Is My 5 Week Old Getting Enough Milk

I always switched breasts each feeding and did 20 to 25 on each side. I think that is the norm. I wouldn't worry too much. If he is hungry he would stay latched on.

My baby does the same thing every once in a while. It's frustrating, but I think it may be gas. When she starts to do that I'll just take her off and try burping her or pushing her legs to her tummy, then after a few minutes I let her try again. My son was bottle fed, and he did it too. Its like the bottle would be in his mouth but he would get frantic and it was like he couldnt find it. He was really cholic-y so he did it more often then she does (she is breastfed). Anyways, I think if he wasnt getting enough milk he would be fussy all the time and wouldn't be able to fall asleep so easy. I tried to breastfeed my son when we got home from the hospital but I didnt start right when he was born so my milk never came in good enough. He wasnt getting enough milk from me and he was ALWAYS crying. So, I think you'll know if he isnt getting full. I'm rambling now but I bet its gas!

Hi C.!

I totally understand feeling frustrated. You just want to do everything right for your baby which shows what an awesome mom you are! It's hard to see them upset and not know how to fix it! I have a 5 month old son, and he has done this in the past. My husband and I figured out with him it was gas. I would burp him and then he would be fine and keep eating. Also, if you're worried about him not getting enough milk - I think they're suppose to have at least six wet diapers a day. That's a way to gauge at home if you don't have a scale that will weigh your baby. My baby was and is still a nurse/napper and I would do 20 to 25 minutes each breast, but as he got older we were able to go down to 15 each side (sometimes 10 to 12 now). And if you're still concerned at all, call your pediatrician and talk to the nurses. They can either bring you in for a weight check, or give you advice/info. to put your mind at ease. I think I called our pediatrician's office like a billion times those first few weeks! Like everyone else has said - hang in there, you're doing great! Congratulations on your little one!!!

I would say definitely a growth spurt. My son went through one at around 6 weeks and I think that's when we introduced a bottle of pumped milk after the breast because we were both frustrated for the 1st week of the spurt. Your body will get the hint in a couple days and up production but until then hang in there we've all been there!

Gosh. You've gotten a lot of good responses, and the most likely is a growth spurt. You're doing a great job! Hang in there! If it's not a growth spurt, it might be reflux. If it happens for longer than a week, you might mention the issue you’re having to the doctor. My daughter did the same thing. She never seemed "full" after a feeding, and it seemed like she was always pulling off the breast and screaming for a brief period and then would want to eat more, and the process would continue. I mentioned it to my doctor and he asked if when she'd unlatch if she would arch her back and kind of throw her arms and legs backwards - he said it was a sign of reflux b/c they are trying to elongate their esophagus. My daughter is a "silent spitter"-meaning, she doesn't really "spit up", but it does come up her throat and burns (i just don't see it). Once we started reflux medicine, I could see a huge improvement. Apparently, it's really common in babies, and they do outgrow it, usually by a year. A lot of times reflux will cause gas b/c they are swallowing a lot trying to keep the "stuff" down - and i am a faithful user of Mylecon (actually i buy the walmart brand, and it is just as effective for us!)

Both my sons did this and they were both bottle fed. One formula and one breast milk and formula. I have no idea why, but I always suspected gas. It will pass, just keep on trying and give it time. Newborns are hard to figure out sometimes. Congratulations on your new baby1

When this happened with me, I took my son into the peds office, they weighed him, I went in an exam room and nursed him, then they weighed him again. This way they knew how much breast milk he was getting. My son would nurse/nap for 45-60 minutes too. At one point they do get to be better at nursing and suck quicker. It was very upseting for me too when I was worried he wasn't getting enough and I felt like I must be some how failing him. You might want to weigh him as I mentioned our as soon as he pulls away take him to a floor mat and play with him. One last thing is to make sure you are relaxed so that you let down. Ask your doctor if you should try a 1/2 glass of wine as you nurse. During the week when my inlaws came down I was so stressed that I wasn't letting down and my daughter would cry in frustration while I tried to nurse. My doctor suggested a 1/2 glass of wine while I nursed her before I went to bed. It seemed to do the trick. Just know that you are doing a great job with him since you are willing to give him time to make sure he is getting what he needs.

It sounds like he's hitting a growth spurt! He is probably needing more milk, but don't worry, your body will adjust and his appetite will level off. I remember going through that with both my boys. With my 1st I supplemented with formula, so I didn't produce enough. With my 2nd I waited it out and gave my body time to adjust and it did (after a day or so of more frequent feedings). It sounds to me that you have plenty of milk. Nurse from both sides when necessary and he'll be fine.

I have no advice, wanted to see what you were told. About to deliver in may.

I would agree with the other posters...growth spurt. My daughter does this each time we have one. There are days where I think I have literally had her on my breast fidgeting and fighting all day! But it usually doesn't last too long. Don't get discouraged, it's so worth it! Good luck!

I concur with some of the other posters. It sounds like a growth spurt. You might also pay attention to what you are eating. I had to cut chocolate from my diet for a few months. It was making my son gassy.

First of all congratulations for making the commitment to give your baby breast milk. It can be both rewarding for both of you and difficult at times. Many babies hit growth spurts around 5-6 weeks. It usually lasts for about 3 days while your supply increases then levels out again. Feeding him on one breast has been perfect up until now, so you do have the back up and don't have to supplement. You can also try changing positions on the same breast before switching to the second breast. It sometimes helps to more completely empty your breast if you can switch from cradle to football before changing breasts, then doing the same on the other side. As you make more milk you can go back to one breast at a feeding using the opposite side for a top off if needed. There are herbs that increase your milk production, but by the time they will begin to work, your breasts will have increased the amount of milk on thier own. If you are still having problems or would like to talk about this more, please feel free to call me at The Nestingplace in Grapevine.
K.

I remember this - and I can explain it. :) Growth spurt = gonna need more food in a week or so. Since your body works on a supply and demand system (when your breasts are empty, it knows to make more next time), it takes a little lag time between when your son's body realizes it's gonna grow and your body realizes it needs to ramp up production.. this is the three to four day scream fest you're experiencing where your nipples feel like raw meat. Isn't it grand? I nursed two babies past the age of two - it goes away pretty quick. :)

Keep in mind, in the mean time, that you can supplement with formula; although that may cause more colic (just the formula, not the switching) than it saves in trouble. If you do, make sure to nurse both breasts completely empty before giving a bottle.

S.

Lots of pees and poops? Nice yellow mustardy poop? If so, it's less likely that he's not getting enough. As others said, it may be a growth spurt, just keep nursing, don't worry about a schedule or time between feedings. If you think your flow is slowing down, you could try breast compressions, where you compress or squeeze (but not too hard!) your breast well away from the nipple to encourage the milk to come down. Different nursing position at that fussy time might also help (switch from cradle to football, or to side-lying or even try nursing in a sling). Good luck!

Have you heard of La Leche League? It is an association of mothers who provide information and support for breastfeeding moms all over the country (and beyond, I think.) A local chapter should be easy to locate, and they can be a phone call away for moms with questions/concerns such as yours. My sister-in-law connected with them when her son was born, and though he now attends the college where she is a professor, she maintains a connection to this wonderful support group, often fielding questions while cooking supper for her family.

I had simialr problems with my son, and his ped thought it was probably reflux. He gave me a prescription but told me not to fill it right away - a lot of kids go through this and outgrow it within a couple of weeks. Sure enough, my son did, just a few days later. He wound up having some reflux problems again around age 5-6, but that also lasted just for a few months and then he was fine again.

It COULD be growth spurt, but...

My daughter did the same thing... she did just fine for her first 5 weeks of life. Then she started getting really irritable and fussy when feeding. Also her diapers changed from regular poops to little squirts in her diaper throughout the whole day. Well, she was my 4th, so I already knew it was something that she was eating. SInce she was entirely breastfed, I knew it was something in MY diet. I removed all dairy from my diet, and waited about 2 weeks and watched. She went back to being a normal eater and thrived. Any time I tried to "sneak" some dairy, she'd get irritable again.

I think it happened because she has a milk sensitivity, and it takes a few weeks to actually get to the point of irritating the baby's system. If this is what's going on with your son, that's probably why he didn't act irritated at first. But now that there's a bunch of milk proteins "stored up" in his intestines that he can't digest, it just compounds the problem.

You can always remove dairy from your diet and give it a try. If nothing else, it certainly wouldn't hurt anyone and you're not giving him any meds, so the only change would be for you and what you like to eat. And you can get calcium from OJ with calcium, Butter with calcium, broccoli, and also supplements (like Tums).

I'd say, try eliminating dairy and WAIT AT LEAST A WEEK before deciding if it works or not (it took a while for those proteins to build up - it will take a while for them to "flush out" of his system). It couldn't hurt and it just might help.

Good Luck!

it seems to me that you & your little one are off to a great start! 20 min. on each side would have seemed an eternity to my daughter when she was 5 weeks. and i must say i was patient with her, but had to just hand her over to her daddy 2 or 3 times, in the middle of the night, crying and fussing and breaking my heart. sometimes it helped so much to just step away for a minute or two, take some deep breaths, and pray! :) that you are "insanely patient" certainly deserves kudos!

your son might be just finishing & ready to stop -- and is just really insistant about it!? it's really not about time spent at your breast as much as it is about the latch and his sucking. if he is growing, making plenty of wet diapers, and is otherwise happy, there is probably not a problem; he might just be an efficient nurser! and if he really is not getting enough milk, please know there is a difference between your not producing enough milk and your not being able to produce enough milk. if either of these is an issue, though, then kellymom.com will undoubtedly be helpful to you as you and your baby work together to build your supply.

if you are still concerned, trust your gut & ask someone to take a look at your baby nursing. lactation consultants are a hit or miss bunch, but i'd trust advice from le leche league.

*hugs* to you and him -- it is so tough to see your babe upset like that, especially at feeding time.

HTH!

My second son used to do this when I fed him. I would call a lactation consultant pronto. My son did this because he wasn't tolerating foods from my diet well and was having trouble getting enough to eat. My advice is... call a lactation consultant first. It is worth any money you might have to pay. He also might be in a growth spurt where he cluster feeds. Then, try pumping and suppliment with a bottle of breast milk when he goes nuts. If he is still doing it try looking at the dairy in your diet. Some babies don't tolerate it well. My son had to eventually switch to Nutramigen formula.

Yes, it does sound like a growth spurt. I nursed my daughter from both sides and she seemed to be full but she would demand more and than throw it all up. After we cleaned her and the floor up she would nurse again and be happy. Thank goodness this only lasted about a week. In all of her additional spurts this never happened again. Just remember to drink lots and lots of water and balanced meals each day to increase your supply. Diet when you are finished nursing.

Also nursing takes a lot of energy so do rest when baby rests to help you build up your supply. Don't worry about house beautiful right now as this is not the time. You will be fine. Just take care of you and baby. Befoe you know it this time in life shall pass and become a bittersweet memory. The other S.

He might be a bit gasy. I would ask your doctor if this could be the case and if so could he have Mylacon. It releves gas (made for babies). I breast fed my son and occasionally that would happen with him and usually because he needed to be burped or just had gas for whatever reason. I found that burping him like the nurses did at the hospital (turning him tummy down on my knee and patting his back) worked best in helping him burp.

Bless your heart. Those kinds of days are so stressful! Try burping him when he gets fussy like that. That is about all I've got. I do have 3 other resources for you that may be able to help. One is www.kellymom.com. It is an awesome breastfeeding website. The second is le leche legue's website. I'm not sure of the exact address. The third, is the best, imo. There is a free breastfeeding support group that meets in Arlington on Tuesday nights. It is called For BAbies Sake. It is led by a professional lactation consultant, Mellanie Shepperd. She is wonderful! She would have so many ideas of what is going on with your little one. Plus it is so awesome to meet all the other moms, learn from their problems and successes and just support each other! It will be at 7pm at the church at Eden Rd and Matlock. I believe it is called S. Arlington Church of Christ. All you need to do is show up. Also, Mellanie ususally brings her baby scale so you can way your ds before and after feeding to be sure he's getting enough milk. You can also join the yahoo group. It is also called For Babies Sake. Good luck!

Just a growth spurt. I highly suggest you get a copy of "What to Expect The First Year" because it's a great resource to answering such questions. If I remember correctly, there are two or three major spurts in the first year and I believe the first one is right around 5-7 weeks old.

In the meantime, just keep feeding. I breastfed all three of mine and I remember those moments because you feel so exhausted! Just hang in there. It will pass in a few days.

Hi C.,
I have a 5 wk old son as well. He has done the same thing a couple of times. His problem was gas he needed to burp. Some people may think that breast feed babies don't need to burp but they do. My son usually nurses on one side for 10 mins. and then I stop and burp him and then he will nurse on the other side for 10 mins. Hang in there it does get easier. Good Luck!
M. V.

You've gotten plenty of advice, I just wanted to add my support, too, and let you know that it sounds like a growth spurt to me, too. Keep giving him both breasts at a feeding. Try feeding him more often. Technically speaking,
he's NOT getting as much milk as he wants right now, but that's okay, and perfectly normal. He'll drive you crazy for 48 hours or so, but he knows what he's doing (crazy as that sounds!)--he's increasing your milk supply. He'll be frustrated until you start making as much as he wants, but it's miraculous how our bodies respond. You'll make more, he'll be happy, and by tomorrow or Thursday everything will be back to normal (at least until his next growth spurt!) GL!

When I went to a lactation consultant the first week of my babies life (baby had lost weight). They always weigh her naked, then I breast feed. Then weigh her naked again. Thats how they tell how much milk she was getting from me. Just put a diaper on while feeding to prevent accidents. Unfortunately from day 5 I had to supplement with formula. Thats my experience. I bought a baby scale at Babys r us to monitor it from time to time.

It has been awhile for me, however I wonder? Have you changed your eating habits or bathing soaps/lotions? He maybe having problems with either of those. My daughter experienced gas that would throw her into fits....

Hi C.,
I can relate so well to you feeling helpless. My son started the same behavior when he was about 8 weeks old, which was completely unexpected to me, because he always loved to nurse and never wanted to stop. (It took me a while to figure out that a lot of it for him was the need to suck vs. just the milk, which was fine with me.) For several days in a row he exhibited this odd behaviour that you are describing with your son, and then it stopped. He did it again on and off for the next couple of months, but not nearly as frequently.
This is my theory for my son, and it may be true for yours, too:
Your son may be going through a growth spurt and your milk supply hasn't caught up yet. It takes a few days for your milk supply to increase, so keep nursing him frequently, and your milk supply will increase and he will be a happy camper again. Drink lots of water!

If you haven't thought about the following, here are some other possible ideas: did you eat anything that could give him gas? Dairy and wheat are usually on the top of the list.
Have you taken any medication that could affect him?

In regards to your concern if he is getting enough milk: a good general rule is, if he is gaining weight fine, he is getting enough milk. You can try to manually express some milk when he gets fussy to see if you have more milk or if he has "drained you all out" :). If there is none left, your milk supply will adjust within a couple of days. As mentioned earlier, nurse more frequently (if that is even possible, you may have a marathon nurser like I did :)), and drink lots of water.

And here is a list of local La Leche groups: http://www.llli.org/Web/Texas.html - to me the best way to get through these frustrating times is to hear what other moms have done. The advantage of going to an actual group is that the leaders are trained. They can see how your baby is nursing, how he behaves, and they may have insights that we don't have by just reading a post. There are lots of groups all over the metroplex with daytime and evening meetings. I used to go to the Grapevine group and loved it.

Stay patient and hang in there!
M.

I know you have heard lots of advise, but I just wanted to say it sounds like a growth spurt. I nursed my son his first year, and I remember that first spurt being between 5 and 6 weeks, and it was awful. It is just scary wondering if you are giving him everything he needs. If you are too worried, take him to your ped. and have him weighed before and after a feeding just to help you feel better. Hang in there, sounds like it is really going well (minus this big bump!).

It seems to me that he is fine. You will have moments like this. He might be getting a bigger. My daughter did this when going through a growth spurt. Also, try to burp him after several minutes. Your milk flow will have to get used to his eating. Just keep him nursing for a set time. I used to time it approx. 20 per side and then remove her. She started getting used to feeding and not fussing every 5 minutes.
It will get easier. I Promise.

Sounds like he either isn't getting enough milk, or he has a little tummy ache. Maybe needs to burp more, or maybe something you ate, like beans, that affected my kids, and one time I though my sun had a tummy ache and he kept crying and it ended up being an ear ache. Try the first two things first.

Sounds like a growth spurt! Mine is 5.5 months and a few weeks ago she started doing the same thing. Just continue to nurse him as often as he wants. He is getting frustrated because there is not enough milk. And the only way for him to get more milk is to keep nursing so your body knows he needs more. The frustration for both of you is totally normal. It seems like it makes for some very long days but soon he will go back to normal. It can take a few days or a week or sometimes a little more. Just spend lots of time together and good luck!!

He may very well be hitting a growth spurt. The only remedy for that is to keep nursing. You mention nothing about his diaper output. That's really what's going to tell you if he's getting enough or not. You might consider contacting your local la leche league. You don't have to be a member, it's free, and they are a source of endless support and information. Also, check out kellymom.com. There's some excellent infomation there as well regarding breastfeeding.

http://www.kellymom.com/newman/04enough_milk.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enough-milk.html

Good luck and congratulations on your beautiful boy!!

In a city this size I am sure they have a La Leche League. When I was nursing they provided wonderful support. You could call and talk to a nurse. the advice of other mothers is great but professional advice usually eases your mind much more. Good luck and keep trying, post pregnancy is a very scary and stressful time and your emotions run high. I felt helpless at times and unsure as to how to nurse because neither of our mothers had nursed because in the 60's it was unpopular. They would both have preferred I bottle fed. La Leche League eased my mind many times.

Hi C. J,

I breastfed twins for 12 months & pretty much experienced every situation possible between the two! Most likely, your son is experiencing a growth spurt & your milk production has not caught up with his demand. I remember the exact same situation with mine. The first time it happened, my husband supplemented formula while I pumped to increase production. Demand = supply. This way they were satisfied but I was still demanding more milk. The second time, I had breastmilk stored so we were able to do without the formula. It is important that you still demand (pump) milk during this period so your milk production will increase. You can check with your doctor or a good book on the typical growth spurt ages. Don't worry!...I freaked out too! The other consideration would be that he needs to release gas. Burp him after every feeding & try Mylencon (sp?) drops. They work like magic! Keep in mind, if you're burpy or gasy, he probably is too, but he may be having trouble getting it out!

Hope this helps!

Just be patient. Your body is catching up with his growth. This happened with all 3 of my children. I got frustrated with my daughter who is the oldest and quit nursing. I started giving her formula and she didn't care for moms slow milk anymore. Hang in there...this will pass as well as all the many future frustrations that you will face as he grows up.

I have a couple thoughts - mostly repeats of what others have said, but with seven (yes, seven!) years of breastfeeding experience, another opinion can't hurt.

1. When he unlatches, he may need to burp.

2. With newborns, they nurse frequently and for a long time to help establish your milk supply. At 5 weeks, you probably have plenty of milk and your flow is strong, so 20 minutes at a time may be all he needs.

3. Look out for growth spurts. But when babies are not getting enough milk, they don't usually unlatch. Toddlers will, but babies will just keep nursing all the time to stimulate your milk supply. Young babies unlatch because they are full, getting *too* much milk, or have gas in their tummies; or for other reasons such as pain from teething or earaches.

As long as he's gaining weight and has enough wet diapers, I wouldn't worry about your milk supply, and I definitely wouldn't supplement with formula. From what you've said, I don't think that's the problem.

Here is a great link for milk over- and under- supply issues:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/index.html

He probably has gas and needs to be burped. My dr. told me it didn't matter what I ate, but it does. If you are eating gas producing food, it's going to your baby. Good luck.

C.,

I nursed all four of my children for a year each.