Breastfeeding your baby can be challenging. Knowing when to reach out for help is important.
Breastfeeding support is crucial in allowing you to meet your feeding goals. Let’s dive into some
red flags to look for when breastfeeding.
When to reach out for help:
● If baby is not gaining enough weight. Weight loss of 7-10% can happen by day 3 or 4 and
is normal. After that we look for about 0.75-1oz of weight gain per day for the first 3 months of
life. Babies who are gaining less than this may not be eating enough. A full feeding assessment
to ensure that they are taking in enough is the first step.
● If someone is suggesting supplementing. Supplementing (feeding your baby more milk
after they nurse at the breast) with expressed breastmilk, donor milk or formula is sometimes
very necessary. Feeding the baby is always #1! Issues arise though when pediatricians or
providers suggest supplementation but are not doing a full feeding assessment and providing
ways to protect your milk supply. We also want to make sure that the amounts being
supplemented are appropriate based on how much the baby is eating at the breast.
● If baby is never satisfied after feedings or is too sleepy to wake for feedings. Babies that
are not taking in enough calories will either be very fussy and never seem satisfied or they will
shut down to conserve energy by getting extra sleepy. Newborns will eat 10-12 times per 24
hours. Older infants will eat 6-10 times per day depending on intake. If your baby is sleeping
through feedings they may need to be woken for feeds. If they are never satisfied we will need
to work on increasing their intake each feeding.
● If latching your baby hurts. Latching takes practice but it should not be painful! Ensure that
baby is very close to you when attempting to latch. Their body should be touching yours with
their tummy on your tummy. Your baby's chin should touch your breast first and then they
should latch with the bottom lip first and the upper lip touching last. Your baby's cheeks should
be touching your breast and you should not be able to see their lips. If you feel like their nose is
being squished into your breast, then slide your baby towards their feet so that their chin tilts up
and frees the nose. Check out this video for a great example! If you are having latching trouble
get hands on help sooner rather than later!
● If baby is having trouble latching. Some babies have challenges when attempting to latch.
They can slide off the nipple, won’t open their mouth or start sucking. The first step is making
sure that positioning while nursing is good. Sometimes though, these issues can be caused by
tongue or lip ties, feeding reflexes not firing properly, medications given during birth, body
tensions or asymmetries and more. In some rare cases the nursing parents anatomy can play a
role. An advanced skills IBCLC Lactation Consultant can do a full infant assessment to
determine what the cause of the latching trouble is and help you address it.
● If baby is not peeing and pooping enough. Poopy diapers are a great way to be sure that
your baby is getting enough to eat. For every day of life your baby should have 1 poopy diaper
up until they average about 3+ poopy diapers on day 3. After day 5 poop should transition to
yellow and seedy. Pee diapers tell us if baby is hydrated. We look for 1 pee diaper for each day
of life until day 3 and then we look for 5-6 per day.
● You suspect you have low milk supply. Perceived low milk supply is one of the top reasons
that people stop breastfeeding or feeding human milk. It’s important to figure out if you actually
do have low milk supply or if there is something else going on. We find that many times baby is
just not able to take in the milk that is in the breast and then over time the supply reduces. It’s
important to reach out early so milk supply can be protected if that is the case.
● You have breast pain. Breast pain could be caused by plugged ducts or mastitis. There are
also other reasons for breast pain. Much of the old recommendations on treating conditions on
the mastitis spectrum are wrong. It’s best to be assessed and treated promptly so the pain does
not worsen.
We love working with families prenatally to talk about these red flags more in depth and provide
education to make sure you are prepared to feed your baby and meet your infant feeding goals.
Book our Infant Feeding 101 class or a prenatal visit at www.wiscolactation.com.
Is your baby here and your struggling with any of these red flags? Book a consult with Wisco
Lactation at www.wiscolactation.com. Let our Madison Wisconsin and Southern Wisconsin
Lactation Consultants help you meet your feeding goals whatever those may be!
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