How can you tell if LO is not getting enough?

[olien]

Besides the obvious no wt gain.

Is there something they tend to do on the breast that would be an indicator? like crying in the middle of sucking, or would they stop completely then cry. Anything?

My poor sister is convinced her Lo is not getting enough. Although he did gain some wt (5oz in 10dys). I feel she may be confusing the heck out of him tho bec she has been giving him a paci since the hosp & now some formula bec she thinks he is starving even though he will stay on the boob for 45min to 1hr t a time & she sees him swallowing.

[Parker'smommy]

Indicators that baby IS getting enough is output in the beginning weeks. How many wet diapers is the baby having?

Here is a website that shows how many wet diapers a baby should have

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enough-milk.html

www.kellymom.com is also just a great breastfeeding website. Lots of good informations there.

And while a baby whose mother truely has low supply is usually fussy at the breast- frustrated that he/she isn't getting enough milk, babies whose mommas have a fine supply can also be fussy at the breast for a myriad of reasons. My first was like that....and I could have fed a third world country. We figured it all out ( reflux was our culprit) but it wasn't because I didn't have any milk!

[olien]

Thanks for the reply & link.

I should add that she is unable to pump much at all which also makes her believe she is not making milk. She gets 1 - 1.5oz from both breasts in 15min. I know for me, 15min wasnt long enough to pump, but everyone is different.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by olien

Thanks for the reply & link.

I should add that she is unable to pump much at all which also makes her believe she is not making milk. She gets 1 - 1.5oz from both breasts in 15min. I know for me, 15min wasnt long enough to pump, but everyone is different.

That's a very normal amount - the average is .5-2 oz. per session, both breasts combined. What a woman can pump is NO indication of what her supply is like. A baby is much more efficient than a pump.

Is the baby a newborn? The 5 oz. in 10 days - is that since birth, and if so, is it from baby's lowest weight?

Here is another good link from KellyMom about normal newborn nursing:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html

[ariatrance]

Pumping is never a good indicator of supply as any pump will never, ever be as efficient and thorough as a human infant. (kellymom.com may have that somewhere as official info)

I have always had an oversupply with this little and yet, have never been able to pump more than 1/2 oz. combined after 1 hour of pumping both breasts at the same time - yeah, that made me sore and I gave up after a couple weeks of trying to pump.

My little has been sustained on my milk alone for over a year now and has met all of her developmental milestones, gained weight steadily and thrived. I didn't use a paci with her at all as I wanted to make sure we had a good breastfeeding foundation; when I offered it around 9 wks., she didn't know what to do with it, so I didn't push.

Can she just relax for a weekend and do nothing but nurse constantly? No looking at clocks, no weight checking, no paci, no formula - just offering the breast at every whimper, changing diapers at every pee/poop (to count accurately), staring into baby's eyes all day???

[olien]

Originally Posted by Bokonon

That's a very normal amount - the average is .5-2 oz. per session, both breasts combined. What a woman can pump is NO indication of what her supply is like. A baby is much more efficient than a pump.

Is the baby a newborn? The 5 oz. in 10 days - is that since birth, and if so, is it from baby's lowest weight?
Here is another good link from KellyMom about normal newborn nursing:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html

The baby is a preemie born at 36wks. The baby was at the ped a few days after birth & from that appt to the 2 wk appt it was 10days. he did not gain his birth wt back, but like I said he was a preemie & lost over a lb at the hosp.

[dachshund mom]

I had low supply. DD wasn't gaining well and was not at birth weight at 2 weeks. She wouldn't cry at the breast, but would cry/root when not nursing. As in nurse for a hour, then get fussy and root 10 minutes later, all day and night. I also rarely felt fullness, maybe an occasional firm patch, but no engorgement. I did formula for a couple months - we started with one ounce 4x a day, only after a long breastfeeding session, and got up to 8ozs at max. I started domperidone and was able to get off the formula very quickly, however my midwife said that is unusual, that most who start with formula end up weaning early.

I've never responed to the pump.

If your sister is doing formula, the baby could be frustrated at the breast because it's slower flowing.