Drying up? 😞😔

Question

I am so frustrated. I planned on exclusively breastfeeding my son but have run into constant issues. 
It began with him not gaining weight in the first two weeks. His pediatrician diagnosed him acid reflux because he would sometimes gag while trying to bf and put him on Zantac. 
I decided to get a second opinion because I did not believe he had acid reflux at that time. So I went to a lactation consultant. She found that he's not latching correctly and showed me how to try and get him to latch correctly. But she also said I needed to start supplementing because he was not gaining weight like he should be. I also started taking blessed thistle and fenugreek, the consultant said I should have noticed a difference in my supply within a week; which it didn't make much difference. So she told me I could discontinue using the herbs. It is very upsetting for me because I never had issues with my first son. I have also tried drinking the Gatorade to help but that hasn't made much difference either. 
At this point I am only getting maybe an ounce from each side, sometimes more if I don't try to bf him. My question is, is there any way to get my supply back up with pumping? I have come to the conclusion that I will most likely have to supplement but I would still like to be able to give him breast milk as much as possible for as long as I possibly can since it is so much better for him.

Answer

I mostly pump and I started out with 1 ounce each, now 6 weeks later I and getting around 5 total, which is more than he eats so I bag and freeze the extra. I don't care what try say about pumping isn't good for your supply, I'm doing fine :)

Answer

Look up power pumping and good luck to you

Answer

Pumping should help your supply go up! It did for me.

Answer

Drink lots and lots of water! Remember breast milk is 80% water. Also, try Mother's Milk tea, that's always helped me. And regardless of feedings, make sure your breast are emptied every 3 hrs tops. Also if your baby wants to use you as a human pacifier, so be it!

Answer

I was getting dangerously low since my son wouldn't latch properly and then he got thrush . Since week 2 of his life I've been exclusively pumping every 2-3 hours. I literally have my phone alarm set to go off every two hours and now (he's 6 weeks) and I get around 50-68 ounces of milk per day. I write down every day for every pump how much I get. If you stop pumping you won't get as much. my son doesn't latch and has grown from 7.14 lbs at birth to 11.03 at one month. Never give up and even if it's tedious, hard and you're tired.. Pump pump pump and try to get him to latch. There's nothing wrong with supplementing if you have to.. But remember exclusively pumping is in fact an option if you have a hospital grade pump from wic etc it's worth it

Answer

I've had a the some what of the same problem this past week. I'm exclusively pumping because I'm completely inverted only works with pumping. But I was really stressed one week hadn't had time to drink as much water and I was super sleepy exhausted I would pump every 2-3 hrs and I was only getting an ounce each breast every time. I talked to my dr and she said to get rest, hold my daughter as much as I could and to drink water but more importantly rest I took a day off of doing house work and did exactly that did nothing but play with my daughter and slept while my husband took older son out woke up next morning and got 5 ounce out of both sides. I felt great!! So I encourage you rest girly don't stress everything will be fine and there's nothing wrong with supplementing. I supplement with my daughter at night cause she stays fuller longer and can sleep

Answer

Your story sounds very similar to ours! Baby wasn't gaining weight like he should have, wasn't latching well, and we did have to supplement which wasn't the plan. His latch made him inefficient eating so my body wasn't producing what he needed. We also use the nipple shield which can complicate things at times.
I offer both breasts each feeding.  His inefficient latch can make bf sessions long because he gets tired, so I help him along by manually expressing milk as he feeds. If baby isn't satisfied, I offer either expressed milk (first choice if available) or supplement until he is satisfied. Then, I pump until I am very, very empty at every feeding except nighttime. I always get the most in the morning, so I make sure to never skip these pumping sessions. I haven't tried the herbs, but eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast. It is also very important to stay hydrated...drink a ton of water! When I don't do this (especially when things get busy around the house), I notice a drop in supply that takes a day or so to catch up. At almost 7 weeks, my supply is finally catching up, but his weight has caught up. Hoping we won't have to continue supplementing!

Keep working at it Mom! It is hard, but it will get there! And don't feel bad about having to supplement at times (this was a struggle for me), but remember you are doing what is best for you and your baby!

Answer

Unfortunately supplanting with formula is the worst way to help a baby gain weight and causes you to dry up more.

Formula sits heavy in their tummy, so it makes them feel fuller when they haven't had as much, and therefore drink less at the breast, which causes you to produce less milk.

The best way to boost your milk supply is to stop stressing, put baby on the breast whenever he/she wants to, and let baby boost your supply by continually sucking.

Answer

Drink atole a cornstarch based powder that you mix with milk, it is a warm thick drink but it boosts your supply! Also, drinking a hoppy beer at night

Answer

They power pumping. Pump for 10 min on 10 off for an hour. Do it every day for a couple of days and you should see some results.  Also there are cookies you can make

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