My Breast Fed 1 Month Old Is Not Satisfied

My son was always hungry when I was breastfeeding & in my situation, it was the result of me not producing enough milk.

Go to a Leleche (sp)? meeting! Meet with a lactation consultant and other mothers in the area that have babies. Support from other mom's is the best help while nursing. Remember...your breast produce enough for your baby, she will always get enough food. Remember if you introduce formula, your baby will not need as much from you...so they will not produce as much. If you really want her to be breast fed, stick with only the nursing. Formula is often hard for babies to digest and is really messy comming up. Formula babies poop, throw-up, stink more, and are often more gassy then breast fed babies. Stick with the nursing...it's best for her and you too.

M.,

I had the same problem, I started to introduce formula in between and slowly just stopped nursing. I ended up not producing enough for him and once i started introducing the formula I had to stop because I didn't produce even less. I found my son did much better with the formula anyway.

A.

M.,
It's like starting anew again, isn't it? After so many years since your last child....it's hard to remember that it was so much work. I've just been through it myself. A couple of ways to increase your supply is eat oatmeal, drink "milk" teas like fennel, Mother's Milk, Weleda, or Earth mama Angel Baby (these can be bought at www.naturalfamilyboutique.com/?heidim). There's also a Breastea (I think breastea.com). And be sure you're getting plenty of water. If you start supplementing with formula now, you may compromise your supply by beginning a cycle of less demand-less supply. Keep nursing, pump between nursings, and be patient. Wearing your baby in a sling or wrap can make it easier to nurse at get things done. Check out www.wearyourbaby.com for info on nursing handsfree. Consult a lactation consultant if you have one in your area. If your baby wets 6-7 diapers a day, is growing well, then you're both ok. Keep up the great work! If you simply cannot make enough, or you'd like more strategies, try www.milkshare.com. There are great suggestions for increasing supply, as well as a way to safely find breastmilk donors if you're passionate about giving your little one human milk. Good luck!

Hi M., I also had a baby that seemed unsatisfied at times when breast fed. I did a little research and found that I was producing a lot of foremilk. I found that if I pumped before I fed to get the hind milk ready for her that she was eating less often.

Have you tried the pacifier? I know my boy was the same way for a while, and much of the issure was he wanted just to suck, not necessarily to nurse. He never had any nipple confusion issues. But the paci helped ALOT!

I had the same problem with my son. I thought I would lose it eventually! :) He was always hungry especially the first month. Just be patient. Easier said then done, I know. But all children are different. I'm sure it'll pass soon enough!

My daughter is now 5 and a half months old, but when she was first born...I had the same problem. I thought it was my lacking milk production because I would feed her both breasts and she would eat for a good 20 minutes and it seemed like a short while later, she would be fussy again and acting hungry. She would latch onto my breast as if she was still hungry so I just thought she was trying to increase my milk supply for her big appetite. But it turned out that she had a urinary tract infection. The doctors didnt know what was wrong with her until they did a urine test. It will not show up in a blood test. I dont know if this could be your daughter's problem or not, but if all else fails, then maybe you should ask your doctor to do further tests on her. Especially if your milk supply is up to par. Good luck..I know it can be very trying, but do not give up.

Hi M.,
Have you tried offering her both sides at feedings? I can remember going through a phase early on where my daughter would seem like she was done but then shortly afterward would be fussy to feed again. The lactation consultant had me start offering her the 2nd breast at a feeding and that seemed to do the trick...kind of reminded her, "are you sure you're done?"
Your daughter may also just be seeking comfort from breastfeeding too. The first 6 wks are challenging, but soon enough she'll be more consistent on when she wants to eat. Good luck!

Have you tried pumping in between your nursing sessions? My son when I breastfeed him wanted it all the time as well, so I contacted my Lactation Consultant. She thought it would be a great idea to pump in between for a few days to get my supply up, and to store my breastmilk for later feedings. It really does work great. Obviously, you don't see an increase right away but after a day or so you will. Not to mention if you store your breastmilk you can give it to your baby when she's not satisfied at the breast. Just a thought...I hope I've helped.

hi M.,
you said your daughter is a month old around the six week mark they go thru a growth spurt and want to eat alot more often and that could be it to. just keep offering her both breast as lon as she wants to nurse. my son was a snacker, he would eat for five minutes here then fall asleep wake up eat againa and again. your doing everything right, have you started pumping milk yet? if not you could giver her expressed milk thru a bottle and she may get more than what she eats off of you,or you can have your fiance offer the bottle to her. given her foremula is fine too if it does the trick but i wouldn't offer her to much in a day maybe in between feedings. good luck w everyhting.