Breast Feeding - Bartlett,IL

Oh goodness...I hate to say it but at this point-unless you get some serious help from a professional-you are fighting a losing battle.
Pumps and babies mouths work completely differently. When a baby nurses it says to your body: make more milk.
When you pump...there are some lucky ladies that pull this off successfully...but you are not sending the same loud and clear message.
And when you introduce formula you sabotage the situation even more.
He is only 2 weeks old. If you work hard, you can get this turned around.
Put a call in to your hospital's lactation consultant-tonight.
Here are the Le Leche League communities in IL.: http://www.llli.org/web/illinois.html
If one of these is close to you, I would urge you to call them tonight too.
The "not taking to your breast" issue can be fixed-but you will need help.

Oh and one breast producing more or less is just normal. I always have one that does better w/ the pump than the other.

Not trying to be harsh...just trying to give you the facts.
GL!

None of my kids knew how to breastfeeding coming out of the womb :) They did not latch correctly and I thought it was supposed to hurt. That is the furthest from the truth! With my first, I supplemented with formula and just wanted to get to the 6wk mark so I contacted a lactation consultant through La Leche League. Wow, what a lifesaver! With a few sessions, my baby finally learned how to latch and I was able to successfully breastfeeding for a year. The same thing happened with my second. He was a barracuda and was on the breast constantly. Remember, if the baby cries after a feeding, it's not that he didn't get enough milk, he needs the other breast bc he is building up your supply. At 2wks, you are not too late to get help and teach your little one to latch so you can build a healthy supply. So see a lactation consultant, stop supplementing with formula and see how it goes! It is so worth it! Good luck!!

Talk to a lactation consultant - I had shingles right after childbirth and it screwed things up big-time with my supply. I was able to BF for 2.5 years after I got some help. Breastfeeding is NATURAL but it's not always easy. A good lactation consultant can help figure out why the baby's having trouble. Ask the hospital and your ob/gyn for referrals. You'll need someone who's "formula friendly" - till your supply is up, you'll need the supplementing; I had something like an IV for formula - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd_iym7lBaU - it helped my supply increase. Good luck!

ok your going to get a million pros and cons to everything.. likely though the damage is done since your only getting a fraction of what you should from a pump. It seriously depends on the pump your using, the settings, the frequency, and the will power. You need to pump every 2 to 3 hours, you have to stay with it, even if it seems your boobs gave out, let it on it will pick up again. Babies dont suck like vaccum cleaners, so higest settings only tend to squeeze off the nipple not allowing the milk to come out properly. Low settings with low suction is best. Then if you are still having issues, HAND milk yourself. Works well to get it stimulated. even letting your baby rut around and try every now and then is good too. Its not a failure if your child didnt take. That is something that should have been addressed right away but now your baby is MORE used to a bottle and the quick satisfaction of a bottle. So what your doing is great. Getting SOME moms milk is better than none. Due to an infection and issues at home, my first daughter lost interest with breastfeeding at 3 months, I pumped though and fed with formula as well till she was a year. I never had the supply I had with my other 2 kids that were explicitly breast but she got some and I was ok with that.

People are not uniform.

You can talk to a lactation consultant about getting him back to the breast. Kellymom.com also has tips. I personally had overactive letdown so (with the blessing of the LC) I used a nipple shield.

Supplementing will tell your body "don't make so much". If you really want to nurse, you'll have to nurse him as much as possible. Supply = demand. Skin to skin contact even while not nursing is also a good idea. You might also go to a class or a La Leache League meeting to find out tips on good latch, different holds, and things you can try to increase your supply. I don't think you're done and out for the count, but I do think that if you want to pump and bottle feed or nurse, you need to get away from the formula and nurse more/pump more.

You may also have the wrong size funnel thing for the pump. I needed to go up a size and it made a huge difference. The Lactation Center will sell them (if your pump can swap out - Medela and Ameda can, I believe) and can measure you. They can also check your hold and his latch at the same time.

With my first, I barely produced milk at all (and wound up bottle feeding as a result).
I MAYBE got 4 oz a day, total, despite pumping. Did you have any complications during delivery? I developed eclampsia while in labor and was given drugs that delayed my milk.

With my second, I had no problems. I just chose not to BF.

My breasts never produced the same amount either. Breast pumps are great but not as efficient as nursing so that could be why you're not producing much. I think it would be wise to consult a lactation specialist to help your little one learn to latch on. Check with your Obgyn to find someone. It took my DD about a month or so before I felt like we were both comfortable with breastfeeding.

If breastfeeding doesn't work out, don't beat yourself up. There are many healthy babies who were formula fed. It's not a right or wrong decision, it's a right or left decision.

Some people can successfully pump, I was not one of them. I think if you want to continue with breastmilk, you need to contact a lactation consultant to help you with the baby's latch. Keep pumping until you can get someone out to see you asap. All women and babies can breastfeed successfully...I mean, it's nature's way. You breasts probably are producing enough, you just need someone to help your baby. It is very common to have this issue.

Here is my two cents... My DD is 11 months old and I have exclusively pumped the ENTIRE time! So, it is possible. Yes, breastfeeding and pumping are different, but your breasts can produce enough by pumping if you put in time and effort. I started off pumping every two hours, including overnight. (I set my alarm) I pumped for 30 minutes....I slowely reduced the pumps and go down to 5 pumps per day (30 minutes morning and night and 15 during the day). I used a great handsfree pump (Freestyle by Medela). I work full time and continued to do this. I am starting to ween and pump only 2 times per day. I also did this with my son. I just wanted to give you another persons story so you know there are options. Because you are not producing enough right not does not mean you can't build up your supply. Nurse more or pump more (or nurse your son and then pump immediatly after). This does take a lot of work, and not everyone is successful which is okay. I just didn't want you go think it is easy, because frankly it isn't. But, breastmilk is SOOOO good for your baby. With that said, formula is okay too so don't beat yourself up over this. Good luck!!!

A.:

Welcome to Mamapedia.

You are stressing yourself out. Stress will keep you from producing milk.

Contact a lactation consultant and get with her to get your son latched on correctly - that's why he didn't take to the breast. He needs to latch on right.

DO NOT supplement with formula. Sorry - you will get a ton of different answers and sides on this - but supplementing with formula is only confusing him.

STOP STRESSING about the amount you are producing You are not producing as much because he is not taking as much - take a deep breath and decide to breast or formula feed.

I cannot stress enough since this is your first post to mamapedia that you will get answers from ALL sides. You will need to do what works for you. What I can advise is that doing both is confusing him. Do one or the other.

If you want to breast feed - do it. Contact your pediatrician and get references for a lactation consultant or call your insurance for one. They may pay for it. You can also contact your local la leche league.

Congratulations. I also have a 2-week old boy, but he is my third child so I have a lot of firsthand experience breastfeeding. My most recent little guy refused my right breast for a day or so, and we needed extra help getting him latched on that side. My right breast produces less milk when I pump, but I think most women have one side that produces more. My sons were born tongue-tied, and that makes it so hard for them to nurse that they will prefer a bottle. Have you had a lactation consultant look at their tongues? We had our sons' tongues clipped by 5, 2, and 5 days old because nursing was such a struggle. Also, was there any trauma during his birth that might have contributed to him not being comfortable enough to form a good latch? My son's shoulder got stuck during birth and was bruised for a day or so. A lot of people have suggested taking him to a cranio sacral specialist to gently massage him. I never got around to it, but his nursing has improved so much that I didn't feel the need. I brought it up because at least 2 or 3 people suggestd it to me.

Your other question about your breasts not producing enough is answered in your very next sentence - you are supplementing. It's not bad to use formula at all, but it will decrease your milk supply. It would be best to work with a professional on getting your baby to latch onto the breast. He's not too young to be taught, but he has picked up some bad habits. Some women can pump enough, but I was not one of them. Babies, when latching correctly, drain the breast so efficiently that they keep your supply strong.

I hope I gave you some beneficial suggestions. I would imagine you are very stressed out and tired. Poor you. Try to get rest and eat a lot of food.