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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Nothing coming out

17 replies

Lynsy · 04/05/2009 19:55

Hi Everyone

I am just after some advice for my bestfriend. She gave birth friday to her 1st and has since been trying to breastfeed, I went over to see her today and she is still having problems.I gave her my electric breast pump and I sat with her and we put it on but apart from one drip of milk nothing came out at all, tried the other breast and it was the same, and even when she squeezes them only a drop comes out. Her breasts are hard and painful and looks like her milk has come in, but would it be the case that if nothing comes out with the electric pump then it's likely to be the case that nothing is coming out for baby and that is why he is getting so distressed and would there be any reason for her milk not coming out.

Any advice to pass on would be great.

Thanks

OP posts:

callmeovercautious · 04/05/2009 20:04

Was she holding lo while you tried all this? I found expressing easier when DD was in contact with me.

Get her to look up hand expressing techniques and give that a try. It worked for me (to relieve the engorgement between feeds). You can catch the milk in a sterile bottle and use it to feed lo later - although that took me a few goes to master

MrsHappy · 04/05/2009 20:06

The amount you can (or can't) pump is not related to whether you have milk and whether the baby can get it out. Babies are much more efficient than pumps etc so if I were your friend I would give that a miss for the time being.

If I were her I would get someone round from La Leche League or similar to check my latch, and I would spend lots of time topless snuggling with the baby and letting him suckle as much as he likes. He may just be getting upset because he wants to suck all the time, in which case she should let him. And she should try to relax too.

NotQuiteCockney · 04/05/2009 20:09

Congrats to your best friend.

As MrsHappy says, the amount you can pump isn't really indicative of how much a baby is getting out. Babies have been designed, for millions of years, for milk extractions. Breast pumps are just not that good!

Is the baby making wet nappies, and dirty ones? How is his weight?

Original poster

Lynsy · 04/05/2009 20:13

Thanks for the advice girls.
Yes she tries latching him on first and he cries and gets distressed and then he will suck a couple of times and come off, she then out him to the other breast and he does the same. She is currently hand expressing into a syringe as per what the mw said but so little is coming out.

I told her to contact mw again and ask them to come round as she is so determined to do it and getting upset that she can't.

Thanks again

OP posts:

Original poster

Lynsy · 04/05/2009 20:29

baby has wet and dirty nappies and not sure about the weight but she is formula feeding him as otherwise he is getting nothing, she sits with him trying for about 20 minutes but is finding it hard to listen to him cry

OP posts:

MrsHappy · 04/05/2009 20:40

Poor thing, I really think she should get a breastfeeding adviser to come to her house and sit with her through a feed.

I don't know if putting warm flannels on her breasts/massaging them prior to a feed might help the milk flow a bit better? I am no expert, for all I know that could be an old wives' tale, but maybe no harm in trying?

peggotty · 04/05/2009 20:42

the baby will find it harder to latch on if her breasts are hard and engorged, but she will need to persevere. When my milk came is when i had ds it was awful as my boobs were huge, hard and sore. I remember using cabbage leaves and warm flannels to help with the engorgement.. also, if she is giving him formula at this stage she may be scuppering her chances of bfing. She definately needs to get onto a helpline for Laleche league or NCT.

smallchange · 04/05/2009 20:44

Expressing is really quite hard at first. I found that lying in a hot bath helped with engorged breasts - and you could see the milk coming out under the water with no help from me! Might reassure her that there's some there.

It sounds like the midwife needs to give her more advice about hand expressing. When she was trying the pump did she use the "comfort" insert? I found it impossible to get a good seal with one of those in. Also making sure she was doing 5 fast presses and then a long slow one. It's difficult and it doesn't mean she has no milk.

smallchange · 04/05/2009 20:45

Just re-read your post. Has she tried a hand pump instead of an electric pump?

InternationalFlight · 04/05/2009 20:48

has anyone got the number handy?

It might be a latch problem.
Has she tried the thing where you lay down with baby next to you or on your belly, face down, and let him crawl to your breast, it can work even after a few days, they will find the correct latch themselves if you do it that way...sorry can't remember much but worth a try.

Lots of skin to skin and lying down I think, and just wait. Formula is going to cut her supply so deffo minimise that although i know how she must feel if baby is upset. Whereabouts are you, is there someone here who has a contact for your area?

MrsTittleMouse · 04/05/2009 20:50

I agree with everyone else about the breast pump. I had a huge DD1 who was really greedy and put on weight at an astonishing rate, but I struggled to express at all. There isn't necessarily a correlation between the amount that a pump can get out and the amount that a baby can get out.

Warm showers and massage can help to relieve engorgement, but I agree that the best thing would be to get proper hands-on help from LaLeche, ABM or the breast feeding counsellor from the hospital (assuming that there is one).

There has been a lot of good feedback on here about the "laid back" or "biological nuturing" position if she needs to try a different way to get a good latch -
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/breast_and_bottle_feeding/743701-biological-nuturing-has-anyone-tried-it

Fingers crossed for your friend, I really hope that she (and the baby) are able to work this out.

peggotty · 04/05/2009 20:51

laleche league 0845 120 2918

MrsTittleMouse · 04/05/2009 20:52

The association of breastfeeding mothers helpline number is
08444 122 949

I've never used them myself but have heard good things about them from friends.

Original poster

Lynsy · 04/05/2009 20:52

Thanks again for the advice will pass it all on to her, like you said Mrs Happy no harm in trying anything, and I know she would be happy to give anything ago as she is not ready to give up yet.

The pump is electric so you set it to a speed you would like, press a button and it does it for you.

I will let her know about the nct and Laleche, and I did say to her to get the mw round tomorrow to get them to help again.

OP posts:

InternationalFlight · 04/05/2009 20:52

Yes this is similar to what I meant

Well done mrsTittle

Original poster

Lynsy · 04/05/2009 21:03

Thanks everyone for all the advice, numbers and ideas, nice to know you can come on here and get lots of good helpfull advice - Thankyou.

OP posts:

InternationalFlight · 05/05/2009 09:54

Let us know how she gets on

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