Breastfeeding

I’m going to list a bunch of stuff here: 10 minutes after feeding, hand express or pump for 10 minutes; power pump in the evening; DRINK SO MUCH FLUIDS; eat high calorie foods; aim to get at least 2800 calories; mother’s milk tea; morniga and/or fenugreek tablets; and as much sleep as possible! Just as a reminder, with any amount of breastmilk, babe gets 100% of the benefits. And at the end of the day, fed is best! Wishing you the best of luck!

First few weeks of life for my baby I didn’t produce enough milk and at one point he just wouldn’t latch. He was on formula. I still pumped even if it was 2oz and would give him whatever but I had. I power pumped once a day for a couple weeks I started drinking body armor, lots of water by 7 weeks I had 6-8 oz from each breast which was a lot for me going from 1-2 oz each. Milky mama emergency brownies also helped me but I just started using that because all the lactation products were causing him to have bad reflux. My diet was horrible since I had to cut so much stuff out so I barely ate. He’s 4 months and we EBF. Keep breastfeeding him and keep pumping when you can!

He is adorable!!!!

As above, what makes you think you're not producing enough milk? You've just described perfectly normal newborn behaviour. It's cluster feeding, and it's just your baby's way of helping to establish your milk supply and also to ensure they stay close to you. Have a look for a breastfeeding support group near you - la leche league is a good place to start but there are loads 🙂 Also, super cute photo!! ❤️

This is absolutely normal newborn behaviour - this early cluster feeding is b r u t a l and they are at your breast for hours sometimes. Lots of water and rest for you, lots of snuggles for baby. Everything sounds perfectly normal. X

Make sure you eat roughly 400-800 additional calories too!!

Focus on feeding as much as your LO wants he will soon start cluster feeding to build up your supply around 2-3 weeks old. His stomach is so small so it won't hold loads. Unless he isn't producing wet nappies or dropping weight then there is no need to worry

@Emma 🌱 I had a emergency C section so at the hospital my partner had to give him formula for the first day or too because I was so out of it and it was making me sick every time I was BF so we were combo feeding as he took a few feeds to get used to breastfeeding. However at our 3 day check up he had lost 3% of his weight and then we were given the advice to continue combo feeding until he’s back up to birthweight as all the medication may be affected my supply. However your message has made me feel very reassured so thank you 🥰

@Paige Thank you so much 🙏

@Alyssa Thank you 🥰

This sounds very normal. Formula top up is a trap unless you’re pumping at the same time. It’s very normal for LO to want to feed constantly on and off for what feels like all day and night. They’re building your milk supply and putting in their orders. Latch latch latch. Get yourself some snacks and a blanket and pick a series on Netflix to binge! Crying helps stimulate a letdown. Also very normal for them to feed frequently. My boy fed every 2 hours until he was 11 months old and even now at 13 months it’s every 3 or 4 when he’s with me and more often at night. It’s very unlikely that you’re not producing enough milk as early on almost everyone has an over supply. As long as baby is having plenty of wet and dirty nappies and gaining weight on their curve after they’ve hit their birthweight you’re golden. Lucy Webber on instagram is fab for easy to understand help and advice and she troubleshoots common bumps in the road! Congratulations on your baby x

@Jasmin It’s within normal range and guidelines for babies to lose up to 12% of their birth weight in the first few days. As a midwife myself, there would be no issue with you just continuing to EBF. If your baby is producing wet and dirty nappies and from now continues to put on weight, you’re doing amazing and no issues with your supply x

This is all completely normal, try and stick with it if it's what you want and I promise you it gets so much easier! After a few weeks baby will feed for 2-3 minutes at a time and it becomes super easy x

So cute 🥰

I exclusively breastfeed and from my experience you have to keep him on the boob as much as possible! It is supply and demand so in the early days it willl be hours and hours of feeding him (cluster feeding) and it is OK! Nothing wrong with cluster feeding as it will set you up for a good supply later on. Definitely stay hydrated and eat nourishing foods

No such thing as not enough supply, if baby wants to feed for that long then let them, mine can go up to an hour, especially when my son was just born, he used to cluster feed up to 4 hours. I was just completely drained because breastfeeding takes all of my fats, and I just need to eat and sleep enough. As long as you eat lots of balanced meals, drinks lots of water and able have decent sleep, you are fine. You should be able to feel your letdowns each time you feed. It’s more than you think there are in you. The only way that you won’t produce enough is when you cut them off before they can finish. Let them stay on, unless they’re asleep. They’ll know when they had enough. I’ve breastfeed for 3 years plus now, as I have 2 under 2, and as he’s almost 2 now, he doesn’t feed as much anymore and that’s normal. But when my daughter was just born, she used to be on my breasts for 2 hours, sometimes it’s not because they’re hungry, it’s because they want your comforts.

I EBF and those first few weeks felt like my LO was ALWAYS feeding - day and night. Cluster feeding. It was so tough and extremely exhausting, especially while trying to recover at the same time. Hang in there mama. Your baby is regulating a supply and each time they take to the boob, they are sending signals for more milk. Although it is tough right now, I promise you it gets so much easier! And you totally can exclusively breastfeed your baby. I wish I had more people tell me this at that stage as opposed to “maybe offering formula may be a good idea”!

The reason baby settles after a bottle of formula is because generally they drink more in a bottle than they will at the breast in one go. It does not mean you aren’t making enough milk and biologically as others have said the constant feeding is to stimulate your milk so feed every time baby is hungry. It’s hard going for those first weeks but it will get better, it’s just baby doing what baby needs to do ☺️

I would limit the formula and just keep putting him on. Make sure your latch is correct and he's got a deep latch and getting enough milk. You NEED to put him on ever time he's hungry to keep your supply. It's supply and demand. If you're not demanding enough you won't supply enough. Eat plenty and drink LOADS. What makes you think you're not supplying enough? Bearing in mind he won't settle as long between feeds on breastmilk as he does on formula because formula is heavy on their tummies so they feel full longer. So don't use the formula feeds as a guide. Also. At 9 days. Completely normal to feel like they are constantly attached to you. They cluster feeding and have growth spurts

Hi mama. Your milk is still likely regulating. This is totally normal. Have you been in contact with a lactation consultant? Your insurance may cover a certain number of visits!

Everything Emma said. Another d fabulous breastfeeding support team is "Breastfeeding Together". You'll find them on Facebook under "Breastfeeding Together Connect and Share UK." As far as I know, they only have physical meetups in the Northwest, but if you contact the Admin on there (Sarah Collinge) I'm pretty sure she'd do a video call to support you, and would definitely reassure you via message. tbc... character limit reached...

(contd from previous msg, as apparently I write too much and hit the max character limit.) I combi fed my eldest, for very similar reasons to you. We were in the nicu in the height of 2020 lockdowns, and the nicu nurses gave me dreadful advice, about needing to top up. In hindsight (ain't that a wonderful thing) I should've just trusted my boobs, and kept the baby on them. But eventually, through continual nursing, and living on blinks rather than sleep, we eventually got to exclusive breastfeeding. And he went on to nurse til he was 3½, tandem feeding the last two years alongside his younger brother (who was ebf). Just a reassurance story from. my own experience, that you can definitely get to that point, if you choose to. But in the meantime, know that combi feeding is still giving your baby the benefits of your boob milk, so be proud, enjoy it, and don't sweat it. Sending love. x

My situation was very similar, and my baby had to start on formula since day 1. I highly recommend you get help from a lactation consultant asap to find out if you are actually under producing. It was my case, but I hired my lactation consultant too late, and with her tips and a lot of effort and discipline, I could increase my production, but not 100%. My baby still needs formula every day.