UPDATE* need support and advice trying to get supply back

[mkateg2009]

*update: I woke up this morning for babies 6am feeding... engorged! I haven't felt engorged for about a week and a half now. So the past two feedings I have EBF and babies are satisfied without supplementing! I thought it would take much longer to get my supply back but after two days of really hitting it hard I'm so happy it looks like I'm not going to have to stop bf yet! (And I'm going to call that LC and surprise her since she wasn't optimistic about it coming back!)

This will be a long story so sorry in advance. I have 6 week old twins and started breastfeeding with open mind to pumping and
Supplimenting if needed. It started out great but two days after being discharged from hospital I went back with boggy uterus and took medication that I was told I needed to stop bf for 24hours after my last dose. So I wentabout two days not bf just pumping and dumping. My supply decreased despite my pumping every 2-3 hours. After that my babies picked up where they left off. I did have to supplement while I got my supply back up but it did come back and I actually started to produce. Well then my babies and I got the thrush. My nipples were sore and itchy and I was having shooting pains in my breast. I got so upset I said forget it ill just stop bf. Which now I know was the worst thing to think. But I started giving them more formula and pumping and giving some bm also. But I let myself get engorged and didn't pump like I should for a couple days. I then got clogged ducts my pump wouldn't relive so I started bf a few times per day while also still pumping. Now I regret ever stopping bf and want to get back to exclusively giving my babies bm. But my supply had gone from 6oz per pumping session to just 2! I no longer feel full between feedings and it takes about 3 to 4 hours to start to feel full. I started bf again today. My babies latch fine but get mad when they are hungry and milk isn't flowing. Im just going to try to put them to the breast as often as possible. But I called LC and she didn't sound very optimistic about my supply coming back fully. Im crushed. I've cried all afternoon since speaking to LC and feel so stupid for giving up on a bad day. If anyone has support our advice to offer I would greatly appreciate it.

[TheAnalyticalMommy]

Hi! I'm not sure that I have much to offer except... please don't feel crushed! I know how hard it is. Especially when you make the decision and want to go back (I was there with my first). Youre LO's will be fed and you'll cuddle then no matter what happens! I'm no expert but putting them to the breast as often as you can is probably the right answer. Anytime i worried about my supply I went all out - lactation cookies, tons of water, tons of baby cuddling and nursing etc ... Oh and mother's milk tea. I don't know if any of it worked but LO turns 1 tomorrow and i'm still nursing this time around. If it's really important to you, I'd say go all out and try all the methods you've heard of and hopefully one will work! If it doesn't, you'll have tried everything you can.

Good luck!

[casey]

What a rough road you've had. I can imagine how overwhelming and discouraging that must be.

I don't have answers, but I imagine answers might center around lots and lots of water and calories, nursing vacation in bed with the babies for 24 hours, pumping after many feeds, and filling in gaps with supplemental formula. @amyg ?

Whatever happens, I wish you peace. Your babies will be loved and fed.

[Deleted]

Yeah it's certainly not too late to regain your milk supply. At only six weeks there is a large hormone influence in your supply still which is something on your favor.

I would begin to put babies to the breast as often as you can. Lots and lots of skin to skin contact to raise your prolactin hormone to help supply. Oatmeal, lactation cookies, fenugreek, blessed thistle, etc

[Deleted]

And if you go back over to the bump breastfeeding board, tell them where to come and get help for their breastfeeding problems.

The above post was stuck in my phone from earlier. I was typing in the car and thought it posted but it didn't.

Let's see, nurse, pump, skin to skin, galactogogues, up your water intake and up your food. For twins you'll need at last 50 oz more water than you usually need, and 50 oz times 22 calories per oz is 1100 calories extra for milk. and those are on the low side.

You can do this. if you have to work up to it, then so be it, every day try to nurse one more baby one more time, and try to pump one more time, and have one more snack and one more glass of water.
I would probably rent a hospital pump, they work better than the consumer double electrics to increase supply.

And find a better LC.

[mkateg2009]

Thank you for answering AmyG! I actually came over here because I someone on the bf board informed everyone of your being banned or ignored or whatever they are calling it. Whatever it is Its RIDICULOUS! Out if everything "that other place" has done blocking your comments is the dumbest yet. Oh and how many days should I take the fenugreek? Ive read anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks but that it's not meant for long term use?

[Deleted]

Feb 12, 2015 1:54:29 GMT -5 mkateg2009 said:

Thank you for answering AmyG! I actually came over here because I someone on the bf board informed everyone of your being banned or ignored or whatever they are calling it. Whatever it is Its RIDICULOUS! Out if everything "that other place" has done blocking your comments is the dumbest yet. Oh and how many days should I take the fenugreek? Ive read anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks but that it's not meant for long term use?

I missed your question @mgkateg2009
Some moms take fenugreek almost the whole time they nurse so don't worry about taking it longer than that.

[ashanne88]

mkateg2009, I have taken fenugreek on and off since DS was about 2 weeks (he is over 8 months). I would take it as necessary - when your supply needs a boost. I'm so glad to hear that your supply came back!

[samantha24]

Congrats on getting your supply up. I'm EBF twins. My boys are almost 11 weeks old. It has definitely been a tough road and I have doubted my supply. But the best thing that worked for me was just to keep putting them to the breast which seemed to help get/keep my supply up. I also feed them at the same time. I bought a my Brest friend pillow which works amazing for me and I would recommend to anyone breastfeeding twins if you would want to try to feed them at the same time at some point. I find feeding them at the same time saves me lots of time so I don't feel like I have a baby attached to me all day.

[mkateg2009]

Well I feel like its been a rollercoaster with my supply. I felt that it was increasing but then the next day ill feel like it hasn't changed at all. Im now almost 7 days into going at this really hard but I can only pump 1oz if I've recently fed a baby. If its been at least an hour and I power pump I can get 4oz. I still feel like my breasts don't fill up in between feedings. It has to be at least 3 hours for me to start to feel like my breasts are beginning to fill. I have been breastfeeding around the clock pretty much and mostly my babies seem satisfied but im scared at times they don't get enough. Im going to keep going but I feel that my body isn't getting the signal to make more. @amyg is there a time when my body wouldn't produce more in a supply/demand manner and it will only produce what's taken out? I just feel that I should feel a big difference in my supply by now. The reason I ask is because I feel I'm not producing and storing milk Luke I was in the start but rather the only milk that comes out is after a let down. I'm not sure if that makes sense at all but not sure how else to explain it.

[Deleted]

Feb 18, 2015 19:37:50 GMT -5 mkateg2009 said:

Well I feel like its been a rollercoaster with my supply. I felt that it was increasing but then the next day ill feel like it hasn't changed at all. Im now almost 7 days into going at this really hard but I can only pump 1oz if I've recently fed a baby. If its been at least an hour and I power pump I can get 4oz. I still feel like my breasts don't fill up in between feedings. It has to be at least 3 hours for me to start to feel like my breasts are beginning to fill. I have been breastfeeding around the clock pretty much and mostly my babies seem satisfied but im scared at times they don't get enough. Im going to keep going but I feel that my body isn't getting the signal to make more. @amyg is there a time when my body wouldn't produce more in a supply/demand manner and it will only produce what's taken out? I just feel that I should feel a big difference in my supply by now. The reason I ask is because I feel I'm not producing and storing milk Luke I was in the start but rather the only milk that comes out is after a let down. I'm not sure if that makes sense at all but not sure how else to explain it.

Normal amount to pump if you have nursed baby is about 1/2-1oz.
Normal to pump to replace a feeding is abotu 2.5-3 oz at a time.
Your body will normally only make milk to equal demand.  Demand is how much milk is taken out regularly  If you want more milk you pump more often and or a bit longer (like 5-15 minutes after milk stops flowing to signal another let down and demand more milk).
As your supply regulates you won't feel full anymore.  We would all wean really early on if we had to walk around with full rock hard boulders of breasts all the time.
Normal milk production is 1 oz per hour, or 25 oz per day.

If babies seem satisfied and weight gain is in a normal range you are making enough milk.  You can reassure yourself about this with a weighted feeding at an LC.
The majority of the milk baby gets in a feeding can be made as baby nurses.  the initial let down is made and stored, but the rest is made immediately as the first milk is let down, the breasts make more right away for the next let down.  A nursing baby gets multiple let downs.  A pump might not.

[mkateg2009]

I wish the LC had explained more of that to me in the hospital so I would know how BF changes as you get farther into it. I think I've stressed myself out about low supply for nothing. Im defiantly going to relax a little and just focus on BF (& not worry so much about pumping). And thanks for answering all my questions @amyg

[Deleted]

No worries sweety.
Don't beat yourself up regardless of low or ok or high supply. Just do your best that's all you can do.

Kellymom had info that may help you to understand better how much milk is enough, how much you should pump, signs of low supply and what isn't a sign of low supply. Stuff like that may help you to be more confident in what is going on.