need help

hello ladies! my baby girl will be 2 months old tomorrow. I have been breastfeeding her from the beginning, she has been a good feeder up until last night. Starting last night she would latch on, suck for a few minutes, get frustrated and start screaming. I think my supply has decreased and she has had too many bottles lately. I have tried expressing some milk to get her to latch but that only lasts for a minute or two. then she becomes extremely frustrated if there is not milk right there for her. Has anyone else had this problem or know of a remedy? I have noticed that when I pump there is not even half as much as earlier last week. The only change is that last night she slept 8 1/2 hours. Should I pump in the middle of the night to keep up my supply? will i never get 8 hours of continuous sleep again? :)

[tiredbuthappy]

don't fret- you will get sleep! However, since you're still pretty early in the game, you may want to consider that middle of the night pump until your supply is stable. If you want to skip it (and I don't blame you!) then you have to make up for it during the day. I have always spent the same total amount of time pumping each day- the distribution changes and the number of pumping sessions changes, but the total time spent pumping has always remained the same for me. So, when she started to sleep longer, I either had to pump extra sessions during the day, or pump much longer sessions during the day to keep up my supply.

However, you sudden drop seems drastic, and it's quite possible that the longer stretches at night are bringing on hormonal changes and that your period may be returning. If this is the case, your supply should bounce back after you get your period.

[bny807]

My supply dropped quite dramatically right before i started my period again - i was only 6 weeks post partum i think.. it returned back to normal though! :)   but they say that when baby starts sleeping longer thru the night it can trigger your period to return. SHe is sleeping 7 hours, i usually wake up by 4 or 5 hours and get up and pump, if i accidently go 5 hours slpeeing then i too try to pump every 2 hours in the day to keep up supply.. Good luck and congrats with keeping it up this long - its not an easy thing to do whatsoever!!!

[britni84]

thank you ladies!! I seem to be doing better, She seems to be getting enough, although she hasnt' been sleeping throught the night this week, up every 3 hours... not sure what I'm doing wrong! I want to BF till she's a year at least...

[Super_sally888]

Sounds like she is going through a growth spurt.  They drink a lot more frequently when this happens.  Don't worry, it is perfectly normal and things will settle down again soon.  You're doing great and no reason you won't be able to bf as long as you want. :)

[nicole179]

it doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong to me.  i have always heard that sleeping through the night simply means that she doesn't have her nights and days confused. so that could mean 3 hours spurts or 7 hours, but as long as she is not awake all night and sleeping all day then she is sleeping through the night. this made me feel better when my son was waking every 3 hours, hope it makes you feel better too. hang in there.

[britni84]

thank you so much! sometimes i feel like i'm going at this alone, my husband has no clue and my mom has been out of the game for a long time! Avery has slept 7-8 hours the past couple nights, but doesn't nap well during the day. I'm hoping that gets  better with time. I think she was going through a growth spurt, only lasted a few days. seems like we get a routine down and something changes... :) But, its so worth it!!!!

[DoulaSummer]

By too many bottles are you meaning formula?  If so, stop using formula now if you want to continue breastfeeding and increase yours supply.  She will increase the amount of times she feeds, but give it a week and your body will catch up and she will be good.

Eat oatmeal to help  your supply increase.  Not the instant kind - real oatmeal.

If you are giving bottles, you still need to be pumping every time she is feeding otherwise you are telling your body you don't need milk for that feeding.  I would encourage you to pump after she is done feeding just to stimulate your body. You are likely not to get anything out, but you are signaling your body to produce.

As for sleeping through the night - she is 2 months old!  She is new to the world and likely not ready to sleep through the night.  Switching to formula will not help that!  Sleeping through the night means exactly what someone else said - baby not having nights and days confused and sleeping for at least 4 hours at a time at night.  Actually sleeping through the night may not come for months or even over a year.