? on Breast Milk & need some other help

[molley21]

HI, I was just wondering if there is any way of telling weather or not my breast milk is supplementing my 2 week old enough, I'm not breast feeding, just expressing into a bottle. I'm worried about this because I've been trying to lose my baby fat so I havn't been eating as much (I'll eat probably 2 meals a day, if that!!!), so I guese you could say I'm feeling a little guilty, shes gone from eating every 3 hours to every 1 - 2 hours, thats just started today though and her feeds have stayed the same size approx 50mL, 60mL & 70mL. How do I get her out of this? I have had like an hour sleep today and last night, because when I'll just be dozing off she'll start stirring for a feed, and also when shes done,she'll fall asleep on my chest and as soon as I put her down in her bed she'll wake and start crying, the sleep thing has been going on for a while and as you can probably guess, I am extremely exhausted and I need some help!!!! To tell you the truth actually I feel like I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. :( ....SOS
P.S sorry if this doesn't make sence, I'm only running on an hour sleep and I feel very spaced out.

[misslollipop]

your doing fine, keep at it you will soon fall into a feeding routine, at 2 weeks old they tend to feed every 2 hrs cause they are going through a growth spurt, my little boy is 10 weeks old and has only started 4 hr feeds,at night and 2 hrs during the day, but with you eating only 2 meals a day you need to eat more it will give you more energy, i'm like a pig eating cause ur body needs food to produce milk plus i think u will feel better, don't worry about the baby fat at the moment u only had bub 2 weeks ago it isn't going to go away over night, one other thing let her stir for a feed cause she might not be hungry maybe just needing to burb or something, they tend to sleep alot in the 1st 4 weeks so as soon as she is asleep go to sleep, don't make the mistake i did and not sleep during the day cause i was so exhausted and am now only getting 4 hrs solid sleeps now, if u fall asleep u will wake up when she needs a feed it seems to be a mothers instinct to wake like 5 mins before she wakes, maybe try and co sleep i put bub into bed next to me at the 6 am feed and during the day i have him sleep out in the lounge room so he is near me, you will get through it. being a mum for the 1st time isn't easy i have called my friend up so many time asking for advice so i hope this helps you

[sck08]

you need to eat more!  you need as many calories as when you were pregnant to keep up your milk supply.  feed the baby more often during the day so the baby wont need as much during the night...every 2 hours is expected...if you really need sleep like i did at that point have someone else get up and feed the baby.

[Trialanderror]

If you want to be sure your newborn is getting enough, check how many wet diapers she has per day. It should be around 7 or 8. If not, she would be dehydrated. And within a another few weeks your doctor would be able to tell by her weight gain if she`s doing well. On breastmilk they usually feed every 2 hours, note: that`s from beginning of one feeding to the next. So if the feeding takes 30 or 45 minutes, it may seem that you she is feeding in shorter intervals. As for the sleep deprivation, it gradually gets better by itself. It is true what they say though, the only way to sanity is if you nap when baby naps

[cutiemama]

I know you want to lose the baby weight but you really need to eat healthful foods packed with protein, calories and some good fat. You should also be taking a multivitamin or prenatal while you're nursing as well. Feeding every hour or two is totally normal and the more she eats, the more milk you'll produce. This is a very tough time but it will pass soon enough.

[AndiJ78]

I agree with the other posters, to make good milk you have to eat. The baby weight can wait, if you nurse frequently it will melt off on its own. I didn't have to diet and in fact continued eating 2500 calories a day and lost all 50 lbs from my first and second within 2-3 weeks PP. With CJ I didn't have an appetite and wasn't eating well, it impacted both of us. I lost my pregnancy weight and then some in 10 days and we both were suffering. I started eating better and we both thrived.

My boys, especially in the beginning months, ate every hour to two hours, day and night. Nursing directly is much more effective than the pump at drawing out your milk and ensuring your baby gets both the foremilk and hindmilk at each sitting. The best way to know baby is getting enough is to count diapers, 8-10 is a good average for wet diapers. And of course weight gain beyond the initial weight loss following d/c from the hospital.