barbwong_130
Registered User
It sounds to me as if you are over feeding your baby when you ae giving the milk in a bottle.
If you imagine a breastfeed as a normal dinner with your husband - after it you feel OK - not too full and not too empty.
Now imagine going to a buffet and keeping eating until your body says you are full - in fact you have eaten too much - this is what tends to happen with a bottle. The milk keeps coming out so the baby keeps eating and eats past the full mark.
Now imagine that you were offered a piece of chocolate cake straight after your dinner but were too full to eat it. But 20 to 30 minutes later, when you're not so full, you think, "Well, I'd like that cake now." This is what happens to a baby when he asks for another feed shortly after his main feed. The solution is to give him the high fat snack ? i.e. another breastfeed (the milk has a higher fat content for these top up feeds - pumped milk especially from the morning is likely to have a higher sugar content).
The feel of your breasts after a feed is not a good indication of how much milk the baby has taken or how much the baby needs. It could be that you have more milk than the baby needs. 7 oz would be a huge feed for a only one month old. Also as your breast gets used to lactating they will become softer ? even when full of milk.
The way to tell if you baby is getting enough milk is to look at the baby?s output. You should be looking for:
At least six wet nappies in 24 hours
At least two dirty nappies in 24 hour for babies less than six weeks old
Baby feeding between 8 and 14 times in 24 hours
Weight gain over time ? average of 170 grams per week
Good skin tone
If these are happening then your baby is getting enough milk even if you still have milk in your breast after a feed. Most mothers produce more milk than the baby can drink ? this is normal and there to help us out when the baby has a growth spurt.
Most mothers who exclusively pump to give milk for their babies have a hard time keeping their supply. The reason for this is because they get bored with all the pumping and over time start to skip feeds. It is skipping feeds that is the problem not the pumping.
Please remember that breastfeeding is not just about supplying milk for your baby. It is about communicating with him, cuddling, keeping his temperature right, bonding, loving and hormones. Giving the milk in the bottle is just not the same.
Best wishes,
Barb
If you imagine a breastfeed as a normal dinner with your husband - after it you feel OK - not too full and not too empty.
Now imagine going to a buffet and keeping eating until your body says you are full - in fact you have eaten too much - this is what tends to happen with a bottle. The milk keeps coming out so the baby keeps eating and eats past the full mark.
Now imagine that you were offered a piece of chocolate cake straight after your dinner but were too full to eat it. But 20 to 30 minutes later, when you're not so full, you think, "Well, I'd like that cake now." This is what happens to a baby when he asks for another feed shortly after his main feed. The solution is to give him the high fat snack ? i.e. another breastfeed (the milk has a higher fat content for these top up feeds - pumped milk especially from the morning is likely to have a higher sugar content).
The feel of your breasts after a feed is not a good indication of how much milk the baby has taken or how much the baby needs. It could be that you have more milk than the baby needs. 7 oz would be a huge feed for a only one month old. Also as your breast gets used to lactating they will become softer ? even when full of milk.
The way to tell if you baby is getting enough milk is to look at the baby?s output. You should be looking for:
At least six wet nappies in 24 hours
At least two dirty nappies in 24 hour for babies less than six weeks old
Baby feeding between 8 and 14 times in 24 hours
Weight gain over time ? average of 170 grams per week
Good skin tone
If these are happening then your baby is getting enough milk even if you still have milk in your breast after a feed. Most mothers produce more milk than the baby can drink ? this is normal and there to help us out when the baby has a growth spurt.
Most mothers who exclusively pump to give milk for their babies have a hard time keeping their supply. The reason for this is because they get bored with all the pumping and over time start to skip feeds. It is skipping feeds that is the problem not the pumping.
Please remember that breastfeeding is not just about supplying milk for your baby. It is about communicating with him, cuddling, keeping his temperature right, bonding, loving and hormones. Giving the milk in the bottle is just not the same.
Best wishes,
Barb