Breastfeeding questions

I too echo all of the below. All three of my kids feed every 45 minutes at that age - it's quite normal, but VERY tiring! Please see a LC - they make a world of difference. I'd personally recommend Dr Delphine Dupuis. Her follow up is amazing and this really is her "thing". She's also a qualified GP so will not ignore the impact your childs jaundice might have on any issues you have and is definitely not a BF'ing nazi! She's at Motorcity, Barsha and health care city on different days. I'd also like to let you know that pumps really are not as effective as a baby. I donate my milk to feed another baby, so I often pump for her first, then feed my own baby (4 months old now). There's plenty left for my DD even after the pump finishes. Don't measure your supply by the output of a pump - honestly it's not an accurate measure. Top up feeds are really going to lower your supply unless you pump on a regular and very frequent schedule. <em>edited by Alicia on 06/12/2011</em>

I can thoroughly recommend Dr Delphine at Motor City MediCentres. She's been absolutely brilliant with us. I never had any feeding issues with DS at all and although DD latched on pretty much as soon as I got her on my chest after she was born, we've had a couple of issues and Dr Delphine has sorted us right out. She's a family doctor but also a lactation consultant which I think is a great combination.

Until you can get to see an IBCLC, you might like to try some of the suggestions on this page to keep your baby feeding actively at the breast: http://www.mother-2-mother.com/cc-baby-A.htm#SleepyBabies Laid-back nursing positions might also be something to consider (http://www.biologicalnurturing.com), as this can help babies' natural feeding instincts to kick in. If you're in the UAE, details of IBCLCs are in the "Breastfeeding Support in the UAE" thread http://www.expatwoman.com/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=151781 . The very best of luck, and please let us know how you get on. xx

echoing all below and just adding that Paula Miller at Cooper Clinic is a FAB Lac consultant - she really helped me through alot of early BF issues and she comes to the house too. Once she even came at 6am! :) Would definitely recommend giving her a call.

Ok so he is at the phase my LC described as "popper's", as in he latches, but pops off quickly. This does not mean you have a problem with your supply at all. Most likely the main issue is that he is sleepy, because of the jaundice, its pretty common the first few weeks. You can try and keep him awake by un-swaddling him, keeping the room warm and stripping him down to just a nappy for a feed (best if you strip down as well if possible so his skin is touching your bare skin). You can also gently stroke his cheek or feet with a wet facecloth. Get him outdoors in the sunlight as often as possible to help fight the jaundice. Its also possible he is not latching well, so he is not stimulating a fast enough flow of milk, and therefore getting bored and drifting off to sleep. If you want to breastfeed, you should find an experienced Lactation Consultant (LC) as soon as possible (like today) and get the latch checked out. The nurses in the hospital all swore my baby was latched well, but he wasn't :( Explain to your Dr that you want to stop the formula top-ups as soon as possible, so they can give you an idea on the jaundice and how bad it is (a little jaundice is common and not a problem but if its severe then they may make you stick with the top ups until your baby is feeding better from the breast). Don't be afraid to change pediatricins if you feel that yours is not that supportive of your wish to breastfeed. In the meantime you need to be pumping and putting him to the breast often (so yes every 45 minutes if thats how often he wants to feed). Don't be concerned if you don't get much when you pump and don't hurt your nipples by pumping for more than 15 minutes or so each side if nothing is coming. Please see the LC ASAP, I'd hate something simple like a sleepy baby turn into a supply issue because you didn't get the help you needed soon enough.

echo everything HAK said below. 12 days is very early to have decide you have supply issues, at this stage it would be normal (and not a sign of low supply) for your baby to still weigh less than he was born. If you give formula you will make less milk. Your baby needs to be breastfeeding as often as he wants right now so that your body knows how much milk to make. Don't expect to be able to pump much, your baby gets milk out much better than a pump. I needed to pump 3 times as often and for 3 times as long as it would have taken to breastfeed the same amount, so its not a time saver by any means and its confusing for your baby to have to switch between breast and bottle while he is still learning to breastfeed. Small vomits (posseting) and hiccups, burps etc are quite normal too. Don't be concerned by this. maybe you could explain further what you think the problem is/what makes you think your supply is low and we can be more helpful. And yes, go to an LC not a Dr with this.

I think you should consult a lactation consultant first and foremost and definitely not listen to a Dr about breastfeeding issues! Topping up with formula is pretty much a guarantee of not having enough milk. You need to decide if you're happy with this situation, knowing that the more formula you give, the less milk your own body will produce (to the point where it may stop producing altogether) or if you would prefer to move towards exclusively breastfeeding. This is your decision and yours alone - lots of people will have their own opinions on the matter (I certainly have my own), but they are not you and certainly not sat by your side in the early hours of the morning! \If you do want to move towards breastfeeding, then the only way to do so is to get your supply up by a/ making sure your baby's latch is correct and b/ feeding on demand, even if it's a little and often. This will send the signals to your body that it needs to produce more milk, and unless you are one of the 2-5% of women who physically can't produce milk, your body should respond within 48h. As for expressing, I have never quite understood the obsession for this, unless you are returning to work or your baby has certain issues that means it can only be bottle-fed. Pumps NEVER get as much milk out as your baby will and as such, you have to work far harder to get the same kind of quantity... and I take my hat off to the mums out there who exclusively express and up their expressing to meet their baby's growing demand (because the signals the pump give are less than a baby would). For me, life's just way too short to express - I never had any supply issues, but could only pump out about 3oz per 20 minute session... when I tried pumping with my son latched on to trigger the let-down, I got 10oz in about a minute and had a moment's panic as I tried to detach the nearly-overflowing bottle without disturbing DS! For me, therefore, my advice would be to consult a lactation consultant to get the latch right, ditch the pump for a bit, drop the formula completely and clear your diary for the next 2 days to be able to relax and feed your son whenever he wants to feed... but that's just what I would do and what suits me may not suit you.

Hi! What reasons make you think your supply is low? Just so you know, topping up will lower your supply. Did you start topping up and then noticed you had supply issues?