Hi! I'm new here and I was hoping you could provide some insight:
My son is 5 1/2 months old, and he is still exclusively breastfed. I work long hours and commute, so we are separated for 11-12 hours a day M-F. I have been pumping 16-18 oz. a day at work since he was 6 wks old, and he has gradually increased his consumption from 10-12 oz. up to 16.5. In the beginning I had excess, but as he has he grew older and demanded more, supply pretty much equaled his demand with an ounce or two to spare. Whatever we have been doing has worked well, he's gaining a lot and in the 97% range.
Suddenly, this week, he has been demanding more and more milk. The sitter says he will finish one 5.5 oz. bottle and cry when she takes it away, so she would give him a few more oz. from our freezer stash. Next feeding, same thing, and no alternative method of soothing would work for him. So he has gone from eating 16-18 oz during the workday to 24-28! And he is demanding more at night so it's not just a timing change.
I thought I was doing great pumping at work before, but I don't think I can keep up with that! And why such a sudden increase? Has anyone ever experienced such a large jump? We've had growth spurts before, and I was able to adjust just fine. Do you think I should take proactive steps to increase my supply, or is it possible that he's ready for solids and maybe that's why he's demanding so much more?
My son is 5 1/2 months old, and he is still exclusively breastfed. I work long hours and commute, so we are separated for 11-12 hours a day M-F. I have been pumping 16-18 oz. a day at work since he was 6 wks old, and he has gradually increased his consumption from 10-12 oz. up to 16.5. In the beginning I had excess, but as he has he grew older and demanded more, supply pretty much equaled his demand with an ounce or two to spare. Whatever we have been doing has worked well, he's gaining a lot and in the 97% range.
Suddenly, this week, he has been demanding more and more milk. The sitter says he will finish one 5.5 oz. bottle and cry when she takes it away, so she would give him a few more oz. from our freezer stash. Next feeding, same thing, and no alternative method of soothing would work for him. So he has gone from eating 16-18 oz during the workday to 24-28! And he is demanding more at night so it's not just a timing change.
I thought I was doing great pumping at work before, but I don't think I can keep up with that! And why such a sudden increase? Has anyone ever experienced such a large jump? We've had growth spurts before, and I was able to adjust just fine. Do you think I should take proactive steps to increase my supply, or is it possible that he's ready for solids and maybe that's why he's demanding so much more?
