Proof that you making enough milk:
Baby regained birth weight by two weeks
Baby continues to gain 1/2 - 1 ounce (15-30 gm) per day
Baby has 3-6 stools a day
Mother is comfortable
Contact a breastfeeding specialist if you are not currently meeting these guidelines.
Are you persisting with breastfeeding problems?
Though most mothers are confident by two to three weeks that breastfeeding in well established, many still have pain, are supplementing with formula, nursing for several hours at a time, or having too much milk and have come to believe these concerns are normal for them. However, many of these problems can be solved with the right help. And, Now is a good time to get this help!
Painful nursing still indicates either a problem with the baby's latch or a problem with the mother breast, her positioning or her approach to breastfeeding. Though use of a nipple shield early on is a helpful approach to pain, persistent use may eventually decrease milk supply. Babies can have a posterior tongue - a problem not usually diagnosed and treated before now.
Use of formula at this stage might suggest that mother has slightly less milk than is needed and/or that she is misreading her baby's behavior and cues of being satisfied. Babies born early or mothers with C-Sections or postpartum bleeding might have needed supplementation early on. Now the following actions can increase supply:
Compressing breast as you breastfeed
Pumping several times a day after you have nurses
Consider use of galactagogue
Have thyroid level checked
CLICK here for more info on increasing milk supply
Prolonged nursing might suggest that baby is not able to effectively transfer milk from breast to her tummy. A pre- and post-weight may give clues to the specific problem to be solved.
Oversupply is a problem many mother would love to have! Though baby's weight is awesome, an over supply causes increased gas in a baby, frothy green stools and an unhappy little one. Mothers can develop blocked ducts leading to mastitis. Treatment involves:
Nurse from only one breast at each feeding. This allows baby to get more of the fatty hind milk rather than an oversupply of the high sugar front milk.
Avoid frequent "snacking" at the breast which also contributes to high intake of high sugar front milk
Try "Block Feeding" if oversupply symptoms persist.
CLICK here for more info on managing oversupply
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