Need help with feeding my two week old daughter ASAP

Mindy - posted on 06/30/2010

I had the same problem with not having enough milk but is what i did was let for my baby eat whenever she wanted and a friend told me about a herb you can take that will help you make more milk it's called Blessed Thistle I take 2 to 3 pills 3 times a day and it really does work and I can tell the difference when I'm not taking it.. My baby was really fussy until i started taking Blessed Thistle and now she's calmed down when she realized that I did have milk for her and now will refuse to eat when she's full and not keep wanting to eat all the time.. I tried the pumping thing and it doesn't work as good as just letting the baby eat whenever they want to
Good luck and don't give up

Renae - posted on 06/30/2010

There is lots of good advice here already. I just wanted to add a couple of quick points.

Your body only takes 20-40 minutes to "refill" after a feed, so dont be scared of pumping in between feeds thinking that you wont have enough for the next feed.

250ml is A LOT for a newborn to be drinking at once. In general, most babies can regulate their food intake very well, but occasionally we come across a baby who will eat until they are sick and overfill their tummy. Talk to your doc about this. She may need more frequent feeds of a less amount. During a growth spurt they usually feed more frequently, they do not drink more all at once. Just a thought.

Also remember that the pump is only 50% as efficient at extracting milk as a baby, so just cos you only get 20ml when you pump doesn't mean she isn't getting a lot more.

You are talking in mls so you might be in Australia, if so, give the breast feeding association a call.

Candice - posted on 06/30/2010

she may be getting frustrated because she's tried a bottle...and bottles are way faster than breastfeeding...making breasfeeding seem frustratingly slow. Unfortunately, you may have trouble continuing to breastfeed after she gets used to bottles.
As for the vomitting, it could be because she's eating too much too fast...but it could be much more serious than that. Does she vomit when she breastfeeds? or just with the formula? Have you tried any other formulas? I would keep track of how often she is vomitting and when and keep your doctor informed. You may want to try a different formula, but if that doesn't work and your child is not gaining enough weight, there could be a bigger problem such as reflux or something more serious.

Sherry - posted on 06/30/2010

sounds like you need to do this.. pump and ADD it to the formula try and mix it about 1/2 and 1/2 minimum to start and gradually she'll get used to it.. it's like a sudden switch in baby food/ or pet food for pets will almost immediately cause an upset stomach and vometting. .. I had that problem too with not being able to produce enough to feed my son who's ( I swear it) not one but TWO hollow legs! Where the kid puts it I have no idea!....

so yeah add your breastmilk to any formula you give your daughter.. I'll bet you'll find there's a drastic reduction in vometing and spitup after about 24 hours

the other thing you can do if you don't want to do the breastpump formula mix thing is (so I'm told) put her to the boob more often your milk supply will increase but it will take some time (rumor has it it could take anywhere from 24hrs to a full week)... if you can I would suggest this method. I always felt guilty for having to mix 1/2 and 1/2 as much as I could with breastmilk and formula... I'd pump every 2 hours and add it to a jug on it's own and have a bottle with a seal cap on it then bottles to with liners which I'd fill with the two then heat it up and give to my son... (also don't microwave it-- I found my son often vometed up what he ate if it was microwaved...) Simply heat a bowl of water until it's boiling in the microwave (about 3 minutes) and then place the bottle inside that bowl of heated water and time it for about 1 minute 15 seconds, shake, then test before you give it to baby put it back in for another 20 seconds if its not warm enough.

While formula is great to have on hand just in case... and goodstart is closest to mom's milk sudden changes in diet can cause upset tummy and vometting so mix the two together to help the transition for baby... (this is if you are absolutely certain your of a low supply... don't give up just yet your baby's young yet and your still new at this!)

Emily is right another way to increase your supply would be to pump and then make sure your empty by putting baby to you to finish it off even. and put baby to you more often (even if that makes it seem like your forever sitting there with your baby to your boob.. it will ilncrease somewhat (unless your one of those few that have a hard time lactating) This way you're making sure your empty A Breast pump WILL NOT be strong enough to empty you-- been there.. I actually pumped so often I busted my breastpump just before my son turned 6 months) you should also be careful you might be causing some nipple confusion as well.... so if you plan to keep breastfeeding then I'd put away the formula for a while and just put baby to breast every hour or every 2 hours for at least 20 minutes on per each breast

also something to check is to make sure your not feeding yoru baby concentrated canned formula.. this stuff actually has to be diluted with a can of water... so make sure it's not the concentrated stuff

Kelina - posted on 06/29/2010

I agree with Jennifer latch her on before she's hungry. I know someone who stopped breastfeeding in the hospital because her milk didn't come in. she was only in the hospital for 24 hours. The first few weeks it seemed like my son was always breastfeeding. For the first 7-8 months he really was a little piglet and would have been happier if I never took him off the breast! I also noticed that he didn't like latching onto my left which made for some very painful nihts until I tried some new positions. Maybe try that. If she's fussy try a different position and just nurse as much as possible even if she doesn't seem hungry. It will be the best way to get your milk supply up and yes will be exhausting but it's got to be better than having your little girl throw up all her formula right? Good luck!

Jennifer - posted on 06/29/2010

you want get her to latch on before she starts showing signs of hunger...babies have a powerful urge to suck so as long as you aren't having latching issues, even if she isn't hungry she should be content latching on whenever you let her.

keep at it, this is what they were made for! :)

Nellie - posted on 06/29/2010

That is what I've been told before and why I put off the formula for as long as I could BUT my daughter gets hungry, starts off drinking the breastmilk, but then when she can't get enough she just gives up. At least I think that's what's going on. It seems like she gets frustrated and when she does that I can't get her to feed at all. Whenever she gets upset she will not latch. I spent a long time with her many times with her starving trying to get her to latch on but she will not do it when I get low on milk.

Jennifer - posted on 06/29/2010

the best way to make more milk is putting her to breast often. pumping is not as effective as your baby, and should not be used as an indicator of supply.

let her use you as a pacifier and you body will respond fairly quickly to the increase in demand. your breasts are never actually empty, they are constantly making milk so she will not starve.

check out the breastfeeding community on CoM, the ladies over there have tons of information and can provide all the needed encouragement!

http://www.circleofmoms.com/breastfeedin...

Teresa - posted on 06/29/2010

Your milk won't come in more unless you nurse more. It's a supply and demand thing, so if you aren't letting her demand it (by nursing, pumping if you have to) your body won't supply it.

Also, a pump is not a good indicator of supply since a baby nursing is much more efficent than a pump. Let her nurse as often as she wants and you should be good.

Drinking plenty of water, reducing stress, and eating oatmeal are also helpful. There are also teas and herbs that are good for production, but I have no experience w/ any of those.

Rachel - posted on 06/29/2010

i would suggest calling the pediatrician and talking to them about her throwing up the formula and explain your feeding issue she may have a problem with that formula i know i had to try a bunch of different formulas with my son and am still in the process of finding one for my daughter and she is almost 5 months old but for alittle one will work and then it wont any more. their bellies are sensitive and she may not be throwing it all up i thought the same about my daughter but she was still gaining weight maybe try feeding her slower she may be getting too much too fast or too much air. good luck i hope this helps

Emily - posted on 06/29/2010

Don't give formula. The best way to increase your supply when you're breastfeeding is to simply nurse more. Your breasts need that stimulation in order to make the milk. Every time you give formula, you are not giving your body that signal to make milk. It's really normal during a growth spurt for a baby to want to nurse every hour or so. This does NOT mean you don't have enough milk!!! Also, the amount you pump is not a good indication of how much milk your baby is getting. Babies can get out waaaay more milk than a pump. You ARE making enough! My advice would be to put away the formula, bottles, and pump, and simply nurse your baby as much as she wants. Her tummy will be happier, and your supply will increase just how nature intended it to during a growth spurt.

You will NOT run out of milk. Our bodies are constantly making it. Even when it seems like you're empty, you're not. Your body is making milk even while your baby is nursing, which is why it's so important to feed as long as your baby needs.

Congratulations on your new little one!