BreastFeeding but no supply

[ShoppingQueenie]

i get a Lactation consultant come to my place & teach me. like you after she left, it's back to square. Then next day, he was hospitalised for 3 days due to high level of jaundice. Now he's 2 weeks old, he can only latch on when he's in good mood (that's only once a day ) After he's discharge, i rested before trying as I was driven crazy by my old confinement lady & the visits to hospital drained me a lot.

I have no choice but to give him milk bottle. As he's really cry until no voice & forcing him to latch on. I feel so sad. To make me happy is when he's hungry, he'll turn towards my breast but just refuse to latch. I only express my milk for 15 minutes (include both breast) only. As i don't want to over exhaust my body like what happened during my 1st week confinement.

Popcorn - he only cry when he's unable to latch on. Timing wise is the same as per his feeding time.

[ShoppingQueenie]

Gio - i can only use the receipe 2 months later. As the fruits orange & banana have cooling properties. As after we give birth, our below back muscle is very sore, thus my massage lady suggested I should avoid cooling stuffs for 2 months. If not, it'll take very long to recover. But still for your info

[Gio]

Oh that's interesting to know! Thanks for the info, ShoppingQueenie

[rafemama]

you can try papaya and fish soup, supposedly help lactation. take more protein-based stuff, such as meat, tofu, milk, etc.

you can try La Leche League, they are very very helpful. talk to them about your problem and they can help you.

or http://www.breastfeeding.org.sg/ hotline.

it's very difficult for first 3 mths, but then, once you master the technique, breastfeeding is a breeze. try whatever you can, because breastmilk is certainly far better for your baby.

last time, I didn't know you can feed baby with spoon/cup, so, I used bottle, but that was a very terrible move. Rafe just refused to latch properly after that. so try not to use bottle.

[ShoppingQueenie]

Right now, i keep telling myself that milk bottle don't exist in the house. So it made me for determine to breastfeed him

[rafemama]

dun force baby to latch when he's angry and not when he is very hungry, because let down takes quite a while, hence, when you latch if baby is very hungry, baby might be frustrated and refused to latch (because he is veyr hungry and just cry for milk).hence, feed baby only when there is a sign that he's hungry.

[ShoppingQueenie]

Ok - i'll take note of it

[popcorn]

yes i agreed with rafemama, Shpg Qn try 10-15mins or even half an hour before his hungry time maybe it works so that he can try to latch on again.
Fish Soup with Papaya is good for BM though is bit fishy you can add some pepper and it will taste better. Take good care during your confinement period.

[ShoppingQueenie]

Sure - i'll take good care of myself. I have 2 man to take care now

Now i manage to latch him on. But will still do cross feeding. As it's too tiring to keep feeding him (he's been feeding like every hour).

[wanderlust]

I think you should add ginger instead of pepper. ginger gets rid of the fishiness and is good for "wind"

there IS such a thing as nipple confusion. if you introduce the bottle/pacifier before your breastmilk is established (around 4 weeks approx), the baby will not know how to latch on properly. sucking on a teat is very different so the baby will tend to suck on the nipple only instead of the around areola which will be very painful for the mummy and not establish the milk flow properly.

if you need to return to work, then about 4-6 weeks you should introduce a bottle. firstly because your production should have stabilised, and secondly if you wait any longer the baby will refuse to suck from a teat.

my girl also cried alot and quite frequently, i fed her on demand because i also supplemented her with formula while she was in the hospital for jaundice. when she got back, i let her latch on as much as possible, but she was always unsatisfied because the amount of formula she was taking in the hospital was much more and flowed much faster than what i could provide. it takes patience and lots of feeds to catch up. if you get stressed by other people, just shut yourself up in the room and feed. when she first came back, i did supplement with formula but cut back one feed at a time till i was total breastfeeding. whenever i gave her formula, i will express so that it makes up for the feed i missed.

it's tough in the first 2 months but hang in there! i did and i'm still breastfeeding my 2 year old! all the best!

[Grace Liow]

Tired fernugrek once and i stopped. As it makes me thirsty. Guess after taking it. mums drink more water and as a result more milk? Might as well drink water faithfully instead of popping in the pills....

[wanderlust]

Breastfeeding is what makes you thirsty. the more you produce, the more fluids you lose and hence you get thirsty.

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum). Fenugreek seed has been used to increase milk production since biblical times. The herb contains phytoestrogens, which are plant chemicals similar to the female sex hormone estrogen. A key compound, diosgenin, has been shown experimentally to increase milk flow.(0)

Fenugreek and Breastfeeding
Fenugreek seeds contain hormone precursors that increase milk supply. Scientists do not know for sure how this happens. Some believe it is possible because breasts are modified sweat glands, and fenugreek stimulates sweat production. It has been found that fenugreek can increase a nursing mother's milk supply within 24 to 72 hours after first taking the herb. Once an adequate level of milk production is reached, most women can discontinue the fenugreek and maintain the milk supply with adequate breast stimulation. Many women today take fenugreek in a pill form (ground seeds placed in capsules). The pills can be found at most vitamin and nutrition stores and at many supermarkets and natural foods stores. Fenugreek can also be taken in tea form, although tea is believed to be less potent than the pills and the tea comes with a bitter taste that can be hard to stomach. Fenugreek is not right for everyone. The herb has caused aggravated asthma symptoms in some women and has lowered blood glucose levels in some women with diabetes.

[ShoppingQueenie]

Currently i do 3 ways - latching him on (when i'm not tired), expressing & formula. Because once he latch on he'll be stuck at my 2 breast for 2 hours. But he do like to suckle my breast before he sleep. So i'll just tell myself take it easy as too much stress affect my express milk.

[Soxx]

hihi,

i've tried fenugreek for 3days and it does help to increase the milk supply but i've stopped taking it coz i find that the milk seems to smell weird.Now my milk supply seems to revert back to low. Will fenugreek still work to increase milk supply if i eat it again?

[tanlengleng]

Hi hi,
I have some left-overs GNC Fenugreek to let go,
BrandNew, not opened, do PM me your email addy if you need them. TIA.