Why isn't baby satisfied with breastmilk?

[tweetypie2]

Tonight I was feeding ds (20 weeks) as usual before his bedtime. He fed from both breasts very quickly and then cried. We tried to settle him but it was obvious he was still hungry. I tried to feed him again but there really didn't seem to be much there and he wouldn't settle. Eventually dp gave him formula and he guzzled 2oz before falling asleep. I'm really worried my supply is too low and I can't satisfy him anymore. He had been feeding on and off for the previous 2 hours - do breasts need more time to 'fill up'?

Hang in there, 4 months/20 weeks is a typical time for a growth-spurt in babies. Keep breast-feeding him, even if you don't feel like there's much milk there. His feeding action will stimulate your supply and your body will produce more milk to match his demand. It will probably settle down in a few days.

Try to avoid formula if you can (and if you want to, of course) as that can interfere with your supply increasing, as your body won't be getting the message that it needs to produce more.

Good Luck, it can be a trying time, but if you can stick it out it should settle down again soon.

Sorry to hear you are worried about this.

Are you sure he was still hungry? Could he be teething perhaps or coming down with something and just looking for comfort?

BF babies very often do continue to drink when offered a botttle after a bf. They often just want to keep sucking, and of course the milk comes much more easily from a bottle than from the breast, so it can mislead mothers into thinking that their baby is still hungry.

Breastmilk is produced on a supply and demand basis. The more often you remove the milk, the more your body will make, so leaving them to "fill up" actually results in less milk being produced than is produced when you are feeding frequently.

Is he likely to be wakeful in the night? Do you co sleep?

Hi, you are doing really well to be feeding still, so try not to worry about your supply, your baby will get your supply up by feeding a lot more when he needs it. As he's fed on and off for 2hours, he's prob building it up.

I'm feeding twins, and during growth spurts was feeding a lot, so don't worry about leaving breasts to fill up. A breastfeeding counsellor once told me that breasts are not like bottles, and are never really totally empty, so your baby will still be getting something in every feed. I found this comforting!! Good luck xx

Thanks for advice. We don't co-sleep but he's still in our room. He usually wakes up twice in the night for a feed. I'm just worried that my breasts don't feel particularly 'full', except first thing in the morning and that he seems to finish feeding so quickly, 10 mins usually.

by 20 weeks, your body is well adjusted to making the right amount of milk and you don't tend to feel full like in the early days. Also, your ds has had 20 weeks practicing becoming an efficient feeding machine , so providing he is peeing/pooing plenty/gaining weight/seems ok in himself, then 10 mins is probably right for him.

Remember that your breasts are never empty, so you are not going to run out!

By 20 weeks you would expect to feel less full and for your baby to take shorter feeds that's all perfectly normal. He'll still have growth spurts from time to time when he needs to feed more in order to build up your supply, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong as someone said on here once, it's like leaving a note out for the milkman saying "an extra pint of milk, please".