cake glad LO is latching well and you have a supportive partner as you figure out this whole newborn feeding thing. You’re doing great. Be kind to yourself.
Unfortunately breastmilk tends to be demand then supply, so if baby isn’t transferring enough then the pump is the next best option for creating that demand. Demanding milk more frequently, either by increasing nursing session frequency or pump frequency or some combo, is the first key to increasing supply.
You can look into a supplemental nursing system if you want to feed formula at the breast & get more nipple stimulation that way too.
Are you working with an IBCLC? I’m guessing you did a weighted feed to estimate LO is transferring an oz per feed?
Any reason for the low supply that you know of? First thing to figure out is it a transfer problem on baby’s part (ex: tongue tie, lip tie, poor latch, palate abnormality) or something physiological on your end (ex: retained placenta, thyroid imbalance), or some combination of both.
IBCLC search- international certification but this is the USA link- IBCLC is a medical professional who may do home visits, clinic appointments, support groups. Insurance may cover. “Lactation consultant” or “Lactation counselor” is a general term that covers many levels of breastfeeding education or unfortunately lack thereof. There are great ones & not so great. IBCLC = International Board certified Lactation consultant, so there’s a standardized training and board exams to pass.
La Leche League (international org, this is USA link) is free peer support- phone calls, home visits, support groups. Also a good guide for navigating the professional resources in your area.
If in the USA, Breastfeeding USA also has free peer support counselors.
Fenugreek increases supply in some women and decreases supply in others, so keep an eye on it. It’s not recommended if you have blood sugar issues or thyroid issues.
Pumping- make sure your flanges fit well, make sure you’re lubricating before you pump (coconut oil, nipple cream, lanolin all options), warm compresses before & during pumping, and breast massage during & after can all help. Pumping is a learned skill, even more so than breastfeeding.
www.nancymohrbacher.com/articles/2012/6/27/to-pump-more-milk-use-hands-on-pumping.htmlBreast flange fit- under a spoiler cause I have no idea how big the pic is!
If you are supplementing formula or pumped milk via bottle, it is crucial to use paced feeding techniques to prevent flow preference which is very common this young. There are other ways to supplement if you wish- SNS, open cup, finger feeding, syringe feeding... many options.
www.lowmilksupply.org is a bit of a clunky website but has good info.
kellymom.com/hot-topics/low-supply/kellymom.com/hot-topics/newborn-nursing/ - love this article for general overview of newborn nursing
I know I just threw 6283 links at you, don’t mean to overwhelm, you’re still at a very flexible time in establishing milk supply and latch so there are many pieces to the puzzle. Remember you are the person best qualified to mother your child. And you can delegate things to your partner or another support person- like reading some articles, calling around to find support group times or make appointments, washing all your pumping gear, bringing you a daily milkshake, running you a bath, etc etc
