milk not coming in after c section

[nextbigthing]

I had my c section 8 days ago and my milk still hasn't really come in. My baby screams when he tries to nurse and if I try to hand express to get him going I may get 2 drops. He has lost a lot of weight since birth 8lb12oz down to 7lb8oz today), the pediatrician told me today at this point the milk my not come in and formula is ok, we need to get some weight on baby.

I'm torn on this. I felt like I did ok w the colostrum, they had me supplement a little in the hospital, but now he rarely has a dirty or wet diaper and I'm not sure what to do.

I wasn't sold on breastfeeding when I was pregnant but once he was here I felt like I really wanted to nurse some and then supplement especially once I'm back at work.

I'm looking for others experiences and thoughts. Should I just give up and go straight to formula? He likes the formula and tolerates it well. Or should I keep trying to nurse even though the baby seems to not like nursing because there isn't much there (He's to the point where he screams when I put him to my breast). I haven't tried pumping, the doctor didn't seem to think it would matter at this point.

I feel uneducated and confused and very sad. I hate to give up and look back with big regrets, but I hate to not feed my child properly more.

This turned out really long, thanks for reading this far

Thanks

[ijack]

Hugs!
I would definitely do some formula. You could do it via a SNS (supplemental nursing system) if BF is important to you and it would hopefully keep him happy and stimulate your breast. Or you could put him to the breast each time and then give him the bottle.
Good luck!

[thebreakfastclub]

My milk came in 6 days post c/s. I did nothing to encourage it, as I decided pretty quickly to formula feed.

I don't know what advice to give long term, but the lack of diapers is concerning. I would give formula tonite and get help tomorrow.

[kershnic]

At this point, yes, you should give some formula. It is good for your baby and does not mean you've failed.

If you are passionate about breastfeeding, yes, pump everytime baby gets formula. My babies were in the NICU and my milk came in while pumping. It definitely helps. You also probably want to talk to a lactation consultant. It's possible you have a problem with insufficient glandular tissue which does make bfing very very difficult.

Are you drinking water and eating enough? Have you tried anything like oatmeal or mothers milk tea?

[estrellita]

I'm kinda glad you posted this because I'm in a similar situation. 10 days pp, E won't nurse, just drops when I pump. We've been using formula and just mixing the small amount of milk I get into the bottle. I'm pumping every time E eats a bottle. I just started taking fenugreek and brewers yeast to see if that will help.

We tried the SNS system and found it to be frustrating. It worked to get him nursing, but we can't have feeding be a two person job every time.

I've been extremely hard on myself so I should probably take my own advice, but try not to stress. I would start supplementing, call a LC, and try until you don't feel it's worth it anymore. Personally I'm running myself into the ground trying every possible thing, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend that. I don't think anyone else should feel the way I do, so hopefully you will feel better about moving on to formula than me. Good luck!

[kershnic]

Also - get baby evaluated for a tongue tie because that can cause a poor latch which in turn doesn't stimulate you enough.

And try nursing at times when baby is not starving - so give formula and then maybe an hour later try nursing, or give a little less formula than baby wants and then try nursing at the end of a feeding session. If baby just gets mad about nt getting enough you'll both get unhappy and frustrated.

[barefootcontessa]

Hugs. Did you have a difficult birth and did you receive a lot of fluids? His birth weight may be elevated because of fluids you received. And a traumatic birth can definitely delay your milk coming in. The no dirty diaper thing is obviously highly concerning. I would try to find a doctor who specialized in breastfeeding. These persons are usually pediatricians who then focus on breastfeeding. Did they tell you why you needed to supplement in the hospital? A few times my milk did not come in until after I left the hospital (so after four days from c-s) and I was never told I needed to supplement.

[spankswife]

The exact same thing happened to me! I had a c section, colostrum was fine, but she kept losing weight. My nipples were cracked and bleeding by 2 weeks from her trying so hard. The nurse said she had never seen anything as bad. I eventually got up to 8-10 oz/day but she needed 24. By 3 weeks I was fully switched over to formula. Emotionally it was hard, but my baby was starving.

She is now almost 5, very bright, and very healthy. In the long run, the amount of stress it caused me was not worth the difference in using formula.

You can maybe give formula but try to drink a ton of water, make sure you are eating (I was so stressed I think this was part of my problem, I wasn't taking care of me), try fenugreek. You can try the pumping technique that is supposed to increase your supply. Honestly though, if you have to give your baby formula it is not the end of the world. The piece of mind of her thriving is worth everything. Lots of hugs!

[nextbigthing]

Mar 2, 2015 17:45:21 GMT -5 kershnic said:

Also - get baby evaluated for a tongue tie because that can cause a poor latch which in turn doesn't stimulate you enough.

And try nursing at times when baby is not starving - so give formula and then maybe an hour later try nursing, or give a little less formula than baby wants and then try nursing at the end of a feeding session. If baby just gets mad about nt getting enough you'll both get unhappy and frustrated.

Thanks for the response, no tongue tie, we checked that right away bc BFF is a nurse and both of her kids had it

[curbsideprophet]

I would give formula and then try to nurse before he gets really hungry. I would also start pumping. You need to pump so you body knows it should be making milk when you are supplementing. I agree that it is not too late. I would also try to talk to someone more experienced with breastfeeding since your pedi does not sound overly helpful. Hang in there, the early days are so hard. Congrats on your little one!

[arch01]

I'll chime in later because that's what happened to us. Off to work right now, but huge hugs. Breastfeeding is tough.

[nextbigthing]

Mar 2, 2015 17:45:25 GMT -5 barefootcontessa said:

Hugs. Did you have a difficult birth and did you receive a lot of fluids? His birth weight may be elevated because of fluids you received. And a traumatic birth can definitely delay your milk coming in. The no dirty diaper thing is obviously highly concerning. I would try to find a doctor who specialized in breastfeeding. These persons are usually pediatricians who then focus on breastfeeding. Did they tell you why you needed to supplement in the hospital? A few times my milk did not come in until after I left the hospital (so after four days from c-s) and I was never told I needed to supplement.

Hi, thanks for responding. I had a scheduled c section that was quick (in and out of the operating room nursing the baby in about 45 minutes total)and non dramatic, went really well (he was breech), I did get fluids and they did say that could definitely contribute to weight loss, but we're talking an hours worth of an IV before the c section


The lactation consultant, nurse, my pedi and my ob actually all wanted me to supplement at night in the hospital bc he was just screaming for food and the colostrum wasn't cutting it. I felt like when all 4 of these experts recommended it, it was the right thing to do. plus, it broke my heart to have a hungry baby.


When I have bf in the last few days, he sits on each breast for up to an hour. I gave him one of the 2oz rtf similac bottles about an hour ago, he drank it in about 20 min, burping twice, and has been asleep on my chest happy as a calm since.

[jorja]

I would absolutely give formula now, because the lack of diapers is concerning. But, this by no means has to be the end of breastfeeding.

Call a LC as soon as you can, and try the stuff mentioned here (skin to skin especially...it helps with the crazy hormones too!). I would also look into renting a hospital grade pump and pumping every 2-3 hours, for a couple minutes after the last drops to signal your body to make more.

There's definitely still a good chance things could turn around. My milk didn't come in until day 5 with a vaginal birth, and I now have a great supply, and nursing is going well.

These things were my saving grace the first few weeks when I was really sore.
www.lansinoh.com/products/soothies-by-lansinoh-gel-pads

Also, there's absolutely nothing wrong with formula. It's specifically made to provide great nutrition to your baby, and I'm sure he will do great if that's what turns out to be best for you guys!

Lots of hugs!

[lauren170]

DD ended up in the ER for no wet diapers for 12 hours. Definitely supplement and pump every 3 hour. I stopped breastfeeding/pumping at 10 weeks because my supply never was enough for her and the pumping was exhausting on top of a baby who cried around the clock. Formula worked great for us, no regrets.

[Deleted]

Definitely keep supplimenting and you can still try breast feeding if you want. I would think pumping may help. If you are interested, meet with an LC again. At this point baby definitely needs food:)

[curbsideprophet]

DD liked to have hour long nursing sessions when she was a newborn. Are you waking to feed every three hours from the start of the previous feeding?

[sjh722]

Mar 2, 2015 18:05:02 GMT -5 jorja said:

I would absolutely give formula now, because the lack of diapers is concerning. But, this by no means has to be the end of breastfeeding.

Call a LC as soon as you can, and try the stuff mentioned here (skin to skin especially...it helps with the crazy hormones too!). I would also look into renting a hospital grade pump and pumping every 2-3 hours, for a couple minutes after the last drops to signal your body to make more.

There's definitely still a good chance things could turn around. My milk didn't come in until day 5 with a vaginal birth, and I now have a great supply, and nursing is going well.

These things were my saving grace the first few weeks when I was really sore.
www.lansinoh.com/products/soothies-by-lansinoh-gel-pads

Also, there's absolutely nothing wrong with formula. It's specifically made to provide great nutrition to your baby, and I'm sure he will do great if that's what turns out to be best for you guys!

Lots of hugs!

Ditto. It took my milk at least 5 days to come in after a vaginal birth and I was able to breastfeed until 17 months. We gave her an ounce of formula after nursing for a day or so, then she was off and running. (She was also not having wet diapers and had dropped from 8lb 10 oz to something like 7lb 8 oz, and I did not have many fluids.)

A lot of doctors give terrible BF advice. I'd try to find a LC and see if you can set up an appointment.

No matter how it turns out, you are doing great. Formula is great, breastmilk is great, but if you want to keep BF you very well may still be able to. Good luck!  

[nextbigthing]

Mar 2, 2015 18:09:53 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

DD liked to have hour long nursing sessions when she was a newborn. Are you waking to feed every three hours from the start of the previous feeding?

He likes two hour long feeding sessions (almost an hour per side) the last couple days, but yes, I've been waking about every 3.5 hours to feed him.

[pugz]

oh gosh it is so hard. My milk didn't really come in for at least a week. I would breastfeed, then supplement with formula, then pump. Ultimately the pumping didn't yield more than an ounce a day, after a month of that routine, so I stopped.

I would get in to see an LC as soon as possible, or look for one that can come out to your house and help you put together a feeding/supply building plan. Many moms combo feed, that is what we did for 13 weeks.

[thatgirl2478]

With DD1 I had the same issue - at this point I wouldn't hesitate to give formula. The baby needs to eat and you need peace of mind that the baby is growing adequately. BF'ing is great, but sometimes it doesn't work and it's OK to stop trying. It does not make you a bad Mom to throw in the towel on something that's not working for you guys. However, if you want to keep trying go for it, just make sure that baby gets the nutrition it needs.

[arch01]

Ok, I'm back

My milk didn't come in for close to 10 days. I was hell bent on breastfeeding. I had no fears of labor and delivery, but I had a horrible fear that I wouldn't be able to BF. I was hysterically crying at 2w PP, telling DH that I couldn't believe that my body couldn't feed my baby. It was bad. Really, really bad.

We had to start supplementing in the hospital. He was losing weight, but I kept telling myself that his weight was artificially inflated anyway due to the fluids and c/s. No one brought that up. We did weighed feeds and he wasn't getting much of anything. I was starving my kid.

My suggestions:

-Get to a LC. Have them watch, do a weighed feed.
-Try a SNS. It's messy, and though it didn't work for us (DS never learned to effectively transfer milk), I know several people who had it work for them.
-Feed at the breast, feed by bottle, pump. Rinse and repeat. I'm going to warn you though-it sucks. It really, really sucks. My life those first couple weeks was lived in 30-60 minute increments-30 minutes BFing, 30 minutes pumping, 60 minutes rest.

Only you can decide what to do and how much effort you want to put into breastfeeding. I practically killed myself those first few weeks trying to make it work, and I do not look back on those days fondly. My LC told me a couple weeks in that I wasn't going to produce enough to keep up with DS, but I could BF for me if I wanted-and still have to feed him a bottle. We did that once a day for 6 months. I pumped until he was 11 months old-but never was able to give him 100% BM bottles. I produced usually 50-60% of what he needed each day.

At the end of the day-do what you need to do to feed your baby and take care of yourself. You are not uneducated. You came for support and you've been seeing your doctor. You're doing the right things. There's not a lot out there to prepare new moms for the problems that can come with breastfeeding. It's 100% OK to feel sad about breastfeeding troubles. I suggest you track what he's taking in-number of minutes at the breast and bottle amounts. I will say that an hour at each breast is more like comfort nursing than actually taking in milk. It's been too long for me to remember at this point, but there's charts out there that have suggestions/guidelines for intake based on number of weeks/months.

One more thing. You are not giving up if you decide that you want to go with 100% formula. You have tried and decided that something else worked better for you and your family. You are finished, you aren't giving up. Giving up implies failure, being finished implies that you did what's best for you and your family. Be proud of your attempts. Whatever you ultimately decide-be happy and at peace with your decision. It's a tough one to make, but you'll do what's best for you and your family.

[carolinagirl831]

Hugs, my milk took forever to come in post csection. I had high blood pressure, post eclampsia which my LC said can often can affect milk production.
At this point yes I'd supplement. It doesn't mean an end to BF. But your baby needs food and wet diapers.
Meet with an LC stat. They will help you figure out latch issues and help with milk production ideas.
Hang in there! You can do both, supplement and bf, it is ok!

[jeaniebueller]

Hugs to you. You have gotten some great advice. I would definitely be worried about the lack if wet or dirty diapers and give formula now. Like right now.

[potatopie]

My SIL had a c-section and it took about 10 days for her milk to come in. It was SUCH a frustrating experience for her, my brother, and the baby. But don't give up hope! As soon as it came in, things were smooth sailing after that. They supplemented with formula in the meantime and did a lot of breast stimulation.

[djc315]

It sounds like everyone else covered the basics, but I just wanted to offer hugs. I had a difficult time BFing after my c/s and I know it's rough. Be kind to yourself and know that breastfeeding isn't everything. If you really want it to work out, there is some great advice in here that will hopefully help you be successful. If not, formula is great too.

[jeaniebueller]

How are you doing today? I've been thinking about you.

[statlerwaldorf]

It took me a solid week for my milk to come in after both of my children. I supplemented with dd, but gave it a couple more days with ds and didn't need to supplement. Dd was smaller than ds, so she lost a larger percentage of her body weight.

I would keep drinking as much water and you can and keep nursing as much as possible. I still think there's a chance for your milk to come in. I would follow your doctor's recommendation to supplement and make an appointment with a LC.

[nextbigthing]

Mar 3, 2015 12:41:15 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

How are you doing today? I've been thinking about you.

Hi, thanks for asking! I'm doing ok. I did nurse yesterday but there really doesn't seem to be much there so I'd spend about an hour-90mins trying to nurse then giving him a bottle. I talked to the lc at the hospital but I'm not sure anymore that I want to continue. He handles the formula well and I'm trying to think long term for when I go back to work in 6 weeks. I think I'll nurse him while I can with what I can and get as much in him as possible plus bottles and then eventually transition to formula.

On the good news side, since he's been getting lots of formula we've had soaking wet diapers (he even leaked all over himself and the sheets one had so much pee!) And today we had the first dirty diaper in a week (big one!). I never knew how happy I'd be about his bodily habits!

Thanks for the support and advice, I haven't fully decided on anything yet which is why I'm still trying to nurse, but I'm definitely working through things.

[jeaniebueller]

That is great news about the pooping, lol. Hang in there, mama!

[azurely]

Mar 4, 2015 14:25:05 GMT -5 nextbigthing said:

Mar 3, 2015 12:41:15 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

How are you doing today? I've been thinking about you.

On the good news side, since he's been getting lots of formula we've had soaking wet diapers (he even leaked all over himself and the sheets one had so much pee!) And today we had the first dirty diaper in a week (big one!). I never knew how happy I'd be about his bodily habits!

It's amazing how exciting we get as moms about our kids' poop and pee

I'm glad you're feeling better about things!