help from the experts please :)

stiritup · #1 April 26th, 2011, 09:31 AM

hi everyone! my name is tenille & i am mom to 2.5 year old b/g twins (cade and marlee) and a new 4 month old baby boy (knox). i had some problems BF'ing the twins (preemies, NICU, latch problems, no support, etc...) and ended up pumping for them for 3 months before my supply dropped. i supplemented and went to FF'ing around 4 months of age.

this time i had more knowledge and just one baby

and things were going GREAT!! he seriously is a pro and for a while i thought he'd be content nursing until he was 12 - LOL! he just loved it....until lately.

i guess it started about a week ago. when i nurse during the day, he is hardly satisfied (morning feedings are ok though). i actually have had to supplement for the past 4 days - 2 5oz bottles. like i nurse plus then he eats 5 more. i've been trying to increase my water & had oatmeal for the past couple days. i always feed on demand (although he is pretty predictable) but i've tried to add a pumping session or two in also. he's been STTN (10-12 hours) for almost 2 months now, so i've even tried pumping in the middle of the night. but i'm not seeing a difference.

and now that i think about it, i am kinda concerned that he's been getting enough to eat for a while because he's only gained 1lb in the past 2 months. and that seems really off doesn't it? dr said she wasn't too concerned right now but if it continues to be a trend we're going to have to look into it.

has anyone else been there? what's a nursing strike like? he still latches and eats just gets really mad when i'm to the point of being fairly "empty". i try to encourage him to keep sucking (and will switch sides over and over) but he screams his head off like he's starving and then won't even try.

mgm78 · #2 April 26th, 2011, 09:57 AM

How many wet diapers is he making per day? What makes you think your breasts are empty? they are never truly empty. Around 4 months, babies do become a little harder to nurse, as they are really starting to notice their surroundings. The weight gain is on the low side, but a gain nevertheless.

kellymom.com :: Help -- My Baby Won't Nurse!
kellymom.com :: Increasing Low Milk Supply

also, if you are supplementing, you will have a low supply, it is all supply and demand. i would check out the 3 day nursing sabbatical in the stickies here, as well as the power pumping info on the pumping board, one or both of these should give your supply a boost.

KUP!

stiritup · #3 April 26th, 2011, 10:51 AM

i would say he has 5-6 wet diapers a day, not super wet but wet. and he actually is still really interested in nursing, and will keep trying until he realizes he has to work SO hard to get very little. i try to calm him down and start again and i've also tried breast compressions too but nothing really seems to be helping!

if i try to hand express or pump after attempting to feed him i am lucky to get one drop. i know that a baby is much more effecient at getting the milk out than me or the pump, but dang!

the past couple days are the first times i've really supplemented (well a couple times back in january when he had all the eczema & we were trying to narrow down the culprit - the milk or the lotions).

i will try the 3 day sabbatical & power pumping info.

thank you!!!

lunarmagic · #4 April 26th, 2011, 12:55 PM

Welcome! Sounds like there are a lot of things going on here.

Yeah I never get anything at all if I try pumping after nursing, even when she's only had a few ounces.... I HAVE to pump when my breast is full or it just doesn't work!

We've had many times over the past 11 months when she seems to be really angry that there's not enough milk. Sometimes I've attributed it to a growth spurt, sometimes she's just cranky and doesn't want to nurse (doesn't sound like your problem). It could just be that he's spurting and wanting more than usual.

I've heard from several friends that power pumping works great to get supply up. Also, have you tried nursing him more frequently? The way the breast fills is very quickly when it is empty and slower as it gets fuller. So by feeding more frequently the breast fills up more quickly and though they'll get less at one time they'll be getting more milk overall.

I've never supplemented, even with frozen breastmilk, because I'm very leery of my body thinking it doesn't need to produce that extra milk... the only way to really get it up to the supply the baby needs is to have the baby keep demanding milk so that production increases.

That sounds like an okay number of wet diapers to me.

Overall it sounds pretty normal to me... and it doesn't mean your supply is dropping or that you won't be able to continue nursing. Hang in there! Most phases last about a week or so, in my experience, and then things get back to smooth sailing. I hope the power pumping and nursing sabbatical help!

stiritup · #5 April 26th, 2011, 01:08 PM

thank you! i'm sure he is spurting, and he has gone from eating every 3-4 hours back to every 2 hours again!! i can also see 2 of his bottom teeth starting to bud, so maybe that's bothering him?? did teething bother your LOs?

i do have quite a bit of frozen BM because i used to have an AWESOME supply! at last count i had 3 gallons frozen, which is funny because i am a SAHM so i'm not really away from him. LOL!

the sabbatical really isn't in the cards for this weekend because i am walking in the march of dimes walk in honor of my twins. gonna check out the power pumping & making some oatmeal cookies (who needs an excuse for them?

).

oh btw, i just fed him and he seems satisfied!!! yay for baby steps!

lunarmagic · #6 April 26th, 2011, 01:13 PM

OMG teething is my own circle of heck, lol! And Kate only has 2! She nurses off and on (and cries) when she's teething. And sometimes gnaws on me. Ouch.

Definitely a spurt!! That may explain the only 1lb gain last time... he's about to make up for it now!

Oh have fun walking for the March of Dimes! A very wonderful cause.

-erin- · #7 April 26th, 2011, 01:42 PM

My DD didnt space out feedings during the day until 9ish months, and even now if she's not distracted and I'm available she'd nurse at least every 2 hours, so I have not found it true that as they get older they nurse less frequently. It all depends on the baby and frequent nursing does NOT mean your supply is bad.

When my DD is teething she also likes to nurse constantly. Anytime I can't figure out why she is extra needy and nursing a lot, it usually ends up being teething. It doesn' always result in teeth right away, but I'm still pretty sure it's teething.

Breastfed babies only take in, on average, about 25oz of breastmilk a day (per kellymom). That is usually calculated as 1 oz/hour, but since you said your guy is STTN he may need 2oz/hour during the day. He may just be taking those bottles and finishing them because sucking is soothing, especially when teething.

QueenCrafty · #8 April 27th, 2011, 09:05 AM

I bet a growth spurt and teething is the culprit here. Try not to supplement if you can. Just continue nursing on demand no matter how frequent it is. Good luck!