So has anyone else looked at the CBC advice on the AK site?

ladybug · #1 (**permalink**) 16-05-09, 20:06

I have looked at all of one page, and am already sweating.

Sorry to bring it up again, ladies. If you go onto the homepage and click the breastfeeding link, you'll see all the stuff that has been posted from CBC.

Look at this: Low Milk Supply | Annabel Karmel

"I am worried that I don’t have enough milk. How can I check?

This is something many mothers worry about, and it is often the case that there isn't a problem with supply. It is difficult to accept that you can't measure how much your baby feeds, especially if you are more familiar with bottle feeding. If your baby is unsettled, there may be other reasons for this. Wind, nappy, overtired etc. Also, try to keep your baby on the breast until he comes off himself. Feed on demand, not to a schedule. If weight-gain is a concern, please consult the growth charts for breastfed babies, not formula fed.

Clare Byam-Cook says
If your baby is unsettled and not gaining weight, he is not getting enough milk. Using a breast pump is the best way to check whether this is because your supply is low or because he is not sucking well enough to get all the milk out. Don't try and use a pump in the early weeks. Chances are your baby is suckling fine, check position and attachment.You can establish which it is by offering a top-up immediately after he has finished feeding on the breast; if he drinks some milk this shows that he wanted more than he got from the breast.Again, don't start mixing bottle teats and breast in the early weeks. Just keep that baby on the boob!

You should then immediately use your pump to see how much milk was left in the breast compared with how much he took from the bottle; if you can easily express the same amount your supply is fine and it is his feeding that is the problem. If you can’t express any milk, then your supply is low.Many many many mums cannot express even half an ounce, despite having a bounteous supply...

Another simple way of checking is to substitute several breast feeds with a bottle FFS and then use the pump to see how much milk you can express at each feed compared with the amount he took from the bottle."

This advice would be awful for someone who has a poor supply. Worst bit is, it's a commonly asked question and this advice sucks... (no pun intended...)

jewel · #2 (**permalink**) 16-05-09, 20:15

If I had to fiddle about with a pump I know it would have stressed me out more (not everyone can express easily)

Come on LB, tell all the ladies what you'd recommend

ladybug · #3 (**permalink**) 16-05-09, 20:19

I've edited it to add comments

sarahdavid · #4 (**permalink**) 16-05-09, 20:41

Hmmmm, I'm off to have a look now! x

djmc1812 · #5 (**permalink**) 16-05-09, 21:27

I managed to breast feed for a year and my little boy gained weight just right, but when i first started to express milk (just to have some in the freezer so i could spend a few hours away) i was surprised to see how little i could get out. It took a fair few weeks to get the hang of expressing and that was without the worry of thinking about low supplies.

CarlaK · #6 (**permalink**) 16-05-09, 22:41

[quote=ladybug;187270]I have looked at all of one page, and am already sweating.
QUOTE]

Sorry LB but this made me laugh out loud!

I am kind of trying to avoid because I had some many problems that 'know it all experts' can send me into a tiz! I will have a read through at some point I think- even if it is to see what is making you 'sweat'!

ladybug · #7 (**permalink**) 16-05-09, 22:58

you know what I'm like!

Claire76 · #8 (**permalink**) 17-05-09, 11:03

Eeeeeeeeek is all I'm saying!

Without wanting to open a whole can of extremely wriggly worms again, it's stuff like this why if I had another I would go straight to bottle. I had major problems bf Finlay and even just reading the above is too much for my brain to handle and I'm way past that stage now. Such conflicting advice all the time, no wonder women get low

deekayel · #9 (**permalink**) 19-05-09, 20:44

I've had experience of following similar advice to Clare Byam-Cook's regarding expresssing from health care professionals with ds1 and resisting similar advice with ds2. Guess which one I've succeeded in returning to exclusive breastfeeding with?

LittleMissMe · #10 (**permalink**) 19-05-09, 21:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claire76

Eeeeeeeeek is all I'm saying!

Without wanting to open a whole can of extremely wriggly worms again, it's stuff like this why if I had another I would go straight to bottle. I had major problems bf Finlay and even just reading the above is too much for my brain to handle and I'm way past that stage now. Such conflicting advice all the time, no wonder women get low

that really saddens me that you've been made to feel like that. The only advice I give people now is to chill out and go with the flow (so to speak!). Babies have the natural instinct to feed and to take what they need when they need it so I've always just fed on demand and let my babies stay there as long as they want as often as they want. Far too much stressing and questions before people even attempt to BF which imo makes the experience difficult and unpleasant.