How do you know if your supply is low??? the last few days my baby has been acting like she cant get enough but after shes been on nipple for 5 mins she will let go and cry so i put her back on and she will suck a couple times and then pull away and act like shes looking for the nipple so i put her back on she will suck a few times and then gets frustrated and cry.... she is 2 months btw... and shes been eating like every hour to hour and a half when awake and every 3hrs during night.... does this sound like im low?
You might consider pumping to see just how you're doing supply wise...and pumping will also increase production.
Maybe she is going through a growth spurt - my daughter wanted to eat like every hour when she was going through one. If that is the case you may not have enough milk - right now - however if it's the growth spurt your body will catch up. Drink lots and lots of water and try to relax.
No, it could be a growth spurt with her nursing every hour. This is typical and normal for a breast fed baby to need to nurse frequently. Teething can make a baby irritable as well.
How is baby's weight gain?
How many wet/soiled diapers a day?
http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/enoughmilk...
Count the wet diapers-- it's the ONLY way to know for sure. If it's coming out you KNOW it's going in.
Nurse frequently -- it's the best way to increase supply. It sounds like a normal growth spurt though....
Are you eating anything different that she may sense in the smell/taste in your breast milk and not care for?
It sounds like you are either low, or she is not getting a good suck. It's possible she is tongue tied, that is a typical cause. I would call your hospital's lactation consultant. Also, a good way to judge how much she is getting, is by keeping track of how many full diapers she is going through. Keep track of that and call your pediatrician.
The only way to really know if its low milk is babe's weight. So ask to go in for a weigh in if your wellness check is not around the corner. Eating more frequently sounds like a growth spurt. The more frequent feedings help you up your milk supply and it takes about 72 hours for the adjustment to take place. But the crying after 5 min does seem strange.
My baby does the same thing ! Yeah it's not no supply they just have to work harder because it is technically "low" but it is still there. I say growth spurt, and Tou have to catch up.The more she eats the more milk you will supply, your body just has to catch up. In the meantime eat oatmeal, drink a lot of water, maybe have a dark beer just 1,and fenugreek tea or pills can help.
But your body, with adequate nutrition will supply what she needs.
At that age, it sounds like a growth spurt. Just keep nursing her. The more nipple stimulation and movement of milk, the more milk your body will produce.
My baby used to pull away a lot too. There were many reasons for this. Sometimes he was not really hungry, he was just very fussy and wanted to suck something. In this case, I'd give him a paci and hand him to my husband (so the baby wouldn't smell me and so I wouldn't get so upset). Often times, after 10 minutes of soothing from my husband my baby would calm down.
Other times, I found my baby would do this if he was hungry, but he also had a burp or a needed to poop. In this case, I would, again, give him to my husband (because I would get upset :)), and he would burp him and so forth.
Even now at 6 months, my baby will do this from time to time, but not as much as before. If I suspect I may be out of milk, I hand express. If a good amount of milk comes out, then I know it's not a milk problem. And I remove him from my breast to soothe him.
You've got some good advice, I just wanted to give a word of caution on pumping. It's not a good way to get your supply up if baby is nursing frequently and it's definitely not a good way to get an estimate of your milk supply. Some women can't pump much at all, but still make plenty of milk. Nothing works like baby, so nurse whenever she wants and your supply will build to what it needs to be!
It sounds like a growth spurt to me, too. If you're concerned about your milk supply, you might try this tea, which really can help:
http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/mothersmilk/
Good luck, and good for you for sticking with nursing! I know it can be really challenging--but it's really good for both you and the baby. :) You might also see if there's a La Leche League meeting nearby: http://www.lllohio.org/groups/index.html
Also, most hospitals have lactation consultants that you can contact even after you've gone home. That might be another support and resource.
