Am I Producing Enough Milk?

Your breasts don't have to feel 'full' in order for you to have milk ready for your little one. I don't pump (my 5th is 5 months old)...actually I don't own a pump, don't need one. When your baby's appetite changes, your breastmilk will follow the change. Each baby has their own way. My youngest has changed to where he doesn't want a morning feeding right when he wakes up.

That's wonderful that your baby sleeps that way at night! My last two children would not sleep in their crib during the night, but did some throughout the day. But only during the day after they were 3 months and older. I always held them whether in a sling or just held them while they were sleeping during the day. They eventually get to their crib during the day. It just takes a while. They were bunched up in your for quite a long time, they still want their momma. You sound like you are doing great!

Hi C.. I have 4 beautiful, breastfed babies. I can tell you first off that every one of them nursed differently. As far as producing enough milk, the rule of thumb is the amount of wet/dirty diapers he's making a day. If you are having to change him frequently, he's getting plenty. I was so blessed to have a Lactation consultant, so I advise you look for one of those in your area.
The sleeping through out the day: are you swaddling him tightly? Tried a swing? Also, a dark room could be an answer. You may have to allow him to cry a little to learn to soothe himself, though. It's harder on you than it is on him.
I wish you all the best and applaud you for seeking advice.
Sincerely,
K. L.

Seriously, I think this is the question that plagues all breastfeeding moms. The truth is that your milk production has decreased if he's going that long without eating and he could be trying to make up for it during the day. BUT it could've only decreased during those hours that he's going without. I know this answer wasn't good enough for me, but if his stools are a nice healthy mustard yellow and his urine output is good and he's gaining weight steadily, he is getting enough. To set my mind at ease I take supplements, Fenugreek, and I pump. I don't personally feel secure that he's getting enough unless my breasts feel a little on the full side. Your milk composition is constantly changing to suit your babies needs. You might be making less milk, but it could be higher in fat than it was before. A few weeks ago my breasts all of a sudden felt absolutely deflated. I went into a panic, resumed the fenugreek, resumed the pumping at least once a day, and increased my water intake. Within a couple of days I had that full feeling again. I do know that I make less milk now, almost six months into it OR it could just be that he drinks more at a time so I feel less full than I used to when the same amount of time passes. If you are extremely concerned, buy yourself a baby scale for about $80 bucks. There's nothing like seeing how much goes in by weighing both before and after a meal to set your mind at ease. The bottom line is supply and demand. The more he eats, or the more your body thinks he needs, the more your body will make. You could try pumping after he eats for extra stimulation. Really, you are probably making just the right amount of milk for him but as a fellow neurotic milk production obsessed mom, I totally understand where you are coming from. As for the nap thing, well I'm in the same boat there as well. Mine takes naps in his swing or lap naps, but his bed is a no-go during the day. Once in a while I can get him to sleep in my bed next to me, but never in his own. Then again I don't really try that hard either.... Oh, there is also a supplement called MoreMilkPlus by Motherlove that is really good, but plain old Fenugreek, 3 caps 3 times a day works great for me. Plus you'll smell like maple syrup. Hope this helps.

You are probably producing enough he is just ratcheting up his feeding. If you think you aren't producing enough then you may want to try the herbal supplement fenugreek. You can find it at GNC or other health food stores. I took three a day for a few days when my little one was about the same age as yours and had that full feeling back in a few days so I could cut back to just once a day and within two weeks I was able to stop taking it completely and haven't taken it since and Phoebe is almost 8 months old. If you are in the Charleston, SC area there is a breastfeeding moms support group that meets at Summerville Medical Center with their lactation consultant, Tillie Phillips, on Tuesday afternoons. You can contact her at 843-79-4554. The meetings are free and she weighs the babies each week to help you keep track of how they are gaining weight. If you aren't in the Charleston area you should be able to find a group that does something similar in your area by contacting the local hospitals and asking for their lactation department or by contacting your local LaLeche league.

Your baby's eating sounds very normal to me. I've breastfed four now for 12 months plus each. If he is skipping a few feedings at night then he needs to make them up during the day. So, he's going to eat frequently. #3 did that for me. At about the same age she started sleeping 6-9 hours at night. Then during the day she would nurse about every hour and a half. It was a trade-off I happily accepted for a good night's sleep! And after going that long at night I certainly was feeling very full and often was anxiously waiting for her to wake up! But the rest of the day I didn't feel that way because she was keeping me very drained. You can take supplements if you are worried, but you are probably making plenty as long as you feed him on demand and don't try to stick to any "schedule" that someone else recommends. He must make the schedule by when he is hungry.

On the sleeping, I've had some do that too. I just help them, put them in a sling, or found something else that worked. One of mine would sleep in the swing each day. They always got into their beds eventually, it may just take some time. Enjoy the moments, he'll be up and running before you know it!

You have to take the bad with the good. He still needs the same amount of milk in 24 hrs, and since he's letting you sleep at night, he's making up for it during the day. Your body figured out that's he's not going to wake you up in the middle fo the night, so you're less engorged in the morning, but still have plenty for that morning feeding. It may take a little while for you to make more quickly during the day, but you'll both get back in sync and he'll let you slide a little. Of course, the more he grows, the more he's going to need, so you may be on the 2 hr schedule for a while.
Wish I could help you with the daytime sleeping...

My milk supply was totally different with my second son. I rarely got the engorged feeling and sometimes felt as though I didn't have enoug milk. Of course not true. He is cluster feeding during the day to increase your supply. Since he is not eating at night he is increasing it to make more milk for him to have during the day. Remember it takes 72 hours (3days) for anything he does to effect your milk. So if he is nursing every 2 hours one day that milk won't increase until 3 days later. If you have fed your baby fine up until now just keep at it. Even when your breasts feel empty to you, there is milk there. I think too often people quit nursing because they don't feel they are producing enough milk. I read in a book only 5% of women in the WORLD don't produce enough milk for their babies and that is often due to a hormone disorder. Just stick with it, it will work out in the end. I am currently nursing my 3rd and did both my boys for 13 months each.

Now for the sleeping. AWESOME that he is in his bed at night and sleeping through. I use a noise machine at night and for naps. Just keep putting him in his bed and he will eventually associate the bed with sleeping. My daughter now only wants her bed to sleep in. Perhaps it is because it is light in his room and he only associates dark with bedtime. So if you use some music and put it on at night and day he will learn that the music means bedtime, whether it is noght or day. These are just some suggestions. I don't mean to sound like a know it all, but this is what has worked for me. Good Luck and please email me if you ahve any further questions. It is obvious you want to nurse him and nursing is not easy especially when you don't know how much he is getting and such. If you go to the Dr and he has gained weight then you are doing a great job.. Keep at it.

Yes you definitely are, especially if your son is sleeping that long in the night at such an early age! The eating more during the day could be either a growth spurt or making up for not eating as much during the night. Either way, count your blessings that your child sleeps so long in the night. So many women worry they are not when in fact only about 1% of women don't produce enough (if you read the research, the common complaint of not producing enough milk only started once formula became popular). It is totally normal for you not to wake up as full after awhile and you may not wake up full at all after a few months as it starts to regulate.

As your baby's eating habits change, your production will change with it as well. When he goes through a growth spurt, his demand will increase your supply by his more frequent feedings.

Breastfeeding can be a real stressor for us just for that simple fact we can't see how much we have in our breast and how much the child is getting. And as far as him waking up when you lay him down for naps, leave him be as long as you know he is fed and has a clean diaper on. If you start to pick him up and hold him while he sleeps now, you'll find yourself doing it at bed time and then you'll have a bigger problem on your hands when he won't sleep on his own later down the road.

Babies are odd little creatures, we just have to go with their flow sometimes!
S.

You've gotten perfect advice on breastfeeding below!

Regarding the other issue, at that age, my little one would also wake up the minute you'd try to put him to bed. I think they're just more senstive to changes in movement and temperature at that age. Remember that he's comforted by that which mimics the womb: constant heat, swaddling, the sound of your heartbeat. I finally realized this with mine, and things became more simple when I purchased a baby wrap (I like the Moby Wrap). I just wore him in the wrap as I went about my business, except for cooking of course. At night, I would just end up taking him to bed with me, with him laying on my chest and me with a bunch of pillows underneath me -- so it was just like when I was pregnant but with him on the outside of my belly!

Now that my son is 5 1/2 months old, he can sleep in his crib, but not until he's eaten his fill and I hold him for at least 20 minutes after. I just got into the habit of doing that for his reflux, and it helps to put him to bed if he's in a deep sleep. I make sure that he stays warm with a blanket or one of those sleep sacks with armholes.

Keep strong! It will get better. On the bright side, your little one seems like he's has bonded very well with you. :)

www.kellymom.com has information on everything you can think of related to nursing. Wonderful resource!!!