very little breast milk

I

in_distress

New Member
hi need advise... ive a 2 wk old son.. by now i know i shd have lots of breast milk but....
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i tried to breastfeed him but every time it wont be enuff and he'd need to be supplemented wif abt 50ml of formula milk.. i read up alot on breastfeeding n was very positive abt TOTAL breasfeeding but now im getting more n more depress coz im not producing enuff to offer my son.. i read somewhere tat by now, i shd have produced bottles n bottles of milk already.. heeeeellllpppp!!
 


Hi mom to be,

Don't be stressed out by your low supply. I know of people who takes 1 - 2 months to establish supply. Each individual is different so don't compare yourself to what you read. Reading those will make you even more stressed and if you are stress, you won't be able to produce.

Just relax and your supply will come. Try massaging, latching him regularly, every 3 hours or 2 hrs+. Alternate latching between both sides. Drink lots of water, massage your breasts, drink papaya fish soup, take lots of fish. Have plenty of rest. There are alot of other threads about mummies who also have the same problem as you, so you are not alone. You can read those and see what other mummies do.
 
hi mom to be,

every person is different, some pp can produce more while some can hardly produce, & it takes time for e milk ss to be established.

my BM oni came in on e 6th day or so & by 2wks, my ss is not much too. my bb din cry, oni wants to sleep, so i presume he has enugh. how do u know ur bb is not having enugh? did bb cry or fuss or not gaining wt? i know of mummies who diligently pump every 3hrs to express out, even if nothing comes out, dun give up, just continue. aft pumping, mummy continues to latch on e bb. some afraid tt bbs will cry or fuss cos hv pump out quite a bit, so they latch on 1st, then pump. note tt e more u clear ur breasts, it'll send e signal to ur brain tt more milk is reqd, so it'll produce more. ss = demand

r u latching or pumping? latching is e best but hv to bear e 1st mth of sore/cracked nipples, aft tt, ur skin used to it liao, seasoned aredi. if u r pumping, choosing a right pump is impt.

during ML, i latched on totally, oni gave bb a few times of bottle during e 2nd mth to let him slowly gets used to feeding fr bottle. b4 or aft latching, i wld pump. i was using avent manual for a start, it was aso depressing to c nothing or v.little comes out. w e support & advice fr my mummy grp, i continue on... slowly it increases to 40ml, then 60ml, then 80ml. but manual pump is just too tiring & cos it's single pump, one side leaks while pumping e other side, so i switch to ameda dual pump. i hv made my 6mths mark & i'm still continuing to feed my boy BM. i'll pump twice during office hrs, total yield abt 320 - 400ml. morning & nite time & weekends when i'm w bb, i latched him on.

it has not been easy to bfeed, esp for FTM. i had lots of papaya fish soup & fish during confinement, tt helps to bring in my ss. i got a hands free kit so tt when pumping, my hands r free to do other things such as reading books/mags or surf net to distract myself. dun keep looking at e bottle, as i find tt it'll affect e output. i aso tried nursing tea fr mim & mother's milk tea. some pp tried fenugreek too to boost their milk ss.

so dun give up, just keep on trying but dun stressed urself too much as it'll affect ur ss too. need to relax as it's easy to get post natal blues if u just given birth not long ago.

jia you! jia you! cheer up...
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hi blueydoo, u mean after 1-2 mths some ladies can actualli increase supply? im thinking of seeing a lactation consultant at kkh but hubby said better wait till my confinement over wic i think will be too late.. dun u agree?

hi bunnybluey, i know my bb not having enuff coz even aft i latched bb on for 1 hr (on n off suckling during this time), bb will still drink 50ml formula milk till finish ley.. if i dun supplement, he'll cry himself coarse.. i dun have the heart to see him cry like tat.. btw, how u manage to pump 1 side n got the other side leaking? as for nursing tea, fenugreek - these realli help increase supply? no side effects?
 
mom to be, i'm wondering if ur bb is going thru growth spurt, maybe tt's y fuss when din hv enugh milk, then perhaps, shd try to latch more often. cos if u latch on more often, aft e growth spurt is over, ur milk ss tends to increase as well.

initially it din happen, it's really aft quite a while tt while i latch/pump 1 side, e other side will leak, tink some pp call it let-down bah.

when i 1st started bfing, i read up quite a bit, particularly fr tis website - http://www.kellymom.com/bf/index.html, maybe u can read up to find out more info on bfing too.

i tried both mim's nursing tea & mother's milk tea, i find tt MMT is better, it at least helps me to maintain my ss when i get back to work, realised tt some time, i din take cos biz, e ss will be poorer. so far, i find e teas no side effects bah. as for fenugreek, i din try, so can't comment much abt tt.

btw, 1-2mths still can increase ss, i'm one of those.
 
bunnybluey, i latched on bb quite a few times today.. tried pumping aft tat n guess wat?? jialat liao.. veeeeery little milk come out.. worse than b4.. does tis mean my ss depleting?
 
mom to be, u latched on today more than other days? maybe bb hv cleared e milk, tt's y when u pump, very little milk left. but u just keep going on. it takes time to build up e ss. aso, dun stress urself over tis too much, just pump watever u can. stress will aso affect ur ss.

when i was at hospital aft delivery, my bb wants to sleep most of e time & latched on for oni a while, so e LC told me tt i must pump diligently every 3hrs for at least 15mins, which i did, even tho nothing comes out, tis is to stimulate e milk to come in. during e 1st mth, aso hv to latch & pump diligently tho nothing or very little comes out. i just keep on & on. aso, i realised while pumping, dun tink abt it, surf net, or maybe do up a blog for ur bb. pp say when u tink of bb, e ss will increase as well, some pp even say record ur bb crying, may help too. i experienced it b4, was naked there when bb cried so loud tt e milk dripped & dripped, can c e droplets on e fl. aso, try massage tt area w warm towel or hv a warm bath b4 pumping, it helps too.

i previously saw a thread on how to increase milk ss. let me try to find it.
 
hi mom to be,

Have you try to pump when you feed the baby. I always latch the baby one side and pump the other side of my breast. This helps to make my brain think that I am feeding 'twins' and thus need to produce more milk. It really helps to increase ss.
 
hi rachel, tats wat lots of pple advised me too.. but i found it hard coz my son is rilli strong... he moves abt alot.. got prob carrying him on 1 hand.. usualli the cloth swaddling him will be all over the place..
 
hi mom to be

i had only managed to bf my 2nd child, as my elder one totally refused to be bf. i guess u jus hv to keep bf yr son regularly. and like wat the rest of e mummies mentioned, it takes abt 1-2 mths to establish milk supply...

bt remember always hv to latch him on, try nt to supplement w fm yet... as i'm oso considered as a 1st timer in bf, my gf had urged me to bf n pump regularly even thou my milk supply haven't come within the early days... so be positve, dun b stress, n i'm sure yr milk supply will be back soon. alternatively, u can see a doc, they'll prescribe u with medicine to boost yr supply...

cheers!!
 
hi yc, so 2 say tat though theres no milk or very little milk coming out, u keep on pumping izit? tat can boost supply in long run?? i read up like crazy abt total breastfeeding n thought im all geared up for it.. nvr tot its gonna b kinda hard 4 me..
 
hi mom to be, I also stressed myself a lot when i tried to bf my 1st one, especially when my mother in law come, she would ask "Is the milk enough or not, why she started to cry only 1/2 hr after feeding, i think she's not full, why not supplement her with formula milk".

She got no idea how stressing that was to have that comment.

And I remember once I pumped so hard (that time got engorgement) and only got about 2 oz, then my husband spilled it all accidentally!! I burst into tears immediately after that.

My first BF was not that successful but the most important thing is don't stress yourself too much, okay?
 
Hi mom to be

I also had alot of stress and depression over my milk supply. I visited TMC lactation consultant/nurses who confirmed that my supply is low and even suggested that I supplement. To make things worse, I was unable to express my milk as I wouldn't have any let down during expressing and will only end up with 1-2 oz after 30mins. In fact, I had shed quite alot of tears over BF issue.

In the end, I was still determined to breast feed despite all the setbacks. So I refused to supplement and just latch on baby. If he cries after 1-2hrs, so be it - I will just feed him again. I told myself that my priority during this 3 months ML will be just to feed baby, constantly if need be. I also give up expressing as the miserable output only depresses me. After more than a month, I went back to the lactation consultant for a assessment and by then I have more than enough milk for him.

I also read from Kellymom that for mummies who mostly latch on, you can only expect 1-2oz when expressing. So please don't stress yourself too much over your expressed amount. Just latch-on regularly, it will definitely work.
 
Hi mom to be,

For a start it is quite tough to handle both pump and baby. You might need your hubby's help to hold while you manage baby. Once you get use it is a breezy. My son is coming 6th mths old I am still pumping and feeding him at the same time. He has also gotten use to it already.
 
hi

dun be stressed. i didn't manage to bf my first son, was on partial EBM.

for my second son, i latched him for 2wks and has been expressing since. i used to express after latching him(during confinement) and he still drinks 60ml of FM.

now i am expressing about 100-150ml every 3-4hrs and my boy is almost on total EBM(he is only 2mths old) and my ss only came after 1mth... dun give up. think positive and drinks lots of fluids.

my HB and i believe that as long as he drinks BM, dun matter the amount, he is already benefitting !
 
hi mom to be...agree with gracian...just give what you can..my BM was also very little, and was supplementing with formula. Tried my best .stopped expressing when I got back to work. He's growing totally fine on formular now.
 
My #2 is on FM and BM cos my supply not very high for me. Now he is taking 100ml(2 weeks old) and my supply cannot catch up with him. In the morning, I can pump up to 100ml then the rest 3-4 hours 80ml the max. Me not give up this time cos my #1 I had an unsuccessful time.
 
Hi mom to be,

I can understand your feeling. i didn't have a good start initially too, but here I am now, still breast feeding my 8.5 months baby girl.
If you need professional help, i can totally recommend you to see this lady, she helped me through out my bf journey and i thank her for it. If it's not because of her, i probably would have stopped long ago.
Her name is Doris Fok, 96387660. She can do house visit, if I'm not wrong, just explain to her that you're still in your confinement period.
But I went out to see her at NUH during mine...
i tot to sort out the bf issue is more important than to obliged to 'house bound' rule...
but that's just me...
 
hi all, thanks for the encouragement.. everytime i read ur posts, im just more determined to breastfeed, though im still supplementing coz rili no choice, bb cry n cry coz not getting enuff.. tried pumping whilst breastfeeding.. though oni managed to get 30ml (wic is an improvement), im more determined. seeing the lactation consultant tomorrow. hope tings will change..

hi yuly, if i was a patient fr kkh, the lactation consultant fr nuh will still see me (juz in case if i still need to see one aft tomorrow?).
 
Hi mom to be

I'm in the same situation as you. My supply is very low and now it my breast seems to be "drying up". Cannot pump more than 20 ml in a day. My gal refuses to latch on as i've got inverted nipples
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Tried BF initially but as gal not eating, receive feedbacks all round that I'm not feeding her enough. very upset... doesn't help when my gal has a bigger appetite also.
In my 6th week now.
 
Mummies,
I am also taking Goat Rue's from MotherLove, said to be more effective than fenugreek. I am trying as an supplement to encourage more milk supply. Don't know working for me or not la, but taking daily liao. Think most important is more fluid and rest. Don't stress too much. If your busts are HARD, meaning the milk glands block liao. So better use hard towel before pumping. Hope this helps!
 
Hi Gemini19,

I hv the same problem of inverted nipples on both sides and the BF journey was so tough during the 1st 3 days when bb was born.

LC was helpful but keeps wantg me to latch bb on but nipples were bitten so sorely during the 1st day that it bled and it gave me a lot of stress. In the end, I resorted to expressing milk instead coz the inverted nipples juz dun protude out to allow bb to latch on well.

I find expressing less stressful although bonding is not so close as latch on. So if u want to give bb the best, mayb try expressing, it might help
 
Hi mom to be...do call or visit the lactation consultant at KKH (either Yen Ping or Cynthia) as they are very helpful and encouraging...for both my children, they have aided with my BF mission

My milk supply was started quite low with my eldest child, pump and latch, drink lots of water, and most impt, relax.

After every feed, express out the any escess so that body will produce more.
 
<font color="aa00aa">mom to be</font>

yes, i still pump regularly even thou there was no milk or little milk. and i do let bb latch on on every feed. it did increase and stablise my milk supply eventually... and i cld get abt 150-210ml per breast every 3 hrs...

jus to share w you, for my elder one, i was jus lik you, read up abt BF and was determined to bf her. bt my gal jus refused to be bf even thou I forced on her. i oso called the BF helpline, lactation consultant jus to BF her. bt in vain cos she jus refused to be BF lor... so by end of 2nd mth, my supply was gone...kekeke...

well, most of all, dun be stress... relax yrslf n yr body, and jus keep on BF yr bb... drink lots of fluid to replace wats being taken out...

cheers! jia you!!!
 
Mom to be,

of course. she doesn't restrict her patient to NUH only...
I think you should give her a call, for your own peace of mind...
good luck!
 
try power pumping. the idea here is stimulation.

if u ahve a dual pump this is the pump schedule

pump 20 mins
rest 10 mins
pump 10 mins
rest 10 mins
pump 10 mins
total 60 mins - this is good as it allows u 5 mins to go attn to your child shoudl he/she require carrying or change of diapers.

best done after a feed when your child is sleeping too is one recommendation

if u have a single pump dont fret i took the recommended above & changed it for single pump users - need more work but hey for our little darlings whats a little hard work right?

Pump 10 mins (L)
Pump 10 mins (R)
Pump 7-10 mins (L)
Pump 7-10 mins (R)
Pump 7-10 mins (L)
Pump 7-10 mins (R)
finish total also 60 mins each breast gets 30 mins.

do the system for about 4-5 times a day for 2 whole days & your supply should increase on day 3.
after that u may wish to incorporate this for once a day or once in 2-3 days for maintenance of stimulation

stimulation is essential to kick start supply - esp when your babe's a sleep feeder. oh ya my LC from KKH told me 10pm -2am is an essential window to latch or pump - it will further stimulate ss if u latch or pump during this time - so i made sure i pump/latch @ least once during this time window during my 1st mth.

Another important thing is your pump - better to get a good dual electric pump - & you are already about 50% successful to breast feeding successfully. what's $300-400 vs the benefits of less stressfull breast feeding.

I was also depressed doing a 20-50ml each pump w my dual pump (medela PIS adv some more ok) theni followed this system above - milk shot up to 150-180ml day 3-4 then averaged out to about 80-120ml & i got lazy & just finished my daily 5 pumps within 10 mins - & comparing with my peers who were doing 200-300ml gosh i was still lacking behind 100-160ml each pump.

going forward after that you might want to take opportunity while still on ML to do this power pumping -no hard & fast rule must be 10 mins pump 10 mins rest - give & take a little (we are all human) cos never know baby might want a little more cuddling once in a while.

Bluey & i are still pumping (our babes just turned 6 mths!) - i plan to get mothers milk tea too to increase my supply. but having said that i am happy w my 100-200ml pumps now - cos i dont have a logistical nitemare of buying more freezers lor. but i do hope to increase my store - its only 1/2 mths worth should i hault stop my ss now. i feel its too little for storage.

So i will just wean baby off milk longer say for 2 mths before i take her off breast milk totally. 10th mth will start to intro FM slowly replacing 1 feed daily/week. - this is to monitor FM suitablilty & less risks of if bb falls ill during this period - i have no milk to nurse her fast back to health.

take care ok bfing should be a beautiful wonderful experience after initial pains & anxiety.

Even if u meet obsticles (blocked ducts or whatnots) dont dispare - just cont pump & pump.
 
hi ladies, frankly, i tot i was 'different' but hearing all these successful stories fr u, im just crossing my fingers rite now n waiting for tat day to cum for me as well. anyway, i saw lactatation consultant cynthia today n milk actualli squirted out when she massaged my nipples. apparently, she said my ducts were blocked (but i dun feel pain b4 tis ley) n she said my latching not so gd.. breastfed bb very well during the consultation but wen tried 2 breastfeed bb at home, he cried & cried.. *sigh* formula milk is so expensive nowadays so must try till i succeed like u ladies here..
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mom to be

it takes time... it took me quite a while to be comfortable n confident in BF...
Im sure you'll do fine in no time...

Dun worry Be happy....
 
mom to be, if u hv blocked ducts, remember to use warm towel to massage ur breasts b4 pumping. tt time, i aso hv blocked ducts (i tink) cos there's hard lump here & there. i massaged until hands sng, so i got my hb to massage real hard & while he massaged, i used a bottle to catch hold of e milk as e milk was dripping lor. aft massaging, c slightly more milk when pump.

it's always hard for a FTM but just persist on & u'll be rewarded.

i do hv inverted nipple on my left breast but i've managed to get my son to latch on tt side as well & it's now longer inverted.
 
hi yc, bunnybluey,
cant figure out wats wrong ley.. during consultation yesterday, could hear bb making the swallowing, gulping sound when breasfed.. aft tat, at home, no sound ley. did all tat the lactation consultant advised me, massaged breast, nipples, wait for bb's mouth to open very big then push him to the breast, but still no sound made.. hubby also thinks tat im doing it rite.. someting wrong somewhere.. getting very frustrated coz i dunno wats wrong.. carry bb until my hand cramped last nite..
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hi mom to be

just want to share my experience. my boy refused to latch in the hospital and only finally managed on the 2nd last day(thanks to ward sis). he got jaundice and was referred to see LC by paed dr, i also had blocked ducts and my breasts were bit hard. almost cried when LC massaged my breasts, she taught me to latch properly etc.

the reasons why i stopped latching after 2wks were 1)my boy was getting confused between nipple and teat, 2)plus his jaundice was about 200 and i want to monitor how much he drinks, 3)felt that 1hr latching was very long and my elder was vying for attention.

never once regretted expressing cos more time to spend with my 2 boys and feel that expressing actually help to empty breasts and increase ss.

*moms who are pro-latching dun beat me hor*

just keep cool. it is ok to feel down, express and let your HB help you feed. i used the wrong pump with my elder and ss was darn low and i gave up after 1.5mth. now using avent manual and i feel that it help me be successful in providing ah boy with BM.

now i just express, store and warm for ah boy. planning to continue expressing when i return to work in jan 08, dun know if possible but will try...
 
mom to be, dun get too stressed up, practise makes perfect, just try a few more times. if bb's ears moving & not fussing aft bfing, shd be ok. initially, i aso hv prob latching my boy correctly but now, i dun need much, we laid on e bed, i turned him to me & he just latched on himself. dun give up, u c e daylight someday. jia you jia you! cheers up!
 
hi mom to be, from personal experience with first child and BF, when i stress or anxious during BF, baby can feel the distress and things won't go smoothly,

Take a deep breathe and stay calm and confident during feeding baby, don't get frustrated and thing may just go smoothly
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ya la, mom to be...

dun be stress la... mayb nw at hm wo help, u feel stress? I'm sure you will BF yr BB w no hassel in no time... No pain no gain leh... kekeke

I oso, like bunnybluey, nw jus lay down n bf BB... Find a comfortable position for both u n BB... Jus remember, dun be stress..

Hope to hear yr GOOD news soon ya... Keep it up!!
 
hi mom to be,

May I know what style did you use when you feed your baby? Personally I favour football clutch for young babies. This method drains the breast effectively and you can see if the baby is sucking well. I used this method when my boy was newborn till 3 mths.

Breastfeeding is a very interesting journey. It is different with every child. As a mother of 3 children, my 2nd daughter feed on EBM for 18 mths (she does not know how to latch) and now my son. Being a 3rd time mother I still have my share of ups and downs in this latest breastfeeding journey.

When my maternity leave ended, my son has to be fed by bottle (my EBM). When I come home in the evening then I latch him. Soon he got nipple confusion. He refuses both my breast and bite and pull hard them. There was once I have 1cm long abrasion on both my breast. Went to see doc for medication and to check there is no infection (cos it is very painful) the doc told me it is time to wean the baby off the breast. She told me all the discouraging things about FTWM breastfeeding.

To cut the story short, at the end I win my son back to my breast. Breastfeeding is like a relationship. Both got to know each others' temperament. The method that work today might not work tomorrow. After some fine tunning it will work perfect for both. Do not be stress. Once stress you will feel negative and the baby can feel too. Tell yourself you are doing great and you need time to know your baby temperament and likes. Sometimes it is not that you do not have enough milk it is just that the baby has his preference on the position he likes. If I am not wrong your boy is in his 3rd week. He should be in his growth sprut period. He will demand a lot of milk. Do not be suprise he needs to be latch every hr (that is what happen to my son). If you really want to go on total breastfeeding throw away the formula milk. The presence of the formula milk will not help to improve your milk supply it will just let you think baby not having enough breast milk got to supplement with formula. With no formula milk presence you and the baby got no choice and so breastfeeding is the only way to solve problem. By more suckling from baby you will have more milk and by baby latching more often you will get to know what is the best position for both.

Sorry for the long story. Just my 2 cents worth of thoughts. When I embark on my breastfeeding journey I was lucky to have a ex-colleague who constantly encourages me with her experience. Now I hope I can encourage others with mine.

That ex-colleague give me a formula for increasing breast milk supply. Not sure if you be keen. Not the usual fish soup with papaya. Let me know if you want to formula.
 
hi Mom in distress,

Thought I would share my breasfeeding experience with you. I had a long and difficult labour thus did not nurse my boy immediately in the delivery room. Subsequently my boy refused to latch and i resorted to pumping. Initially I only managed to pump out 10-20ml each session. There were a few sessions where I did not even managed to get any milk out at all. It was a difficult and depressing period and I also had to supplement. I nearly wanted to give up. But for the sake of my boy I persevered and continue to pump every 3 hrly to stimulate supply. I also wake up in the middle of the night to pump because that's when the body produces the most milk.
Soon I began to see some results. My yield increased slowly over weeks from 20-40ml, then 60ml. Now my boy is 3 mths and I am pumping about 120-140ml each session which is still not a lot but it is enuff for his daily needs.
Looking back, I would never have imagined I would still be bf 3 mths later and tot it possible to get such yield. Continue to persevere and don't give up, you will be glad you didnt.
My boy has learned to latch now so it gets easier with time. Get help with household chores if you can, eat and rest well. See a LC for help if you must. Most importantly be positive. I had lots of encouragement from others who told me to be patient, the milk supply will come in and though I was disbelieving, it did!
 
hi ladies, guess wat.. i tot im gona post the msg - 'ladies, i give up'.. but wen i read ur posts above, my mind goes *&$!@.. i cried like siow just now coz i rili duno wat to do. its like, i wana persevere, but the bb not drinking. i realised tat its not tat i dun have milk (coz everitime i massaged my breasts, got milk come out). im just so worried my milk ss depleting coz bb not helping to stimulate my brains to make more milk.

hi bunnybluey, yc, i bf bb on bed at hospital. tried at home, but bb seemed suffocated wen lying down. so i dun lay him down beside me anymore though lying down is so much comfy than sitting up..

hi rachel, i dun hold him the football cradle way coz quite uncomfy la.. i just hold him the normal way (aiyah, i duno wats the method called). btw, i wana know the formula oso..

hi mocha, i saw the lc oredi but *sigh* bb bf so well @ the hospital, @ home, he just sipped like usual (tats wat the lc told me wen i saw her)..

how to throw the formula milk, bb can latch on for nearly 2 hrs n still hungry coz hes merely sipping the milk! i'll end up very tired if im to continue latching bb on, especially @ nite..
 
mom to be

maybe wen u lie down n bf bb, jus check the bb's drinking n comfortable.. it all takes practice...

u know, all u need to do nw is jus relax yr body n mind... take it easy wen u r tryin to bf... im sure u can do it in no time.. easier said den being done...

nt all mommies bf their bb wo any hassles... lik i said, my elder one refused to be bf while 2nd one was an easy breeze... I wanna let u know its nt u, prob bb jus fussy abt being bf...

just be patience...
 
Hi mon to be & Gemini 19,

This formula is given by my ex-colleague. It works for me. Not so sure if it works for you. The ingredients as follows: -

1) 2 sweet corn
2) Ikan Bilis (handful)- wash and clean properly
3) Soya Bean (3/4 of coffee cup)
4) 3-4 sticks of carrots

Cut both carrots and corns - big pieces (like you cook soup)then throw in all (item 1-4) into a pot with about 2 litres of water. Boil like soup for about an hour. Drink every day till supply is establish. Once supply establish drink on alternate days.

Hope that works for you too.

Regards


2
 
Hi mom to be

just express out the milk and feed with bottle,
got how much feed how much, better than never give at all.
Supply may drop if you purely express out, but will not stop if you continue expressing milk...my colleague managed to feed her son by purely expressing the milk to feed using bottle.


Let bb latch on at leisure, if not just express out to feed.
 
gemini,
i inherited my late mum inverted nipples and she could not breastfed anyone of us. you know, i've got the worst inverted nipples I can ever imagine. both of my breast also like that and nipples totally inverted in. but i'm determine to breastfeed/express whatever as long as my baby gets breast milk.

was a bit worried in the beginning whether got milk or not (don't even talk abt supply). right after delivery i called for LC. told her my worries and she helped me latch my baby on but failed..so no choice, she squeezed my breast to express the colustrum out. it was v v painful but slowly she accumulated abt 2 teaspoon of colustrum. i was already over the moon!!! everyday, i would be pumping but milk only come in on day 5. pumping session not very consistent lah as i have no time to pump since i have no confinement lady but whenever i can i tried to pump like every 4hourly. for the 1st 1 mth, i can only feed my girl 3 feeds of EBM per day(my, she's a big drinker, by 2 weeks old, she's drinking 90ml, 3rd week, 120ml, how to meet her demand right??) the rest is formula milk. now, i think i can feed her 6-7 feeds a day when i'm no working. well, i'm quite all right with giving her FM and EBM cos we also believe that some breast milk is better than nothing. also, i would not be so stress as not to meet her demand. I've already trying my best liao..

would like to share with you my journey of latching my girl too..i took the opportunity to see the LC again when my girl was hospitalized for jaundice when she was 5 days old (due to dehydration cos we were not feeding her enough). for the 1st time, the LC managed to help me latch my baby on using a nipple shield (pigeon brand). I was so amazed and totally jumping for joy. i thought nipple shield is to protect the nipple but actually it's very useful for women like us. i could never imagine myself able to breastfeed my girl. but unfortunately, when we went back home, i could not latch her on using the nipple shield..the nipple shield kept falling off and very diff to hold her and she was crying so loud..so, here i am, back to square one..stop latching her and resort to pumping only but i never give up on the thought of latching her. then one day when she was 5 weeks old, suddenly i felt ready to trying to latch her again. she was also bigger and easier to handle, mouth also bigger lah..haha...the first few minutes was very tough but eventually i manage to latch her.. the way i held her was very awkward, the latching was quite painful and i had to bend my body towards her. i knew i was not doing a correct breastfeeding but who cares, hey, my girl is drinking from my breast!! after 1 hour, my nipple was so so sore. when my nipples got too sore, i stop breastfeeding her and go back to pumping..when healed, i try latching her again..i kept practising my latching whenever i feel confident (sometimes, i physcho myself to persevere) and one day after 1 week of latching, i suddenly found a comfortable position to breastfeed her (cradlehold). it came in so naturally, i was so amazed.. that moment, i knew i was latching her properly (no pain) and am very very comfortable breastfeeding her. mind you, i only breastfeed her on my left breast, and was struggling with my right cos somehow just not so natural. but after another week, i'm ok with latching her on both breast. my left breast is still my favourite breast and now, sad to say, i have lopsided breast. left breast produced 70% more milk than my right breast and appears bigger. i'm still trying to balance them back but i think will need time..i have come back to work and my baby is going 2 months old (taking 3rd mth seperately). I'm pumping twice in office and evening and morning and weekends i will latch her on.

i'm planning to breastfeed her for 6 months and aiming for TBF but i'm not stressing myself to achieve that immediately. i just let time and experience to lead me on.. see, from the worry of having no milk to latching her, i've managed to resolved all this slowly. so, morale of the story, try your best, don't give up, don't stress over not enough milk, take one step at a time and take your time to see result. something is better than nothing..now coming to 2 months, i can express 120-150ml in office every 4 hourly compared to my 60-90ml during my early days..it's still not a lot compared to some mummies but i'm contented that my milk has increased and my girl is still taking some breast milk. i will try to total breastfeed her but if cannot, so be it. Mixed FM and EBM is fine with me.

so, jia you and don't give up!

P.S: I hope mom-to-be to be encourage with my storey too
happy.gif
 
hey mom to be and other mothers,

i too share the same boat as mom to be..
baby now 12 days old.
feeding well in hospital on BF. then when she come home, she just kept crying, even though i've been BF her just. She just wouldn't stop crying, and her urination decreased, which is worrying, and once she even spiked a low grade temp..
checked with PD- baby was dehydrated, and hence needs to be supplemented with FM

since then, baby is on FM and BF. she takes 2oz of FM each time, 5-6 times per day. I latched on every time she starts to wake up/ cry. I pump also - still very minimal milk now (10-30ml).

Unable to stop FM supplement, as she keeps crying even i've fed on her my breasts for 20min each side.

WAs also very depressed initially. Cried also.
But I tell myself, some BM is better than none...
So i'm still persevering....Now taking fenugreek pills/ papaya-fish soup..

Really hoping for the day when more breastmilk comes, and baby is satisfied with my milk, and does not need FM!

Mom-to be- We are in the same boat...We'll give each other support! So don't give up...
 
wow aria jo.... you really very determined and brave leh... will take you as my example....

me too hope to BF my bb when he is born... but one of my breast has got cracked nipple.. wondering if can fulfil my wish as i scare might have contamination??? but i read you story.... really have the urge to try and try... i heard and saw the nipple sheild at some departmental store.. thought this nipple shield able to help me....
 
kspl,
dun worry, mine so inverted aslo can breashfeed, yours should not be a problem as long as you practice BF. nipple shield can definately help. just wash your nipple with warm water will do. soap is too harsh and dries up the skin. after every BF session, just squeeze out some milk and let it dry off.

you know, sometimes i really think the nipple shield somehow help my girl not to have nipple confusion becuase i would be latching her one moment and the next minute popping her a bottle to top up the feed. i've tried with the nipple shield and succeeded but i was very scare throughout. scare she'll bit me and it felt funny and ticklish..haha..so, i'm still using the shield. I hope one day i can do without so that i dun have 1 more item to sterilized :p
 
hopefully so lor... been hoping to bf my boy if i can... hopefully i my breast and myself is in good condition to provide him the milk lor...

btw... the funny and ticklish feeling... once you try and endure for sometime.. and you kind of got used to it.. or you try to channel your attention to your bb rather then your nipple or feeling.... i believe you can do it naturally very fast... all the best...
 


rachel, thanx for the formula.. will try out..

camidi, i agree wif u, at least my bb still drinking breastmilk though the amt is veeeerri little.. hope its gonna get more wif the formula rachel gave me..
happy.gif


aria jo, i rili admire ur determination ley.. how u manage to b so positive?

hi cindy, the feeling is very stressful rite? i emailed to breasfeeding organisation abt my prob n they provided me a link to watch video on how to latch on properly.. when i watched tt, i tot, hey, tats wat im doing exactly but how cum bb still dun wana drink?

anyway, my son got admitted to kkh for uti.. just discharged yesterday
sad.gif
.. didnt manage to latch bb on alot in hospital but the lc, yen ping, came up to c me aft i told the nurses tat i rili wana total breastfeed my bb. according to her, my latching on correct, just tt im producing veri little milk.. tt sort of boosted my confidwence abit coz i tot i could nvr latch bb on correctly.. now hav to concentrate on producing more.
 
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