Reduced supplement... Now, a wet diaper question...!

[sattygirl99]

This is going to sound paranoid and probably a little dumb...

We cut back DD's supplements... She is one of those babies that will just eat... and eat... and eat... if there is milk coming out, she'll keep right on truckin'. She was very gassy and spitting up a ton so I cut her supplement from 4 oz to 2 oz a feeding... She seems to be taking to it well (though she cries when it stops at first but is fine after a moment... did the same with a larger supplement too)...

But now here's my question... Before, her diaper would be SATURATED in 2 hours. We use pocket fitteds stuffed with micro and it would be soaked front to back... Now, she's still wetting but it's not AS wet... Is this okay? Her diapers seem more normal (compared to my friend's DD's diapers, she's a month older) but it's such a dramatic change from what it was before... She's no longer soaking through diapers and one diaper from 7pm to 7am is enough (a pocket fitted stuffed with a trifolded mico and prefold) wheras I used to have to change her midway through...

She seems happy as can be... I'm just a paranoid mama is all...

[ErinBird]

I would keep an eye on her output, overall mood, and get an accurate weight on her every few days (at least). Don't make yourself crazy over the numbers either Follow your baby's cues- if she is asking for more frequent feedings, give them to her (but perhaps at the smaller volume/feeding).

[sattygirl99]

oh yes, she started eating every 2 hours vs every 4!

her last few diapers have been much more saturated, which makes me feel beter!

[MissyLissa]

I'm very curious to hear how this goes for you guys over the next few days/weeks because this sounds a lot like my DD. She has very saturated diapers (she can completely soak a fitted in about an hour) and always seems to think she's hungry even when she's had plenty. I think she just likes to suck but wants me, not a pacifier. She will usually eat every 4 hours also if I leave her to decide when to eat. I try to wake her up at 3 hours though so my supply doesn't become even lower.

[sattygirl99]

How much are you supplementing mama? It seems a little early for your LO to be going 4 hours stretches...

[sattygirl99]

Originally Posted by ErinBird

I would keep an eye on her output, overall mood, and get an accurate weight on her every few days (at least). Don't make yourself crazy over the numbers either Follow your baby's cues- if she is asking for more frequent feedings, give them to her (but perhaps at the smaller volume/feeding).

The hardest part is because sometimes she acts like she wants to nurse but really, she's just tired. It's so hard to tell what she actually wants!

[indeospero]

Originally Posted by sattygirl99

The hardest part is because sometimes she acts like she wants to nurse but really, she's just tired. It's so hard to tell what she actually wants!

I completely understand. It's so hard to know, and so hard to trust cues! A non-supping, EBF mama doesn't have to distinguish between tired/hungry/cranky/cuddly -- she can just offer the breast, regardless! Sigh.

In order to make our supp-dependent nursing relationship more like that, I very often offered a bare breast in between supplemented nursing sessions. Could you try that (if you aren't already)? Offer the supplement often enough (every 2 hours maybe) that you know she is getting enough milk, but offer the breast any old time in between. If she is just tired, nursing bare will probably be enough to comfort her to sleep. If she is truly hungry, she'll likely let you know.

HTH! It does get easier, I promise.

[sattygirl99]

Originally Posted by indeospero

I completely understand. It's so hard to know, and so hard to trust cues! A non-supping, EBF mama doesn't have to distinguish between tired/hungry/cranky/cuddly -- she can just offer the breast, regardless! Sigh.

In order to make our supp-dependent nursing relationship more like that, I very often offered a bare breast in between supplemented nursing sessions. Could you try that (if you aren't already)? Offer the supplement often enough (every 2 hours maybe) that you know she is getting enough milk, but offer the breast any old time in between. If she is just tired, nursing bare will probably be enough to comfort her to sleep. If she is truly hungry, she'll likely let you know.

HTH! It does get easier, I promise.

She's not really a comfort nurser... If she doesn't get milk, she isn't happy, lol.

I do often offer the bare breast when I think she might need a top off or comfort but she often doesn't take it. She's kinda all about her business when it comes to the boob!

[MissyLissa]

Originally Posted by sattygirl99

How much are you supplementing mama? It seems a little early for your LO to be going 4 hours stretches...

She was drinking 2 ounces of supplement every three hours but over the weekend she bumped herself up to 3 ounces which seems kind of strange to me and makes me think maybe she's overeating. I tried limiting her to two ounces on her last feeding and she was not very happy with me! So with this current feeding she just finished (took her two hours) and had three ounces.

[sattygirl99]

Hrm... how old is she? She could be going through a growth spurt.

[sattygirl99]

If I weigh her this Wednesday and then again next Wednesday... Is that enough? Do I need to be checking her more often than that as long as she's wetting and pooing and stuff?

She seems satisfied (minus the inital cry after eating, which I've just been giving her the other breast until she's done wanting to suck), her diapers are pretty wet (not AS wet as before but she was truly soaking through them), she's happy, smiling, etc.

Am I just being too paranoid? If she wasn't getting enough, I'd know... right?