New mom quick q

[z71517]

New mom here! Baby almost 2 weeks old and breast feeds- we breastfeed but she can stay on eating for hrs so sometimes we supplement with 1-2 oz of formula. Im not sure if I can do anything to change my milk so she doesnt need the forumla. Id really rather not give it.
Part 2: how offen can I or should I be pumping. If ive pumped milk- then we give her that instead of formula and it mostly does the trick but I dont always have enough!
Can I increase the supply... i just feel like im always feeding or pumping. Whats a good/realistic feeding and pumping sched! Thanks!b

 

[jesusforbeginners]

@z71517 She is eating for hours for comfort AND to increase your supply - Sounds like you and babe both have it figured out already and don't even know it

If your pumping so hubby can help out perhaps pick a feed a day that he will do and make sure you have enough milk pumped for just that feed?

Baby is only 2 weeks old - Your doing a fantastic job mamma!

 

[nabthefool]

@z71517 I would hesitate to pump at this early stage. Your milk is still regulating- baby nursing what feels like constantly is what is telling your body to make more. Babe is much more efficient at producing milk than a pump. It is so normal to feel like all you are doing is feeding those first few weeks. In just a short time babe will become more efficient and will be able to empty the breasts faster and stretch out the feeds. If you really want to collect milk at this point I would get a haakaa and attach it to the opposite breast while baby is nursing.

 

[jboydstun]

@z71517 Let me reassure you a bit.

My son is 3 weeks and up until recently my supply was still establishing. Maybe in the past 3 days or so it has become more regular and dependable. I would assume this differs from person to person but it sounds to me like your supply is still building.

At your stage I was pumping about twice a day. Now that my supply is in I am pumping maybe 4 times a day (or whenever needed engorgement is no joke).

I am no expert but for me I was able to tell my supply was more established when my boobs became painful if baby didn’t feed/ I didn’t pump every 2.5-4 hours.

I kept putting baby on the boob. Sometimes he nursed for hours. It was daunting and he has been a hungry guy but I believe that is why I seem to be over producing a little bit now. I typically seem to produce about 8-10 extra ounces a day at 3 weeks PP.

It has gotten so much easier. I’m with others though... it may be better to drop the formula to increase your supply. If you overproduce then you can give a bottle of pumped milk periodically.

 

[katrina2017]

@z71517 At two weeks you can’t have a schedule if you’re breastfeeding because you’re still trying to establish supply. You should be feeding on demand and yes it’s going to feel like you’re feeding all day. It stops very shortly. To establish a good supply I would stop supplementing and start nursing more. It will feel like all you do is nurse but it’s such a short time anyways.

At two weeks I swear I was feeding every hour.

 

[kiyx]

@z71517 Very normal to feel like you’re always feeding- unless you have a great need to have expressed breastmilk on hand there is no real reason to pump. As long as your baby is gaining weight your supply is fine, low volume doesn’t mean lack of nutrients. Keep doing what you’re doing as long as the weight gain keeps up. Good luck x

 

[supermanpj4444]

@z71517 Do you give her formula because you feel like she’s not getting enough from you? This seems to be a really common feeling with new moms at the two week mark because baby is usually cluster feeding all the time. Although it’s frustrating as the only adult who can feed, it’s important to let baby feed on the breast- your milk is supply and demand, so baby feeding on your breast is telling your body to make more milk. It’s difficult but the only way to really tell if baby is getting enough is if baby has enough wet diapers (4-6/24 hour period) and is gaining weight. I’m not your pediatrician, but I’d say if your pediatrician didn’t tell you that you needed to supplement due to weight gain issues (or any other issues), you should just feed baby at the breast and monitor diaper output.

Many LCs don’t recommend pumping until the 6 week mark because your milk is still regulating. For me, I will pump if baby only eats on one side and will freeze the milk to have a small amount available for my husband if i leave the house for an hour, but in general, baby feeds on me so there isn’t much milk available to be pumped in between sessions. When you are ready to pump (if your away from baby), you should pump on the same schedule as baby is eating (every 2-3 hours), but i don’t think there’s a real reason to pump now unless you have to.

Also I highly recommend calling a lactation consultant in your area! Early on, i went and we did a weighted feed so i would know how much baby was taking in (gave me a lot of relief!) and she checked out latch, sized my pump flanges, and was a great resource for any questions. Was so so helpful.

Congrats on your new babe! Breastfeeding is hard but don’t give up on your hardest day! You got this, mama!

 

[shaney777]

@z71517 When my LO was 2 weeks I was feeding about every two hours, but sometimes more. Those early weeks are so hard because it really feels like LO is ALWAYS eating, especially if you have a baby that feeds for 30 minutes and wants more an hour and a half later.
I can’t speak for everyone but when I was having supply issues at the beginning feeding every two hours really helped! I’m 4 1/2 months in now with no issues and feeding every 3-3.5 hours.
Production really stems from stimulation, so to make more you have to pump or feed more. Sometimes it takes a day or two but usually your body will eventually catch on to what you want it to do! Pump after every feeding to encourage your body to make more. Drinking lots of water and getting lots of calories can help, too.
When my LO was really little he would often take a long time feeding because he would doze off after a minute or two, so rubbing his head or tickling his feet would help keep him up and he eventually got better at feeding. But if your baby does fall asleep or starts comfort sucking instead of eating (you stop hearing that sort of clicking noise they make when they swallow) you can always take them off and pump after you feed them to try to increase supply!
I know this is really tough, but you got this!!