Colostrum Powder

breastfeeding question?

I had my baby Fri & it is now Tue. I have been pumping & storing the milk in the fridge. There is NO layer of fat at the top. The milk is still yellow, yet not clearish like colostrum. Baby was supplementing w/ liquid formula at the hospital. We took her home yesterday & all that evening and night have been just giving her the breast milk. She was really quiet at the hospital. With only giving her the breast milk, she has been crying almost all night. She has also been hungry all night..So I told my husband to give her a bottle of the Similac, and she ate it & went right to sleep. No crying..What is the reason for this? I had a c-section with her, could this be why my milk is lacking the fat? With my last baby I had a vaginal birth and I had white milk that had fat on top when I put it in the fridge.

Public Comments

1. I would contact your local Le Leche League asap. I'm assuming she is not on the breast, which could mean she is just not getting enough. If she was on the breast she would be able to nurse for longer and possibly bring your milk in better. You may want to try that. But definitely call LLL. Call them before you call your doctor! The doc is more liekly to say ditch the BF, while LLL will help you maintain BF.
2. Are you sure you milk has come in yet? I just had my boy 5 weeks ago and I had some problems with him. My milk didn't come in for 4 days, and he was not eating much anyway. He got pretty dehydrated. I would guess that your milk is not in. Have you tried breastfeeding her or are you only giving her the breastmilk in a bottle? Let's talk worst case scenario here. Let's say the baby prefers the formula over the breastmilk. You can always wean her back to the breastmilk by mixing the two and then slowly giving less and less formula. I'm hoping that you have been actually putting her to your breast, though, since nipple confusion can cause big problems. Make sure you are using slow flow nipples when you have to use a bottle.
3. Yes, several things are different this time....you had major surgery days ago, you are involved with another child in the house and you are older. But, you silly girl -- yellow milk = gold milk/power bar/the good stuff! This baby is just more hungry and can down all those ounces you are storing in the fridge. She wants everything you are making and then some. The fat that rises to the top of the cooled milk really does not come into play until after she is 10-11 lbs. and on her way to sleeping through the night. The fat is what gets them through those 5-10 hours. You just have to figure out what goes in your mouth and straight to your boobs. Usually it is the crappy junk food that works. Cupcakes, cookies, avocados, power bars, fries, muffins, pb& jelly sandwiches, etc. Everythung is fine and as a matter of fact you are ahead of the milk supply game. Your boobs already are putting out a supply higher then her demand. She just wants to be a bigger girl now. Let her eat on demand all she wants. Sooner you get over 10lbs., sooner she sleeps through the night!! If she weights 8lbs., she needs 24oz in a 24 hour period. 9lbs. = 27oz +/- 10lbs= 30 +/- Everything is good...relax--you just had a c-section.
4. It's not "lacking fat". It sounds like your milk has not come in yet. It's important baby gets this too (colostrum is not just clear), as it has a different chemical make up that is important for baby to have in those first few days-- baby doesn't need a lot of calories in the first week of birth. Don't worry about not having milk yet-- this is nature's way. The more you put baby to the breast the quicker the milk will come in and baby will get the colostrum (which is important!). She's not "hungry all night". Don't convince yourself of that. She's a newborn, thats what she is. When you give your newborn baby a bottle of formula and she goes to sleep its because her body is having to use energy to digest it. It's not good... you were lulled into a false sense of satisfaction at the hospital when they supplemented (which is likely why you milk hasn't come in yet-- the body responds naturally to baby's sucking, with a pump it will take longer). I'd find a local LLL, you are likely to find someone who has been in your situation (c-section) who can help you out.
5. The fact that you had a c-section has nothing to do with your milk production. Breastmilk is not as thick as formula. Babies who breastfeed feed pretty often. My daughter was supplemented formula from day 2-3 of life and she would sleep like a rock. When I was just breastfeed she would stay on the boob all day and night. Its perfectly normal that she sleeps better when on formula, it keeps her full longer because her body absorbes breastmilk so quickly. The reason for the lack of fat in your milk could be because your body is doing alot of things right now, healing from you section, healing your uterus, and your trying to make milk. Thats extremely taxing on the body. Give it a few more days and I'm sure your milk supply and the consistancy of it will improve.