Issues with breastfeeding - long

My son was born 3 days ago via c-section. I've been nursing him from the beginning. He learned to latch on pretty quickly and he was having regular dirty diapers so I was hoping he was getting enough. But by the 2nd night in the hospital it was obvious he was super hungry. I would nurse him pretty much continuously for several hours overnight while he would SCREAM whenever I stopped. The LC just said he was cluster feeding and it was normal.

The poor guy was screaming so much all the time from hunger that he just about lost his voice The first day after he was born he lost weight, which was expected. He went from 8lbs 14oz to 8lbs 7oz. But then the day after that he went up to 8lbs 10oz. So I figured that meant he was doing ok and we were just having a rough start.

Well this morning when they went to discharge us they realized he'd been weighed wrong yesterday. He didn't gain any weight back, he actually lost more weight and is now 7lbs 14oz so he lost a whole pound. The pediatrician told me to supplement with formula until he starts gaining weight and my milk comes in. Well the OB tells me not to supplement at all, then the nurses tell me not to supplement as much as the PED is saying. And then I get confused because the PED says this is common for women who have c-sections and the LC said having a c-section won't affect my milk supply. I feel like everyone has an opinion and I don't know who to listen to.

Thanks for reading this if you got this far. I'm just so overwhelmed and confused. I want to do what's best for my baby more than anything. I can't stop crying whenever I talk about this because I just feel like a failure (I know that's ridiculous but I can't help it). Anyone else have this problem and was able to supplement with formula without giving up breastfeeding?

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

I had a c/s as well but we knew my dd was dehydrating and was becoming jaundiced so I would bf her for 15-20 min then give her formula. It helped my supply and she got what she needed. Gl and congrats!!_

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

I don't know what to tell you to do, but if you start him with some formula to supplement and you feel that he is more satisfied and gaining weight as the ped recommended you may feel more at peace. Try to believe that no matter what you do you have not failed. Your beautiful little boy will tell you what he needs when all the world may be telling you different things. Good luck, I'm sure you will find you're rhythm together.

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

I had a cs as well and dd was born at 7 lbs 7 oz and dropped to 6lbs 13 oz. I gave her a bottle of formula while in the hospital and pumped twice. A day later my milk poured in and I was super engorged. Just give it time!

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

I could have written this word for word! My DS was born at 7lbs 6oz. Latched on right away with no problems. I kept asking his weight to make sure he was getting enough and they shrugged me off. LC's said I was doing great and there were no issues. On my last day I was told that my DS is now 6lbs 4oz!!!!!! I almost had a heart attack. He had been sleeping all the time and then they tell me he is jaundice and they will not release him unless I give him formula. They nurse had me pump to see what i was getting and I got 1 ounce over an hour and then I proceeded to drop it I cried for over two hours and finally gave in to the formula. I was MISERABLE. I continued to pump everyday and breast feed AND formula feed. Within a week my milk was in and I ripped him back off the formula. He is now 13 weeks and EBF. Ultimately I am OK that I gave in, the LC's tried to discourage me but I feel like the hospital nurses knew he was starving. I couldn't leave without him. His color was better in a few days and he is now right on track with weight. If I could do it again I would supplement because my Pediatrician told me he was starving the whole time in the hospital. I know he didn't mean I starved him but that's how I felt

All I can see is just keep pumping and BF to keep up your supply. A CS is hard on the body and sometimes the milk takes a while. Mine took SEVEN DAYS! but it did come in and I have a very nice supply now.

FM me if you want to talk

Message edited 4/16/2012 9:24:50 PM.

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

I too had a c-section and my ds lost weight and I became engorged so I had a LC come to my house at day 5 and she was worth her weight in gold I had to pump and give home Bm from a bottle since he was jaundice and tongue tied. We did talk about supplementing with formula. It might help you if you work with a LC at home. The have techniques for dealing with the scenario. I think that some pediatricians and OB aren't well educated about all the intricasies of breastfeeding. my peds office basically laughed at me when I told him my LC thought he was tongued tied but I still went ahead snipped it and he breastfeed like a champ ever since
Sorry for babbling
While you may only be a mom for a few days trust your instinct....
Hoping this is all a distant memory....

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

First of all, congratulations on the new addition!
You have a good latch and DC is nursing well, that's great!! That is really half the battle and so many breastfeeding moms have problems with that in the beginning (myself included).

Is your DC still having wet/poopy diapers? If so, I would not supplement and listen to your OB. So many peds are misinformed when it comes to breastfeeding and push for supplementing with formula. It's normal for babies to lose weight in the beginning. My DS was born 7lbs 7oz and went down to about 6lbs the first week or two. My ped (who is also a LC) said because he was still having wet diapers, she wasn't concerned and would only recommend supplementing if there was a fear of the baby being dehydrated.

You're doing great, mama! Keep doing what you're doing! I highly recommend checking out kellymom.com and LLLI.org (La Leche League Intl). Those sites contain a wealth of information for breastfeeding moms. There is also a breastfeeding support thread on this site.

Good luck and feel free to FM me if you ever need anything. I EBF my DS for 17 months and am currently EBF my 2.5 month old DD.

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

I had a c/s and my milk did not come in until day 4. DS and DD both lost almost a pound. I gave formula for the overnight feed and it really helped. After my milk came in I was really engorged. I would do both - nurse and then give the formula at night (have DH do it - so they can bond). After the first few nights I EBF DS for a year and DD for 6 months. I wish I was able to give DD more but I had gotten sick from a tick bite and had to stop. I think c/s effects when your milk comes in, so yes, I would give formula until you see your milk is in and then go to BF. Good luck!

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

I had a c-section too. DS was 8 lbs 1 oz at birth and left the hospital at 7 lbs 2 oz. I had to supplement, but that's because he ended up in the NICU at 2 days old with a fever (possibly due to dehydration). Once he was in the NICU, I was forced to supplement. I used a Supplemental Nursing System. I would pump after each feeding. At the next feeding I would combine the pumped colostrum and formula into the SNS. I was still BFing at each feeding. That way, there was no nipple confusion and my body still knew that I needed to produce milk every 2 or 3 hours. I had to use the SNS for maybe 3 or 4 days. My milk came in by day 4. After that, DS had no issues gaining weight.

Message edited 4/17/2012 7:09:27 AM.

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

Hey, did your milk even come in yet? It is still VERY early. . . you are fine. If you want to supplement - that is fine. How about pumping? You can nurse first and then pump. Is Joe home with you for a few days to help out??

Text me! Any time day or night!

PS I supplemented for two weeks and then was able to BF (pumping) for a year so don't even worry about it!!!


Also, AM lost a pound in the hospital as well and was jaundice - they make it sound really scary but its actually really common. . .

LC is covered under insurance, see if you can find one who can come to the house. I have BCBS and I talked to three on the phone.

Message edited 4/17/2012 7:32:29 AM.

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

I just had the same experience with my DS. He was born at 8 10, he dropped down to 7 13 the day before discharge. I had a bad experience with my DD being put on formula with out my consent last time around so I was adamant not to do it unless I had to...she was in NICU while the hospital was under construction so by the time I would get there they'd already be feeding her

What worked to transition her off of formula and get my milk to come in quicker with this little guy is kangaroo care. Get the baby diaper only skin on skin on top of you. Let him cluster feed as much as he needs to. It will speed up the process a lot. Your milk should be coming in shortly anyway.

I would listen to the LC consultant. If your los bilirubin levels are really high I'd supplement a bit but thats it. If he's having wet and dirty diapers he's getting some milk, he's not starving. Try and drink tons of water too. Good luck!!

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

I know exactly how you feel. My DD lost a pound in the hospital too, and it scared the hell out of me. Sometimes all the IV fluids or Pitocin can delay your milk from coming in. It does come in, so don't panic, but you may have to do a few things to coax your body along.

I nursed every two hours, pumped, and then offered the pumped milk to her. This helped boost my supply and got her weight back up and over birth weight by the time she was two weeks old. The LC in my hospital said that BM has more calories than formula, so I was better off pumping than supplementing. Not gonna lie, it was really, really hard. I was able to stop by about 3ish weeks. Lots of skin to skin, oatmeal (the steel cut kind you cook), lots of water (1 cup/hour), maybe Fenugreek if you need a serious boost.

Call and LC if you're concerned about supply issues. They'll be able to give you a better plan of action than any of us can. In the meantime, hang in there mama.

Message edited 4/17/2012 7:57:39 AM.

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

sorry to hear you're having trouble...as if caring for a newborn isn't stressful enough. Babies can lose up to 10% of their body weight and still be within normal range. Also, all newborns really need is colostrum. Nature has designed it so that they don't need more substantial food source until a mother's milk comes in...which is around 72 hours, though a c-section can delay that. No matter what you choose, if you want to keep BFing, just remember to put DS to the breast every two hours. Your milk will come in....just relax, trust your body, trust your mommy instincts and do what you have to do to care for your baby. Congrats!!

Re: Issues with breastfeeding - long

Thanks everyone It's very reassuring to read others' success stories with the same issue. I'm going to start pumping today and see if that helps. Thanks again!