Do I have enough breastmilk?

F

FutureHKmom

Registered User
I have been exclusively breastfeeding my 3 week old baby - mostly I put him on the breast but one to two times a day I give him EBM with a bottle. Usually I give him the bottle at the last feed at night before I go to sleep because I feel like he sleeps longer after a bottle (I was giving him 90 ml, but this past week my pediatrician suggested that I give him 100 ml at this last feed so he sleeps longer).

Since yesterday, however, I have felt that I am not producing as much milk and the reason why I think that is because I don't feel like my breasts are as firm at each feed. Furthermore, I feel like my baby is always hungry because he has been crying a lot and sometimes even rooting around like he's hungry immediately after a feed (which lasts from 30-45 minutes). He's also eating more frequently - he used to eat every 3-4 hours, but last night he started crying again after just 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

So I'm basically worried that I am not producing enough milk to satisfy him and am not sure what I should do. Should I supplement with a bottle of formula if he seems too hungry? Should I let him continue to suck at my breast even if I feel that my breast is really soft and therefore I'm not sure how much milk is left?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!!
 
At 3 weeks, my breastfeed baby was feeding every 2 hours, for about 45-60 minutes each feed. At times I felt like she was feeding constantly. Your baby might be going through a growth spurt, so let him feed as often as he seems hungry. You should also drink plenty of water, eat well and get as much rest as you can.

Is your baby gaining weight well, and does he have wet nappies? If the weight gain's OK, then he's probably getting enough milk.

Your breasts do adjust to breastfeeding, and will not always be rock hard before every feed once your body gets used to it. With both my kids I had to wear a bigger sized bra for the first month or two, then went down a size for the rest of the time they were breastfed (and, unfortunately, down another size when they were weaned!)

Good luck! Do ask a lactation consultant or contact the LLL for advice if you want more information.
 
Thanks tstmum - he has at least 5 or 6 wet nappies a day - and when we went to the pediatrician for a check up last week, the pediatrician says that he is gaining enough weight. So I guess he is getting enough, it's just that he is very fussy these past few days and is crying more, so it is making me worry a bit.
 
Sounds you have the first baby!
At around 3 weeks, the baby 'wakes' up and wil generally begin to demand more of your time and attention.
Also, this is around the time that most babies will have their forst growth spurt and feed more, and whinge more.
Breasts do not need to be 'firm' to be full of milk. Remember that by now the skin has stretched a little, and that the supply has settled down.
Try hand expressing after a feed - does the milk still form or squirt from the nipple? If so, there is 100% enough milk.
If you are worried about supply the best things you can do are to drink enough water (espeically now that it gets warmer) - express more and feed more during the day. You will notice more milk after just a few days.
Sarah, from the LLL, often replies to these threads (but she may be away for Easter.......)
 
I agree with the others - babies often goes through a growth spurt at 3 weeks - it should only last a few days. Mine just went through his 3 month spurt - boy was that tiring!
I would say, however, that my breasts didn`t really `soften up` until after about 2 months when breastfeeding was really underway. But at nighttime, they were definitely softer than in the middle of the night or morning. but also, since suddenly your baby is eating more often, your breasts may not have the time to accumulate that milk to get them hard.
I know you`re expressing, and perhaps it`s just more my own experiences, but I find that when the baby feeds directly, waaaay more milk is produced. I have a hard time letting down when I pump but it`s no problem with my baby. have you thought that with pumping if you`re not producing as much milk as when you feed directly, it might actually be decreasing your overall supply? Especially if your goal is to have him sleep longer, if he is actually sleeping longer then you`re not feeding him and producing that milk.
Also, my baby suddenly woke up around 4 weeks and ate waaay more often and slept less. Your baby sounds like she is also waking up to the world more.
I would just advise to follow her lead and feed her directly as every opportunity. It supposedly takes about 6-8 weeks to fully establish breastfeeding. It seemed like long to me until I realised that my own BFing wasn`t really in full swing until around then.
Good luck and congratulations on being a new mommy!
 
Hi everyone,
i'm still breastfeeding my 10 months old baby. Is it normal to have one breast bigger than the other one? I feed her twice during the day and several times during the night, while for lunch time n dinner i let her eat rice powder based baby food, with mixed vegetables n meat. i think i should stop to beastfeed her soon, but it seems very difficult...
 
Thanks everyone for your advice! The situation seems to be getting a little better after the weekend and my son is less fussy. He is definitely eating a lot more in this past week. I only pump once or twice a day (usually in the early morning and one other time) and he feeds directly at least 6-7 times a day (with one bottle in the middle of the night with EBM). So I'm hoping things will be ok now! Thanks again!
 
I'm glad things are working out for you. Honestly, breastfeeding is really hard work at times, particularly in the early weeks, and it took us about 3 months to really figure things out. Eventually the feeds do get shorter and less frequent.
 
I will second that for sure. I had lots of BF problems(and a new one as of late...:( ), and I got a lot of great advice and encouragement from other ladies on this board. Keep trying and continue the great work!
 
i'm on my 3rd week, almost gave up on the first week, now it's getting a little better, i slept 4 hrs straight last night, hopefully in one month, all will be well. This is the best gift i can give to my baby. BF is determination.
 
The breastfeeding has taken a turn for the worse today unfortunately and I had to give him a bit of formula to supplement. For the 10pm feed last night and the noon feed today, my baby sucked and sucked and sucked for half and hour on one breast, fell asleep and then woke up shortly afterwards screaming and so I gave him my other breast for 1/2 hour. Shortly after giving him my second breast he started screaming and screaming again. As I didn't really know what to do, I just topped him up with a little bit of formula and he seems to have calmed down now and gone to sleep.

I've called a lactation consultant to come in tomorrow to help out but it is quite frustrating that I have had enough milk for 3 weeks and all of a sudden things seem to be falling apart!
 
hi futuremom,

pls let me know the advice of the consultant, it happens to me as i've said on other thread, my baby cluster feeds from 6-10 pm which is so frustrating and tiring. he nurse for 1/2 hr, sleep for 5-10 mins then cries again. It ends around 10pm and he sleeps well.

Are you taking supplements for milk supply? i take fenugreek seed which helps a lot.
 
FutureHKmom - are you achieving letdown of your milk? I had the same difficulty, i think, in my first few weeks. My baby would suck and suck and it hurt so badly. I nearly gave up. Then I noticed I started to get all tingly in my breasts, and milk started to flow more easily. Now it sprays, but that`s a whole different issue:)
 
FutureHKmom, does your baby suck well? I had a hard time in the beginning because my son was pretty inefficient for a while, looking for milk every which way but the breast or not being able to have a good latch etc. Also, do you think it just may be gases stuck or something which is why he is getting up crying so soon after a feed?
 
Thundacatchergo, pumping is often not a reliable way of testing how much milk you are producing as many women find it difficult to acheive let down when pumping. This is particularly the case in the early days of breast feeding.
 
Suv and Shenzhennifer - Thanks for your advice. A lactation consultant came to help me this afternoon and she fixed my latch. She said that I had plenty of milk, but that I had some blocked ducts because my baby's latch wasn't quite right. She helped me unblock the ducts (and boy did that hurt) and taught me the right way to have my baby latch on. So hopefully, things will go better now. She also told me that my baby may be extra fussy because he has some gas in his stomach.

crystal88 - I told the lactation consultant that sometimes my baby sleeps for 4 hours during the night and she said that is ok. But during the day, he should feed every 2-3 hours. She told me, which I have already mentioned on this thread before, that signs that the baby is getting enough milk are that he is gaining weight, having 6-8 wet diapers a day and at least 2 poos a day.
 
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