and then you have a tired baby to deal with as well. I would feed as soon as he wakes and then offer it again after say 1.5 hours - even if just for a quick 5 minutes top up - again it would make your body go into milk making mode.

Of you can keep that up over a few days it will help.

Also - if he is not waking up for many night feeds (and you will hate me for this) - set the alarm for the very early morning and express a bit - apparently it is the best time to help build supply.

Thanks. I have woken him and he is feeding now. Just out of curiosity - do people count the time between feeds as from the start of one to the start of another, or from the end of one to the start of another?

IME there is very little connection between how much you can express and how much baby is getting

i have been bf for years and currently bf enormous toddler so I KNOW I have plenty milk. last time I tried to express I coudln't cover the bottom of the bottle

sorry dont knwo the answer to your questions but hopefully an expert will be along soon

I always counted from the start of one feed to the start of another. If you're feeding 2-3 hourly and if they feed for a long time, there might only be 1-1.5 hours between the end of a feed and the beginning of the next one.

I know what it's like - I had weeks and weeks of setting an alarm for 3am to wake dd and feed her to keep my supply going. Grim.

I have tried expressing at the same time as feeding, but I couldn't manage it. Also my ds seems to feed from both sides at each feed.

With formula top ups my ds feeds twice in the night. Without top ups he won't settle at all. Tonight I will try to reduce the top ups. I don't mind getting up more frequently for feeds, but I cannot cope with no sleep.

do you sleep when he does during the day ? For a while it is best if you can take on their time zone rather than trying to stay on a normal day.

Formula is heavy on their stomachs and takes longer to digest so they do tend to sleep longer.

Settling after a breast feed at night - maybe it is a wind problem - try lots of over the shoulder and back rubbing - or laying on his tummy and rubbing his back - and then turn him over to sleep when he starts to settle.

It is so easy to blame yourself when you are sleep deprived. He may not be hungry all the time - just likes the comfort of sucking and being close to you. Maybe just being with you - say in a sling will settle him enough sometimes.

And remember he is learning how to do it too - it is not something either of you can do by instinct alone.

Hello tirednewmummy - Congratulations on the birth of your son! Being a new mum isnt easy and Breastfeeding can be hard work especially when your tired.
My advice would be when ever baby is awake, feed him!The more you feed him the more milk you will produce. I would agree with Kristinam Expressing isnt always a good indicator of the amount of milk you are producing. My DS recently weaned himself at 14 months and after 2 weeks of stopping 2 feeds per day I still had plenty of milk, I know this because he had a tummy bug and briefly started feeding again!

So, my advice for increasing milk supply:

Lots of skin to skin
Frequent feeding
Feed on both sides
Take a 2 day stay in bed break, Just you, baby, lots to eat and drink and frequent feeding! (it worked for me with baby number 1)
Sleep when baby sleeps
At the times you are giving the top up bottles offer him breast first and when he has fed from you offer him the bottle to see if he still takes it, this may take a few days to increase to replace the bottle completely.
Take Fenugreek its a natural, herbal galactagogue.

Good luck - you may want to find out where your local Breastfeeding support group is and go along. I run a group in Leamington Spa and I have info on other groups in the UK if you need it? xx