depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

DS is 9 days old today and my milk has not fully come in. I bf for about 20 minutes on each breast and then I give him 2 oz of formula!

When I pump, I get about 1/2 an ounce from each breast.

I feel really down about it. It seems like other women produce so much milk and I'm barely producing any. I don't understand.

Is there anything I could do to produce more milk? Do you think an LC could help me or is this more of a biological thing?

Any advice is appreciated!

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

I don't have any advice since I didn't BF. Just wanted to give some . Hang in there.

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

HAve you tried pumping? I rented a hospital grade pump and pumped for the 1st few days to help my supply come in. Because of my c-section and theinfection = antibiotics, my supply came in VERY slowly. We supplimented for a few days. No matter what, make sure you give you baby the colostrum... there is NOTHING better!!!!

Call a LC or a La Leche Leader in your area and they will most definitely help you out.

I eat a lot of oatmeal and drink Fennel tea... both are "said" to help. But really it's all about supply and demand. So the more you keep at it, the better off you are.

It will come in...

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

I can completely understand what you are going through because my milk never came in. I breasfed her for about 3 days and then started supplementing with formula as well, hoping my milk would come in....but eventually I had to come to terms with the fact that it just wasn't going to.
The good news for you is that it seems like it's just coming in slowly because when I pumped, I would get a few drops and nothing more. I couldn't even cover the bottom of the bottle. So even if you're only getting 1/2 an ounce pumping - it's more than I got, so I think there's hope for you!
I'd contact a LC to see if they can help you - it can't hurt!
Good luck!!

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

Message edited 11/24/2007 10:07:37 PM.

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

Its normal to not get that mcuh when you pump. It does not mean you have a bad milk supply. Does he seem satisfied when he eats? If he's eating on each side for 20 minutes I don't think there is a problem or any need to supplement.

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

you shouldn't get a lot of milk right now. BFing is supply and demand. My ds is 3 month old and I get a total of 5 to 6 oz combined. I amtricking my body into making more milk since I go back to work in two weeks. After my ds BF i pump. At first nothing came out but now my body is beginning to produce more milk. I'm storing that milk now for my babysitter for when I go back.


make sure you drink A LOT of water. If you really want to stick with itmaybe call a Lactation Consultant. they are a great help. Good luck, if you have anymore questions please feel free to ask me.

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

I would stop supplementing with formula for a day or two- let your baby nurse as often as he wants. This may mean he will be on you constantly for a couple of days. BUT- because your body produces milk according to the demand put upon it, your baby's constant nursing will kick up your supply.

By supplementing formula this early in the game, you aren't allowing your body time to regulate it's supply.

If you MUST supplement, add an extra pumping session or two to your day to make up for the "missed" feedings.

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

If you haven't heard of the kellymom website, you should definitely check them out. It is a wonderful resource for BFing moms. It has helped me out tremendously. Here are some links that you might find useful:

Increasing Supply

amount of expressed milk baby needs

They also have a forum and the moderators are very knowledgeable about BFing. I know that some women take supplements such as fenugeek and some other things to increase their supply. However, it's not something that I really know much about so I don't want to give specific advise.

And as the PP said, you'll probably want to move away from supplementing with formula so early on because that can affect your supply. And you will never express as much as your DC is drinking. The best way to tell if s/he is getting enough is through weight gain and diaper out-put.

GL. I hope that it gets easier for you

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

In my experience, just because you aren't overflowing doesn't mean you aren't producing enough. I never produced much over what DD would eat. My MIL actually made me crazy because she would tell me how much she leaked, how painful let down was, how much milk she got when she pumped, etc and I never had that at all. I leaked once in my entire 7 months of BFing.

I was told not to supplement because it's supply and demand. Let your DC feed until he/she is satisfied (and at this age, they don't need much to fill up their little tummies. Adding: But they may want to eat all the time, especially during growth spurts. Count diapers to be sure DC is getting enough.). Your body adjusts to what he/she needs. If you need to overproduce to freeze milk, then pump right AFTER a feeding to stimulate more milk production.

Being a mom is hard, especially in those early weeks. Try not to compare yourself with other moms. Check with your ped if you are worried about DC and ask a LC (or your ped) if you aren't sure what you are doing is right or normal.

Feel better!
I'm sure you're doing great!

Message edited 8/19/2007 10:33:23 PM.

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

Getting professional help is a GOD sent! I highly rec'd it. It is NOT easy to do all of this on your own.
LOTS of wome have supply issues. Mine took 4 weeks but that day when Molly did not need formula anymore was such a special day and worth all of the trouble!
I pumped for a year (Molly refused to latch despite weeks of trying) so I can help you figure that part at, if needed. HUGS. This is the tough part but it does get better.

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

I wouldnt worry abut it. I was the same way and now i have too much milk. Your milk will come in just keep feeding him at the breast and you will see it will increase.

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

I thought I was having trouble with my milk coming in but the LC told me that my body was making what the baby needed and it would increase over time.It did. My milk didnt come in until day 10 and even then it was barely 1.5oz. Now at day 14 I pump 2oz out each breast. Dont give up. Also try a hospital grade pump if you havent already.

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

Thanks for all the responses. I left a message with an LC today. Hopefully she has some more helpful suggestions.

The reason I have been supplementing is that sometimes he feeds for up to an hour (1/2 hour each breast) and at the end he is still crying and chewing his hands! At the hospital, I was so confused by this that I called the nurse because I thought he had gas. She told me he was hungry ! Sure enough, I gave him some formula and he was satisfied.

The ped. says it's ok to supplement, but maybe I should try letting him feed longer. Maybe I could do each breast twice instead of automatically going to formula after the hour has gone by?

Anyway, thanks for the support. I feel a little better. I wish someone had warned me that it could be like this. I was totally caught off guard! I'll update after I speak to the LC.

Re: depressed - having trouble with my milk supply

Definitely consult a LC. It took a while for my milk to come in too, and still at 13 weeks DS needs to be supplemented with formula as I only can produce milk on my right side.