My milk took much longer to come in than normal because my baby was 7 weeks premature, I had a c-section, and I was also on magnesium sulfate for the preterm labor.

Well, I’m 2 weeks postpartum and it finally started to come in, but it’s happening very slowly and I’m getting concerned that the volume just isn’t going to increase. Baby is still having trouble feeding due to the prematurity and anemia. He’s still in the NICU. I pump every 2-3 hours, whether he breastfeeds or not. But I am still only able to pump 12-18 mls...not even a full oz! I’m taking fenugreek and a couple other things the lactation consultants have recommended. I’ve seen some improvement over the last two days (was only pumping about 6 mls before).

Baby has been feeding with a supplemental nursing system. He has to be able to take full feeds through it and I will have to show that I have purchased one (or give him bottles) before he can go home if they don’t see my supply increase to accommodate what he needs to eat. Has anyone’s milk been this slow to take off and still seen it increase enough to exclusively breastfeed? If so, when did you see an increase/how long did it take? I am going to purchase an SNS either way just in case, but I’m really hoping he can go home without needing to use it.