From: Amanda Rosenberry <mandyrberry@...>
Subject: Re: [lllofcoastalcarolina] Problems with breastfeeding
To: lllofcoastalcarolina@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, July 24, 2008, 5:13 PM

Ester, Thank you for contacting La Leche League of Coastal Carolina. Congratulations of the birth of your baby boy. I am Mandy, the Local LLL leader. What you are describing is a situation that many moms have. More importantly it can be fixed with easily. At three weeks, your baby is going through a huge growth spurt. He should be hungry almost all the time. This serves a very important purpose. As you feed him every time he shows signs of hunger, your breasts make more milk and build up your milk supply. Your breasts will get engorged and possibly painful. That is normal, and a good sign that there is enough milk.It will level off.  When you are nursing the baby, it is very important that you let him nurse long enough on each side. For some moms, that is 15 minutes, for some it is 45 minutes.  Here is a link to the information form our LLLi database about how do deal with engorgement. http://www.llli. org/FAQ/engorgem ent.html As for knowing if the baby is getting enough milk, follow these guidelines These are additional important signs that indicate your baby is receiving enough milk: The baby nurses frequently averaging at least 8-12 feedings per 24-hour period. The baby is allowed to determine the length of the feeding, which may be 10 to 20 minutes per breast or longer. Baby's swallowing sounds are audible as he is breastfeeding. The baby should gain at least 4-7 ounces per week after the fourth day of life. The baby will be alert and active, appear healthy, have good color, firm skin, and will be growing in length and head circumference. THis link( http://www.llli. org/FAQ/enough. html  will give information about making sure your baby is getting enough milk. Unless your baby's doctor is concerned about weight  gain, you should not have to supplement with any formula. The Pumping is going to drive you insane, so just nurse that baby as much as possible. Carry him in a sling, sleep next to him, give him every opportunity to nurse and you to rest. It is easy to burn out if you do not know what is normal and how to handle it. Read the info in the links. Let me know what you think and if you have any more questions. The other moms in this group can attest to the fact that this is all normal and what they did to survive it. Mandy --- On Wed, 7/23/08, esztervadasz <esztervadasz@ yahoo.co. uk> wrote: From: esztervadasz <esztervadasz@ yahoo.co. uk> Subject: [lllofcoastalcaroli na] Problems with breastfeeding To: lllofcoastalcarolin a@yahoogroups. com Date: Wednesday, July 23, 2008, 5:28 PM Hi,my name is Esther and I have a 3 weeks old baby.I am breastfeeding, but my milk seems not to be enough,so I have to suppliment with formula.I would like to ask you if you have any advice for increasing my milk supply.One night the baby slept for about 6 hours,then my breats were so full with milk that they even hurt.But between regular feedings they just get a little full and my baby is still hungry after I feed him from both breasts.Shall I buy a pump to make my breasts work harder?I have a handpump,and I occasionally pump after feeding.What I get is a few drops of milk.Shall I pump after every feeding?That is also hard because I am alone with the baby during the day,and he won't go to sleep so easily,so I can't go running to pump after feeding him. Looking forward to reading your advice,thanks in advance Esther