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Infant feeding

After initial struggle BF is great but now supply issue?

7 replies

Chickchickola · 23/11/2012 17:14

Hi

My DD is 10 weeks old and to date has only ever had breast milk. We had AWFUL issues in the first five weeks, latching problems, severe nipple trauma where one was almost hanging off requiring antibiotics which then brought on thrush. I cried through every feed but sheer persistence brought us through to a point where I could say breast feeding is the easiest thing in the world, pain free and I was quite happily feeding out and about anywhere!

But now I'm panicking I have a supply issue.

I had been expressing about 8oz a day (she has half in the evening giving my DH the chance to feed her, I pump during this feed and get 4-5 oz off easily in about 15 mins, the other half of my daily pumping goes in the freezer).

I've been really stressed by a work issue (long and separate story) and I noticed when I went to pump I only got 1oz all day. She was also really unsettled, screaming after feeds. Normally I would see milk dribbling out the side of her mouth / my breast pads were soaked but there was no sign of any milk at all. I also felt full, but now they are just floppy and soft. She was hysterical after feeding so I gave her a bottle of expressed milk and she bolted it like she had never been fed before.

I've spent the last 24 hours feeding every hour, in bed with lots of skin to skin and have been taking fenugreek and stuffing my face making sure I'm eating plenty, but there is no sign of any change.

She is still giving me wet and dirty nappies, although not as many as previously.

I'm really getting in a state that in the last 48 hours my milk has gone, is this possible, can stress do this?

What can I / should I do? I've been through so much with breastfeeding and I really really want to get to 6 months without her having a drop of anything else but surely low supply is the one thing I can't overcome?

Please help, I'm so unhappy about this.

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SamSmalaidh · 23/11/2012 17:19

Your supply adjusts after the first few weeks so you don't feel full or leak anymore. It could just be that, combined with a growth spurt.

I would just do what you are doing - lots of feeding, switch feed etc.

I don't know if stress has much impact on supply, but can't imagine it would have that much impact? I mean, women breastfeed in warzones and famines, so must face pretty high levels of stress!

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tiktok · 23/11/2012 17:57

Chick nothing you have said here sounds anything other than normal. But call a bf line and talk to someone at more length.

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Chickchickola · 23/11/2012 23:54

She just seems really hungry and I'm not seeing any evidence of milk, no dribbles, nothing when I pump. It's been an awful evening and she has only settled after necking some frozen milk but my stocks are soon going to run dry. She has been on my boobs all evening and they are starting to chaff. Surely this isn't normal?

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Welovecouscous · 24/11/2012 01:22

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Welovecouscous · 24/11/2012 01:23

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Welovecouscous · 24/11/2012 01:25

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Welovecouscous · 24/11/2012 01:26

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