Expert: ruth kraft - 4/21/2010

Question
QUESTION: my daughter is 2 months old.i had been exclusively breastfeeding her till 40 days and after that i started bottle feeding her with expressed milk since i have to go back to work.i have shift duties of 6hrs,that is somedays of a week i ahve morning shift from 7am to 1pm and other days from 4pm to 10pm.since i dont have to chance to express milk between work so i would like to know if it'll reduce my milk supply.is there a chance for my daughter have nipple confusion?after i come back home i only breastfeed her.

ANSWER: After this long of a time, it is unlikely that she will have nipple confusion. being gone 6 hours will only decrease your supply in that time, but the baby will nurse more frequently when you are home. She will make up for the missed feeding while you are gone. Nurse her right before you go to work and then again right when you get home, and then as often as she wants and she will still get enough. Your breasts will be very full when you arrive home and ready to nurse :)

Good job nursing! Be proud of yourself!

Ruth Kraft
If you want to join my monthly newsletter, please email me at Ruth@honoringwomen.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi thank you for the reply.from the past 2 days i feel my daughter is not drinking enough to fill her stomach cos every 1 hour she feels hungry.is it cos my supply has reduced.what can i do to increase my supply of milk?or is it cos she feels satisfied with the bottle?i am really worried because i want to continue breastfeeding atleast till 6 months.pls help

ANSWER: are you actually breastfeeding? or are you pumping and bottle feeding?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: except for the 6hrs i am at work,i am breasrfeeding and when i go for work i keep expressed milk with the caretaker for my daughter.

Answer
It sounds to me like she is going through a growth spurt where she wants to build more milk. However, if you are concerned and want to build more, eat a very high fiber diet or take a suppliment that is over the counter that has alot of fiber in it like metamucil ( we have that here in the US)  the more fiber you have in your diet, the more milk is easier to make. and continue nursing as often as she wants :)

I hope that helped.
Ruth Kraft
If you want to join my monthly tip newsletter, email me at Ruth@honoringwomen@gmail.com