Hello all. Long post ahead. This is on breastfeeding, low milk supply, formula as a backup, and feeling depressed and anxious all while doing it. As I type this, my wife and our 8 day old LO are currently sleeping (finally) after a brutal 36 hour stretch of minimal sleep so I apologize for gibberish or typos.
My wife had a planned c section about 8 days ago and we had a goal to EBF our son. He is our first baby. Things were going well up until day 5 post birth, she was breastfeeding pretty well (we were fighting latching and our son figuring it out) and we were optimistic about this new chapter. Then, in the evening of day 5, my wife started feeling very nauseous. That night progresses, our son starts cluster feeding about every 30-45 minutes for about 4 hours, nausea goes back and forth, and we finally settle for bed. Fast forward to evening day 6, nausea is back and my wife feels that our son isn’t getting enough milk. Late that night around midnight, she goes to feed and our son continues to give hunger queues. She then states how soft her breasts fill (this has not happened up until this point). She cannot express any milk out and tries to pump. Bone dry. And I’m sure you can imagine the emotional explosion that ensued at that moment. We were distraught. We were forced to give our son formula and we’ve been fighting this ever since. After doing a lot of thinking and talking to her doctor and pediatrician on day 7, it seems my wife became dehydrated between post hospital (day 2.5) and the evening of day 5. Yes she had been eating and drinking water, but no where like she should have. But we didn’t know any better. Things were going great so we thought she was good. Turns out, I think it was all the fluids from the hospital that had her producing so well initially.
So that’s where we are at. She breast feeds about every 2-3 hours, and we have to give about 0.5-1.5 ounces of formula for a supplement each feeding. Things we have tried over the last 18 hours: hydration with alternating blue Powerade zero, Prime hydration drinks, and water; carb loaded Italian food; high protein breakfast; rest (about 7 total hours over the last 24); lactation cookies; and fenugreek (3 doses).
She “power pumped” this evening over 1 hour (20 min on, 10 min off; 10 on, 10 off; 10 on, then done) and she got about 2oz total.
Is there still hope she can get back to EBF? Any other tips we haven’t tried??? We hate formula and everything that comes with it.
If you’ve read this far, I sincerely say thank you. I have some pretty rough anxiety myself and this whole new baby change has me in shambles, not to mention my wife is heartbroken over the lack of breast milk she’s able to produce right now.
My wife had a planned c section about 8 days ago and we had a goal to EBF our son. He is our first baby. Things were going well up until day 5 post birth, she was breastfeeding pretty well (we were fighting latching and our son figuring it out) and we were optimistic about this new chapter. Then, in the evening of day 5, my wife started feeling very nauseous. That night progresses, our son starts cluster feeding about every 30-45 minutes for about 4 hours, nausea goes back and forth, and we finally settle for bed. Fast forward to evening day 6, nausea is back and my wife feels that our son isn’t getting enough milk. Late that night around midnight, she goes to feed and our son continues to give hunger queues. She then states how soft her breasts fill (this has not happened up until this point). She cannot express any milk out and tries to pump. Bone dry. And I’m sure you can imagine the emotional explosion that ensued at that moment. We were distraught. We were forced to give our son formula and we’ve been fighting this ever since. After doing a lot of thinking and talking to her doctor and pediatrician on day 7, it seems my wife became dehydrated between post hospital (day 2.5) and the evening of day 5. Yes she had been eating and drinking water, but no where like she should have. But we didn’t know any better. Things were going great so we thought she was good. Turns out, I think it was all the fluids from the hospital that had her producing so well initially.
So that’s where we are at. She breast feeds about every 2-3 hours, and we have to give about 0.5-1.5 ounces of formula for a supplement each feeding. Things we have tried over the last 18 hours: hydration with alternating blue Powerade zero, Prime hydration drinks, and water; carb loaded Italian food; high protein breakfast; rest (about 7 total hours over the last 24); lactation cookies; and fenugreek (3 doses).
She “power pumped” this evening over 1 hour (20 min on, 10 min off; 10 on, 10 off; 10 on, then done) and she got about 2oz total.
Is there still hope she can get back to EBF? Any other tips we haven’t tried??? We hate formula and everything that comes with it.
If you’ve read this far, I sincerely say thank you. I have some pretty rough anxiety myself and this whole new baby change has me in shambles, not to mention my wife is heartbroken over the lack of breast milk she’s able to produce right now.
