1 Month Old Seems Hungry After Nursing...

K.
I would wake up the baby every 2 hours during the day. What kind of pain are you having? Most pain is caused by positioning. Remember to bring the baby to you use pillows or blankets or rolled up towels to help you keep the baby in position. Also a baby sucks differently on a bottle then the breast. Try for a whole day just to nurse her as long as she is having 4-6 wet diapers a day she will be fine.
J.

The first thing I want to say is - congratulations on your determination to breastfeed your baby.

Secondly, from the information you've given, I would have to say that the nipple shields are causing your problem. There is reduced flow of the milk to the baby with them. And since your baby has learned to nurse WITH them, she isn't learning how to latch properly to your breast, so trying to go without the shield will be more painful. A nipple shield may seem like a good idea to eliminate the pain, but unless the baby learns a good latch, the pain will continue.

Another thing I want to make sure to point out is, most every baby, satisfied or not, will take a bottle after nursing. A bottlefed baby will also continue to eat after it is full. It is generally because drinking from a bottle is so much easier than nursing - there is NO work involved. So the amount a baby will take from a a bottle after nursing is no real indication of hunger.

My recommendations, while they may not necessarily be comfortable, would be to eliminate the nipple shields and the clock from the equation. At first, trying to nurse before she gets too hungry will help with working on the latch. The hungrier she is, the faster she'll get frustrated trying to latch properly (and painlessly) and the fussier she will become. And don't worry about how long she is at the breast. Babies stop nursing when they're full (unlike with a bottle, where it is easy to overfed). Sure, there are babies who like to nurse for comfort, and in the beginning (once your pain issues are gone) that is a good thing. The more time she stays at the breast - the better your milk supply will be, and the less you'll worry about her losing weight.

A couple more things that may help you feel better. A baby eating every 3-4 hours is perfectly normal. The quick way to tell if your diet is an issue is more her discomfort in-between feedings.

As for weaning from the shields, she needs to learn a proper latch. Make sure her mouth is open wide before she latches, and that her lips are spread.
There are some good pictures at http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_images_latchon...
and more good information on weaning from a nipple shield at
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/wean-shield.html.

I am a certified breastfeeding counselor, and have nursed 7 of my own children. I also have a site called BeyondPregnancy.com, so I have a wealth of links and info on breastfeeding. If I can be of any more help, just let me know.

M. J
mom to 7 great kids from 2-17

First, congratulations on trying to nurse your baby! Yay!

You can keep nursing after fifteen minutes if your baby still wants to eat. You don't "run out" of milk after a certain time. Your baby sucking signals your body to make more milk. You should breastfeed on demand. I think 1 month old is too young to start a real schedule yet.

About the pain: get some lansinoh to use after nursing. Also, my nurse said to rub some milk onto the mipples and let them air dry. The pain will not last forever. You might want to see a lactation consultant just to make sure your baby has a proper latch.

Hang in there! You're doing a great thing for your baby!

Hi K.!
First of all, good for you for deciding your nurse your little one! My first reaction when reading your e-mail was that 15 on each side does not sound long enough for a one-month old. With my daughter, I would sometimes have to nurse on each side twice to make sure she's getting enough (45 min to an hour total). If you begin nursing longer, you should see an increase in your milk production, which should help things as well. In terms of the nipple shields... I never used them myself, but I did instead use breast ointment right after nursing to ease the pain. The sheilds may be interfering with nursing. It may be harder for her to get a good latch, or she may not like the "taste" of them. You will be in pain for a few days, but you may want to try getting rid of them. Your nipples will "toughen up" soon and you will have no pain. It may be worth it in the long run. Another ideas is to consult a lactation consultant from the hospital where you gave birth. If you are having that much pain while nursing, chances are your little one doesn't have a correct latch. Good luck and stick with it!

Hi K.,

Have you tried speaking with a La Leche League Leader? They can help you out - figure out why it still hurts so much (usually the latch is wrong, it shouldn't still hurt so badly) and why she is nursing so much at each feeding but not very frequently.

I remember how frustrating it could be at times, but now my son is 13 months old and still nursing, and is incredibly strong and healthy as a result. I recommend persisting through - but use all the resources you can - La Leche League, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, a Lactation Consultant, other nursing moms, etc.

Don't worry about how long it is between feedings -- nurse her when she's hungry. She'll eventually fall into a sort of routine when she's older. As others said -- talk to someone from La Leche League or a lactation consultatant. She is probably either falling asleep at the breast or is getting impatient between "let downs". Remember -- nursing is a supply and demand thing -- the more she nurses, the more milk you'll have. I know it can be tough when your nipples are so sore. I didn't wake my babies to nurse. I let them sleep as long as they would. My daughter only nursed 10 - 15 min on each breast then slept for a couple hours, but my son was a marathon nurser and then would sleep for a long time. I didn't use nipple sheilds (although I would have had I known they existed -- I didn't know about them until recently) so I don't know anything about getting off of them. I used lanolin on my nipples. It's sold in the baby aisle at the grocery store.

K. at this age it shouldnt be hurting to nurse. It sounds like the baby does not have a proper latch. you need to see the help of your local La LEche League. This group will help you with all of your problems. Look up your local group at LLL.org. the leaders phone number will be posted and that is there for moms in need to call them. Please do that. It is important for good milk establishment that you get things off to a good start! I promise you it will get so easy soon and you wont regret it!...But in any case nurse more often and for longer sessions (most one month olds nurse for more than 15 minutes) also try nursing one side each feeding if he is a short nurser so he gets all the hindmilk. Also yes nurse more often and if he needs supplement just pump your milk. FOr each bottle of formula he gets that is less stimulation at your breast telling your breast that you dont need that milk. Start eliminating a bottle supplement each day until you are completely off of it. But the most importand thing is getting the latch corrected. good luck and call your local LLL chapter!

Try contacting the lactation consultants at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. They are great and will help you over the phone!

sounds like you are not producing enough milk ...this is making nursing fustrating for her, and uncomfortable for you. My best suggestion is meet up with your local La Leche league. You will find a wonderful group of mothers who can help you nurse successfully...they meet kids in tow...and you should be able to make a few really good friends. Check out the La Leche web site. they can send you in the right direction.

If all else fails, formula babies turn out OK, so don't feel you are a bad mother if nursing doesn't work out for you. Some mothers choose formula for a variety of reasons, and there are some really outstanding ones available.

Are you giving her a pacifier? She probably just needs to suck. See the book Happiest Baby on the Block for more on the newborn's strong sucking reflex. Try a pacifier after nursing and see if that works. Also, I had a lot of pain with nursing for the first six weeks or
so. It will get better soon! You can also pump milk for your daughter and give it to her in a bottle if it is too painful. Keep at it!

Breastfeeding is so much more than simply feeding our children. Your newborn has an incessant need to suck and I say let her! She may still be hungry because your hindmilk (the fatty stuff that fills her tummy) is difficult to get while using a nipple shield. You may be so sore because she is latching wrong. A little tenderness in the beginning is normal, but if it lasts much longer than 2 weeks then - I would blame poor latch. Contact your local La Leche League or call your hospital (assuming your birthed in a hospital) to speak with their lactation consultant.

All great advice! When you contact the LaLeche organization, they should have the information on a WONDERFUL gel-like insert for your bra that helps with nursing pain. The creams didn't work for me. These gel inserts were great. They were soothing and healing. It's been over 4 years since I nursed, so I hope they are still around!

K.,

I just wanted to say, please hang in there. There was a day, when my daughter was close to 8 weeks old, when my husband got home from work and I just started crying: we had had a bad day at the boob. You'd think 8 weeks would be enough, but it wasn't. We struggled, but we hung in there and she just self-weaned at 12.5 months.

My point, 4 weeks might seem like a long time, but it isn't. Your body will adjust, the baby will master the skill, and you won't remember the pain, frustration, etc. You will just remember how beautiful and comfy it was to breastfeed.

Do see a lactation consultant.

Oh gosh I went to a snotty rude doctor about this issue once and let me mention one more time how snotty and rude he was. There. He didn't help. Hopefully one of us can. I am speculating here after what I went through and so many years later I will never forget it. Is it possible baby is sucking a little, not a lot for comfort only and relaxing and not actually getting much milk because it's very easy to have the bottle? That is what happened to me. They gave my brand new baby a bottle in the hospital and after that he thought my nipple was too difficult. Owwwiee, I remember my breasts hurting so bad. I pumped for awhile after that. I desperately wanted to nurse. He did get the breast milk. But it was supplemented with the bottle. See how much I remember even eighteen years later. Unless there is something actually wrong, my advice is to let baby sleep and then maybe baby will have a bigger appetite later. So more will to suck. I am not sure why you are waking the baby up. They'll let you know when they're hungry.You can of course check on them, but maybe after it establishes it's own sleep time it will also get the eating schedule going. It is so hard being a new mom, sounds like you are going to be great at this!

You have a ton of good advice here, but I want to add my opinion as I had the same issue of pain, really sleepy, but hungry baby. HIRE a lactation consultant right away! It is expensive, but WORTH it for your health and your baby's health. My baby was slow to gain and for 2 moths we had constant issues until I had a total hysterical breakdown. Until a lactation consultant weighed the baby, let me nurse him and then weighed him again, we had no idea that my supply was inadequate and he was hungry! She helped me build my supply as much as possible, and despite supplementing with formula, I continued to nurse him until he weaned at 2years old. She helped me figure out my pain issues, adjust the latch and get me through it. What was a really frustrating rocky start ended up just fine, but if I hadn't hired the lactation consultant the problem would not have been solved. Not by my pediatrician, not my local LaLeche, and not by my midwife group. Good luck! I feel for you as I remember what a difficult time those first weeks were.

K. - if it's hurting to nurse, your positioning needs to be tweaked.

1) Right now, no matter what time it is -- Call the hospital where you gave birth and find out if there is a lactation consultant, make an appointment immediately and get some assistance in the next 24 hours so you can quickly turn this around.
2) also go online (or look in phone book) to find your local chapter of LaLeche League. Leave a message describing the difficulty nursing. Someone will call you back with advice and a list of meeting times. (this is an international nursing support group with trained, qualified leaders).
3) get to the very next laleche league meeting, and continue to go to them. The support will make a difference.

**someone experienced (another mom who has nurses before) needs to SEE how you're nursing to truly know what to tweak, but from my experience nursing three kids, here's a quick checklist...
1)when nursing sitting up, put a pillow or c-shaped "boppi" nursing pillow on your lap (send someone out to get you one @ babies r us).
2) baby should be
-parallel to floor
-his belly whole front completely in contact with you (smoosh him to you--he won't suffocate)
-tickle his lower lip--his mouth will reflexively open wide
-simultaneously bring baby's head to you while picking up and guiding breast.
-baby should have whole arreola (colored part), or very nearly.
-if not, break seal/latch on by inserting finger into side of her mouth so she let's go. Then reposition till you get it right
-make sure baby's lower jaw really gets underneath (activates the let-down)
-never ever pull baby off your breast without breaking seal first (majorly hurts!)

Nursing is a learned skill, so don't be hard on yourself. Get some training from someone experienced today. Once you tweak a few things, it will be comfortable, your production will go up and you'll both be happier. All the best.
-

In the meantime, a quick checklist of tips:

I nursed three kids, so feel pretty confidentFrom my experience ... Let's quickly review your method.
s make a quiMy advice would be 1) put a pillow on your lap

The best thing I did was to go see a lactation consultant for getting off the shield - we used it for the first 3-4 weeks and I really hated depending on it. It was painful at first, but once the LC showed me better ways to get her to latch, we haven't had any problems. They can also answer many questions regarding feeding. My baby didn't get back to her birth weight until 3 weeks old, but now she is gaining on the slow end - but still gaining. She eats every 1.5-3 hours during the day and sleeps 6-7 hours at night. I also pump and sometimes give her 2-3 ounces in a bottle after a feeding if she seems particularly hungry and this works well. I don't know if this info helps, but I was so frustrated a few weeks ago and things have gotten much better. There are websites where you can find lactation consultants in your area, or probably your OB's office can recommend one. Good luck!

Good for you for keeping it going in spite of having a hard time! Have you seen a lactation consultant, or at least a la leche league leader? It sounds to me like she is latching on poorly - hence the sore nipples and perhaps why she's having trouble "getting enough". Make sure her entire body is facing you when you latch her on & her mouth is open really wide so she has the whole nipple in her mouth up to the areola. The bottle is probably also causing confusion - it's more "immediate satisfaction" - they don't have to wait for the milk - so sometimes it makes them frustrated when they nurse. I would try to cut out all the bottles, as long as she is gaining a reasonable amount (they usually want to see 1/2 lb. a week at this age i believe). The other issue with your soreness might be thrush - have you or she been checked? If you have it your nipples will be really bright red, and if she has it she'll have white spots in her mouth. I had it for 2 months (really a year on & off) with my first and it was excruciating until i figured it out & treated it. I would try to get someone to look at how she is latching on - i have a feeling that is the issue. I know if you get some proper help (la leche, lactation consultant) you can do this! Good luck & keep the faith!

The nipple shield could definitely be your problem. They can't draw as much milk out with them. As soon as you nurse without, she'll get a lot more. Don't time her and don't look at the clock! Nurse whenever and wherever she seems the least bit interested. If you are still having pain, it probably has to do with her latch. Definitely go to a LLL meeting or a see a Lactation Consultant. Hang in there. After a while it becomes second nature and you won't believe how easy it gets!

I remember the pain I had in the beginning with nursing all too well! Ouch! I strongly advise you to get some help from a lactation consultant. The one I worked with absolutely saved my sanity. I was able to get over my difficulties with nursing and breastfed my son comfortably for 18 months. The hospital where you delivered may have a lactation consultant on staff, you may be able to get a referral from your OB or your baby's doc. Or look up La Leche league for someone near you. Please stick with it, but get help!

Worrying about her not getting enough only adds stress to you and slows your milk production. I had to stop nursing my 1st child for the same reaon...she was loosing weight. Better for her and your nipples if you stop nursing. Just hold the bottle up to your breast so she gets the feeling of your breast being there. The bond is there so don't worry about that either. Stress and nerves play a bigger role in nursing than you would think. I was luckier with my next child. Good luck.

Hi KB its C. and I had the same problem with one of mines. nursing is a really good thing for the baby. you might want to try a different position for nursing the baby and don't time the baby on the breast because that not right. you would want someone telling you when to stop eating. supplementing is good just in case the baby does not get enough. try wearing a confrontable bra this might help as well. if there's swelling of the breast try pumping the milk out. and use some lanolin cream on the nipple to help reduce any disconfront.
C. and I hope this helps

You said after nursing 15 min on each side. Are you timing and then switching. This may be the issue. Try letting the baby nurse on one side completely until satisfied. At this age this may take a long time. The milk they get at the beginning of nursing is not a rich as the milk at the end of nursing. Your baby might just be getting the foremilk (I think it is called) sometimes peds give the wrong info about nursing and even nurses in the hospital. I would talk to a La Leche person for more info. But if you just do one breast and switch to the other at the next feeding. If your other breast gets full. You can pump the second breast, even while feeding, and then you have a bottle too freeze for later. You can see the change in your milk when you pump. It starts out really watery and blueish grey and then turns thick and creamy white or yellowish depending on your diet and the age of the baby. That tick stuff is what fills them up. The other helps them get all the hydration they need. I am not a LL leader, but I did learn that because I tried what I was told in the hospital and ended up sore and nursing ALL the TIME! This way worked for us! Oh, and there are nipple shields out there. They go over your nipple to protect it and the baby can still nurse. I tried them once when I was really sore, but in the end we did better without them. Also, the way you take the baby off will cause you to be sore. Make sure you don't pull baby off. Let baby let go or put your finger in and release suction. If you pull baby off it will end up hurting.

Let me start off by saying it WILL get better!!! I am a mother of 4. The oldest is 7 and I too have a 1 month old. I breastfeed all of my children, some were eaiser than others but in the end it was well worth all the pain and sleepless nights. I am also a nurse and work in OB so my advice is both from expierance and education.
Well the first thing I would suggest is try to let her nurse at least 20 min or until she takes herself off on one side. If she only nuses for 10 or maybe even less on the other that's ok. Just start with the side she finished on the next feeding. The longer feeding on the one side will allow her to reach the hind milk where all the fat is located and will give her the feeling of being full. Next- I would say...yes increase her feedings to every 2 hours at least during the day. She should be nursing about 8-12 times in 24 hours. To know she is getting enough- your breast should feel softer or lighter. She should be having frequent bowel movements and several wets. As for the nipple shields I would suggest to try to go with out. The porblem of the sore nipples is a result from her latching on wrong or being in an incorrect postion. When she latches on it should only hurt for the first 5-10 sec. if it hurts longer than that then she is latched on wrong. Make sure her bottom lip is not rolled in, commonly this is the problem. You can fix her lip by giving a sligt tug on her chin to help pull the lip out. That should help it instantly feel better. If you think that's not the problem than you can try to take a diaper and wet it- place it in the freezer and just before you breastfeed place it on your nipple. This helps in two ways-1st is makes your nipple slightly numb and also erects the nipple to make it eaiser for her latch on. As for your diet- as long as you are eating and drinking plenty of fluid than that's not the problem.
There are several good resourse out there to help. A good book that I used is The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins. It has everything you would want to know about breastfeeding. There is even a calucation you can do to see how much milk you are producing. Also most hospitals have a lactation consultant on staff. You could call the hospital you delivered at and talk with the Lactation Consultant or even go in and she could help you with a feeding. Hang in there- patience and persistence is really the best advice I can give you. Hope this helps.

K.

first off,you need to stop stressing!!!! that in itself is not good. 2nd;honestly,nursing doesn't work for everyone.if there was a lactation consultant at the hospital where your daughter was born,try giving her a call for ideas and suggestions. the local health dept may have a breastfeeding support group which could help you. if nursing is still hurting.....maybe it isn't truly your cup of tea. or at least your body's. my middle daughter did everything right,ate right, no caffeine,etc and some how her milk dried up after about a month or 6 weeks. it doesn't make you less of a woman if you can't. you could increase your feedings to more frequent,esp during the daytime. Supplementing her with a bottle isn't a sin either. if you really want to,keep trying and be patient...not stressed about it. Good luck!!!! it is possible. I nursed 2 of my children to 1 year and 18 months and worked fulltime outside the home. And continued nursing after a breast infection that landed me in the hospital for 3-4 days. J.

Hi K.! Hang in there, it sometimes takes 6-8 weeks to really get the hang of it.

Something I did if my daughters still seemed hungry; either go back to the first side and have them nurse again, or pump a little and give it to them in a bottle.

Have you tried soothies? They were helpful with my first. They are a round disc that you can put on your nipples to relieve the pain. Well worth the money in my opinion.
Once I used these for a few days, I was able to wean the baby off the shields. I would put the shield on initially, and then take it off after she had nursed for a few minutes.

I had a similar problem - it was hurting so bad and then I finally saw a lactation consultant who diagnosed the problem: my baby wasn't latching on correctly. What a huge difference it made to have her walk me through what it's supposed to feel like! Definitely seek out a lactation consultant and don't stress!

You need to get off the shields and work with someone to help you with latc and positioning. Call a LLL leader or call a private IBCLC (International Board Certified LActation Consultant). She may be spending time at the breat but not feeding well. You should increase your feedings to every 2 horus during the day. The fact that the baby drank from a bottle is not an indicator of what is going on. Baby's with liquid in eir mouth - pretty much have to swallow, spit or drown. It's called defensive swallowing. If supplements are needed they can be given at the breast with a lactation aide or SNS. FREE help out there - you just need to pick up the phone and ask. Congratulations on your newborn and your determination.

Although I cannot address your specific concerns, I can say that finding a good lactation consultant can make all the difference in the world. You might need the assistance of someone right there with you helping you through these issues. There are many women on here who can recommend good LCs (yes, there are good LCs and bad LCs out there). Good luck to you.

Hang in there. It gets so much better. In another month or two you will really enjoy nursing and will get the joys of painless nursing and the lovely look of pleasure from your little one's happy face. Nursing generally isn't on a timer, especially at the early stages. so let her nurse until she is done. Don't give her a bottle. It disrupts your supply. She may need a longer feed. Unlike bottles, you can't see what is coming out of a nipple. You can weigh a baby before and after with the right scale and so have some idea as to what she is getting but generally you nurse until they are done rather than on a specific time. There are lots of good lactation specialists that can come to your home and see how you are doing. I found the pain didn't completely go until I had been nursing about 3 months. But I did a variety of things wrong. I didn't immediately stop if the latch was painful because I was so fussed about getting on at all and once the nipples are sore it takes quite a while for them to recover. I would get a lactation specialist and persevere. You will love it in the end and your little one will get soooo much benefit from it. Good luck.

Hi K.-
I too am nursing a one month old, and this is my third child. I nurse her on demand, which for her means she cluster feeds, nursing every hour certain times of the day, and goes a little longer between other feedings. I empathize with you as far as the pain goes!
My suggestion would be to try to nurse more often - this will increase your supply as well as help to satisfy the baby. Also, babies go through a growth spurt between 3-6 weeks, so she may be needing more right now because she is growing. Don't worry that she is not getting enough - breastfed babies, if fed when they "ask" to be fed, do get enough, because the more they nurse the more you produce. If you truly want to breastfeed, be cautious of how much you are supplementing with formula - the more formula you feed her, the less breastmilk she will need and the less you will produce. I'm not saying there is anything at all wrong with formula, only that it will decrease her demand and your supply of breastmilk.
Also, you can check out La Leche League's web site for some great breastfeeding advice. I often check their site when I have a question. They do have meetings in the area if you need further help.
I know with my baby, I often feel like I do nothing but breastfeed, and it can be very exhausting and painful. But all I can say is stick with it, you will be so happy you did! And this really difficult part doesn't last too long!
Best of luck to you and your little one!

Do you let her nurse until she is finished, or are you stopping at the 15 minute mark? I think that babies just eat until they are full. They don't overeat, so just let her nurse until she is finished. Also, I learned, the only way to get over the pain is to nurse more and more. It's horrible, I know. But I promise you, it goes away very soon.

Good luck!

K.,

I also figured by a month the pain of nursing would go away. I think it was more like 2, so hang in there! You're doing great! Keep nursing your baby as often as she indicates she's hungry (routing around, putting her hands in or near her mouth, fussing) and do it for as long on each side as you can stand (the lactation consultants I worked with after my daughter was born said to limit her to 25 min. per side). Only through continued, regular breastfeeding will you be able to keep up your milk supply (giving the bottle might actually be decreasing it). Also, make sure you get enough (healthy) calories -- you need 500 more than when you were pregnant, plenty of fluids, and as much rest as you can manage.

To help with the pain, make sure your nipples air dry completely after feeding. You can either use Lansinoh-type lanolin, or a mixture of 1 part triple antibiotic ointment (Neosporin) and 1 part 1% hydrocortisone cream (neither of these will hurt your baby). Don't wash your nipples with soap, since it will dry them out. Some women put a cold pack on either before or after nursing (but I never did that). Mostly, I used the breathing techniques I used in Lamaze class while my daughter was latching on (and first started sucking) to manage the pain.

You might also want to check out a La Leche League meeting (free - www.lalecheleague.org) or other breastfeeding support group. If you live on the North Side, there's one at Be By Baby at Roscoe and Lincoln (www.bebybaby.com).

Hang in there, you're doing the right thing! It does get easier, and before you know it you will LOVE breastfeeding.

All the best,
R.

She may not be latching on properly. I had similar issues (the pain) and once I talked with a lactation consultant everything got better. There should be a consultant at the hospital where you gave birth. Get in touch with them and they'll guide you. Best of luck, and good for you for sticking with it!

I was given nipple shields in the hospital and it turned out to be the worst decision ever (I didnt ask for them - they said my nipples weren't good - I wish I had said NO!!)

I learned then that the shields don't allow the baby to suck the full amount of milk available. This info I found online after the doctor said we would have to give my son formula because he was losing weight. I only supplemented and slowly started taking the shields away half way through feeding to start getting the baby used to sucking on the natural nipple. By the end of month 2 I stopped giving him formula. The breast won!!

This took a lot of work and my son cried a lot and it was hard but by the month he was off the nipple shield. However he didnt latch on well which caused so much pain!!I just tried to pump and breastfeed after icing and resting my nipples- it was hell -but what kept me going is I really wanted to breastfeed!! Now I am still breastfeeding 2x a day and my son is 16 months!

My only regret is that I didnt get help earlier with Latching on - so please go seek help ASAP with La Leche League or ask your doctor.If you have pain, the latch-on is not good. Do this before choosing formula!!

ALl the best!!

keep her on one side for the whole nursing, don't switch. This will allow her to get more hind milk and for you to produce a better amount. She should be nursing the whole 30 minutes on one side only.

If she pulls off and you squeeze your nipple and no milk comes out, then you need to up your supply. You can do this by drinking more water, buying the mother's milk tea or other such nursing aids or having a nursing holiday - this is where you basically spend all day in bed only nursing or being next to the baby. Watch tv or read a book, but you and baby stay in bed nursing often and frequently. Aside from eating and peeing you and baby are to stay in bed. If you can do that for 2 whole days your production should increase dramatically. It really will work.

I haven't read through all the other responses so I apologize if I'm repeating... Definitely look into a lactation consultant as others have recommended. Get a recommendation from a friend if possible as there are a lot of coaches out there with differing opinions on things. You want it to be someone whose philosophy is similar to yours. All that said -- breast feeding is HARD but worth it to hang in there!! I was in terrible pain and it didn't let up until about 8 weeks or so. I'd practically pass out when my daughter latched on, but a few seconds later, it was ok and eventually I didn't have the problem. Everyone I've talked to has had pain, so you're in good company. As far as being hungry after 15 minutes on each side, maybe you can feed more on each side? My daughter would nurse forever, but that's what worked for her. And at such a young age, part of what they're getting is just being close to you -- I was told that was nearly as important as the milk my daughter was getting, so I just stuck with it and her feeding for long periods of time and eventually, it all worked out. Good luck!!

K.,

The first thing that came to mind when I read your question is to refer you to the La Leche organization (I am not sure if you know of this organization already). It is an organization that helped me greatly during my breastfeeding dilemmas. Below is their web site link:

http://www.llli.org/

Good luck!

try some oatmeal, fenugreek and check out other natural galactogogues to get milk production up and increase the feedings. i had issues with milk production with my twins - i needed to supplement as well. just do your best and love your baby! relaxing helps too! much love to you!

I had this problem too. It's frustrating because he could nurse for over an hour - usually falling asleep at some point in there too.. & I'd have to keep waking him up, & he would still always be starving afterward.. & wide awake as soon as I'd take him off.. & I was in a lot of pain..using lanolin & all that.. It really came down to me not wanting to spend the entire day nursing him, but I still wanted him to get the benefits of my milk.. Now I usually try to nurse him once a day - really just a comfort for him.. & I try to pump every 4 hours if I can. So I make him 4 oz. of formula every other feeding, & 3 oz. to go along w/ whatever I pump for the other feeding.. (I usually try to feed him every 2 hrs. if possible during the day cuz he seems so hungry..) I also got on "Reglan" which is supposed to help you make more milk. Also - his dr. told me I should be drinking 64 oz. per day, getting a lot of rest, & eating lots of fatty proteins.. (All of which I'm not probably doing so well w/..)
But anyway - pumping both sides @ the same time(w/ a double electric pump)for a half hr. is like him feeding on each side for a half hr., & then even w/ the clean-up after pumping, it saves a lot of time.. & I'm not in pain all the time anymore..