Breastfeeding: Your First 6 Months

Hi, Aubrey --

Latch issues + low milk supply are usually related! It's hard to know which comes first as they both impact the other.

And...if we work to fix one, it usually helps the other! Can you tell me a bit more about your daily nursing/pumping schedule: what does a typical day look like?

Are you in pain when baby is nursing?

Was in the hospital after having my son the lactation expert there give me a nipple guard because my nipples are flat. So I have been using that. I nurse my son literally all day to the point where I had to start using formula to give myself time to pump. Because he is on the breast some much, im lucky if I can pump at least once a day maybe twice a day.

When I do get to pump. I pump on each breast for about 20-30 minutes and only end up with an ounce of milk, an ounce in half if I’m lucky.

And no I’m not in pain when he nurses.

I’m also trying to get him off the nipple guard, and that has been a struggle as well

Hi Holly - a few things to try...

- do you have a pump? If so, try pumping a few times a day (approx 15 mins) - remember, the more frequently we empty the more milk we make.

- if you don’t have a pump, try hand expressing! It’s very effective and easy once you get the hang of it. Take a look at this video tutorial from Dr. Jane Morton at Stanford:
https://med.stanford.edu/newborns/professional-education/breastfeeding/hand-expressing-milk.html

- try starting baby with 3/4 amount of what he/she normally takes. Then try and latch baby - now that baby isn’t as hungry and is more relaxed, baby will have more patience to drink at breast. As your milk supply increases, you slowly start decreasing the amount in the bottle upfront. Make sense?

Good luck! Let me know how it goes or if you have further questions.

Hi, there...21 months -- amazing job mama!

Weaning (like breastfeeding) is a very personal journey. The most important tip is to go slow -- this will help both you and baby adjust (physically and emotionally).

How many times a day are you nursing now? Does baby drink milk from a cup?

Hi Janette - some amount of hiccuping and spit up is completely normal. Is baby otherwise content and full after a feeding?

Wow -- sounds like you are pumping a good amount actually! Great job!

Milk production fluctuates throughout the day. Moms usually are fullest in AM so it's not surprising you notice that. That being said, the fact you don't feel AS full later doesn't necessarily mean that you aren't producing enough.

The best way to know if she's getting enough is by her demeanor (in addition to appropriate weight gain + wet/dirty diapers). After a full feeding (offering both breasts) is baby relaxed, content and satiated?

Re: her fussy behavior at breast...can you identify a pattern of when baby gets fussy. Is it at end of nursing session or right after let down? Does it happen more frequently in late afternoon/eve and never in AM?

Sometimes fussiness at breast is baby's way of letting us know she needs a break to burp! Other times it can mean there's a milk flow issue (too slow or too fast)...that's why I was asking about a pattern...

Yes most of the time she is content and satiated after she eats from both breasts.

As for her pulling of my nipples, it’s usually after let down and happens more in the afternoon and early evenings. Mainly in the afternoon.

I also noticed that her fussiness at the breast is usually as soon as she attaches to the breast and then again after let down. This happened during her feeding at 4am. She was also up every hour or so last night and only feeding for about 5 mins then falls asleep and doesn’t wake up. I tried taking off her clothes and running a cold cloth on her to wake her up but she wakes up and doesn’t want to eat again. Are the 5 mins enough to get her full? This doesn’t seem possible as she kept waking up every 1-2 hours.