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Breastfeeding/inadequate milk supply?

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Expert: - 9/13/2005


Question
Hi there,  I have a two and a half week old son.  He has been latching on well as far as I can tell.  He seems to cluster feed.  At night he sleeps for three hour blocks about three times.  The night feedings usually last 20 minutes on each breast.  After waking for the day, he will want to feed every hour or hour and a half for the majority of the day, with the exception of a nap in the afternoon.  Each feeding lasts approximately 30-40 minutes.  He feeds strong for the first 20 or so minutes and then begins to drift.  I usually have to pry him off when he is sleeping more than eating.  He rarely pops off on his own.  Recently however, it seems as though he cannot get enough to eat from me. Once a day, usually in the late evenings, he will want to feed continuously for over an hour.  If I pull him off to burp, he will scream until he is put back on.  On these occasions, after an hour and a half, I will give in and supplement.  He usually eats 40-60 ccs of formula before he is happy.  Could I not be providing enough milk for him?  I do hear him swallowing, even gulping in the beginning.  

Answer
Dear Stephanie,

First, congratulations for giving your son the best start in life by breastfeeding him!

An irregular schedule like your son's is not unusual, although it can be really distressing. The best way to check whether he is getting enough milk is to check his diapers. In my book (see below), I provide a chart to get this information. I'll give it to you, below.

Actually, as I also say in my book, giving your baby formula may be sabotaging the course of breastfeeding -- unless he is truly not getting enough and is in danger of dehydration. As I write: Do not test for hunger by offering your baby a bottle after a nursing. Many infants have such a strong urge to suck that they'll often take milk from a bottle even when they are not hungry. (Doing this may sabotage the course of breastfeeding, since some babies enjoy the ease of getting milk from a bottle and are less motivated to work a little harder at the breast. Furthermore, offering a bottle too soon can cause temporary nipple confusion, which you may need professional help to reverse.)

If you have access to a lactation consultant or a breastfeeding-knowledgeable doctor, I would suggest consulting them as far as your baby's weight gain is concerned.

Meanwhile, here is the relevant information from the chart:A baby from 6 to 30 days of age should have 8 to 10 yellowish bowel movements a day (normally 1 after each feeding). He should also have 6 to 8 wet diapers a day.

Good luck and best regards,

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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