How many days after delivery does your milk flow comes???

[Mummy to Baby V]

During growth spurt, I latched baby on very frequently, about 1-2 hours interval, as long as he wanted to suckle. That's the guaranteed way to raise milk supply PERMANENTLY. it usually ends after 3-7 days and baby will be happy with higher milk supply. Supplementing with formula cannot achieve this.

Breastfeeding also provides baby more than just food. It gives comfort and security as well. All these help the baby to thrive and weight gain will be no problem.

 

[LadySerene]

Hi Mummies,

I'm having another problem now... The right side of my right breast hurts a lot... It's only the area where it's near the armpit. Is this a sign of block duct?

When I latch baby on it really hurts like mad !!!!! Not only that area hurts but also the nipple. Is there any cure for this or any mummies experience this before??? I have to take panadol to ease the pain !!!!! Feel like crying each time baby latches on cos it's really very very painful !!!!!

 

[dujuanrosa]

Hi Mummies,

I'm having another problem now... The right side of my right breast hurts a lot... It's only the area where it's near the armpit. Is this a sign of block duct?

When I latch baby on it really hurts like mad !!!!! Not only that area hurts but also the nipple. Is there any cure for this or any mummies experience this before??? I have to take panadol to ease the pain !!!!! Feel like crying each time baby latches on cos it's really very very painful !!!!!

probably so. if it's a blocked duct, you will notice abnormal bumpiness around the area. massage downwards towards the nipple as you latch the baby on. Also, was told that the lower jaw has stronger suction so what i used to do was to lie in bed with baby in the opposite direction so that the lower jaw is on the side of the blocked duct. worked for me so you can give it a try latch the baby on even if it's painful. if the blocked ducts are not cleared, it might lead to infection.

 

[gumbokins]

Rabbymummy, perhaps at this point of time you are having a hard time convincing yourself that your milk supply is sufficient for baby. But these early days, especially that first growth spurt is absolutely crucial to getting your supply up. If I were you, I would ditch the breastpump because as dujuanrosa said, most would only start pumping for storage at 4-6 weeks after delivery, when supply is established. As you are also recovering for a c-sect, that time is best spent resting instead of stressing over how much milk you can pump out. And in my personal opinion, while the occasional bottle of formula is OK (1-2 a WEEK), to have it for every other feed, is a no-no if you plan to breastfeed beyond 1 month.

My son lost about 12% of his birth weight at discharge after my c-sect and even my GP thought he was premature even though he was delivered at 37 weeks. But my experience with my daughter 3 years ago (I was very much like yourself, worried about supply, slow weight gain, cannot express a lot) has helped me through with these past 6 weeks with my son.

You can do it, dear, jia you!

 

[RabbyMummy]

I understand that I should not give her so much FM, but my confinement lady is very persistent to give her FM, says I don't have enough milk, so I have to pump out to show her how much milk I have. Also, my baby is very sleepy, perhaps I am too gentle to wake her up, now she only latch on one side of my breast for 10 mins then she fell asleep again, then she is being snatched by my CL to feed with FM.
My pumping interval perhaps is too long, about 3 - 4 hours, right?

Any good ways to wake her up to suckle my breasts?

Also, my nipples feel sore after each pump, why?

 

[gumbokins]

I understand that I should not give her so much FM, but my confinement lady is very persistent to give her FM, says I don't have enough milk, so I have to pump out to show her how much milk I have. Also, my baby is very sleepy, perhaps I am too gentle to wake her up, now she only latch on one side of my breast for 10 mins then she fell asleep again, then she is being snatched by my CL to feed with FM.
My pumping interval perhaps is too long, about 3 - 4 hours, right?

Any good ways to wake her up to suckle my breasts?

Also, my nipples feel sore after each pump, why?

Dear, you are paying your confinement lady, you are the boss!

10 mins is very good already...remember their stomach at this age is about the size of a ping pong ball, so they can't eat that much, but they need to feed frequently because of their small tummies. Also, you're producing very lovely, very nutritious colustrum, which will help your baby expel the meconium from their digestive system and build up their immune system. Your baby also has to learn to latch, otherwise breastfeeding will become very uncomfortable and painful for you, and deter you from continuing.

As pointed out by the other mummies, pumping is not an accurate representation of how much milk you have. Your baby is a much more efficient extractor of milk. That's why all the breast pumps all keep talking about their designs being able to 'simulate natural milk flow' etc but nothing comes close. Not to mention, because your supply is not established, of course will not have much to pump lor.

The baby very shiok being held by mummy, can feel her warmth, her love, hear her heartbeat..it's just like being back in the womb. So they will always fall asleep. Your girl is about a week old, so still very young, so still very sleepy. They need some gentle reminders...you taking a deep breath, repositioning them (apparently the football hold is not as sleep-inducing compared to the cradle hold), burping them, tickling their ears, brushing their hair back.

The soreness could be due to the positioning of the pump. I'm no expert in expressing, prefer to use the time to zzz or catch up on other things Rub some breastmilk on the nipples and air dry to reduce the soreness and try going around without a bra to 'toughen' your nipples up.

 

[RabbyMummy]

i let my baby latched on ard 7pm, then ard 10pm. my breast felt soft after tat, before were a bit hard n engorged, so now i know she did drink. but i suppose rite now i need to up my supply so i m going to pump ard 12 cos my CL sure wants to feed her FM at nite so tat she can sleep longer. i plan to wake up at 3am n then 7 am to pump. then during e day i will try to latch her on as much as i can. think this works?

 

[dujuanrosa]

I understand that I should not give her so much FM, but my confinement lady is very persistent to give her FM, says I dont't have enough milk, so I have to pump out to show her how much milk I have. Also, my baby is very sleepy, perhaps I am too gentle to wake her up, now she only latch on one side of my breast for 10 mins then she fell asleep again, then she is being snatched by my CL to feed with FM.
My pumping interval perhaps is too long, about 3 - 4 hours, right?

Any good ways to wake her up to suckle my breasts?

Also, my nipples feel sore after each pump, why?

yeah, agree - you are the employer so you should make it clear your intention is to breastfeed and the confinement lady should respect your decision. you can even tell her to leave the feeding of the baby to you entirely.

some mommies may find it difficult to convince even themselves (much less the CL who would of course see the baby's weight gain as part of their responsibility) that they are producing enough for the baby. the baby really does not need so much at this stage and there is enough fat stores even if mommy's milk is taking a while to come in. in any case, your baby is so little and you are already pumping out some milk so that's pretty decent. trust the many mommies who have been through this anxiety and don't worry too much! your body and your baby will work in sync They have been for the last 9 months!

both my nephew and my son love to fall asleep at the breast so what my sister taught me - which is super tiring but yes, persevere, persevere, persevere! - is to let the baby suckle and then when she has fallen asleep, remove from the breast and try to wake her up by talking to her, nudging her chin, tickle behind her ears... one friend was told to put a cold towel on the baby's tummy (worked well for her - but think it'll shock the baby too much so I never tried!). Sometimes, i give up trying to wake the baby up because it can take up to 10 minutes. then you feed another 10 minutes and then spend another 5-10minutes burping and then changing diaper. one feeding cycle takes one hour to complete. and my son fed every 2 hours so *faint!* I got to rest/do some chores the next hour before i latch him on again... so there were times when i gave up and let him sleep but he would then clamour for more milk 20 minutes later... :s BUT the babies will all grow up and it will get easier!!!

re sore nipples from pump - are you turning up the suction too much? I used to be KS and turned it quite strong and my nipples would even bleed. then after i got more comfortable with the body's ability to nourish the baby, i realised that even at the lowest strength, the pump would do its job well. also, (this is your first baby?) the breasts are trying to get adjusted to being worked so hard so often so the soreness is part of a passing phase. mine used to hurt so bad i would wince even when I was in a shower. you can get some nipple cream. I used to use avent and it was quite useful. applied only for a few days and it was alright after that (it could also have been that the body got used to the new function ). choose one made with all natural ingredients (most nipple creams are) and you won't have to wash off before latching baby on because they have been designed to be safe for babies.

above all, remember to rest well!! and eat well!

 

[dujuanrosa]

i let my baby latched on around 7pm, then around 10pm. my breast felt soft after that, before were a bit hard n engorged, so now i know she did drink. but i suppose rite now i need to up my supply so i m going to pump around 12 cos my CL sure wants to feed her FM at nite so that she can sleep longer. i plan to wake up at 3am n then 7 am to pump. then during e day i will try to latch her on as much as i can. think this works?

is the baby rooming in with you? why don't you just latch her on? it's more fuss-free and you can rest better too. i used to pump around midnight then 3am than 5-6am, but that's because my daughter would wake up and she would get enough from one side and then the other side would be engorged. but it's super tiring so i won't quite recommend it - because you would have to wash up, sterilise and store the milk away, which robs you of another 5-10minutes of sleep in the middle of the night. now that she's a bit older, i would move her to my room when she wakes up at midnight and latch her on lying down and then when she's done, she'll roll over to my husband (it's very cute to watch her turn her back on mommy after she's done with me ;p ) and then we will all fall back to sleep!

btw, also, in the first few weeks, supply is regulated by hormones and not so much demand as it will be later on. so relax and don't stress over building up supply at this stage. Get enough rest!

 

[gumbokins]

Hmm if you can wake up to pump, why don't you just latch your baby on? Surely it is less work than having to wash, sterilize, assemble your pump and express.

I know that the CL has probably taken care of many babies and is more experienced...but insisting to feed a 1 week old baby FM, to me, is just wrong. If they are doing it merely because they want to fatten the baby up, then they don't have the best interests of the child and mummy at heart.

 

[RabbyMummy]

Dear, you are paying your confinement lady, you are the boss!

10 mins is very good already...remember their stomach at this age is about the size of a ping pong ball, so they can't eat that much, but they need to feed frequently because of their small tummies. Also, you're producing very lovely, very nutritious colustrum, which will help your baby expel the meconium from their digestive system and build up their immune system. Your baby also has to learn to latch, otherwise breastfeeding will become very uncomfortable and painful for you, and deter you from continuing.

As pointed out by the other mummies, pumping is not an accurate representation of how much milk you have. Your baby is a much more efficient extractor of milk. That's why all the breast pumps all keep talking about their designs being able to 'simulate natural milk flow' etc but nothing comes close. Not to mention, because your supply is not established, of course will not have much to pump .

The baby very shiok being held by mummy, can feel her warmth, her love, hear her heartbeat..it's just like being back in the womb. So they will always fall asleep. Your girl is about a week old, so still very young, so still very sleepy. They need some gentle reminders...you taking a deep breath, repositioning them (apparently the football hold is not as sleep-inducing compared to the cradle hold), burping them, tickling their ears, brushing their hair back.

The soreness could be due to the positioning of the pump. I'm no expert in expressing, prefer to use the time to zzz or catch up on other things Rub some breastmilk on the nipples and air dry to reduce the soreness and try going around without a bra to 'toughen' your nipples up.

i understand where u r coming from but i guess i cannot win CL so i will try to latch her more during e day n then pump at nite. i m using cross cradle position, my other breast will leak when i feed her w e other, makes me happy tat my body is responding.

actually how do u noe tat baby has drank enough milk when e supply is not established?

 

[RabbyMummy]

yeah, agree - you are the employer so you should make it clear your intention is to breastfeed and the confinement lady should respect your decision. you can even tell her to leave the feeding of the baby to you entirely.

some mommies may find it difficult to convince even themselves (much less the CL who would of course see the baby's weight gain as part of their responsibility) that they are producing enough for the baby. the baby really does not need so much at this stage and there is enough fat stores even if mommy's milk is taking a while to come in. in any case, your baby is so little and you are already pumping out some milk so that's pretty decent. trust the many mommies who have been through this anxiety and dont't worry too much! your body and your baby will work in sync They have been for the last 9 months!

both my nephew and my son love to fall asleep at the breast so what my sister taught me - which is super tiring but yes, persevere, persevere, persevere! - is to let the baby suckle and then when she has fallen asleep, remove from the breast and try to wake her up by talking to her, nudging her chin, tickle behind her ears... one friend was told to put a cold towel on the baby's tummy (worked well for her - but think it'll shock the baby too much so I never tried!). Sometimes, i give up trying to wake the baby up because it can take up to 10 minutes. then you feed another 10 minutes and then spend another 5-10minutes burping and then changing diaper. one feeding cycle takes one hour to complete. and my son fed every 2 hours so *faint!* I got to rest/do some chores the next hour before i latch him on again... so there were times when i gave up and let him sleep but he would then clamour for more milk 20 minutes later... :s BUT the babies will all grow up and it will get easier!!!

re sore nipples from pump - are you turning up the suction too much? I used to be KS and turned it quite strong and my nipples would even bleed. then after i got more comfortable with the body's ability to nourish the baby, i realised that even at the lowest strength, the pump would do its job well. also, (this is your first baby?) the breasts are trying to get adjusted to being worked so hard so often so the soreness is part of a passing phase. mine used to hurt so bad i would wince even when I was in a shower. you can get some nipple cream. I used to use avent and it was quite useful. applied only for a few days and it was alright after that (it could also have been that the body got used to the new function ). choose one made with all natural ingredients (most nipple creams are) and you won't have to wash off before latching baby on because they have been designed to be safe for babies.

above all, remember to rest well!! and eat well!

yes this is my first baby, tats why i hv zero idea. even though i hv done some fair bit of reading up but when it comes to actual stuff, i panick. yes i turn e pump to e max, maybe tats why. ok i try now to reduce e power. i use some breast milk to wipe my nipples followed by medela nipple cream. i even use e hard breast shells to protect against brushing of my clothes.

 

[gumbokins]

I follow baby's cues...he will unlatch when he's had enough and look very relaxed. To check if they've had enough for the whole day I count the number of dirty diapers.

Kellymom is a great resource for all your bfing questions. I did a lot of my readings during the night feeds on my iPhone v informative and certainly made me more confident with breastfeeding my son.

 

[Mummy to Baby V]

i let my baby latched on ard 7pm, then ard 10pm. my breast felt soft after tat, before were a bit hard n engorged, so now i know she did drink. but i suppose rite now i need to up my supply so i m going to pump ard 12 cos my CL sure wants to feed her FM at nite so tat she can sleep longer. i plan to wake up at 3am n then 7 am to pump. then during e day i will try to latch her on as much as i can. think this works?

During interview, my CL suggested me giving baby expressed / formula milk but I flatly told her that I'd be latching on 100%. Also, no formula milk in sight at home so there's no alternative food for baby except at the boobs. Of course, I'm a very determined person and hubby supported me all the way.

And I think wanting baby to sleep longer at night is only in the CL's interest. Formula mik is harder to digest, so isn't in baby's interest either.

If you really can't control her, then do express regularly. My boy fed every 1.5 to 3 hours at night in the early months. I'm just concerned you may have difficulty raising the supply up to match a growth spurt.

You'd also need to think about how to feed baby when CL leaves. Latching on at night is definitely the most convenient, no washing, etc. to do. What if baby doesn't wish to latch on at night?

 

[RabbyMummy]

During interview, my CL suggested me giving baby expressed / formula milk but I flatly told her that I'd be latching on 100%. Also, no formula milk in sight at home so there's no alternative food for baby except at the boobs. Of course, I'm a very determined person and hubby supported me all the way.

And I think wanting baby to sleep longer at night is only in the CL's interest. Formula mik is harder to digest, so isn't in baby's interest either.

If you really can't control her, then do express regularly. My boy fed every 1.5 to 3 hours at night in the early months. I'm just concerned you may have difficulty raising the supply up to match a growth spurt.

You'd also need to think about how to feed baby when CL leaves. Latching on at night is definitely the most convenient, no washing, etc. to do. What if baby doesn't wish to latch on at night?

this morning, my CL said she didn't give FM to my baby last night cos I have enough EBM for her to feed, donno how true, maybe i must check the FM amount. Latching is definitely the most convenient, be it at home or outside. I am having sore nipples now, giving my nipples a rest today, in the meanwhile i will continue to express my milk every 3 hrs to feed my baby. Read the other thread that must drink lots of fluid to boost up the supply.

My left breast always feels engorged if i don't express by 3 hrs but my right breast is ok. however, when i express out, the amount for both sides are about the same.....

 

[Mummy to Baby V]

this morning, my CL said she didn't give FM to my baby last night cos I have enough EBM for her to feed, donno how true, maybe i must check the FM amount. Latching is definitely the most convenient, be it at home or outside. I am having sore nipples now, giving my nipples a rest today, in the meanwhile i will continue to express my milk every 3 hrs to feed my baby. Read the other thread that must drink lots of fluid to boost up the supply.

My left breast always feels engorged if i don't express by 3 hrs but my right breast is ok. however, when i express out, the amount for both sides are about the same.....

Wonderful if your EBM is sufficient for night feeds! Fluids will help keep the supply up too, provided latching on is done frequently. My home-visit nurse did mention avoiding black bean and its soup as it may affect supply.

It's normal that both breasts have different production or 1 gets engorged more easily. Just feed or express until milk's all cleared. Massaging helps to unblock milk ducts too, so do that regularly before and during feeding/expressing.

 

[snooch17]

Actually, I think that there is nothing wrong with giving your baby FM if you have insufficient breastmilk. Its better than leaving the baby hungry and crying throughout the day and night right? As long as you're trying your best to give the baby breastmilk and if there is insufficient, just supplement with FM.

For me, my baby has a huge appetite. Now in her third week, she is drinking up to 120ml per feed. Even in her first and second week, she was already drinking 90ml. Even the doctor and nurses marvels at her appetite. The problem was I didn't have enough breastmilk initially. I wanted to fully breastfeed too, but when she cries for milk, I just feel so helpless. My sister-in-law, who has brought up 2 bright and smart children and my mil who is a nurse both says its ok to supplement with FM until my breastmilk comes in. So I did during the first week. However, I continue latching and pumping to give her whatever breastmilk I have and when its not sufficient, I will supplement with a little FM. The outcome is that my baby is happy, contented and able to sleep well while I am stress-free. So by day 6, I was able to pump up to 90ml of breastmilk per feed already, sufficient to feed my baby and she is a happy and growing girl.

I also have a friend who shared with me that she mix FM with breastmilk when her children were babies. And now that her son and daughter are in their teenage years, they are both in RGS and RI.

What I am trying to say is that I feel that it is not a sin to supplement with FM if you have insufficient breastmilk. I think there is just this obsession with 100% breastmilk thing. As long as you're happy and stress-free, your milk supply will come and before that, I feel that it is ok to supplement.

To all the struggling mothers out there, don't give up! We're all trying.

 

[Edwinie]

Actually, I think that there is nothing wrong with giving your baby FM if you have insufficient breastmilk. Its better than leaving the baby hungry and crying throughout the day and night right? As long as you're trying your best to give the baby breastmilk and if there is insufficient, just supplement with FM.

For me, my baby has a huge appetite. Now in her third week, she is drinking up to 120ml per feed. Even in her first and second week, she was already drinking 90ml. Even the doctor and nurses marvels at her appetite. The problem was I didn't have enough breastmilk initially. I wanted to fully breastfeed too, but when she cries for milk, I just feel so helpless. My sister-in-law, who has brought up 2 bright and smart children and my mil who is a nurse both says its ok to supplement with FM until my breastmilk comes in. So I did during the first week. However, I continue latching and pumping to give her whatever breastmilk I have and when its not sufficient, I will supplement with a little FM. The outcome is that my baby is happy, contented and able to sleep well while I am stress-free. So by day 6, I was able to pump up to 90ml of breastmilk per feed already, sufficient to feed my baby and she is a happy and growing girl.

I also have a friend who shared with me that she mix FM with breastmilk when her children were babies. And now that her son and daughter are in their teenage years, they are both in RGS and RI.

What I am trying to say is that I feel that it is not a sin to supplement with FM if you have insufficient breastmilk. I think there is just this obsession with 100% breastmilk thing. As long as you're happy and stress-free, your milk supply will come and before that, I feel that it is ok to supplement.

To all the struggling mothers out there, don't give up! We're all trying.

Yup! Agree! I also supplemented my breastfeeding with formula when my son was born till about 3 weeks as I did not have enough milk. Now I manage to feed him on breastmilk exclusively.

There is nothing wrong with giving formula. However, if your goal is to breastfeed fully, formula milk is an easy way out and an easy solution that some mums can fall back on instead of trying harder to breastfeed. Use it as a last resort. The other time, it was only when my son was extremely fussy and I was extremely frustrated in latching him that I gave him formula. Otherwise, keep latching!

 

[mommymaj]

Hi ladies,

I found a long warm shower helps with the first milk flow after giving birth also, aside from just pumping which didn't really help on day 2 and 3 after my first baby.

Anyone else have a similar experience? I plan to try it out with number 2 when she arrives in a couple of months.

 

[mehmehsheep]

My milk came in three or four days later