Low milk Supply - Substituting with formula and EBM

Some tips and tricks: [b'>Pump brand:[/b'> Buy the Ameda lactaline pump, it costs only 800dhs, its hosital quality and works just as well (if not better) than the Medela ones. They'll do home delivery which is so much easier: +971 4 2382360 [b'>Mothers Milk Tea[/b'> - available at life pharmacy, increases supply for most women [b'>Fenugreek supplements[/b'> - also works for a lot of women. do not buy the golden jar brand (Solgar) its so expensive, theres a brand that comes in purple, orange and white jars (Now), its much cheaper to buy this Good luck! <em>edited by sourskittleashnut on 02/02/2013</em>

Hi! I didn't read all replies, so I don't know if you got similar advice. I had the same problem in the first few weeks. My girl is now 10 weeks old, and we stopped formula supplementation on her 5th day of life. She developed jaundice in the first 24h of life, so they tested her for everything, she was on IV antibiotics as she picked up infection in utero (I had rupture of membranes + failure to progress so ended with c/s after a looong day of trying to have vaginal birth). In the first few weeks I had only 50-60 ml of expressed milk, and I did it religiously every 2-3 hours. She didn't even suckle at the time, so we went through a battle to get her on the breast. It took me 2 weeks to start proper breastfeeding. Newborn baby needs 500-600 ml per day (depending on her weight), and it all depends how often she asks for food. If it is every 2-3 hours, you are good with the current amount as long as you get it on the similar schedule. My girl was too sleepy initially, and it was a nightmare to wake her up for feeding. I got Medela electrical breast pump, which can pump from both breasts simultaneously. It costed an arm and a leg, but it is worth every penny. I continued pumping for few more minutes after the milk flow would stop, I drained breasts till the last drop and just continued. This way you stimulate milk production. On top of that, every time baby was due to feed, I would offer her breast first, so she would suck a little bit, but was too hungry and didn't have energy to suckle. However, sucking also stimulates milk production. I am still expressing milk, but only if we go somewhere or if I need to store it (I am making "back to work" supply for freezing), and I currently have more milk than my girl needs. The other thing which you can do if your baby breastfeeds is when she finished with the feed, use the pump and drain the leftovers, that will stimulate the production. Use fennel seeds in your diet, small amount like teaspoon, that increases milk supply. Plus, it is beneficial against colics for the baby. I used anise seeds from Holland, muisjes de Ruijter, and I am still having them daily. Last but not least, make sure she is latching properly. And even if you feels as there is not enough milk, let her suckle, she will slowly get what she needs, breastfeeding is the perfect supply on demand system. Good luck!

hey ladies! try fresh dates you will see the response with 1-2 days

Paula Miller is an excellent LC too. I used her after experiencing the same issues. I also used to drink Fenugreek tea and felt it used to really help. Plus its natural although a bit stinky!

How are you doing Globetrotter1?

Oh i know how you feel, my baby had also jaundice, 10 days i was on BF & formula, she was throwing up, was impossible to feed her as she was sooooo sleepy... it was nightmare! Every time i pump 40-50 ml, with fenugreek capsules & Hipp breastfeeding tea i reached 90 ml (but only afternoon time). On day 10 i sad enough & started giving her only breast, thanks god by that time she started wake up at least for some feeds. Her latching wasint good & one side was in sore. I went to lactation clinic on day 13, they helped BIG TIME :) You know they told me "Do you know what is the best pumping machine for breast milk? Your Baby " :) Its true, you`ll pump for 15-20 min & thats it, baby can stay on breast for few hours & still get milk! So once jaundice is cleared, start only BF, forget formula, bottles, give a big hug to you LO & enjoy BF, let it be every hour in the beginning, but everything will be ok in a week time! My DD is 7 weeks now, i still remember that crazy days & nights with expressing milk instead of holding her in my arms :( You can do it!!! All the best!

Do see a properly qualified LC soon, it could be that your baby is not latching effectively and therefore not getting to your milk quickly, hence the long feeds. Dr Delphine can check for things like tongue-tie, which can make it harder for babies to feed and is much easier to treat in the early days than if you wait.

Jaundice doesn't necessarily have anything to do with milk intake (although dehydration does). I highly recommend Dr Delphine Dupuis who is a GP as well as a qualified lactation consultant. I know you've asked for recommendations for two others - I have used cecile too, but feel Dr Delphine was better for this particular issue. I was thinking last night, if you're up for a bit of juggling, try feeding your baby on one side WHILST you pump the other. You'll be amazed at how much more milk you get in the pump as baby will be helping to stimulate your breast and therefore milk supply, in a way a pump simply can't. It's not easy, but may be a way to give you confidence in the advice you've been given here. Pumped milk is in no way an indicator of milk supply. I hope you get to see Dr Delphine or someone else qualified (ie not just a midwife) soon - with a bit of help ( and we all need it at times) you should be able to exclusively breast feed.

globetrotter1 please look at the thread below " do I have enough milk?". This is link for LaLecheLeauge in UAE, you can contact them they will help you. https://www.facebook.com/groups/lll.uae/ http://www.llli.org/uae.html [b'>"Since then, I have been expressing (so I know the exact amount) "[/b'> Babies suck more milk than you will pump, you might have much more than you are thinking :). HTH, Good luck & waiting for good news

totally agree with the below, I have never had supply issues and both my babies have been 75th-98th percentiles and yet i could only really ever pump around 50mL, sometimes less too. Your baby will get much more milk if you breastfeed rather than bottlefeed expressed milk. There is a list of breastfeeding support in the UAE in the preg/baby section of this website. [url=http://www.expatwoman.com/dubai/monthly_pregnancy_babies_Breastfeeding_Support_In_Dubai_8935.aspx'>link[/url'>

Almost everyone experiences this! Please please please do not judge your milk supply by the amount you can pump - the two are not really related. Different ladies respond differently to pumping and also to different pumps. I strongly advise you to get some help from a qualified lactation consultant - I used Dr Delphine Dupuis and she is fabulous. Advice on a board like this is of limited value, as every woman ( and baby) is different, but believe me ALL women have doubts and worries. The fact that your baby was dehydrated may well mean you do have supply issues, but true SUPPLY issues are very very rare. Usually the problem is latch, or lack of a good feeding relationship established early. The good news is 15 days is very early - please see someone immediately. Substituting with formula will only "tell" your body it's made enough milk and it swill stop producing. I never really appreciated how much time you need to spend actually feeding a newborn - for me it was 40 odd minutes every two hours - sometimes more. I was sure I had to be doing something wrong...... There are several facebook pages and websites with fantastic support here in the UAE, I'd post links' but I'm not on my computer right now. Perhaps someone else will. There is nothing wrong with formula, but if you do want a good BF'ing relationship, be very very careful about supplementing. <em>edited by Kooky on 03/01/2013</em>