is my breastmilk even good?

[sadiegrace]

i’m honestly so exhausted. im a FTM l, an exclusive pumper because i have a baby that refuses to latch, and i am home with my baby 24/7 while my boyfriend works. i am an oversupplier which is nice because i thinj i have a pretty good freezer stash for only being 7weeks pp (probably about 3-4 weeks worth of milk). however, just between pumping, taking care of LO, and doing the standard household things like dishes and laundry that have to be done everyday, i literally don’t have time to eat, or eat anything substantial for that matter. my baby is already wanting 4oz every 2-4 hours, usually only twice overnight which is why i say 4 hrs (9pm-4am) otherwise its mostly 2 to 3, but i just feel like he eats so much and is always hungry or has gas problems. i just feel like i’m not even eating enough for my breastmilk to satisfy my baby or supplement his needs. we went to our last dr apt and she said his growth charts are perfect, but idk i’m just so exhausted i don’t even know if its worth it anymore. i also don’t even feel hungry when i pump?? i was told i’d be like ravenous and thats what it looks like most people feel, but i just don’t feel that way. i feel nauseous and dizzy most times, probably from a combination of not eating and just pumping out any of the little nutrients i get to LO. today i literally ate a poptart and a lunchmeat sandwich…..and that’s it. i’m just too tired in the already little downtime that i have that i would rather just sleep for 20-45 minutes than eat. i still take prenatal vitamins so i guess he’s getting that from me at the least but, idk i just don’t know if its even good enough. i’m just so exhautsed i don’t know if i can keep this up. is this normal?

 

[rob57]

@sadiegrace im super jealous of your supply...I get 20oz of boob milk total on a good day and am supplementing with everything (cookies, tea, etc) to get there. I was ravenous at first but it has subsided, and I certainly eat way more than you do. I think you either need a reboot (day to sleep) or you could be anemic? When your bf gets home do you nap? I'm home full time while my husband works and I sleep when my LO does and then shower and sleep uninterrupted just a few hours when he gets home. This is just what I need to make it through the night.
Now that she's older, she sleeps an amazing 6h straight (I wake to pump but it's amazing). Hang in there, my girl is 7 weeks and she started this longer stretch of sleep at 6.5 weeks.
I wouldn't dump that milk, but I think you should contact your OB to see if something is going on. Good luck!!

 

[dixieheart]

@sadiegrace You should feel proud of the fact that you work so hard to have more than enough food for your LO! Seriously, awesome work! I don’t know how you pumping mamas do it! Its hard work.

My 8.5 week old eats every 2-4 hours too. Overnight she’ll sleep her first block of sleep of anywhere between 4-7 hours so I don’t wake her to eat during that. She has been cluster feeding the past week. I have an app that I track the time I spend feeding her…its 4.5-5 hours a day atm. And she still seems hungry.

Maybe do some research on baby’s growth spurts and developmental leaps. My LO is currently going through her 8 week developmental leap. Hence the teason she’s cluster feeding. I can actually tell. She’s so much more alert and aware of the world around her. Its so much for her to take in that she doesn’t sleep during the day, gets overtired/over-stimulated and consequently needs energy/soothing in boobie juice.