Hello mommies!!
I am EBF my little guy. Yesterday he was 2 weeks old. When my milk first came in, I experienced the normal, severely engorged feeling and a strong let down sensation. However, for some reason, now I never get engorged and I don't always feel the milk let down. I'm starting to worry that my milk supply is somehow suffering. I nurse frequently.. usually every 2.5 to three hours. My baby seems to be happy and growing... he has lots of wet and poopy diapers during the day. But, there have been a few times (like at night) when he sleeps longer and I breastfeed after four hours has gone by. At this point, shouldn't I be feeling engorgement? Also, it seems to be more common for me to experience the let down sensation when he's NOT at the breast. I often feel it as I'm going about my day, but rarely when he's at the breast. This is my third child and I have breastfed all of them, however, with the other two I had to slowly supplement because I wasn't making enough milk. By the age of four or five months, they were completely on formula. With both of them, it was so frustrating to me because I loved nursing so much. I rented a hospital grade pump and tried desperately to raise my milk supply by pumping like crazy. It didn't do any good. I'm nervous that my milk supply is already becoming depleted. Is the lack of engorgement and let down sensation a bad sign? Thanks for any help you might have for me! :)
I don't feel let down with my 5 month old, and I don't remember feeling it with my daughter. I only feel engorgement when he's eating pattern is changing.
I never felt a letdown the first few months. I was wondering if something was wrong but eventually I did start to feel it.
Good luck and congrats on the new addition!
I breastfed for 19 months and never supplemented with formula. I have never felt a letdown and would only be engorged in the rare event that my daughter slept for 8 hours at a time (after she was a couple of months old...didn't happen too often).
I also never leaked, note even during the very first few weeks, never had to use pads... it did cause me quite some insecurity, not knowing if I was producing enough, but my daughter seemed satisfied and had enough wet and poopy diapers.
The most important thing in being successful in breast feeding is to build confidence in yourself! If your baby seems satisfied after nursing and produces enough wet diapers (don't even bother with BM's EBF babies can go days without those...) I would say do not worry.
And just so you know, your baby will probably have a few insatiable days, where he wants to nurse 24/7. That is normal! He is just gearing up for a growth spurt and upping your supply! Just nurse as much as needed and make sure you get enough liquids and calories yourself.
Good luck and happy breastfeeding!
Hi L. - it's not a bad sign at all. Our bodies adjust how much milk to produce based on how much the baby needs. It's normal to feel a let down even if baby isnt at the breast - it's kind of like your mouth watering even though you arent eating.
You might look at your nursing bras and check to make sure they are supportive but not squeezing your breasts too tightly. You could always try fenugreek if you feel like you need a boost to your milk supply but you sound fine for now. It makes you smell like maple syrup which isnt necessarily a bad thing - most people like pancakes!
Lastly - go easy on yourself and enjoy the experience for as long as it lasts. Affirm to yourself that you are fully able to feed your baby from the breast and supply all that he needs and wants.
Not sure if this is helpful, but for me it seemed that during the early times, there are days, or even weeks when the baby goes through "cluster feeding" and that if this happens you should go with it - even if it means almost constant nursing for a while, because that stimulation sends a message to your body to produce more. I had the same feeling as you with the first one - and used a pump, and it was the most stressful thing I've ever gone through. But with the second one, I just nursed her whenever she wanted to nurse and it worked perfectly - and I did produce enough and never had to use formula. I didn't really feel engorged ever after the first time, but could feel a difference in how my breasts felt when they had milk or were just emptied. That said, I think every woman's body is different, and that what works for one doesn't necessarily work for others. But hang in there and do your best to let nature take it's course.
I don't think it is a bad sign. Even though I was squirting milk out the side I wasn't nursing on, I didn't necessarily feel it happening. I was quite engorged pretty much all the time...but I was like a cow with the milk production.
Two weeks is classic growth spurt time...my daughter slept a 7 hour stretch and I just about freaked when I woke up and realized how long she'd been asleep!
That all being said, given your supply issues in the past....NOW is the time to address potential issues. You can start by pumping first thing in the morning (that is when most of us have the most milk). Pumps, in the best case, are estimated to only get 60% of what the baby could. I could often nurse my baby to satisfaction after pumping everything I could get AND that milk is primarily hindmilk which will potentially satisfy your baby longer.
I used Mother's Milk Tea, fenugreek, and oatmeal....along with a ton of water to support my supply. I lived in fear of losing my supply when I returned to work, but didn't actually experience any bumps in the road until she was nine months or so.
Good luck.
Sounds like your little man is doing perfect! A healthy, normal birth weight baby can go around the 4 hours mark at his age between feedings.
With my first I felt the let down all the time but with the second I never felt it as much and I know my little piggy girl was getting all she needed!
Keep in mind that nursing is supply and demand. If you start supplementing that tells your body to make even less. It becomes a vicious circle and your supply will diminish. Lots of things can make a mom think baby isn't getting enough-frequent nursings, fussy, etc. But they can usually be explained by something else. Like baby is going thru a growth spurt and wants you to make more. They will nurse like crazy for a few days or a week + to give your body the signals to get going. Mom then thinks baby isn't getting enough and supplements and that tells her body "guess we didn't need to make more" see how that works? Or baby starts that cluster feeding that they do-on the boob for seemingly 3 hours straight! Mom thinks oh, baby must need more! Nope, baby just needs to be near mom, get more of the hindmilk and get some comfort.
Martha Sears has a great breastfeeding book. I lost my copy in Hurricane Katrina and can't recall the name right off but I thought it was a great resource!
Stay with the nursing and avoid supplementing. Most women don't have major nursing problems you just have to be able to wait it out and be confident in your ability to feed your baby! As long as baby is wet (I didn't say poopy because some breastfed babies only poo a few times a week-not all the time like we always hear) and gaining weight you are good to go!
All the signs point to a baby getting plenty of nourishment. I had constantly leaking, engorged breasts. My friend who gave birth at the same time NEVER leaked. Everyone is different.
There is a breastfeeding class on May 15 with a lactation consultant that might help you:
http://www.InspiredABQ.com
You could get advice and your questions answered, should you still have them. And perhaps advice to hold off on formula as long as possible I say keep up the great work. Sounds like you will do fine this time!
I think your body is just adjusting to what your baby needs. If he has enough wet diapers, you are producing enough for him.
Try to avoid supplementing with formula. That starts a vicious cycle ending up with you not having enough milk.
Relax and be confident. I'm finally able to fully breast feed my 4th son. A few times when I pumped so that I can build up my supply, he woke up. I just put him on. Sure, he was a little fussy at first and it took longer to feed him, but he was able to get enough. Your breasts are not a jug or container. They make milk on demand.
I think the biggest thing for you to do is to stop worrying. I find it helps me to just think "More Milk, Please" when I'm feeding the little one. Think positive and keep up the good work.
It sounds like a normal experience to me. I've only intermittently felt a strong let down with my 2 kids and it varied in it's timing. I'd say a better gauge of what is happening is how your baby seems to you. Well fed, comfortable, gaining weight, lots of wet/dirty diapers... sounds like plenty of milk to me.
You are about due for that 3 week growth spurt and he will want to nurse more to bump up your supply. I think that's a vulnerable time. It's too easy to misread the need for more nursing at 3 weeks (or whatever day it happens) as a sign you are not producing. Go with it. If your little one is gaining and happy and needs regular diaper changes you are on track. It's all supply and demand, so if you are under stress/worried and start to supplement, it's inevitable your supply will decrease due to decreased demand. Take a deep breath. Read your baby. You are doing it!
I didn't read all the rest of your responses, but I don't think it's a bad sign. I can go more than 6 hrs and not feel engorged. (full of course, but not hurting like I'm going to explode or anything!) I think your body is just getting used to your baby's schedule. But if you're worried about it I would try drinking Mother's Milk Tea. I read up on it when I was afraid I was losing my milk (turned out I was just getting my period back for the first time), and it really helped. It's organic, herbal, so it couldn't hurt! I got mine at Sprout's.
I never felt letdown with either child, but with my youngest I was never engorged either, not even when my milk came in. He nursed until he was 2yrs old.
I think with your oldest going to formula at 4mos old... you hit their growth spurt and thought your milk wasn't enough? At 4mos, babies hit the biggest growth spurt of their first year, and will nurse constantly, and be fussy. Many many moms think this is a sign of low milk, weaning, etc, but its not. Its so common and if you look, at breastfeeding statistics in the US, most that are still nursing at 4mos are not at 6mos, and I believe its for that very reason, baby hits the major growth spurt and mom thinks her milk isn't enough or supply is down.
I would encourage you to find a La Leche League or IBCLC to encourage you to continue nursing. Nursing is a supply and demand, and once you start supplementing its a slippery rope that usually ends up with baby being on formula full time very quickly. I wouldn't intro formula to him at all, just nurse him when he is hungry and continue nursing when he's hungry. Baby will hit a growth spurt about once every 4-6wks, they last a week, so yes, the first year baby is continually in a growth spurt! LOL!
Your milk supply is fine, he's nursing, growing, and thriving. Just keep nursing him and don't intro formula, keep in mind he will hit many growht spurts, and that your milk is just fine as long as you continue to nurse when he is hungry.
If he is growing and having plenty of wet diapers, then I wouldn't worry about it. I am currently breastfeeding my fifth baby and I've never supplemented. Be sure to drink plenty of liquids and eat healthy and take your prenatals. If he were fussy all the time, not growing or having enough wet or poopy diapers, then I'd be concerned. Good luck to you and congratulations!
I would recommend contacting a Lactation Consultant. They are specially trained to help you in situations like this. Good luck!
I am currently breastfeeding my 11 month old, and I never feel a letdown when he nurses--only occasionally at other times. I think that is pretty normal. There are several good galactagouges (sp?) out there to help increase your milk. Visit Whole Foods and talk to the people there about a good product for you if you are concerned about your milk supply.
Your body has a way of knowing how much the baby needs, and while the herbs will certainly help, it sounds like you are doing fine. I don't think after 4 hours you should be engorged, he may be eating every 2.5 hours, but those are small portions, which is why it is so often. If you go 6 or 8 and don't start to feel full, then I might step up on the herbs. I had the same fears when my first baby was small. Sometimes your body doesn't seem to have it, but it may start producing as soon as he starts to nurse. I know a few times I tried to do bottles because I thought I wouldn't make enough, but my son refused and when I put him on the breast the milk was there though I didn't feel it. I would skip pumping unless you need to, since having baby there stimulates milk production best.
Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, even more water if you drink soda or other similar drinks. Keep yourself well hydrated.
If you use a pump, and are trying to raise your milk production, do it after the baby is done eatting. (not more frequently).
Good luck!
