More on Milk Production

I've been doing more reading from A Nursing Mother's Companion and the Medela breastpump guide to breast feeding, both of which address the issue of increasing milk supply. I'm starting to think that during first couple of weeks after Tye was born, because she was falling asleep so quickly during feedings, perhaps my milk production never made it to the level that Tye needed. Every source I've read is encouraging, though, and says that if I devote the time and effort, my milk volume can increase in a few days. Right now, I'm feeding Tye every 2 1/2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night (even if I have to wake her). At each feeding, I let Tye eat and then pump an additional 5-10 minutes on each side. Then, after 3-4 of the feedings, we offer her an additional 2 ounces of formula. So far, she has taken 1-2 ounces each time. According to the Nursing Mother's Companion, even satisfied babies will eat an additional 1-2 ounces out of a bottle because they like the comfort of sucking and the milk flows easily from the bottle. That makes me feel better- less like I've been starving Tye this whole time without knowing it. Even still, more milk will help.

One change we've noticed since adding formula is that Tye is spitting up- a LOT more! It's a huge, sudden increase, I'm thinking probably due to the increase in intake. Tye is still figuring out how to breathe when that happens, and often, the spit up comes out her nose and she is left gasping for breath. It's terrifying to watch, and Tyler and I often sit on the edge of our seats, ready to run for the suction bulb or, if needed, our phones to call 911 (it was that scary the first time). We just make sure that one of us has her in eyesight at all times, ready to help her in any way that we can. Hopefully, Tye will learn how to spit out what comes up instead of letting it interfere with her breathing. We'll both rest much easier once that happens.