Producing enough milk? Advice please.

My daughter is a week old and I've been exclusively breast feeding the whole time. Well I feel like my supply is going down and that she's not getting enough. I tried pumping some but could only get about half an ounce out of both boobs put together. This made me wonder if she's getting enough. But the little bit I pumped out she sucked down quick. At her first dr appointment she had lost 4 oz. She was 6 lbs and she's now 5 lbs 12 oz. I do have some formula. Should I give her some? Is mixing formula and breast feeding okay? How do I tell if I'm producing enough? TIA!

Just keep her on the breast as much as possible. A pump is NOT a good indicator of what you are producing, they do not stimulate the breast like an infant does.

You can eat oatmeal and take fenugreek to help up your supply.

pumping is not an indacation of supply im 7 month BF and that was after loosing my supply due to 2 blood transfussions right after i had her, im not producing enough now and it partly my fault so im taking funugreek or however it is spelled to up my supply im also starting school so i need to pump as well im hoping it works

<blockquote><b>Quoting Lillian'sMommy12:</b>" My daughter is a week old and I've been exclusively breast feeding the whole time. Well I feel like my ... [snip!] ... some formula. Should I give her some? Is mixing formula and breast feeding okay? How do I tell if I'm producing enough? TIA!"</blockquote>



Give it some time. I was SO worried the first few weeks that DD wasn't gaining enough. I didn't pump before 3 weeks to avoid nipple confusion so I don't know if that's a normal amount , but i know for the most part your body will produce what your baby is eating. Wait until your two week appointment. Also, is she making dirty diapers and wet diapers?

Your milk is probably not in yet. It takes time. Nurse as much as possible and keep her on as long as possible. babies will drop weight in the first week or 2 because all you really have is colostrum but after that you will have more than enough milk than you know what to do with.

She lost 4 oz since when? Birth? If so - totally normal. The first growth spurt hits around 7-10 days in & it will always make you feel like you ahave low supply& baby always will act starving. It means nothing. Do NOT give bottles now. If you think you have a supply issue now, that will only make it worse, plus you may be adding nipple confusion/preference into it if you do that this early.

The best way to make more milk is offer the breast more. DO not use binkies if you can avoid it - so comfort nurse, nurse even if she just ate 20 mins ago - just nurse. What controls supply is prolactin levels. What sets prolactin levels is the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland gets it's messages about what to do from ducts that are located on the backside of your areola. So when baby nurses & does those little jaw compressions, it send signals to the pituitary to release prolactin. The release of prolactin tells your boobies to make more milk.

Breastmilk contains predigestive enzymes. As such, it breaks down quickly. baby has an empty tummy in 2 hrs or less. By contrast formula is hard to digest & leaves the tummy slower. So if you choose to supplement, you will firstly not get the stimulation you should be getting and thus lowering your prolactin levels) and then you will likely delay the next feed which AGAIN lowers stimulation & lowers prolactin.

Some mommas do have low supply, no doubt. A great indicator is diaper output. By this age she should have 4-6 wet diapers a day (disposable) and at least 1 poop (likely more). You may hear that breastfed babies don't need to poop daily - that is true AFTER 4 weeks of age, under 4 weeks they should poop at least once daily. Pooping less can indicate poor milk transfer & should be addressed with a lactation consultant. Anyway - if you get a poop and 4-6 wet ones, your baby is eating enough. You can't put out what you don't take in. Also, if you had an IV during labor, the actual "start" weight should be gauged at 24 hrs after birth. Those IV fluids also go to baby & artificially up baby's weight by a few ounces...so it is not a true accurate reading of weight loss if they are basing it off a baby whose mom got an IV and the weight at time of birth.

As far as is it okay to mix the two? I am not sure what you are asking....it IS okay if you are, meaning will it make baby ill to do so. Baby will likely do fine with that. if you mean is it okay & will it ruin my supply? Hard to say. Some moms get away with it - most loose their supply. Far more moms cause their own low supply by being so nervous they supplement (and get on the viscous cycle I already explained) than the number of moms who truly have real physiological supply issues.

And 1/2 ounce at a week old is pretty typical. Some moms respond great to pumping & have great pumps & get much more, many get far less than you. I nursed my 1st to age 3 yrs old & I had to go back to work at 6 weeks. I tried pumping from day one & didn't get more than a few mLs until he was almost a month old. He was supplemented in the hospital due to bad advice from the Dr regarding jaundice, but once home I EBF & I swore I had lows supply (so did the Pediatrician) but I stuck with EBF & by 8 weeks he more than doubled birth weight EBF. The ONLY saving grace I had was a great LLL leader & some faith that if he peed & pooped all was well.

Hang in there momma - those early weeks are tough, but it gets MUCH easier. I would have NEVER thought we'd make it to 6 months when I was 1 week in. It's hard...but you can do this.

Quoting justanothamotha:" She lost 4 oz since when? Birth? If so - totally normal. The first growth spurt hits around 7-10 days ... [snip!] ... it gets MUCH easier. I would have NEVER thought we'd make it to 6 months when I was 1 week in. It's hard...but you can do this."

Wow, thank you so much! This was really helpful and informative! I'll definitely stick with EBF. She does have wet and dirty diapers during the day. So that makes me feel better about that. She normally has about 3 dirty ones a day, and more wet ones. The first week has been hard   I freak over everything, feel like the walking dead, and my nipples feel like they are on fire lol It's all worth it though (:

Quoting Lillian'sMommy12:" Wow, thank you so much! This was really helpful and informative! I'll definitely stick with EBF. She ... [snip!] ... I freak over everything, feel like the walking dead, and my nipples feel like they are on fire lol It's all worth it though (: "

Are you using anything to help your nips like lanolin?

It's totally normal to be worried about ur milk supply. I was to, just know she's getting enough. As long as u are drinking plenty of water and eating a decent amount of food, than ur doing great.

If u still feel like u need help boosting ur milk supply try making these lactation cookies : http://www.drmomma.org/2010/08/lactation-cookies-recipe-increasing.html I made them when I was about 3 weeks and they work.

As far as the formula goes, I don't see any need for you to supplement for breast milk, but that's strictly ur choice. Only u know what's best for u and ur baby.

if you think your supply is bad try mothers milk tea i thought mine was low when my baby was that old so i had a couple cups that day with honey cuz it taste like crap without some kind of sweetness anyway i drank a couple and the next day my boobs were so full it hurt. plus the more you nurse the more supply you have

Quoting bradnshelby2012:" if you think your supply is bad try mothers milk tea i thought mine was low when my baby was that old ... [snip!] ... anyway i drank a couple and the next day my boobs were so full it hurt. plus the more you nurse the more supply you have"

Where did u get it from? I've heard about it but haven't been able to find it.

Quoting Lalaj:" Where did u get it from? I've heard about it but haven't been able to find it."

Most health food stores carry it.

Quoting justanothamotha:" Are you using anything to help your nips like lanolin?"

Yes, I'm using some stuff the hospital gave me called ComfortLan. It works for the most part, but sometimes when she's nursing it feels like she's ripping them off lol.

Quoting Lillian'sMommy12:" Yes, I'm using some stuff the hospital gave me called ComfortLan. It works for the most part, but sometimes when she's nursing it feels like she's ripping them off lol."

I would consider getting her latch assessed. It shouldn't feel like actual pain. Discomfort? Sure...but pain is a sign of a poor latch or a latching issue (like tongue tie). I think too often we encourage moms to tough it out when they could actually get their issues resolved if the right person could see what is going on. Your best bet would be an IBCLC or La Leche League.

Quoting Lalaj:" It's totally normal to be worried about ur milk supply. I was to, just know she's getting enough. As ... [snip!] ... see any need for you to supplement for breast milk, but that's strictly ur choice. Only u know what's best for u and ur baby."

I have been kind of slacking on my water drinking. I've been drinking a lot of sweet tea. Bc while I was pregnant I cut out all caffeine, and all I drank was water, so I was really craving some sweet tea! lol But I'll change that tomorrow.