Am I Having A Low Milk Supply

Discussion in 'Post Pregnancy Care' started by Meenu1991, Aug 25, 2017.

  1. Meenu1991

    Meenu1991 Bronze IL'ite

    Messages:
    124
    Likes Received:
    34
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Gender:
    Female
    Hi Everyone

    My baby is 1.5 months old. He has become very fussy lately. He never sleeps the whole day, I wonder if it is because my supply of milk is low, that is tummy doesn't get full and so he never sleeps.
    Mornings i feel my breasts to be full and he drinks properly, but by afternoon itself he starts to clusterfeed and is constantly on my chest sucking. When he looks like he has finished feeding, i put him on the bed and in 10 mins he is awake and crying for more feed. So from 12pm to 6 pm I constantly feed him and by 7PM am exhausted, and his crying reaches a peak point, cause by that time my milk flow maybe is not able to satisfy him. I finally feed him formula and put him to sleep.
    I wonder if i have a low milk supply and hence he is not able to fill up his tummy to have a good sleep. :(
    I still haven't come out of my post partum depression because of this.
    I try not to stress as it may contribute to low supply. I have been reading a lot about my situation and i haven't found a solution.
    Can the experienced mommies here help me out.
    What can i do? Am i having a low supply,?
     
    Loading...

  2. DDream

    DDream Finest Post Winner

    Messages:
    1,917
    Likes Received:
    3,997
    Trophy Points:
    285
    Gender:
    Female
    OP, Dont worry. New moms face many challenges like this and it is one of them.

    Do you feed him during night ? I think you should, to keep up milk flow. Try to feed baby every 2-3 hours for a 10-20 minutes (for both) during day and night. Each time make sure you burp him well. Dont allow LO to attach to your chest all the time. It will make you very exhausted. If you are tired during evening, can you try using a breast pump and keep up the frequency. It is important to maintain the demand for proper milk supply.

    I used to note down when I feed or change diapers (4-6 wet diapers a day atleast) etc for the first two months. That helped me a lot. If the frequency is good, he is fine. If you think the baby is not getting enough try to supplement one or two times per day. But make sure you maintain pumping every 2-3 hours to promote milk supply.

    Drink lot of water and eat healthy food. Try to sleep whenever LO sleeps. Taking enough rest is also important. You will be fine.
     
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2017
  3. Meenu1991

    Meenu1991 Bronze IL'ite

    Messages:
    124
    Likes Received:
    34
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Gender:
    Female
    Hi

    Thanks for your response :)
    Yea i feed him 2-3 times in the night.
    Its just that i want to exclusively breastfeed him and am not able to. He becomes very cranky when there is no milk after constant sucking during cluster feeding. Once i give him the formula he looks content.
    I do pump, but recently I haven't been doing because he is anyway taking feed from me constantly with less breaks in between.
    I am not sure how to get back to exclusively breastfeeding stage.
    :(
     
  4. hoping4amiracle

    hoping4amiracle Gold IL'ite

    Messages:
    441
    Likes Received:
    512
    Trophy Points:
    173
    Gender:
    Female
    Hi, I am a new mom of 7 day old baby.. But faced similar issue.. How much is your baby's pee count?
    My baby was in bm+formula due to latching issue and formula was introduced in hospital to him..Now from two days I have managed to stop formula for him.. What I observed is, once we give formula, that makes them more fuller and slower to digest. So baby looks more content compared to the breastfeeding time. My son was so cranky too when I offered him breast coz he was so used to the fast way he got formula by spoon and no hard work of sucking. He also cluster feeds every night. Which I think is quite normal.I hand expressed and checked after cluster feeding to see if there is milk or he is not satisfied due to low supply,there was milk. Many babies cluster feed. Only way we can say milk supply is low is when the pee count is less or not gaining enough weight. Just reduce formula as much as possible.
     
  5. Meenu1991

    Meenu1991 Bronze IL'ite

    Messages:
    124
    Likes Received:
    34
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Gender:
    Female
    The problem is my baby is a light sleeper. He hardly sleeps. So he is mostly awake and after taking feed, he is hungry in another half an hour. Even during cluster feeding he will be constantly sucking on my breast without any break. Thats why i wonder whether my supply is low.
    Becaus he keeps sucking constantly he becomes cranky and becomes inconsolable. Thats why i top feed him with formula and then he looke satisfied and falls asleep.. :(
     
  6. Vasumathy

    Vasumathy Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    10,103
    Likes Received:
    1,978
    Trophy Points:
    438
    Gender:
    Female
    I had the same trouble with my first daughter. Until you start with weaning you might have this trouble. First prepare your mind for the worst. My daughter used to get a good sleep in night, but not in the day time. I tried to give break to that continuous feeding. You can try formula milk by eve instead of trying it in the exhausting stage. Breast milk is good, formula milk isn't very bad too. At times its a great saviour. Using it once or twice in a day won't bring much harm. That can save you instead. Don't push yourself very hard. Take care of yourself too.
     
    Meenu1991 likes this.
  7. DDream

    DDream Finest Post Winner

    Messages:
    1,917
    Likes Received:
    3,997
    Trophy Points:
    285
    Gender:
    Female
    In my experience, it is better not to bottle feed often in the first few months. I did only for the first few weeks as I was very weak. Once they became comfortable with bottle, they dont like bf. It is easy. My son stopped bf by himself by seven months because he became comfortable with bottle. Why to work hard if is easy? so I was careful with second one. I bf her up to 2yrs.
    Make sure your baby is Ok and dont have any stomach or digestion issues. try to follow a schedule that make job easy in long run.
    Drink lot of water and eat healthy food. good luck

    see this article

    Cluster Feeding Tips - 7 Tips To Cope With Cluster Feeding | BellyBelly
     
  8. priyajagadeesh

    priyajagadeesh Senior IL'ite

    Messages:
    26
    Likes Received:
    17
    Trophy Points:
    23
    Gender:
    Female
    Cluster feeding is common during growth sprout. If you want to EBF then stop formula and go on a nursing vacation with lots of skin to skin. Your milk productions will increase if your body knows the increased baby need. Take foods that help milk production Fenugreek, Oats, Garlic and lactation consultant might help you. If your baby gained 1 to 2 pounds per month with at least six wet diapers per day then she is fine.

    Please do not put lot of pressure, give yourself a break. Note that you are not any less mother if you give formula. Postpartum depression is a bigger hurdle for you. Enjoy those little hands and toes.
     

Share This Page