[eleven]

Hi Ladies,

My LO is 4 weeks old and spent some time in special care so we didn't have a good start with no skin to skin or touching at all for 5 days. I've been expressing using a medela symphony double breast electric pump for about 3 weeks now and have had minimal output- never more than 50mls total.

4 days ago I started taking motilium and fenugreek in the desperate hope my supply would pick up. I've since stopped taking the fenugreek because LO has had shocking, smelly wind and khaki green (instead of mustard yellow) poos since.

I'm still taking the motilium but my supply is no better at all and sometimes I think it's worse than it ever was.

I'm starting to think my bub will end up exclusively formula fed and I feel so awful about that. My LO is 5kg already so should be eating 130mls each feed...there's no way I can supply that and he's so used to bottles that it's rare for him to latch well...

Anyway, please share your experience with me. I feel so disheartened.

[pitzinoodles]

Hi!

Are you breastfeeding? Or expressing and bottle feeding? When I took motilium my expressing didn't improve much, but my supply must have, because DS finally started putting on weight! it took 1/2 week before the motilium helped much. So Hang in there!

My dr started me on 3 tablets/day, but the paed upped it to 8/day and then I noticed an effect. Don't give up hope, wait and see what your L0s weight is doing, and maybe see dr about increasing the motilium if you are on a low dose.

[suline]

How often are you expressing/breastfeeding?

[Liadan]

Pumps are not as efficient at milk extraction as babies are.

Have you tried breast compressions when you are pumping?
Have you tried pumping more frequently?
Will bub attach with a nipple shield?

Google "galactogogues" there are so many more herbs other than fenugreek that can help with milk supply.

Good luck!

[sophiasmum]

I was on motilium for a long time with DS (lazy sucker) & noticed it was always a juggle as to how many tablets to take. Never the same, sometimes I needed more & then I could cut back & then some time later have to increase again, and so on. So I would speak to your doc about upping the dose for now.

[foxgirls]

I am always nervous about replying in threads like this, for fear of being 'shot down'.
That said, it is my humble opinion that if you can work on 'latching on' properly then this may be more beneficial for you both in the long run. I understand there may be a whole host of reasons why you are having to express in the first place, and you may have already exhausted all you options.
But as a PP said, your baby will always extract more from you than the pump. And this in turn is likely to increase your supply. So just incase you haven't already done so, i would speak to the ABA, or a lactation consultant just to see if you can get latching on sorted. If you are certain you want to keep breast feeding, and already tried ABA or a lactation consultant, maybe get a second opinion from a different consultant or midwife?
Again, I am just trying to help, and this information will all be useless to you if you have spent the last month struggling with different help and info on latching on techniques.
I hope,whatever happens, things work out well for both of you.

This post has been edited by foxgirls: 17/02/2013, 06:54 AM

[Winterdanceparty]

I agree with foxgirls, so maybe we will be "flamed" together. You really need to get the "latch" sorted early in the breastfeeding journey, or you are going to fail. Try to find a good LC who is internationally certified - they are the best. MCHN's sometimes don't have the expertise or the knowledge and ABA helpline has trained counsellors who have done years of training into breastfeeding as well as breastfeeding babies themselves.
Could you give "Switch Feeding" a go. This is transferring your baby from one breast to the other during one feed. Once latched properly, this method will increase your supply wonderfully well. Let bubs stay on your first breast until after the let-down, have a small feed and then transfer to the other breast. Do the same with that breast and then back to the first one again. It really does work and sends messages to your milk-making memory bank to make more milk. Expressing milk (and the baby gets more than a pump can) and then feeding with bottles is fraught with failure for some mums and babies.

[lucky 2]

Is your baby able to suckle now? Are you seeing a LC?
Give the medication some time, often 2-4 weeks to get the full effect, often noticing some effect as early as 3-4 days.
I'd see a LC if you haven't (I suspect you have though) and breast feed as much as possible if baby can attach well and suckle.
Expressing, the double pump is great to have, if you can express as much as possible if baby isn't feeding at all and after feeds if he is.
Expressing ideally 2-3 hrly in the day and 1-2 times at night.
You sound stressed and worried, sorry to hear things are difficult for you.
Was your baby born prem or term?
All the best

[KRT]

It took about two weeks to get the full effect, on maximum dosge of 6 tablets a day. I would BF, express, BF top up, and I found that the expressed volume didn't really increase - because DS was taking the extra milk produced before I could express it. On the occasions where I just expressed, I noticed that the volumes did increase after about a week.

I would also suggest that the real measure of good attachment is no pain for you, and your DS gaining weight. DS's attachment was always a bit iffy, and I had heaps of professionals (midwives, MCHNx3, OB, GP) all tell me it was wrong and needed work. When I saw an LC when DS was three weeks old, she said that as long as it wasn't hurting, to let DS try to attach himself. I'm not sure if that would work if your DS was born prematurely, but once I let him control the attachment things got much easier for us.

If it were me, I'd give the motilium two weeks and see if there's a response. It's so hard - and you've done well to manage four weeks. I hope your DS is doing well now.

[Red nut]

Don't be hung up on the number of ml's, 5 kg is great for a 4 weeker, so you must be doing something right!