Breastfeeding and Bottles

You have received lots of information about your first question, but not the second. So...

What you can extract from your breasts with a pump is not an indication of how much milk they make --and the volume of milk you make has little to do with its nutritional profile. This means that sometimes a very small amount will have as many calories as a very large amount. Milk composition changes from day to day, throughout the day and throughout a feeding. What your girl gets nursing 'live' will be very different from what she gets from pumped milk.

Most women have a more-productive breast, and many babies have a marked preference for one side, or even one side at one point in the day and the other side at a different point in the day. Just as you have a side that you're more comfortable holding your baby on.

You may like to try manual expression (google 'marmet manual expression technique' and you should find good, illustrated instructions), because many women find it is far more effective at inducing let-down and getting much more milk out and far more comfortable to do.

That said, remember that your baby suckling is part of her immune system: when her mouth contaminates your breast with what she's been exposed to today, your breasts start making germ-specific antibodies for her in your milk before your body starts making those germ-specific antibodies for you.

I'm not sure about your other questions, but just wanted to say that throughout my breastfeeding for 8 months I always had one breast that produced less than half of what the other one did. Can't remember which side it was, but this was always the case. I pumped and nursed from months 4-8 and could see the production. I've talked to other moms about that and it seems normal that one produces less than the other.

I had the same issue. One breast always produced less milk than the other. I also used the soft shields, I bought them at Babies r us. Those were a life saver, they are much more comfortable to use than the regular hard plastic shells. As for the issue of the amout to use in a bottle, my daughter ate about 4oz from a bottle pretty much right along. Remember 2 things, she might have wanted to nurse after the bottle for the closeness to you, and that breast milk is much richer than formula so they don't eat as much in a feeding. My mother in law thought she should have 8 oz at a feeding and the kid spent half the day spitting up and had horriable gas. Good Luck!

Congratulations on your new baby. I think it's always and experiment trying to figure out how much milk to put in the bottle. I breastfed for nearly 8 months and pumped as well. I started with about 3 oz and just followed her lead. If she finished the bottle and was fine then I kept it at that amount but as soon as she started to cry after the bottle we moved it up an oz. She'll tell you when she's hungry, you won't have to worry about that. I don't have any advice for the second question. I was exactly the same though the entire time I breastfed. We survived. I don't know what the problem was but I never spoke to a lactation consultant about it. Good luck!!

Hi T.,
I can't tell you what size bottles to leave with the sitter, but I think that it is pretty normal for babies to eat different amounts at different times. My first sone took nearly 8 ounces from his very first bottle and then soon after that 5 was the norm. Regarding your milk, I also think that you are totally normal. For both of my pregnancies, my left breast only has about half the amount as the right. Both my boys have then preferred the right sicne it has more milk and letdown. A lactaction consultant told me that often one side can actually have fewer milk glands. Good luck!

Hi, T.!

I have a three month old daughter who is exclusively breastfed, and I have had the same experiences as you have.

Our night-time routine includes my husband giving our daughter a bottle of pumped milk to put her to sleep. I have to admit that the amount she takes from him fluctuates between 4-10+ ounces. I know that sounds like a LOT, and it can be, but we figure she is growing when she takes that much. (We believe in feeding "on demand," so we really pay attention to the schedule she sets for herself and have noticed growth spurts after the times she eats so much at night and throughout the day while also sleeping for longer periods.)Sometimes I panic about keeping up with the feedings and pumpings, but we have been okay so far... the more she eats, the more I produce! I just make sure to have an abundance of milk thawed out and available just in case it's one of THOSE days. :) I think it is very important to let the baby dictate the amount of milk she gets rather than the oz. markings on the bottle.

Regarding your second question, I, too, produce more pumpable milk on my right side. According to all I have read and the Le Leche League, this is perfectly normal. (They also say to pump after feeding from the side that produces less to eventually get a greater supply from it.)I just tend to feed more from my left breast and pump mostly from my right. I don't know if this is what is recommended, but it's what works best for me. :)

I also want to let you know that soreness is normal for awhile. I think it took almost two months for my nipples to toughen up completely. Now they can take just about anything... except the biting. THAT still gets me! LOL

-N.

First, for your soreness, get some air on those "girls". Also make sure your are connecting with baby, belly button to belly button and with her head as upright as possible. Otherwise she will be pulling on your breast in an uncomfortable angle causing soreness. At 6 weeks she is most likely having a growth spurt and will be needing more milk. When you nurse her, make sure she is emptying BOTH sides. When you pump do the same thing. It is hard to know how much to put in the bottle. I would pump as much as possible...there is always more. If she doesn't eat all of it, oh well. The key is being mindful of supply and demand, emptying completely and RELAX when you are pumping. The pain may also be coming from a delayed let down. Another thought...my #2 baby was a real "sucker". All she wanted to do was nurse....she was wearing me out and I was very sore. I eventually figured out that if she seemed to want to eat more than every 2-3 hours...she really just wanted to suck so I gave her a pacifier. It worked well. I had tons of milk so I wasn't worried about my milk supply. Keep in mind that ANYTHING, a pacifier, water, formula supplements can all effect your supply. It's great you have spoken with a lactation consultant. You might also contact a Le Leche League Group Leader. I found that to be extremely helpful! Congrats on your little sweetie. HOORAY for breastfeeding!

Remember breast feeding is not only about getting enough to eat but it is special comforting time with mom. When your husband feeds her she may be getting enough to eat but is longing for that cuddle time with mom. Maybe you could try to introduce a "lovey" like a special blanket or a a soft toy to cuddle with after feeding. I used to have this teddy bear that had a heart beat and sound of the womb which my son loved to cuddle with and was great for bedtime too.