I'm obsessed whether she's getting enough! My google search is all about breastfeeding - how to increase milk supply, latching, pumping, positioning, green poop, tips etc etc.How I wish I have jets of milk like some mummies! My max production so far is 2 oz from one side (that's when I feed her on the other side) in the morning. But sometimes, it takes forever to just get 1 oz.
These days, I prefer to pump out milk because when I nurse her directly:
1) I don't know how much she's getting
2) Each nursing session can take very long, sometimes up to 1.5 hours. (she always falls asleep halfway thru) So, if I take the "nurse every 2 hours" rule, it's time to nurse her again in 30 minutes! And I feel as if my milk has no time to "refill" itself in that short time.
3) Sometimes, even after her super long nursing session, she cries the moment I put her down. Aaarghh!! Still hungry or just want to be carried???
But does choosing to pump rather than nurse directly affect milk supply? (my new approach is to nurse her one side, pump the other and then either store or feed her the pumped out milk straight away). Any other tips on how to improve milk supply? (I'm taking one cup of Earth Mama tea daily). I also worry about the foremilk/hindmilk imbalance cos she often has green poop (I get so happy when I see mustard yellow poop. I never ever imagined that the COLOUR OF POOP can affect my mood so much!)
14 comments:
I swallow fungereek seed raw to increase milk... :D and if I pump, I pump with my hand... worst case, I visit my paed, Dr Koe since she is a lactation consultant.
I took fenugreek too.. but pill form :) and drink plenty of water. sometimes papaya soup.
And I also take multivits, calcium pills (coz of the breastfeeding that drains calcium away from the mummy) and fish oil (can't rem which kind).
I read somewhere that how much you pump out, doesnt reflect exactly how much you are feeding when the child latches directly. because the pump motion is different from a child sucking... so even if you can't pump much, dont fret.
Supply will match demand so just keep at it and don't give up!
hmm, just like Cynthia said fungereek really can increase milk. I just knew it during this pregnancy...u can have a try. remember must drink alot of water. So how long you will breastfeed this time?
When you starting work? Milk Tea and Fenugreek, Green papaya soup. Dont worry about her poo. As long she poos or dont..still fine.
Kellymom.com got lots of good tips on breastfeeding and pumping. Direct feeding is needed to maintain supply - no problem if you're pumping one side only. My colleague pumped on weekdays as her baby was with her parents in PD, and fed directly every weekend. Managed to exclusively breastfeed until baby turned 1... after that supply dwindled.
Fenugreek and that tea didn't seem to have any effect for me. :) I took fish oil but it makes the milk smell fishy - I wonder if Jo Ern's old milk strikes and current dislike of fish is due to that!
I am a also currently breast feeding although I'm not worried about my little one not getting enough. As long as she has enough wet diapers and poop that would mean she's getting enough. Is LO gaining weight too?
My mom asked me to pump and see how much my LO is feeding too but the books and articles I read when ever you pump it doesn't mean that your LO is getting that amount of milk. You can get 2-3 oz from each pump but your LO might be getting more than that because pumping is not as good as LO latching on.
My LO is like urs. He will feed and fall asleep so I am almost always just feeding him from one side and I will have to pump the other side (mainly in the morning). My Lactation Specialist said that if you feel your LO did not feed enough after you put her down pump for about 5 mins (Ofcourse different ppl have different suggestions) Even when I pump from one side that has not been fed I would only pump for about 10min in case LO needs to feed and the next time the LO feeds I make sure he feeds from that side.
Sign up for baby center they are pretty helpful too and is nice to read about other people and a lot of people will give you suggestions.
I came across this when I was reading one of the post there..is pretty interesting
www.mobimotherhood.org/MM/article-diet.aspx
I hope I'm not saying too much..Just sharing what I'm learning as I continue learning too.Feel free to share what you've learn too..:)
From my experience, I'd say you must drink lots and lots of water. I never drank so much water in my life! I make soup for myself every day. I find that it doesn't matter if it's the recommended raw papaya + fish soup, ABC soup or lotus root soup. As long as you take lots of liquid, the milk production is there. If I take less liquid or if I get stressed, I find that the milk production will drop. Also, drink milo + milk. It helps. Jia You, you're doing fine:)
I didn't have 'jets' of milk as well.
And I prefer to direct feed. B'cos I can lie down and feed, resting while nursing.
I used to only able to express about 3oz during earlier days from both breasts (I have a double pump which is supposed to be better than single), and could never express beyond 6oz.
Actually, the more the baby feeds, the more your milk supply will be, so it'll never be 'the breast has no time to refill' situation.
To increase milk supply, I tried to express after each feed. Even getting 0.5oz. :( But it's very tiring doing that.
Anyway, just feed on demand, no need to monitor how much the baby is taking, if she's not full, she'll just continue to suck.
Food that i try to take for increase of milk supply is papaya soup, stir fried shark meat (hated it.. only had it a couple of times), then I drank this Nursing Tea available in Babyland.
I never really monitored how much I fed, but by seeing the child's cheeks filling up, the tigh getting chubby etc etc, indicated they were getting enough, even though when I expressed it was a pathetic amount.
Good luck.. If you need more info/help, drop me a line in facebook. :)
Take care and good luck.
hey.. yeah, keep at it, the more you feed, the more milk you'll produce. and it's only been 1 month plus. and don't have to worry about whether erin has enough, from what i've been told when you breastfeed on demand the baby will always somehow have enough.
Adrine, u dont have to worry about if the baby is getting enough or not by feeding directly. Just make sure they baby suckle...suckle..suckle...then swallow by gulping down the milk for the first 10-20min. If it last longer than that, they baby might suckle for comfort so u can slowly break off the suction.
Like Cynthia, I called for help to Dr Koe too to successfully breastfeed my 2 boys. I was as dry as seaweed, sigh...
BUt because my 2 boys dont want bottle, i have no choice but to breastfeed them. Up to 2 years some more. Ya, i took Fenugreek tablets from GNC too.
Don't give up k.
I didn't breastfeed Gwen..sorry won't be able to give you any suggestions. I hope your suppply will increase i time to come. Don't give up!
P/S: BTW, my chic curry is cooked in a very simple way. I refer to kuali.com. I didn't put santan, only water (not too much). Try this recipe : http://www.kuali.com/recipes/view.aspx?r=1491
I didnt have much milk for my two kids. But lately only I know some mummies taking some pills like fungereek can increase milk.
Don't give up and I can see a lot experience bloggers here given their priceless suggestions for you.
Adrine, u are doing a great job and can see baby Erin's pix, she's so chubby lah... don't worry she must be growing well! As long as she pees and poops, and putting on weight, not to worry :-)
Hei..my wife seemed to have the same anxiety though I think she is doing pretty well with 7oz every 3 hours. We have resorted to expressing and then bottle feeding becos we can see how much exactly she is taking and also less stressful for mommy. Lots of fluid, soup, plenty of rest, more relaxed and fish were what I was told that could increase the quantity. do take care..i'm pretty sure you will be fine. cheers
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