Can anyone advise me with feeding?

[nicsnigsnags]

bit of background, dd is 3 weeks old, tried to establish breastfeeding after birth to no success, decided to try again and contacted la leche who have sent me lots of info and help

started to take fenugreek and express as well as putting dd on to feed before topping up with formula

she is latching on a sucking well it seems, only taking on average 2-3oz of formula afterwards and then settling

was weighed today and has put on 80z in a week so is gaining, hv said she must be taking milk as she wouldn't have gained this much in a week only taking the amount of formula she is currently having

I am however still doubtful she is getting anything from me, she stays on for 5-10mins and I offer each side, she comes off herself but I don't see any sign of milk when she does, I know there is milk there as I can hand express it but I don't leak milk or anything so just doubtful that she is getting anything from me

would be grateful to hear from anyone who may be able to advise, perhaps it's my own lack of confidence in my ability to breastfeed or maybe it's because I can't physically see her taking it unlike with a bottle that makes me doubt myself

any words of wisdom would be gratefully received!

Gosh-it's been so long since I breastfed-but it seems to me that if your daughter was hungry she'd let you know. I never leaked milk except for one time when I read an article about Horizon dairy in a magazine and I was like-Holy Cow what's going on-then I realized it was because of what I was reading. You should be able to feel when your milk comes in or "let down" but your babes only three weeks so this can take awhile to get the feel of, I think.

hi nnn,
I NEVER felt a let down, and never leaked a drop, apart from when i had a plugged duct and managed to dislodge it and then sprayed the room for 10mins like some comedy waterfall .

Anyway - the thing with BF is that your baby needs to demand it for you to supply it. In other words, the more she gets from formula, the less you will produce. Are you trying to slowly reduce the amount of formula you are giving? I did this with my DS - i was so paranoid he wasnt getting anything from me. by 10 weeks, after i took fenugreek and 'mamasmilk' tea and tried to let him feed as much as possible, he was back on 100% breastmilk. I could kick myself for not getting help when i needed it.

Is there any chance you could get to a le leche league meeting, or another BF support group where a counsellor can observe feed and check on positioning and attachment, and give you reassurance?

I found the website www.kellymom.com a huge help, but really you need real live people. the leader of my LLL group said that she never felt a let down either, so its not that uncommon and doesnt mean you are not producing enough milk.

Good luck xx

Thank you for your replies isenhart7 and pooter

have emailed le leche that is near me to find out where my local meetings are

I will start reducing the formula but as she's not taking a huge amount at the moment(of formula) to what she's suppose to have according to HV thought I would start it gradually

it's given me heart though to hear that it's not that uncommon to not see anything or leak

thank you again for your time

great start nicsnigsnags! I have found so much support from my local LLL group i want to sing about them from teh rooftops! I wish id gone in the early days but i felt like i could only go when i had cracked it - daft i know! I reduced DSs formula really gradually, which is why it took 9wks to get back to 100%bf. he didnt gain anything in the first week that we stopped formula entirely, but he didnt go down either, and is now a really happy healthy 28mo, who is still bf .

I really hope you find the support you need, and the confidence in yourself. It is really hard when you cant feel anything, and evetryone else is going on about how many breastpads they are going through. We are just very efficient

I never leaked either and breastfed my daughter until well over a year old. Sounds like you are doing really well! Supply adjusts pretty quickly to demand, I think, so you could try reducing the formula by a little bit each day and see how that goes. Your baby will soon let you know if she is hungry!

I know what you mean about LLL pooter, I have had loads of info from them and have been emailing one of their advisors who have sent me loads of detailed emails as well, she has been really good

I wouldn't have tried again if it hadn't been for her advice

Thank you for replying horton and letting me know that I'm not the only one who doesn't leak and that it's just my own confidence in my body that needs boosting, it was one of the reasons I gave up so early in the first place