Not Producing Enough Milk at 6 weeks....what Do I Do?

I am best to guess that your a first time mom. First off when you are breastfeeding you should be feeding you baby more often then every 4 hours, if you formula feed the baby only needs to eat every 4-5 hours when you breastfeed, you should be nursing every 2-3hours, which is part of the reason why your not producing enough milk, so you need to nurse more often then you are doing now, 2nd your also losing milk cause of the formula supplement, 3rd, your baby is going through what is called a growth spurt so yes she will be hugry more often cause she is growing, so if she seems to be hungry 1 hour after her last nursing, nurse her again, this is what is going to build your milk supply, this wont be the only time she will acts like she is always hungry, growth spurts happen at ages 6week, 9weeks, 12 weeks, 3 months and again at 6months of age, so i hope your ready. As for a let down, she isn't getting it fast enough cause your not relaxed. you need to relax when putting her to the breast cause all stressfull thoughts affect your milk supply as well, so when you sit down to nurse, clear your head of all thoughts other then thjinking about how much you love your daughter and your let down will come fast. Also i would highly suggest you go to your local BEST center which is kinda part of wic, even if your dont qualify for wic the BEST center will help and talk to a lactation consultant. With my 1st daughter i went through every single imaginable breastfeeding problem, from getting her to latch on correctly, to sore nipples, a diminishing milk supply to mastitis, i went through it all and cried over many of the problems, but with the help of the BEST center i got through it, by my 2nd child i was a pro at breastfeeding and was lucky enough to not have 1 issue other then finding a bottle she will except with pumped milk cause i had to go back to work. Trust me nursing will become easier, as long as you stop with formula and nurse her every 2-3 hours. you have to remember that their tummy is only the size of their little fist, so they need to eat and often. If you have more questions please feel free to send me a personal message.I have had training as a breastfeeding counsoler, which is different then a lactation consultant, so i do have experience with other mothers as well as personal experience so you can trust what i am telling you. best of luck to you and your daughter

Hi-

I know how frustrating this can be. Our first son just wasn't a good nurser. It may have been due to being 5 wks premature & getting bottles at night in the NICU but I ended up going to bottles full time about this age but still kept pumping so he was getting bottles of breast milk. See if your health care provider offers lacation nurses & make an appt. If not, I strongly suggest you find one somewhere else. I've heard of a couple of teas that are supposed to help w/this sort of thing so check out your local health food store & ask about them. You also might try pumping in between as this sometimes encourages more milk flow. I'm also sure you're getting anxious about this just as I did. I think that anxiety made it harder on both my son & I as he picked up on it. Get yourself in a comfy, quiet & relaxing place to nurse. As you said, you are not doing any damage to your daughter by giving her a bottle. She's still being cuddled by you while drinking it & she's getting the nourishment she needs. When I told my ped. at 6 wks that nursing just wasn't working out, she was great. Didn't push me to keep at it cuz she could see what a wreck I was. Even tho my son had formula at an early age, he didn't have colds or even the sniffles til he was over a year & that's cuz he started going to Gymboree & daycare at my gym. You do what you think is best for the 2 of you & what works for your family. Hope this helps & good luck!

M.,
COngratulations on your new baby! You are obviously a wonderful mother. So attunde to what your baby needs, and so determined to make breastfeeding work. When you sort this out, you'll be so glad you did.

Hopefully I can give you some information to help. First, think about establishing your milk supply. Everytime baby demands milk, your body responds by supplying it. If you feel baby is not getting enough try to nurse more often so that your body knows baby needs more milk. When you suppliment with formula, your baby demands less from you and your body makes less. Try just a few days of no formula, and feeding more often. I know this can be tiring (I've been there twice) and feel like you are tied to the chair, but it really should increase your milk supply quickly.

Everytime baby latches on, she should have a wide open mouth so she can get plenty of breast tissue in her mouth to draw down that milk. This is sometimes the challenge with bottle fed babies, and will really help make you more comfortable too.

Your baby still needs to nurse every hour to 3 hours...and that increment may change over the course of the day. Also, the 3 hours includes the time it takes to feed..if you start at 12, the next feeding starts at 3 if not sooner. Forgive me if you already know some/all of this, sometimes it is easier to think of it in simple terms again.

The other way to look at it is you can't see what goes in, but you can see what comes out. By this point baby is feeding well if:
Baby breastfeeds 8+ times every day
Baby has 6+ wet diapers every day
Baby has 3+ bowel movements every day

If this doesn't work or you need help sooner, please call in help. Try the Breastfeeding National Network 1-800-Tell You ###-###-####), see you pediatrian or find a lacation consultant that can watch you feed and help you find a solution. an online resource is the LLL website heres a link to thier common questions page (you are NOT the only one having trouble) http://www.llli.org/NB/NBmilksupplyissues.html

Good luck mama you are doing great!

My daughter's pediatrician told me to take an herb called Fenugreek and it worked REALLY good at upping my supply of breastmilk. Almost too good! Good luck....

I agree with what the others have said 4 hours is an absolute max that baby should be going without eating during the day. Usually it will be like 2-3 or more often now as this is a growth spurt time. You can let baby go 4 hours if she say fell asleep at hour 2/2.5 and is still sleeping at 3.5/4 hours but really no more than 4 hours and more like 3.

Dear M., I am an oldster who nursed all 4 babies when it was not the norm (my oldest is 31 !)Anyways did you know our bodies were made to be able to nurse two babies ! Twins are natural in nature so we have plenty of milk ! With my first I was the same way & I let my self get Too Full, when you feel yourself getting full- express it till you feel very comfortable you really have lots & lots of milk so when your baby wants to eat you will acually have a "let down"faster . DONT GIVE UP!!! All my best & hope this helps G.

I agree with what everyone else said. Feed more often. I know I felt like I was feeding my son constantly and didn't think I had enough milk because he would act frustrated. I talked to a lactation consultant and they said as long as he was having several wet diapers and gaining weight he was fine. I pumped between feedings to increase my supply so I could store some up and also used Fenugreek. I would take 3-4 610 mg capsules 3 times a day. You have to take a lot but it definitely works. GNC and the Vitamin Shoppe carry it for pretty good prices. Good luck and don't get discouraged. You can do this!

M., I had the same problem. It wasn't until I finally stopped the bottle and formula at 6 weeks that my milk really kicked in. I had to nurse her every couple of hours in the beginning to bring up my milk production. The part that is frustrating is your let-down probably takes too long, you need to RELAX while nursing,maybe lay down with her. Have some tea, or something hot right before, or have a beer (yes, a beer) to help relax you while you are nursing. That is what our pediatrician said and it worked! Dn't think about anything but your baby and watch her nurse, your let-down will be quicker.Make sure you are not dehydrated too, drink a lot of fluids. Your body only produces as much milk as it needs to, so if you are supplementing, your body won't make enough milk. a hot shower or bath right before nursing can also help. Good luck!(from a mom who still nurses her 17 month old every night)

Don't wait 4 hours because your body will think that's all your baby needs. I went to a lactation consultant at the Fresno Community Hospital. She was awesome. She help when I was having the same problem as you.

Her suggestions were.

Feed as often as you can for as long as you can.
Drink lots of water. Don't drink to much dairy.
Take Fenugeek and Blessed Thistle (3 pills each 3 times a day)
You can get them at the GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, etc.
The best is Lactation blend. It's offered at the Whole Foods store here at Shaw & Palm. You only need to take 2 pills 3 times a day. Maybe you can find one in your area.
Pump 10 minutes after feeding 4 times a day.

As soon as you start to produce enough milk, you can stop all this.

I still take some Lactation blend every once in a while if I feel a little dry.

I strongly suggest going to the Lactation consultant in your area.

If your doctor gives you Reglin, be careful. My cousin takes it just fine, no side effects. I took it and slept all day. I felt like I was in a sleeping coma. I couldn't snap out of it. Luckily I had someone home to take care of my baby.

Drink TONS of water!

Don't be so hard on yourself. My son is 8 weeks and I suplement ALL the time. If you have a pump try pumping at times if your worried about her not getting enough breast milk. Hang in there. Go by your motherly instincts if you think she is hungry give her some formula in between feedings. She is getting both. I did this with my 1st son. He is now 3 and VERY healthy and VERY smart. Your daughter will be just fine.... Good Luck

I am 99.9% sure that you are producing enough milk for her. If you have not had a breast reduction and don't have malformed breasts you have enough milk. It is EXTREMELY rare for you to not have more than enough for your baby.
Can I ask why is it that you are waiting 4 hours between feedings?
That is too long for a 6 week old baby.
At 6 weeks babies go through a growth spurt where they want to nurse what seems like constantly. This is normal and healthy, and means your baby is getting nourished and growing from your milk.
Each time you give her formula you are slowly eroding away at your breastfeeding relationship.
Each bottle makes you produce less milk. It is a supply and demand thing. The less she nurses, the less milk your breasts will make. Sadly, and I hate to sound so harsh, but by supplementing you are perpetuating your problem.
Have you heard of the 24 hour fix?

The 24 hour fix-plan to spend the next 24 hours in bed with baby. have your meals brought to you in bed, or eat ready made sandwiches, etc. have PLENTY of fresh water for drinking easily next to your bed. you will spend the 24 hours in bed with your baby naked and baby should be dressed in only a diaper. cuddle and hold baby next to your naked skin for as much of the 24 hours as possible, and baby will sleep with you the ENTIRE TIME. put baby to breast as much as they want, and DO NOT use pacifiers, or bottles of formula, water, or expressed breastmilk. this is the time to concentrate on getting baby to rely on your breasts for sole nourishment, and if baby uses you as a pacifier, then that is a GOOD thing, as it will INCREASE your milk production.
repeat the 24 hour fix as often as needed to repair the nursing relationship and increase milk supply.
(I have never seen the 24 hour fix fail with women that do it to the T-the only time i have seen it fail is when the woman 'cheats' by using, pacifiers, giving bottles, or having baby sleep in a different bed. ALL details of the 24 hour fix are important for success-even the naked, continuous skin to skin contact)

To increase milk supply, first and foremost drink plenty of water every day. get used to drinking a big glass of water every hour you are awake. make sure you are eating several small meals a day, and snacking as well. eat food rich in nutrients and vitamins, colorful fresh veggies and fruit, plenty of protein and fiber, and also some healthy fat. avocados and nuts are a great way to get healthy fats in your diet.Oats,and oatmeal, oatmeal cookies.fenugreek supplements or tea are also a great way to increase milk production. you can also drink one glass of guinness, it is a ancient recipe for increasing milk production (thanks to the ancient Egyptians for that one) if you still are not making enough milk, you can inquire about reglan or domperidone with your doctor.

Here is a sheet describing how to tell if your baby is getting enough milk.
http://www.kellymom.com/newman/04enough_milk.html

Don't give up Mama!

Nurse more often - - - the only way to increase your milk supply is to nurse - she is at a growth stage and you might need to nurse every hour to keep her satisfied for a few days until your milk supply increases. You are doing more damage by supplementing because you are increasing your milk supply. Try pumping while you nurse - get a hand held pump and pump one side while she nurses on the other - then switch - that way you will help increase your milk supply as well.

Don't give up - - - she will get enough - just get rid of that bottle - - - my youngest (5th child) - is also 6 weeks old - he never goes more than 3 hours between feeding except a 4 hour spurt at night - if he is awake during the day he nurses every 2 hours - sometimes every hour - - - when he is sleepy he can go 3 hours - - -

Good Luck and enjoy your baby girl

I'm going to start by assuming that your breasts are pretty normal and that you haven't got a problem like inverted nipples or something. I'm also assuming that you didn't have breast reduction surgery or something similar so as to lose milk ducts. If that's the case, call the La Leche League.

You body is designed to make as much milk as your baby demands from it. Every suck from your daughter sends a message to make more milk. When you substitute the bottle, your body doesn't get the messages to make more milk.

To up the milk production, you need to nurse on demand, not on a schedule. When your baby seems hungry, nurse her. This may mean that you nurse her almost constantly -- indeed, I rememeber nursing my first son for what seemed like 24-hours straight, with only a few brief pauses to go to the bathroom and get something to drink. If you can, take the next few days very very easy. Drink lots and nurse lots. In short, to get more milk, you need to nurse more. Lots more.

If you are concerned that she is really not getting enough to eat, check her wet diaper output. I forget exactly how many is normal (always seemed to me like 12+ per day was normal but I think it's about 8). Make sure that the diaper doesn't smell musty and that the urine is not excessively dark. If you've got these things, then you know she's getting enough milk.

Don't worry about bm's. A baby only poops what she doesn't need so it's not uncommon for a breastfeed baby to not have a dirty diaper. I had one friend's kid who had only wet diapers for almost a week and nobody was worried!

Also know that there is a growth spurt at 6 weeks. You will be nursing more frequently for several days. Nursing every hour or two isn't bad for the baby -- and it helps you to make more milk.

And as for nipple confusion when you go back and forth between bottle and breast, I know that is an issue. It is harder to get milk from a breast than from a bottle.

It seems to me like you might be trying to encourage your baby to get on a schedule. That's so tempting to do -- it seems so nice to be able to predict when your child will be napping or eating or awake. In my experience, the ability to schedule depends more upon the baby's nature than upon the mom's ability. If you chose to continue to impose a schedule, you're probably going to continue to have nursing problems. If you are using a book as a guide for scheduling your child, look in the book for a resource number and call them.

I have three children. My first two are biological; they were demand-fed. I carried them constantly. I even slept with the second. They are now older (15 and 12) and very happy, very well-adjusted children. Neither still nurses; both walk just fine and everyone sleeps alone.

My third son is adopted from an orphange in Romania. He was the ultimate in a scheduled baby. He was fed at the worker's convience. He was never picked up. He was allowed to cry it out. He also has autism, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. Did it all come from the scheduling? Maybe -- and I know his is an extreme case. I know that you will care for your daughter better than my son's worker cared for him and the 15 other babies in his nursey. But scheduling scares me because I live with the harmful results.

Also be aware of the fact that once your milk supply is established, you'll stop having that sense of inflation and deflation in yur breasts. It can seem like maybe you've stopped making milk but it's just that you got regulated. Seems to me that I recall this happening at about 6 weeks.

The best source for advice about nursing is the La Leche League. They helped me with my second son; I made WAY too much milk. Poor kid was trying to sip from a fire hydrant!

Feel free to contact me for more support.

And for those of you who have sucesfully scheduled your babies, I'm not saying it's wrong. I'm just saying that I had a bad experience with it.

I.

I agree that you need to be nursing her more than every 4 hours. Nursing needs to be on-demand (especially when she is only 6 weeks old!) Nurse whenever she wants to nurse, and this will increase your milk supply. It might seem like you are nursing all the time (and you probably are!), but that is what you are supposed to do. It can be very stressful when you first start nursing, so you really need to try to relax. The baby can sense when you are stressed out.
Good luck, and enjoy your new baby!

Breastfeeding is nothing like formula feeding and you can't wait and only breastfeed the baby every 4 hours. Breastfeeding is supply and demand, if your baby is hungry and you put her to the breast there is going to be milk wheither you think there is or not! Formula is very filling and that is why a formula fed baby can go 4 hours between feedings. Breastmilk has been broke down and digested by mommy's body so that the baby can easily digest it and this is why a breastfed baby will eat longer and more often then a formula fed baby. If you are going to give breastfeeding 100% stop the formula and bottles now and put your baby at the breast EVERY time she acts hungry "ON DEMAND" if this is every 30 minutes to an hour until she if full that is what it is. Invest in a sling so that you can sling the baby and get your housework done. Hope this helps

You know what I think? I think you should look up your local chapter of La Leche League (expert lactation consultants for free) and try to hook up with them. I did, and it has solved my problems with nursing. There's some danger to supplementing with formula bc you're 'telling' your breasts to slow down their milk production...yet you don't want your baby to go hungry so it's kinda a catch-22. As far as your baby getting hungry again after 1 or 2 hours, that sounds right. Breastmilk, as you probably already know, is digested faster and sometimes my baby of 3 weeks will eat at 30 minute intervals. All I know is that breastfeeding is so important and that help is out there- I encourage you to connect with a specialist and get some peace of mind!
Good luck,
C.

When I started breastfeeding my son I wasn't producing enough for him either. I started using a couple of different products "More Milk Plus" and "Nursing Mom Tea" both items are available at the local health food store - as long as you find something similar that contains fenugreek it will work. It's safe for the baby and you. They really do work. My great grandmother used to make a similar tea to help the people in our family - but all of her "secret recipes" died with her. They really do work. I had a little piggy baby who LOVED to eat all the time and after I started using those I was able to produce enough for him and he was satistfied. It's very frustrating at first - but try those and they should really help you. Also - remember that breastmilk is digested faster so they will be hungrier more often then formula babies. Good Luck!

Whole foods has a tea for breastfeeding moms and also a vitamin supplement, both that are supposed to increase your milk flow. I didn't use them but I have friends who currently do and swear by them!

I had the same issue with my son. His doctor told me that breastfed babies can digest milk sometimes in 30 minutes. I would suggest not waiting until 4 hours has gone by. Try to at least feed her every two hours if not more often. If she is upset, it is because she is hungry. You are shutting down your milk supply by supplementing with formula. If you want to do formula, you should pump also. You milk supply will only go up the more often you nurse. The bottle offers instant gratification and she has to wait with you. You might want to wait a little longer to introduce the bottle. The first months are the hardest, but once you get into a routine it gets better. Hope this helps. The Women's Wellness Center at St. Rose can help a lot too. They have a great lactation consultant.

The problem is you aren't feeding her on demand. Breast milk is produced when there is more demand for it, your body realizes there is more demand for it when the baby is sucking at your nipples more. Don't wait every four hours. If she is wanting to eat every two hours then feed her every two hours. You cannot supplement in between because then you will not produce enough. Trust me I've breastfed two kids and this is what the American Academy of Pediatrics and the La Leche League recommends.

Hi M.,

I felt the same way. When you supplement with formula you will produce less milk. My doctor told me to let him feed when he wanted in the beginning and that was every 2 hour. The more she feeds the more milk you'll produce. My son is now 11 weeks old and now I try to feed every 4 hours. He was 8lbs 9oz when he was born and now he is 13.6lbs.
I hope this was helpful.
Good luck.

hi M.,

I had the same problem. First my Dr. recommended drinking a glass of wine before I nurse (ok -- if I must). That didn't work for the baby but it made me feel better about the whole thing! He watched me nurse, saw that she latched on and finally determined that she was expending more calories trying to get the milk than she was getting from the milk. He immediately told me to put her on formula, she took fine to the bottle, and we still bonded during feeding because she still gazed up into my eyes. He said it happens. Some women can nurse, and others can't.

Good luck to you!!

V. T.

Dear M.: don't give up, and please, take it easy on yourself. Get thee to a lactation consultant. Sutter Memorial Hospital has a new mother support group run by Sue Arico (a lactation consultant) that is free and held on Thursdays from 10 am to noon at the Unitarian Church on Sierra, between Howe and Fulton. Look for lactation consultants in the phone book - call hospitals (especially the one where you delivered) and ask for the phone number of recommended lactation consultants. I nursed both my girls to 15 months -- totally worthwhile, but the beginning was so not easy! I had a lactation consultant visit my home (at $70.00 a pop) three times each, with both girls, but it kept us nursing and made things much better. We saved much more than that in formula, completely overlooking the advantages to the kids of my old-lady milk. The old-lady thing made it hard to feel like I was producing enough. I recommend Traditional Medicinals tea -- they have one specifially for nursing women, but I can't remember the exact name. Call the healthfood stories Elliotts on El Camino, or the Co-op, and ask them to look and see if they have that tea - with a 6 week old, you should not push yourself driving around and shopping. There are also herbs to take, ask the lactation consultant and the health food folks. I know blessed thistle is one of them, I forgot the others, but I took those, drank tons of liquids, and slept. My milk supply dwindled when I failed to nurture my body and sleep whenever the baby slept. Your baby is so new, and your body has been through so much. Please take it easy on yourself. Get help with the nursing, and if you have to supplement, or even end nursing, know that you are doing your best and your child cannot ask for more. Parenthood is an introduction to so many new feelings, including guilt, disappointment with yourself, and utter exhaustion. Remember post-partum depression is real, chemical, and can be helped tremendously by attending a support group or seeing a therapist, even just for a few visits. Good luck -- could you post back and let us know how you are doing?

It looks like you've gotten a lot of good advice - I'd try to follow up with a Le Leche League group if there is one in your area.

I know for me, at six weeks, my milk supply "stabled off" which meant it slowed production because my body was in tune with how much my son was nursing.... this made sense to me after I learned about how milk is produced on a supply/demand basis. The advice you got about feeding your baby more often when you are breastfeeding is right on. And it's true - giving the bottles and formula do hurt your supply. In addition, the baby might be getting frustrated because he has to work harder when he nurses instead of getting a bottle. It's okay that he has to work for it. He'll adjust and learn how to do it.

There are a few more resources I'd like to share with you on breastfeeding that I really love and trust... kellymom.com has awesome message boards and amazing moderators that are very helpful. The site is full of articles related to all things breastfeeding. Also check out drjacknewman.com or buy his book. You can open up all of his articles on his site. I have his book and LOVE it.

Best of luck to you and congrats on your new baby!

Make sure you are feeding her from the breast before you offer the bottle even if it has only been an hour or two. Offer it when she first appears hungary so she's not to frustrated this may help with the latching on process. After she has nursed then supplement. You need to make your body increase it's supply. If you own a breast pump you can also use that after she eats to help stimulate production. Hope this helps!

i had the same problem but right from the beginning. breastfeeding became a nightmare for both me and my daughter. i would get really stressed out and cry and she would do the same. we went to 3 different lactation consultants with no luck. For some reason i seemed to produce more milk with a medela pump.....so i pumped every 3 hours and strictly fed her breast milk from a bottle. GOD this was so much better. its like all of our problems just melted away. i know how it feels to be in your shoes right now. there is so much pressure to not use a bottle and to not supplement with formula. dont listen to all those people. YOU know whats right for you and your baby. if it works go with it. my baby only got breast milk for the first 4 months. i know all those pro breast feeding people out there are cringing, but my baby is very happy and healthy on formula. i just wanted you to hear my experience. i hope it helps in some way.

you are doing more damage with the bottle. your baby is getting lazy because the bottle is much easier than the nipple to get milk from. who told you that you could only nurse your baby every four hours. DO IT WHENEVER SHE WANTS. It's called nursing on demand. She will let you know when she is hungry and she will get enough milk from you. You produce what your baby is demanding. Keep up with it. Your baby will thank you for it.

The formula is the problem! Because you are supplementing with formula, your body "thinks" it doesn't need to produce more milk. The way to get it to produce more is: nurse often(the more you nurse the more milk your body is going to produce)! It is OK to feed your baby every 2 hours (my little one does that too, plus she could have a growth spurt, sometimwes they are hungry every hour then!).You can also try switching sides more than once, for example right breast, left breast, right breast (all in one feeding). Also if you start nursing her, before she gets too hungry and cries, she might be more patient with the latching on. Some babies get "nipple confusion" when they were fed with a bottle and have trouble latching on after. If the latching on is a real big problem, maybe you should try to see a lactation consultant or a breastfeeding support group (lalecheleague.com). I have a 11 week old and had to do that after 2 weeks because I got so sore...
Good luck!

Hi M.!
Before doing anything I would contact La Leche league. They are very helpful and have seen all kinds of breastfeeding issues. They willsurely be able to help you, and if not, they can refer you to lactation specialists.
Good luck!

My first suggestion would be la leche league, a New Mom's Support group and/or a lactation consultant (covered by many insurance companies). Secondly, when my baby was 6 weeks old, he was a slow nurser and it took FOREVER to finish feeding him. An average feeding lasted an hour. Then an hour later I was feeding him again. He ate pretty consistently every two hours. You may also weigh your baby before you feed her, feed her, then weigh her again. She should have gained 2 - 4 oz in that time period. You may do it for free at a lactation station (Sutter Memorial has a great one with great people to help). Also, you may try Fenugreek, it has been shown to increase milk supply. You gradually increase the amount you take per day until you feel you are doing well with your milk supply (please talk to your doctor first). I know I did need to supplement (2 oz/day for 2 weeks) my baby in the beginning because he had a "lazy suck", but I NEVER gave him the bottle. My husband and other family members did and I was never home so I wouldn't know. It's a psychologial thing - if your baby gets food somewhere else your produce less. I wish you all the luck to continue breastfeeding. I know I really love it, but don't feel guilty if you cannot, even the way we live can affect our milk supply (too busy, too tired, not enough good nutrition, being away from baby, too many visitors, etc). My best investment to continue nursing was our lactation consultant. Good luck!

Dear M.,
If her weight is good and the doctor says that she is thriving, then it can be just a supply and demand issue. The more that you allow her to nurse the more milk you will produce. Also, the hind milk is rich with protein and carbo's so that should keep her caloric intake up. Let her nurse frequently unitl the supply begins to build and then you will find that the frequency of nursing times should diminish.

Let me just remind you about nipple confusion. When a baby nurses, it is more of a jaw thrust and a squeezing/gumming on the nipple against the roof of the babies mouth that squirts the milk into the mouth, it takes some work on the babies part to do this. A bottle more or less drips into the mouth and the baby has to do less work to get the same amount of liquid, so the baby gets lazy and doesn't want to do the work to get fed. So then the baby begins to prefer the bottle to the breast because it is easier.

Allowing the baby to be at the breast only, minimizes the confusion until they are a little older and then they can easily switch back and forth from breast to bottle.

M., you are giving your baby an awesome start by breastfeeding. It is the perfect food and studies have shown that breast fed babies are more intelligent and healthier for it. Keep up the good work and trust in your awesome body to supply what the baby needs.

Dr. C. Demaray

You need to see a Lactation Consultant. That's the most important thing. To get off supplementation can be complicated or difficult, and especially if you are supplementing and you really don't want to end up going to formula completely (which WILL happen unless you take measures to prevent it), you NEED to see a Lactation Consultant (make sure they are board certified as well, an IBCLC).

Breastmilk is on supply and demand. When you supplement, you're telling your body to make even less milk. It can be really tricky as most women who supplement are doing so because their supply is low.

First and foremost, you need to be sure your supply really IS low. The only way to be sure of this is diaper count. NOT how your breasts feel. NOT how she acts when nursing. She could be frustrated for a million different reasons, and it is COMPLETELY NORMAL for a baby to be nursing every hour- or even more often. At this age, many babies nurse constantly and that has nothing to do with your supply. Nursing is more than just food; it is comfort, warmth, security. My baby at 6 weeks old nursed all the time and I had a very abundant milk supply. You should be seeing about 6 wet diapers per day. It can be hard to tell if a diaper is wet if you're using disposables, some moms use a tissue in the diaper to be sure.

It does sound like your baby has nipple confusion and may be preferring the faster letdown of the bottle, which is a common problem with supplementation. It CAN be overcome, however.

Here are some helpful links:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html#supply

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/frequent-nursing.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/decrease-formula.html

I also recommend this tincture (sold at Whole Foods or online) for increasing milk supply:
http://www.motherlove.com/product_more_milk_plus.php

hey dont worrie about her latching on even though she doesnt want you what you should do is pump as often as you can that way she will still be taking your breast milk and not formula when my little girl dident want to latch on i always pumed because i wanted her to have what was healthy for her and so every time i still felt she was hungry i always had a bottle ready for her i know most women feel like its not the way to go but everyone is diffrent and you'll still be giving her what she needs

Forgive me if I repeat anything ... there were so many responses I got tired of reading them all but I agree with those who suggest taking child off formula and feed all the time as often as baby wants to. Supply and demand is what the body adapts to from what I've seen. I also did the Fenugreek stuff and another herb ... I ground the seeds in a coffee grinder and added it to my Mothers Milk tea.

6 weeks sounds about right time when my 2 both began massive growth spurts and it seemed they never popped off but be patient and here's a trick:

After about 10 minutes of good nursing (where you hear the click every suck or every other suck), place a flat hand (with fingers together) at your shoulder and then press in to your body and slide the hand down towards your breast and hold while your baby keeps sucking. Do this a couple of times. This will help your hind milk drop ... that's the really rich and nutritious stuff. It really helped satiate both my babies hunger.

A great lactation specialist is in Folsom at the Maternal Expressions store there. My first midwife was trained by them and she was awesome and then my sister also went to them.

Remember not to stress out either. Relax.

Eat lots of Oatmeal! It really works.

I think it would benefit you to see a good lactation consultant...that is if you really want to continue breastfeeding. I had many issues with my son, but was able to breastfeed him for a year. I feel like we had every issue under the sun, from poor latch, to suck problems to low milk supply. I was stressed and my poor little guy could sense it. If your milk supply is really as low as you think it may be, you may need some help while re-establishing it. I had to supplement with formula for a few days while pumping to get my supply back up, but because of this my son started refusing the breast and preferred the bottle. I thought I would never get him back to the breast, but with the help of a wonderful LC and a nursing supplementer, he returned to the breast at almost four months old! An LC may recommend you pump and use an SNS (a device with tubes that you tape on your breast that delivers supplemental milk while your baby is at breast and only delivers milk when she sucks) depending on your situation. If you truly want to continue nursing, it takes dedication and work, but it is worth it. Just remember, whatever decision you make is right for you and your family. You know what is best for you and your daughter. Best of luck to you!

Hello M.,
I am a mother of triplets(now almost 5) and I had plenty of milk for all of them(I nursed them to 18+months). My first suggestion is to speak with your pediatrician and then contact the Le Leite league or other lactation specialist.
At six weeks your baby still needs frequent feedings. Try to relax and take deep breaths while initiating nursing time. Also, make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids and eating a balanced diet.
Let me know how you're doing.
take care,
O.

Hi M.,

Sounds what I had gone through. I was about 4 weeks before i wasn't producing enough milk for my daughter. I really wanted to have the whiole breastfeeding experience, but my body wasn't allowing for it. I was able to pump for her and that was about it after that. It turns out that I wasn't getting enough rest in between and wasn't eating enough foods for my body to produce milk. It is tough to try to stick with it. My daughter had a really tough time trying to latch on and was soo hungry that she wasn't getting any milk either. eventually i gave in to the bottle and pumped whenever i could. she's perfectally fine now at a whoping 23 lbs and turning one today! so really there was problem with me being able to adjust giving her the formula. If you do decide to use formula, find one that has DHA & ARA, best for them. My daughters was always the nestle good start formula. Good luck!

Hi M.,
Fisrt you need to decide if breatfeeding is what you want to do and then stick with it!! There is always some milk to be had, even if the baby nurses for an hour. So, is she really frustrated or is it something else? My guess is that you continue to produce less and less milk because you are waiting so long to latch her on. I nurse me 8 week old every 2-3 hours during the day and 4-6 at night.
I refuse to give my baby formula, so that was never an option.
Also, there is a tea, called Mother's Milk by Traditional Medicinals. Any health food store will have it. It actually increases milk supply.
If you want, you could call me.
L. ###-###-####
La Leche League is also a great resource. They have support anytime you need it and they meet once a month in most cities. Look for a chapter near you and look for support that way. Don't give up on breatfeeding!!! It is the best way to go, if you ask me. And these hard times will only pay off in the end. You'll hardly remember how hard it was!!

M.,

Check out this site http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/galact.asp it talks about herbs you can use to try to increase your milk supply. But the basic idea is that if you want a full milk supply, you need to quit supplementing and nurse more. Supplementing with formula can be a really slippery slope that can lead to losing your milk supply and early weaning. The main thing you need to do is nurse, nurse, nurse and then nurse some more.

T.

I was taking Fenugreek capsules and work a little but not a big difference. What really worked was Healthy nursing tea.

I wasn't producing enough milk and I was told to drink more water. I did that and started drinking Mother's Milk tea. I also started pumping to try to trick my body into making more. I'm not sure if any of these things helped or it was just a coincidence, but after about a week I had plenty of milk. I no longer have to supplement with formula. Hope this helps.
N.

Hi M.. I went through this with my son. I didn't even know how to use formula and bottles, if you can believe it. I was raised with everyone being nursed and nobody had problems. I cried a lot because it was really hard for me. Most people told me he was hungry and to supplement. They weren't necessarily right. There are tons of people out there helping moms with the same issue. There are lactation specialists, there's La Leche Leaugue (www.llli.org), or you could always visit your doctor, there's also different teas and foods that naturally help to produce milk. Sometimes a body just goes through changes to match the baby's needs, other times, yes, your body stops producing enough milk. I know for sure, it's mostly supply and demand. The more you feed, the more your body produces, (usually). Either way, if you research it you'll understand more and feel more comfortable with whatever decision you make. So it may be worth it to try some other recources to help make that decision. We're thinking of you. Good luck.

I had this same problem with my child- it started out as he was born, I would get lots of milk at first, then nothing- my son would just cry, would get impatient, so I learned to pump milk out on my time and feed it to him at his time, I would fridgerate it and when he was ready, I would feed him and he would get fulfilled and I would not feel so bad. I would pump round the clock though, at night, in midday at my office during my lunch hour and just sacrifice my time for him. If I wasn't producing enough when he wanted me to, that was up to me to pump it out. He was still getting my milk, but to feel helpless with my son was all worth the sacrifice. I hope it works out for you, I am sure you will do great!

Take fenugreek 3 pills 3x a day- it in an herb or ask your doc for a prescription of Reglan- they give it to babies so it is safe. Pump using a hospital grade pump to stimulate the nipples after every feeding. Try to get rest and relax. i had the same prob when ds was born but w/all of these suggested he nursed until he was 17 months. Good luck to you