Ways to get pumped milk into 5 month-old baby?

[beckington]

I have started pumping a few ounces a day to give to my 5mo who is gaining weight very slowly. We started with a diy version of the SNS which worked at first but now isn't - between his grabbing at it and him popping on and off the breast all the time it's very slow going and very frustrating. I'm going to try swaddling him tomorrow to see if that helps, but I was also wondering about other ideas? We have tried a bottle a few times but he is definitely not impressed by it. It's a Medela bottle, I think. Are there other types that are better for ebf babies? Without spending a fortune? I also tried spoon feeding him the milk this morning which he thought was hilarious but it wasn't successful in terms of getting the milk in! Any other ideas? Thanks!

[Fynns Mommy]

My son doesnt really like bottles, either. We've tried a few different kinds with little success. Certain nipples you can buy will tell you that they're for BF babies. Slow flow is generally better. My cousin gave me an Evenflo breast pump and the bottles that came with it are really good. Fynn likes them more than most other bottles. And surprisingly, he  likes the cheap Wal-Mart brand "Parent's Choice" (not too bad a brand, really) bottles that his grandma bought for him. And when I say he likes them, I mean he tolerates them better than all the others except the Evenflo ones.

I know you may have already talked to your doc about this issue too. But I did read that some breast fed babies may need extra vitamin D drops or something along those lines. Maybe that would at least help him to gain weight a bit faster. I wish I had some better advice, but the best I can say is try to find the Evenflo BF nipples if you havent already, it may be worth the attempt. Oh also if you havent tried it, try leaving and having someone else bottle feed him for a bit to see if he takes it better. Babies dont like something artificial when the real thing is right there. Fynn wouldnt take bottles at all from me, but would take them when being babysat by his grandparents. Now that he's had them a few more times, I can give him one with a bit more ease than before.

But the truth is, babies who are breast fed generally know where the good stuff comes from and that's what they want.

[CheriK]

My first response is to question whether or not your DS needs supplemental milk, and whether giving him your pumped milk will actually get more calories into him.  Remember that it's normal for EBF babies weight gain to slow significantly after about 3 months of age, compared to formula-fed.  Many doctors call EBF babies "slow gainers" or "failure to thrive" when they are in fact the normal ones.  Have you looked at his weight gain on the WHO growth charts?  Most doctors are still using the CDC charts, which are based mostly on formula-fed babies, and the CDC itself has recommended the use of the WHO charts for all babies under 24 months because they reflect our best current understanding of nominal growth and feeding practices.  Is your DS continuing to grow steadily in length and head circumfrence?  Meeting developmental milestones?  Happy and content most of the time?  If he is, then his gain is probably normal for him and not a concern. 

If he's nursing effectively, being offered the breast frequently and not scheduled or restricted in some way, and your milk supply is adequate, then I don't see how pumping and giving him that milk will help with weight gain.  If he's taking in calories from EBM, he's likely to want to nurse less frequently, so you might simply end up displacing nursing sessions.  Then you've replaced the best stimulation (an effectively suckling babe) with second-best (breastpump), which could impact your supply. If there are breastfeeding issues and his weight gain has always been marginal, then addressing those issues (which might include pumping immediately after nursing to increase production, supplementing with EBM or formula, galactogogues, etc) would be appropriate.

If he's nursing effectively and perhaps delaying nursing sessions due to typical 5-month old "too busy", then you might try simply encouraging more frequent nursing.  Wearing baby in a sling that allows nursing, spending as much time with your top off so he has easy access, night and nap nursing can all help baby take in a few more calories and grow a bit faster.  He doesn't necessarily need to add long nursing sessions (think about how much weight we can gain with "snacking"), lots of little sessions are fine.  A lot of moms find this to be easier and more convenient than pumping and trying to get supplement into a reluctant babe.

If he does need supplement, a 5-month old can be cup fed.  Using a feeding method that doesn't include suckling (bottles) is less likely to impact breastfeeding.  You might try a soft-spout sippy cup with the valve removed, a water bottle, a sippy cup with straw. . . he can learn to use one of these, or even just a regular cup (messy ;-).  Many EBF babies aren't particularly interested in bottles.  Whatever you use, allowing him to play with it so he gets the idea (take it in the bathtub and fill it with water), and letting him see you our other family members "drink" from it may make him more intererested in drinking from it.

[Midwesterner04]

Originally Posted by CheriK 

My first response is to question whether or not your DS needs supplemental milk, and whether giving him your pumped milk will actually get more calories into him.  Remember that it's normal for EBF babies weight gain to slow significantly after about 3 months of age, compared to formula-fed.  Many doctors call EBF babies "slow gainers" or "failure to thrive" when they are in fact the normal ones.  Have you looked at his weight gain on the WHO growth charts?  Most doctors are still using the CDC charts, which are based mostly on formula-fed babies, and the CDC itself has recommended the use of the WHO charts for all babies under 24 months because they reflect our best current understanding of nominal growth and feeding practices.  Is your DS continuing to grow steadily in length and head circumfrence?  Meeting developmental milestones?  Happy and content most of the time?  If he is, then his gain is probably normal for him and not a concern. 

If he's nursing effectively, being offered the breast frequently and not scheduled or restricted in some way, and your milk supply is adequate, then I don't see how pumping and giving him that milk will help with weight gain.  If he's taking in calories from EBM, he's likely to want to nurse less frequently, so you might simply end up displacing nursing sessions.  Then you've replaced the best stimulation (an effectively suckling babe) with second-best (breastpump), which could impact your supply. If there are breastfeeding issues and his weight gain has always been marginal, then addressing those issues (which might include pumping immediately after nursing to increase production, supplementing with EBM or formula, galactogogues, etc) would be appropriate.

If he's nursing effectively and perhaps delaying nursing sessions due to typical 5-month old "too busy", then you might try simply encouraging more frequent nursing.  Wearing baby in a sling that allows nursing, spending as much time with your top off so he has easy access, night and nap nursing can all help baby take in a few more calories and grow a bit faster.  He doesn't necessarily need to add long nursing sessions (think about how much weight we can gain with "snacking"), lots of little sessions are fine.  A lot of moms find this to be easier and more convenient than pumping and trying to get supplement into a reluctant babe.

If he does need supplement, a 5-month old can be cup fed.  Using a feeding method that doesn't include suckling (bottles) is less likely to impact breastfeeding.  You might try a soft-spout sippy cup with the valve removed, a water bottle, a sippy cup with straw. . . he can learn to use one of these, or even just a regular cup (messy ;-).  Many EBF babies aren't particularly interested in bottles.  Whatever you use, allowing him to play with it so he gets the idea (take it in the bathtub and fill it with water), and letting him see you our other family members "drink" from it may make him more intererested in drinking from it.

 

[beckington]

Thanks for the ideas! I will look for a Evenflo BF nipples to see if they help. We've tried me using the bottle and dh as well (with me not around) but no luck with either of us. I've tried a sippy cup and a regular cup but he didn't like those after a couple of minutes either. Will try again!

Oh, and he really is gaining weight slowly. Supplementation isn't the first thing we've tried - there's been a lot of things the last few months. I don't have time to go into the details now, but trust me, pumping to supplement was not something I signed up for easily! :)