Hungry babie

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How do mothers who exclusively breastfeed their child actually manage!??? I mean my baby(2weeks now) is super hungry even after my feed..first of all i think my milk supply is ok cause before feed my breasts are hard..I offer one side she feeds more than 20 mins on it..i can hear her gulp and she is latched on..after sometime(after 20mins and when she is half asleep and has slowed down feeding) I take her off it and check if milk supply is there..its slow but its there..so now i offer the other side(cracked one:() she feeds on it for 10 15mins then falls asleep..no milk supply on this side after feed..I then put her on my chest to burp..After less than 15mins she wakes up crying and hungry like crazy..sucking her fingers and crying like she hasnt been fed in ages..I then have to give her the bottle..2 oz formula..she then falls asleep after feeding(sometimes 2oz fully sometimes just 1oz)
What am I doing wrong? I am a first time mom and i feel hell guilty for not being able to feed her properly:bummer: :frowning:

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Re: Hungry babie

^ don't feel guilty! mA she has such a healthy appetite. maybe your milk flow isn't fast enough for her so she only half drinks and then falls asleep. when she does that, try to wake her up. gently blow on her face or tickle her feet. get her to fill up.

also, supplementing with formula is ok- there is nothing wrong with that, so please don't feel bad about it. be happy that even if she's getting half her feed from you, its *some*thing. many of us weren't able to give our kids even that.

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Re: Hungry babie

I was having the same issues with my one week old. for first two days he literally sucked on me for 48 hours, the moment i put him down, he became all fussy. Since i exclusively breastfed my older one for 18 months, i know there are no issues of not having enough milk. So i went to the lactation consultant in my local hospital. The thing is some babies feed faster than others some dont. but the milk that comes in beginning of a feed is not that full of fat and full fat milk comes gradually and usually at the end of the feed when breasts are almost empty. Full fat milk or hind milk is obviously more filling and satisfying as it has more fat content. So she recommended that i dont switch breasts untill she is actively feeding and in my babies case he was actively feeding even if his consecutive sucking was minutes apart coz his jaw movements were strong. After that she suggested that i should burp the baby and then offer the other breast. he may or may not take it but thats fine.
secondly he is just two weeks old his stomach is still small and breast milk digests easily. So he gets hungry more often. I agree to SGC that there is nothing wrong in supplementing with formula. If you are getting less sleep because of this try giving one bottle at night time so that he stays full for longer and you can catch up on some sleep.

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Hungry babie

I think your baby is only getting the foremilk. This is the thinner milk. Hindmilk comes after the foremilk. I think you are switching sides before your baby gets hindmilk. Hindmilk is of creamier consistency and is basically all the fat in the milk. Foremilk is mostly water.
Try to feed baby more than how much you are feeding now. Try to empty first side before switching. This will be more fulfilling to the baby's stomach and will ensure that baby is getting all the fat present in breastmilk.
Hope this helps. :)

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Hungry babie

Oh and yeh I didn't read the post above before posting. I think it's the same thing tht I mentioned.

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Thanks SGS that made me feel better..before that I kept on comparing myself to mothers who exclusively breastfed their babies hence the guilt

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I try to keep her at my breast as long as she wants but now she eats for 5 10mins then slows down until she is sucking like minute apart..
im exhausted..takes one hour each nursing session..and after one hour she is hungry again..plus the pain during letdown and cracked nipples:hinna: will it get better? I thought it gets fine by the second week but its gotten worse:(

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i assume by the time hind milk comes she stops nursing..falls asleep..and wakes up after 5mins hungry as ever:teary1:

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Hungry babie

Bottle feeding is so much more easier wish there wasnt any guilt attached to it:cryb:

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Hungry babie

Lol, I bottle feed the breast milk. And its been five months now. I have never felt guilty. Lol infact I feel proud if myself that even if the latching didn't work for me and my baby, or say we couldn't really do it. But I kept it going. And been successful at feeding my baby breastmilk exclusively. Can't really say much about how long it takes to get better, cuz I breadtfed only for first 3 days and then started pumping exclusively.
Just one thing, wake the baby up when she sleeps while feeding. Try not to let her make it a habit.
Hang in there, things get under control eventually.
Hugs

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Re: Hungry babie

congratz sahr. may Allah shower all blessing on your baby. Aamen.

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Hungry babie

Thank u sta I did pray for u during labour:) iv posted pics in my blog go check:D

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I meant formula has guilt attached to it..dont have an electric pump..trying to find one here in karachi..i did pump for the first few days with a manual pump but its even more painful..lets see what happens pray for me:)

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Re: Hungry babie

jazakAllah khair. Yes, I can feel your duwa.

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haaain suchi or r u being sarcastic:emmy:?

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haaain suchi or r u being sarcastic:emmy:?

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Re: Hungry babie

manual pumps are torture devices. i honestly don't know why they even make them.

have you had her latch checked by a nurse or a midwife? an incorrect latch usually is the culprit behind the cracked and sore nipples.

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I am kind of afraid of electric pumps..u sure it doesnt hurt..does it pump too fast or is it like a baby's suck?
No not yet my FIL had his open heart surgery yesterday so I'll go later this week..i just figured that sore nipples r due to engorgement..and now when I feed her its the pressure on the areola that hurts while feeding..but its better than before alhamdolilah..cracked nipple is also healing i guess..
Should the nipple b sideways or at the center of baby's mouth?

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Re: Hungry babie

its normal. a lot of my friends have gone through the same thing and so have i. i almost lost my mind over it! hehe. after my baby was born i felt like i lived only in my bedroom as he was always feeding and feeding! it gets easier as your baby gets older.

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Hungry babie

A vein inside my breast hurts bad..like it has been stretched too much..weird