How can I tell if I'm not producing enough?

"How can I tell if I'm not producing enough? It felt like I wasn't producing milk or at least not very much milk over the weekend, my breast were not very heavy and [my baby] was constantly wanting to eat and she was very cranky. Do you think that was the problem?"

It sounds like you had a rough weekend and it may be stressing you out a little still.    But don’t worry this actually sounds like a growth spurt to me, and it is completely normal. 

     Around 3 weeks of age, baby will suddenly go through a growth spurt.  They may become cranky and it will feel like they just want to eat all of the time, especially during the hours of 6pm – 8pm.  You will probably not feel engorged.  Many moms have come to me in this situation with concerns that their milk is drying up.  I promise that that is not what is happening.  The best thing to do in this situation is just sit back and nurse.  The worst thing to do in this situation is to give baby a bottle of formula.  Right now baby is telling your body to increase the milk supply.  Every time she removes milk,  your body makes that much, plus a little more, to make sure there is enough milk for her as her appetite grows.  If you give her formula, her tummy gets full, but your body does not know she needs more milk and your milk supply will slowly decrease.  You should notice that the fussiness and constant nursing goes away in a few days and the two of you will get back on her normal schedule.  If you feel like you are still not making enough, start pumping about 30 minutes after a feeding and that will help increase your supply as well.  It is important to put baby to the breast first and always nurse more often than you pump in order to keep your supply up.  Also, don’t worry if you notice this happening again in a couple of weeks because babies often go through growth spurts at 6 weeks of age as well.  And then again at 3 months and 6 months.  It will be okay, I promise.  I hope  this answers your questions and gives you some peace.  If you need to call me, feel free the number is 417-315-2135.  And if it would make you feel better to come by and weigh her that is perfectly fine as well.  You don’t need an appointment, just drop by and the nurses or I will weigh her and show you how much she is gaining.

Am I too late?

Recently I received this email from one of my mom's who was having concerns about breastfeeding:

I had my baby boy Friday Morning. We had a lot happen recently and I thought I was going to have to go back to work within the next ten days so I chose to bottle feed. :( so not proud of that decision. I found out today I will be able to stay home for at least six weeks. So now I'm wondering am I to late to try? Is it possible I could still breast feed or did I really mess this up?

This was my response to her:

No worries, it is absolutely still possible.  Many women go through similar experiences and are still able to convince baby to breastfeed.  Baby’s who end up in NICU, Moms who have difficulties and are not immediately able to breast feed, even adoptive parents are sometimes able to breastfeed.  The reality of it is you may have a little struggle but you can do it.  Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

     1.       First of all, stay calm.  It may be a little stressful latching baby on because he does not realize milk     comes from breasts, he believes that we eat from bottles.  But your breast milk should just be coming in and you will be able to feed him when he figures it out.

     2.       Bottles work because gravity pulls the milk out for baby.  Breasts work because baby massages them with his tongue and milk ejects from the breast so it may take him a few tries before he figures out to work his tongue differently than he has been.

     3.       It is important to keep up your milk supply while we are waiting for baby to come around.  If you have an electric pump, this is a great time to use it.  This will allow baby to eat breast milk, instead of formula, from the bottle if he does not  latch right away.  Also, it will tell your body that you need to make milk.  Whatever you remove from the breasts, your body will put that much milk back plus just a little bit more.  If we don’t remove milk then the milk supply goes away,so keep pumping.

     4.       Don’t give up.  Keep offering the breast first at every feeding.  Baby may fight you at first and there will be tears but he is learning right now and if we give up and give him a bottle when he cries, then he has learned that crying changes things.  He will fight for the bottle and now you have a fussy baby because he believes that he has to be in a fit to get what he wants.  However, if you can endure and keep trying through the crying, he will figure out how to remove milk from the breast and then you won’t have to work so hard to convince him to breast feed at the next feeding.

     5.       Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Jill (IBCLC) and I are here every day.  Feel free to come by the office around feeding times and we will help you get baby latched on and hopefully help you feel less stressed as you go through this.  Also, you can call me 24 hours a day on the breastfeeding helpline 417-315-2135. 

We really want you to be successful.  We have been where you are and felt what you are feeling when we were breastfeeding our own babies.  Please don’t hesitate to call, or come by whenever you need us.  We are here to help.