First week

Hal Berman wrote:
I'm a new Mom to a 5-day old who is frustrated (already!). I can't
seem to produce enough milk for him. I would feed him constantly, but
he would only have small amounts of poop in his diapers, and would
not stop crying. I finally gave in and fed him about 1-2 oz of
formula, which he drank up immediately and finally went to sleep.


Has your milk come in yet? I wouldn't be surprised if it were just barely
coming in. Keep letting him nurse all the time; that's how your body will
know to make plenty of milk.

I tried pumping, but only got about 1 oz after 40 minutes with an
Avent pump. I feel so guilty, because I don't know if I can provide
him enough breast milk.


That's really good for a baby less than a week old. I'd say you probably
don't have a problem, it's just really early and sometimes milk is slow to
come in.

--
iphigenia
www.tristyn.net

I'm a new Mom to a 5-day old who is frustrated (already!). I can't
seem to produce enough milk for him. I would feed him constantly, but
he would only have small amounts of poop in his diapers, and would not
stop crying.

The poop isn't particularly worrisome; plenty of babies don't poop much and at
5 days old he is probably still getting all or mostly colostrum, not milk. Is
he still passing meconium (that tarry blackish poop), or has his poop started
to turn thinner and yellower? How many *wet* diapers is he having in a day?

The crying is more of a concern, but if he's only been that way in the last day
or so, I want to assure you that is totally typical for around the 4th or 5th
day when your milk is just about to come in and the baby is just starting to
wake up and take notice of his surroundings a little more. (Hey! I'm not in
my cozy little womb any more, growing and getting everything I need without
effort! I have to breathe and eat and stuff and it's hard work!) Keep him
latched onto your breast as many hours a day as you can, and this stage will
soon be over.

I finally gave in and fed him about 1-2 oz of formula,
which he drank up immediately and finally went to sleep.

(Sigh. WHY do so many new moms DO this? I'm sorry, Kim, I don't mean to pick
on you, but I really don't understand it.)

If he's crying so hard he can't or won't latch on, a *very* small supplement of
formula or sugar water might help calm him down enough so you can then get him
on the breast. But be cautious; basically feeding him formula (especially
using a bottle) is the absolute WORST possible thing you can do right now.
Giving him enough to make him sleep is a really, really, really bad idea.

For one thing, every ounce of formula you feed him is an ounce of breastmilk
that your body wrongly thinks it doesn't need to make. ESPECIALLY right now
when your milk supply is just starting, you've got to nurse as much as
possible, and avoid any kind of supplements as long as the baby isn't
dehydrated or losing too much weight, or you risk battling low supply for
months. For another thing, every ounce of formula you give him increases his
risk of pretty much every disease known to man. Okay, so 2 ounces isn't likely
to hurt him measurably and of course you have to feed him. I don't mean to
make you feel bad about what's done; you needn't feel guilty about a decision
you made on the basis of poor information. But be realistic about the possible
effects and don't fall down the slippery slope of more and more supplementing!
Finally, if you give a newborn a bottle, he may develop nipple confusion,
meaning he gets confused about how to properly suckle at your breast, since the
bottle requires a completely different set of actions, or bottle preference,
meaning the baby will refuse to nurse because the bottle is so much less work
for him. Either situation can result in horribly painful nipples for you, in
addition to the nutritional problems for baby.


I tried pumping, but only got about 1 oz after 40 minutes with an
Avent pump. I feel so guilty, because I don't know if I can provide
him enough breast milk.

Your body grew a whole baby. Of course it can make enough milk!

Pumping 1 oz. in any amount of time with an Avent at 5 days post partum is
excellent. My milk hadn't even come in until that night, and my early attempts
at pumping (because of flattish nipples) yielded virtually nothing. You are
making milk. Don't worry about it.


Should I contact a lactation consultant, or will I ever produce
enough?

Yes, contact a lactation consultant. A good LC can reassure you and help you
figure out why your baby might be crying so much, if in fact he is still so
unhappy by tomorrow. :-) YES, you will almost certainly produce enough milk
-- assuming you throw out the formula and nurse, nurse, nurse! :-)

Best wishes and congratulations on the birth of your precious son!

Holly
Mom to Camden, 2 yrs

Hal Berman wrote:

I would feed him constantly

Keep doing that. The more you feed him, the more milk there
will be. Make sure he has a good latch; otherwise, it's
harder for him to get the milk out, and your body doesn't
get the stimulation it needs. And a good latch will keep
you from getting as sore when he's connected 24/7. Drink
plenty of water. Don't supplement with formula unless he's
not producing enough output (I forget what the guidelines
are for newborns). I assume there are no other issues (like
prior breast surgery, tongue-tie, retained placenta)?

I tried pumping, but only got about 1 oz after 40
minutes with an Avent pump.

That's pretty darn good. My first try pumping, I didn't get
enough to cover the bottom of the bottle in 40 minutes. And
my baby was more than 3 weeks old and growing like a weed.


Should I contact a lactation consultant

It can't hurt, and might help. I really don't think this is
a supply issue, though. A lot of 5-day-old babies want to
nurse all the time, and that's good for him and your milk
supply.

Phoebe

"HollyLewis" wrote in message
...

(Sigh. WHY do so many new moms DO this? I'm sorry, Kim, I don't mean to
pick
on you, but I really don't understand it.)

I think its got to be hard to resist Holly. You know well I would never do
it *but* I told DH today that I understand for the first time why moms do.
I can almost believe in the middle of Owen's three week growth spurt that
there is no milk in there and he's starving


--
Rhiannon
Madison Sophia - 9/6/01
Owen Grady - 6/23/03

I'm a new Mom to a 5-day old who is frustrated (already!). I can't
seem to produce enough milk for him. I would feed him constantly, but
he would only have small amounts of poop in his diapers,

He needs to have 6-8 wet diapers a day.

and would not
stop crying.


Does he cry when nursing? Is he happy for awhile after nursing?

I finally gave in and fed him about 1-2 oz of formula,
which he drank up immediately and finally went to sleep.


Lots of people lose confidence and give formula in the early days. Just don't
do it again! Really, it will be okay. :-)


I tried pumping, but only got about 1 oz after 40 minutes with an
Avent pump.

Very typical. For one thing, your milk is just coming in. For another, many
women cannot let down well for a pump. And finally, how much you can pump is
no indicator of how much your much more efficient baby is able to get.


I feel so guilty, because I don't know if I can provide
him enough breast milk.

Unless there is something medically wrong with you (which is vanishingly
rare), you can do it! It is absolutely typical for newborns to want to nurse
all the time. It makes them feel more secure, and it helps to bring in the
milk. I usually had my babies latched on most of the time for the first couple
of days until my milk came in.


Should I contact a lactation consultant, or will I ever produce
enough?

You WILL produce enough, but by all means contact an LC for reassurance and to
prevent possible problems. And keep posting here!

Leslie

Thanks in advance,

Kim








Leslie

Emily (2/4/91), Jake (1/27/94), Teddy (2/15/95), and William (3/5/01)
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/o/onemoremakesfour/

"Children come trailing clouds of glory from God, which is their home."
~ William Wordsworth

Hal Berman wrote:
Hi all,

I'm a new Mom to a 5-day old who is frustrated (already!). I can't
seem to produce enough milk for him. I would feed him constantly, but
he would only have small amounts of poop in his diapers, and would not
stop crying. I finally gave in and fed him about 1-2 oz of formula,
which he drank up immediately and finally went to sleep.

Sounds like my story exactly! I came home
on the 5th day, baby was crying constantly,
both grandmothers insisted on feeding baby,
so he got some formula.

Still, at the 1-week checkup, the pediatrician
told me to "let go of the bicycle" and completely
feed on demand. Within a week, my milk supply
went up incredibly and now I'm constantly leaking
like crazy.

I tried pumping, but only got about 1 oz after 40 minutes with an
Avent pump. I feel so guilty, because I don't know if I can provide
him enough breast milk.

Wow, my first pumping sessions gave out a
couple of DROPS in half an hour. You're
doing very well! Just keep feeding your
baby. You WILL produce enough milk!

-- Anita --
Mommy to Sammy, almost 5 weeks old

Jessica feeds 2 times a night before and after the growth spurt (way
more during the growth spurt for 9 days). She sleeps one 4 hour
stretch and one 3 hour stretch and then a little more in the morning,
which gets me 7 to 9 hours of broken sleep. How well is your baby
sleeping?

Truthfully I don't mind how often she wants to nurse in the night. I
fall right back asleep as long as she doesn't want to play, and she
hasn't done that in weeks. Now if the days were as easy as the
nights, it'd be bliss.

KC

"jake's mom" wrote in message .com...
KC, my son is about 7.5 weeks also. Just curious as to how your night
feedings are going. How often is your baby eating overnight and how long
does he sleep between feedings?

Robin
Jakob (7.5 weeks)

Jessica has always been a sleeper, so she never did the 5 or 6
feedings at night thing - you poor thing. In fact, early on I had to
wake her because she would actually sleep 5 hours at night in the
early days. She doesn't anymore. I think she was tired from being
starved because I didn't have enough milk at first, but now she is not
too tired anymore.

During the day she is a Klingon too. It has turned into that she is
either in the swing or being held/worn. I used to set her in the
stroller for naps, but se immediately wakes up if she's not being worn
or in the swing now. Thank goodness for the swing.

She is at the breast tons during the day still, but not as bad as the
growth spurt which was constant. I think she uses it for comfort alot
because if I need to do something I will pass her to dh or put her in
the swing she will be happy, but if she is in my arms she's not happy
unless she gets boobie.

I do co-sleep. I get great sleep even with her nursing. Actually I
find that I am getting better sleep now than when I do not have my
little bed buddy. Those nursing hormones send me back to sleep so
fast. Do you feel pretty rested with the co-sleeping too?

The day times with a klingon baby do tire me out for sure though.

KC

"jake's mom" wrote in message .com...
I kept track of all of Jakob's feedings since yesterday at 11 am. He has
eaten 11 times so far. Some of those are 5-10 minute feedings and there are
a couple of 15 minute feedings. He ate for 45 minutes right before bed last
night(very unusual for him). He still got up to eat 3 times between 10:30
and 8:00 --much improved from his typical 5-6 times feeding overnight! He
sleeps pretty well as long as we co-sleep. Do you co-sleep with DD? I just
roll over and feed Jakob lying down--when I used to cradle hold or football
hold to feed him overnight, he thought it was playtime for at least an hour
after eating. We've tried the crib and a buggy next to our bed but as soon
as he wakes up he is scared and cries. How is your DD during the day?
Jakob is a Klingon(nicknamed from another newsgroup)! He must be held or he
screams bloody murder. This is extremely tiresome but as I have been told
he will grow out of it in a couple of months(fingers crossed).

Robin
"KC" wrote in message
om...
Jessica feeds 2 times a night before and after the growth spurt (way
more during the growth spurt for 9 days). She sleeps one 4 hour
stretch and one 3 hour stretch and then a little more in the morning,
which gets me 7 to 9 hours of broken sleep. How well is your baby
sleeping?

Truthfully I don't mind how often she wants to nurse in the night. I
fall right back asleep as long as she doesn't want to play, and she
hasn't done that in weeks. Now if the days were as easy as the
nights, it'd be bliss.

KC

"jake's mom" wrote in message
.com...
KC, my son is about 7.5 weeks also. Just curious as to how your night
feedings are going. How often is your baby eating overnight and how
long
does he sleep between feedings?

Robin
Jakob (7.5 weeks)

Co-sleeping is definitely great for feedings overnight. I do feel somewhat
rested but the nursing hormones do not affect me like they used to. I don't
know why. I do tend to fall asleep pretty soon after feeding and sometimes
during feeding overnight. Jakob does not stay latched on though so he'll
wake me up to relatch him if I fall asleep. I used to fall asleep during
feedings in the day or night but that stopped after about a week. He ate
for 45 minutes before bed the night before last(unheard of for him) but I
was wired right after he ate! I was so mad because he slept for 3 hours
which is also unusual for him! That would have been some good sleep! I
can't wait until he sleeps for 5-6 hours at a time! Does Jessica tend to
gravitate to you in the night? That is one aspect of co-sleeping I do not
like because I'm scared I will accidentally hit or push Jake in my sleep.
He kicks around a lot and moves his arms and wiggles his body too! He is
sooo sweet to sleep right next to when he is not kicking, squirming, etc.
Daytimes wear me out because of the klinginess! He was very good today and
spent 20 minutes alone talking to Raggedy Ann in a pack and play! I was so
happy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
Is this your first child or do you have others? This is our first and he is
definitely a handful--wouldn't trade him for the world though!

Robin
"KC" wrote in message
m...
Jessica has always been a sleeper, so she never did the 5 or 6
feedings at night thing - you poor thing. In fact, early on I had to
wake her because she would actually sleep 5 hours at night in the
early days. She doesn't anymore. I think she was tired from being
starved because I didn't have enough milk at first, but now she is not
too tired anymore.

During the day she is a Klingon too. It has turned into that she is
either in the swing or being held/worn. I used to set her in the
stroller for naps, but se immediately wakes up if she's not being worn
or in the swing now. Thank goodness for the swing.

She is at the breast tons during the day still, but not as bad as the
growth spurt which was constant. I think she uses it for comfort alot
because if I need to do something I will pass her to dh or put her in
the swing she will be happy, but if she is in my arms she's not happy
unless she gets boobie.

I do co-sleep. I get great sleep even with her nursing. Actually I
find that I am getting better sleep now than when I do not have my
little bed buddy. Those nursing hormones send me back to sleep so
fast. Do you feel pretty rested with the co-sleeping too?

The day times with a klingon baby do tire me out for sure though.

KC

"jake's mom" wrote in message
.com...
I kept track of all of Jakob's feedings since yesterday at 11 am. He
has
eaten 11 times so far. Some of those are 5-10 minute feedings and there
are
a couple of 15 minute feedings. He ate for 45 minutes right before bed
last
night(very unusual for him). He still got up to eat 3 times between
10:30
and 8:00 --much improved from his typical 5-6 times feeding overnight!
He
sleeps pretty well as long as we co-sleep. Do you co-sleep with DD? I
just
roll over and feed Jakob lying down--when I used to cradle hold or
football
hold to feed him overnight, he thought it was playtime for at least an
hour
after eating. We've tried the crib and a buggy next to our bed but as
soon
as he wakes up he is scared and cries. How is your DD during the day?
Jakob is a Klingon(nicknamed from another newsgroup)! He must be held
or he
screams bloody murder. This is extremely tiresome but as I have been
told
he will grow out of it in a couple of months(fingers crossed).

Robin
"KC" wrote in message
om...
Jessica feeds 2 times a night before and after the growth spurt (way
more during the growth spurt for 9 days). She sleeps one 4 hour
stretch and one 3 hour stretch and then a little more in the morning,
which gets me 7 to 9 hours of broken sleep. How well is your baby
sleeping?

Truthfully I don't mind how often she wants to nurse in the night. I
fall right back asleep as long as she doesn't want to play, and she
hasn't done that in weeks. Now if the days were as easy as the
nights, it'd be bliss.

KC

"jake's mom" wrote in message
.com...
KC, my son is about 7.5 weeks also. Just curious as to how your
night
feedings are going. How often is your baby eating overnight and how
long
does he sleep between feedings?

Robin
Jakob (7.5 weeks)

(Leslie) wrote in message ...
Unless there is something medically wrong with you (which is vanishingly
rare), you can do it! It is absolutely typical for newborns to want to nurse
all the time. It makes them feel more secure, and it helps to bring in the
milk. I usually had my babies latched on most of the time for the first couple
of days until my milk came in.

Is is really that rare? I recall reading that 8% of women have some
medical probs with bf that cause low supply (like endocrine or surgery
on breast), but that only a very few had insufficient glandular
development. As someone who has had supply problems I always feel
touchy about this supposedly vanishingly rare difficulty rate. I know
many give up when there is nothing wrong, but sometimes there is stuff
wrong.

KC