Breastfeed 10 week old - how often?

[Bubbaboy]

Hello!

I know every baby is different but just wondered how long your baby breastfed for and how often when aged around 10 weeks?

I am combi feeding but mainly formula due to several difficulties. Want to move to more breastfeeds than formula but he only feeds around 15 minutes and is hungry an hour later! With formula he feeds every 3 hours. I know formula heavier etc but just wondering what people's experience was with breastfeeding?

At 10 weeks, mine fed about every hour in the daytime, had a massive cluster feed for an hour or two at bedtime, then woke two or three times in the night for a feed. She was born small and was really piling on the pounds at this point!

Are you bottle feeding on demand? If so, you could pump at each bottle feed, so your boobs are getting stimulated and the signal to increase supply? So:

Offer breast, feed for as long as you’re comfortable with, then give bottle, and pump (either during bottle or after)

With pumping- I’m mostly just pumping and not offering breast as often as you - there are a few things you can do to get the most out and to increase supply:

1. drink gallons of water! I drink at pint of water for every pump/breastfeed

2. little and often pumps is more effecting than fewer long pumps. So pump for 15 mins every 2 hours etc

3. if you’re double pumping, you may find pumping each breast individually boosts your supply more

4. ensure you have the right size flange! I can’t stress this enough- I had the wrong size on my left boob, changed it for the correct size and BOOM - double the output

5. put a bit of coconut oil or lanshinoh around the tube of the flange

6. always make sure your nipple is central in the flange tunnel (why the fuck do they call it a flange?!)

7. get yourself a pump bra! I’d consider this essential if you’re pumping often. Mine were £10 off the spectra website, but the same style is on Amazon for £13.99 if you type in “pump bra”. They also double as a nursing bra. I wear mine day in day out, it lets me do stuff while I pump so it’s not such a chore (was baking cakes with my eldest while pumping yesterday!)

8. play around with the setting on your pump - it should start quick pumps first then longer ones - however that’s not necessarily what’s going to get the most out of your boob. My left boob gives the most if I stay on the “let down” setting. My right prefers me to swap between settings every 5 mins!

9. breast compressions - squeeze/massage the crap out of your boobs. This helps all milk to be released and prevent clogged ducts

10. skin to skin while pumping, or look at baby/pictures etc to help with let down

Remember - your boobs are a river, not a lake! You will keep producing milk. Pump for a few mins after the milk has stopped flowing to tell your body to make more. Or swap back to let down setting to get another let down.

That all said... I agree with gamerchick that the easiest way to increase supply is to feed. I agree the decrease of wet nappies would concern me, so perhaps ensure he still gets a few bottles a day to keep your mind at ease?

Hope some of that is helpful x

also, if you stick with pumping or go down that route, download the “milk stash” app or similar to keep track of what you’re pumping, you’ll be able to see the amounts increasing daily.

I started on 120ml a day 2 days after birth, little man is 3 weeks old now and I am pumping 1300-1400ml over 4 sessions

@Flappityflippers1 yeah I am bottle feeding on dens so snd pumped every 2/3 hours for 8 weeks having given it up in the last couple of weeks as I was not getting much out and found it disheartening. Tried all the things you suggested and do breast compressions whilst feeding. I think I will do what you have also suggested which is still give some bottles right now. Especially in the evening when me supply seems to be considerably lower!! Thanks for the advice!!

I wouldn't be too worried about the "long" evening feeds. Every bf baby I've known has done similar. Dc3 (4 weeks) currently spends 5-8.30pm and 2.30-6am pretty much constantly on the breast (he gets burped) with night feeds in-between 😫

I would try to make the switch gradually though. You could do that by dropping a bottle feed a week or by always offering the breast prior to a bottle (and reducing the amount of formula a little). Trying to do it all at once is more likely to cause problems and be distressing for you both.

I'm unsure why you think your supply is lower in the evenings? It's very unlikely to be the case. Babies generally cluster feed at that time and although it's hard work it is also normal - it's why bf mums are constantly told they'll get to watch box sets/read books (for this to work you need a 3yr gap between DC- no one told me this 😭)

How's your latch? Does he just take your nipple or has he got all the areola? He'll take on significantly more with a decent mouthful, and that'll improve supply too.

@User0ne when I used to pump id get more in the mornings and then In The evening literally like 10ml! So I assumed it was lower in the evenings and HVs said this can happen. This morning though I fed him again two hours straight and he just then screamed and wouldn't continue feeding. He gets frustrated and pulls at the breast screaming as if he is getting nothing until I give up and give formula. It seems like his latch is getting worse too over the last week and he only takes the nipple now!! When he has a deeper latch to start with he then moves off after a few seconds and just has the nipple again. I feel like we are going backwards!!

@FurrySlipperBoots hi I was just mentioning this in my reply above. His latch was struggle to begin with due to tongue tie but he had that shipped and it improved. HVs checked it and it looked fine. But for some reason the last week he won't latch properly as much as I try. He starts off latched and then moves and unlatches himself so he only really has the nipple. Every time we relatch he does this again, I really don't know why!! Or how to resolve it.