Newb questions

[Deleted]

How long does it take milk to come in? I'm on day 3 and there ain't nothing going on. DD has lost a lot of weight and I'm not sure how much longer I can go on pretending I still have a fighting shot at this. I had to supplement this morning to buy me some more time but it's not looking promising. 

Does everyone get engorged? Will I know when I have a letdown if it does come in? Does everyone leak? Ugh I feel like such a unprepared newb when it comes to this as I was unable to breastfeed my first, and by the looks of it, I'm not going to be able to BF kid the 2nd either.

[emmyg65]

2-5 days is average. It's also normal for a breastfed baby to lose up to 7% of body weight initially—if it's more than that, you should work with an LC to make sure your latch is good and you're not dealing with any other issues.

It's pretty normal to get engorged right when your milk comes in, but it should get better over the next few weeks. Some women don't get engorged and that's fine too.

You may or may not feel when you let down. You may only feel it sometimes, or only in one breast. It may hurt a little. All normal.

No, not everyone leaks.

As you can see, there's a lot of natural variation. Individual women are different, each pregnancy is different, and even each breast is different! Hang in there. The first two weeks are a doozy, but it does get better.

[emmyg65]

Also, leaking, how breasts feel, the amount of milk you pump are all not good indicators of supply. A lot of women think they have low supply when there's really no evidence for that. The best way to check your supply is to do a weighted feed (weigh baby, nurse, weigh baby) on a baby scale. You can do this at the doctor's, with an LC, or at a breastfeeding group meeting. You can also keep an eye on wet and dirty diapers. You want 6+ wet diapers a day and 3-4+ dirty ones in the newborn stage (after day 4).

This is a really useful read: kellymom.com/hot-topics/newborn-nursing/

[Deleted]

We're currently at 8.9% of weight loss. I've read kelly mom. Poops are on a track but we're short a couple of pees. The mw said other than the wet diapers there is no other signs of dehydration (good skin turgor, moist membranes etc). She is slightly jaundiced but still active and in the low intermediate range

[billyhorrible]

I think 7% is on the low side. My doctor doesn't worry until is over 10%.

With my first, my milk didn't come in until day 5. And my son was dehydrated, he had uric acid crystals in his diapers. So you're way ahead of the game!

Did you have a vaginal birth or c-section? I know following a c-sections it can take up to a week for milk to come in.

As far as engorgment, let down, etc. it's different for everyone.

[westiemom]

My milk came in overnight on day 3. I couldn't feel let down but the LC I had at the time encouraged me to pump after every feeding to get my milk in quick since my DD has jaundice. I wasn't engorged or anything but went to pump and milk started coming out. I didn't start feeling let down until closer to 3 months breastfeeding and engorgement happened some but definitely not daily here.

[Unknown]

Milk came in on day 6 for me with my first, and I was less engorged than I was with my second. Some people feel let downs some don't. I leaked for a few months with both before I could stop wearing pads.

[seamonster]

Day 5, but I had a c-section. It's worth getting latch checked for a hungry baby who is dropping a lot of weigjt.. DS had a bad latch and tongue and lip ties that prevented him from nursing properly and I ended up supplementing while we figured that out because he was starving and heavily dependant on my letdown. Same thing happened to a good friend of mine who ended up going to just formula.

[Deleted]

We're on day 5. My mw thinks my milk is in. I have no sensation whatsoever of feeling full or empty. No letdown no engorgement no leaking. She must be getting something though as she only lost an oz since yesterday and i only supplemented 40 some odd mls. Today ive given her more to get her gaining. I have an lc coming in the next day or two. I also have a referral in for a possible tie.

[emmyg65]

Have you done a weighted feed?

[jewel441]

My milk came in on day 2 but it was months before I could actually feel/noticed a let down. I would agree that it seems likely your milk is in if LO is not losing. If you squeeze does anything come out? FX things with the LC go well!

[Deleted]

Oct 16, 2016 7:51:48 GMT -5 jewel441 said:

My milk came in on day 2 but it was months before I could actually feel/noticed a let down. I would agree that it seems likely your milk is in if LO is not losing. If you squeeze does anything come out? FX things with the LC go well!

She lost over a pound. She gained only by supplementing about 200 mls. Tried to decrease that today, she's starving. So it looks like back to ff for us.

[jewel441]

Oct 17, 2016 3:22:15 GMT -5 @snuff9861 said:

Oct 16, 2016 7:51:48 GMT -5 jewel441 said:

My milk came in on day 2 but it was months before I could actually feel/noticed a let down. I would agree that it seems likely your milk is in if LO is not losing. If you squeeze does anything come out? FX things with the LC go well!

She lost over a pound. She gained only by supplementing about 200 mls. Tried to decrease that today, she's starving. So it looks like back to ff for us.

Hugs mama! Hang in there and just try to do as much skin to skin as you can. There is nothing wrong with supplementing and just because you have to do it now doesn't mean you will forever.

[lilyelayne]

Oct 17, 2016 3:22:15 GMT -5 @snuff9861 said:

Oct 16, 2016 7:51:48 GMT -5 jewel441 said:

My milk came in on day 2 but it was months before I could actually feel/noticed a let down. I would agree that it seems likely your milk is in if LO is not losing. If you squeeze does anything come out? FX things with the LC go well!

She lost over a pound. She gained only by supplementing about 200 mls. Tried to decrease that today, she's starving. So it looks like back to ff for us.

Hugs. Combo feeding isn't failure. You're taking care of your baby, and that's the goal!

Have you done a weighted feed? Have you met with an IBCLC to evaluate any transfer problems (ties, latch, etc)?

Are you supplementing with a bottle or at the breast with a SNS (supplemental nursing system)?

[emmyg65]

One more question: Are you pumping when you supplement?

And anecdata: My friend had an emergency c section and her milk didn't come in till Day 7. She had to supplement and did combo feeding then, but still made it to a year with some nursing, and then even beyond!

[Deleted]

Oct 15, 2016 20:34:13 GMT -5 emmyg65 said:

Have you done a weighted feed?

We didn't. 

Based on keeping track of breastfeeding and supplementation, I was able to provide about 2/3 of what she needed ( I supplemented 217mls and she needs about 600 to gain). She gained 5 oz from Saturday to Sunday. However feeds take over an hour, and that's if they go well. I dont have the mental capacity to be doing that day in and day out. I have a toddler to look after as well (DH is back at work today). I decreased supplementation yesterday and feeds went horribly. She was awake from 130-530 and wouldn't settle. We finally gave her a bottle at 530 and she conked out. Woke up at 9am, tried to feed her again and she fell asleep on both sides immediately. I think for my sanity and actually being able to parent both kids, I have to end my breastfeeding journey. The LC agreed I have low supply, with minimal storage capacity so DD would need to eat upwards of 12-14 times a day and I just can't feasibly do 14 hour+ long feeds and still stay a sane normal human being. I'm mourning the loss of breastfeeding again. I've been crying for over an hour but DD is content and full on the bottle I gave her.

[Deleted]

So i woke up today and just decided I'm going to keep trying breastfeeding. I went to another nurse today. I get a (free) hospital grade pump delivered tomorrow to try and assist with maximizing production and see if I can get some extra expressed milk to supplement with. While nursing sessions are still taking an hour, I just need to remind myself it's only temporary and I just have to make it through the next week or so. I've given myself another week to see if she wakes up a little and helps with the latch. If anyone has any tips or success stories to share I need the encouragement

For anyone having sleepy nursers with latch problems, tips/tricks? For those who are pumping, what do I need to know? I know I need about 10 pumping sessions a day, and to pump about 2-3 minutes after the milk stops flowing. Do I pump after feeds? what about those extra sessions? where do I fit those in?

[billyhorrible]

My first was a really sleepy guy for the first 2 weeks. I could not keep him awake to eat with any of the tricks. I had to keep a bowl of water and washcloth beside me while I nursed and basically wring it out over him to wake him/keep him awake.

At 2 weeks he woke up and started feeding better and more efficiently.

[jennybeans]

@snuff9861, I didn't realize you hadn't done a weighted feed yet. If you have the chance, it would help you understand exactly what is going on and how much LO is getting versus estimating. It doesn't change anything you need to do, but definitely would give you more information to work with.

[Deleted]

Oct 18, 2016 16:56:58 GMT -5 jennybeans said:

@snuff9861 , I didn't realize you hadn't done a weighted feed yet. If you have the chance, it would help you understand exactly what is going on and how much LO is getting versus estimating. It doesn't change anything you need to do, but definitely would give you more information to work with.

Ive seen 2 lactation consultants and neither of them have even brought up weighted feeds.

[Deleted]

So I know cluster feeding is a normal part of breastfeeding....but three nights in a row of being awake from 1130-730 with supplementation seems excessive. Then she sleeps all day and barely eats. I ended up giving a bottle at 330 and 430 and then tapped out. I dont even function right now and I still have the toddler to parent.

[emmyg65]

Sounds like she's reverse cycling. Newborns often have their days and nights mixed up. When our son was tiny, we kept everything quiet and dark from like 8 pm - 7 am, and didn't talk or play when he woke (just feed, diaper, bed), and kept things light and active during the day. You can also wake to nurse during the day so help her get enough then. It's kind of a myth that formula helps babies sleep better--tiny babies just keep odd hours.

Also, nights shouldn't be just on you. Your partner can do everything other than nurse--change diapers, rock and soothe, get the baby if she sleeps in a different room. He may be back to work, but you work too. (Caring for a newborn and a toddler solo all day is no walk in the park!)

[seamonster]

@snuff9861 How's it going? Any better?

If it's not getting better, has the LC checked for a lip or tongue tie? Some don't (they should, but some don't). If everything is ok and it's just low supply that's OK too. I combo-fed for most of a year for various reasons and have a LC friend who combo fed due to low supply. There's not a lot of information on combo feeding so hopefully your LC and pediatrician are giving you advice.

[Deleted]

Thanks for checking in!

No it hasnt been going much better. She's woken up a little bit, but it hasnt made breastfeeding any easier. She's been checked over for a tongue tie, she has a slight one but both the lcs ive seen say she has good movement of her tongue. She has an appt on Wed for a potential release. I've been diagnosed with igt. So we've switched to bottle feeding as her latch wasnt transferring my meagre supply and even with compressions I ended up with a blocked duct. My pumping output is laughable. She's doing well on formula (11 oz gain in a week). And my friend who's daughter is about 2 weeks older has donated some milk so we're going to use that as well. DD still goes to the breast occasionally but it's no longer nutritive and therefore isn't stressing me or her out.

[seamonster]

I hope the tie release helps things.

[Deleted]

Her tie was released Wednesday, but she has nipple aversion now. I tried pumping but I'm not responding to the hospital grade pump. The good news is my friend has donated another 150oz (on top of the 100 she's already given us) so now we're bottle feeding with 2/3 breastmilk and 1/3 formula. She's gaining well, is back above birthweight as of yesterday.

It's been confirmed I have IGT, so I wouldn't be able to EBF anyways. I'm ok with this, can't really overcome biology. I guess that means I have to leave the breastfeeding board. Thank you everyone for your support and advice over the last 2 weeks.

[Ray]

Oct 28, 2016 8:10:12 GMT -5 @snuff9861 said:

Her tie was released Wednesday, but she has nipple aversion now. I tried pumping but I'm not responding to the hospital grade pump. The good news is my friend has donated another 150oz (on top of the 100 she's already given us) so now we're bottle feeding with 2/3 breastmilk and 1/3 formula. She's gaining well, is back above birthweight as of yesterday.

It's been confirmed I have IGT, so I wouldn't be able to EBF anyways. I'm ok with this, can't really overcome biology. I guess that means I have to leave the breastfeeding board. Thank you everyone for your support and advice over the last 2 weeks.

Sorry about your diagnosis but glad to hear your LO is doing well! What a generous friend! I'm amazed she has such a stash!

[Deleted]

Oct 28, 2016 21:12:25 GMT -5 Ray said:

Oct 28, 2016 8:10:12 GMT -5 @snuff9861 said:

Her tie was released Wednesday, but she has nipple aversion now. I tried pumping but I'm not responding to the hospital grade pump. The good news is my friend has donated another 150oz (on top of the 100 she's already given us) so now we're bottle feeding with 2/3 breastmilk and 1/3 formula. She's gaining well, is back above birthweight as of yesterday.

It's been confirmed I have IGT, so I wouldn't be able to EBF anyways. I'm ok with this, can't really overcome biology. I guess that means I have to leave the breastfeeding board. Thank you everyone for your support and advice over the last 2 weeks.

Sorry about your diagnosis but glad to hear your LO is doing well! What a generous friend! I'm amazed she has such a stash!

It's an amazing gift and I can never repay her! I was there the other day and she just pumped 17 oz off in 15 minutes. She has a crazy oversupply, which is why she is EP. She's so engorged that her daughter can't latch and she can't feed her daughter the milk fast enough. She tried dropping a pumping session (she does 5 a day) and ended up with clogged ducts. 

[Ray]

Oct 29, 2016 8:18:47 GMT -5 @snuff9861 said:

Oct 28, 2016 21:12:25 GMT -5 Ray said:

Sorry about your diagnosis but glad to hear your LO is doing well! What a generous friend! I'm amazed she has such a stash!

It's an amazing gift and I can never repay her! I was there the other day and she just pumped 17 oz off in 15 minutes. She has a crazy oversupply, which is why she is EP. She's so engorged that her daughter can't latch and she can't feed her daughter the milk fast enough. She tried dropping a pumping session (she does 5 a day) and ended up with clogged ducts. 

Holy crap!!! That is insane your poor friend!!!

[emmyg65]

You did an awesome job!