child-led but not by choice... more like circumstances...

[southernmommie]

What should my baby be eating at this point. Here's where I'm at. I'm still breastfeeding but not producing. I'm producing like 1/4 ounce on each side. Baby is 7 months old and hasn't gained any weight since 4 months. In fact, he's lost weight. The doctors have told me to start feeding him solids at every feeding now. He refuses REFUSES to drink formula. He's a happy boy with the food. He wasn't able to handle the solid foods a month ago. He would gobble it up but scream in pain within the hour. Now he can tolerate it without fussing and/or screaming and he is pooping again! Yes, he actually stopped pooping for about 2 1/2 months. Scary, I know. He does have tongue tie still and we have it scheduled to be cut a second time next week. I have to now reschedule his GI appointment because the surgery appointment is for earlier that same morning of his GI appointment. We are trying to figure out if there is anything else going on, I am on here asking for advice on what else I need to be giving him since I am no longer producing milk now. I was not too long ago, but with the months of not getting enough with his tongue tie and not realizing that was it, my body is stopping. I'm okay with that and he seems to be okay with just the nursing to sleep. He'll take a bottle of juice or tea to go to sleep too. I need healthier options. I want to make sure that he's getting what he needs.

[southernmommie]

Or do I keep fighting to breastfeed? My body doesn't do well with the pumps. I've only ever gotten a combined amount of 1 ounce no matter how long or for duration of pumping. It just won't get more than an ounce out. So pumping is out. I am still putting him to breast multiple times a day. He and I both still want it. He just isn't growing any. And he's at less than 1% on growth chart for all charts. The WHO breastfeeding chart and the ones that our peds still use.

[bandgeek]

Will he take formula through a supplemental nursing system?  I would do good high calorie, high-fat foods like avacado and coconut milk (not to replace formula, but as part of his solid meals).

[southernmommie]

The bottle isn't the reason he won't do formula. As soon as he tastes the formula he starts spitting it and drooling it back out. Pretty crafty I have to say. I've tried it cold, room temp and warm thinking it was the temp that he didn't like. 

[bandgeek]

Hmmm...try goat milk maybe?  If he takes that, you could slowly start mixing a bit of formula in and working it up to all formula.  Of course, by the time you get to full formula he may be old enough to not need it! LOL

[crunchy_mommy]

Can you get donor milk? Or try some other milks or homemade formula and see if you can find something he likes?

If you both want to BF, I would continue to do so, even if he's dry-nursing he's still benefiting in other ways... as long as he has enough time/energy/motivation to actually eat & drink and it's not wearing him out or whatever. And maybe you could get your supply up after his tie is cut again??

Will he drink smoothies? You could make them really high-calorie, full-fat coconut milk and nut butter or avocado blended with fruit... Or what if you added formula to a smoothie, so it disguises the flavor?

Foods to try: avocado, nut or seed butters, olives (watch for sodium content though), hummus, coconut yogurt or ice cream, etc. I'd put olive or coconut oil (or butter or whatever high-fat thing he will tolerate) on everything he eats.

You could also try full-fat yogurt/cheese/etc. if you're doing dairy, although I'd be reluctant on dairy if he's not gaining... Does he/could he have allergies?

I would avoid water/tea/etc. as much as possible because it could be filling him up... It sounds like everything he eats or drinks needs to be super calorie-dense so he can get some weight on...

[Alenushka]

My kid stopped nursing at 8. No, it was not a strike or anything like that. I had tons of milk. He just did not want it anymore. he really loved solids. Work out for the best because my mom died shortly and at least I had the comfort of sleeping pills and my thyroid meds.

My son never drunk formula. My pedi went over his diet and his weight gain ans said "He eats so well and gains weight so well, there is not need for formula"

[southernmommie]

Thank you all so much for the advice!! I had been brainwashed to think that they needed either breastmilk or formula to at least 1 year but didn't quite think that was totally accurate. He still wants to nurse and even more so now that we're both really sick this weekend. What he does eat absolutely needs to be calorie dense. So much so that we can't afford to cheat any of his intakes. Which is why I came here. I know that tea and juice is not what he needs right now.

[southernmommie]

Are there any recipes you recommend to give me an idea of what to put in what I make? Maybe a couple examples?

[poorlittlefish]

I don't think that you have been brainwashed to believe that they need BM or formula for a year, I think that it is a fact.  Most Dr's would agree with that. 

I second looking into donor milk.  Have you tried and SNS? Maybe he would tolerate formula through that, or donor BM.

I would be pretty worried if my child lost weight over a 3-4 month period.  I think you need to keep trying other milks.  Have you tried a homemade formula?

[dejagerw]

Have you tried that special formula that's for babies with a milk and soy allergy? I'm not sure what it's called. Maybe your baby is having trouble with the dairy in the formula? The donor milk idea is an excellent one too. If you're trying to get as much nutrition into your LO, they really do need breast milk or formula. Maybe some kids can get most of their nutritional needs met through solid foods, but I do think they are in the minority. Since you described your son having trouble digesting the solids for awhile, he's probably not getting that much nutrition from them if they're not completely breaking down in his system. Also, things like cow's milk and goat's milk don't have all the nutrition a growing human baby needs, which is why they are discouraged until after a year. If they didn't discourage the cow's and other milks before a year, I'm sure tons of mom's would just be giving their babies cow's milk because it's cheaper than formula. Then there would be tons of babies with low iron, and other deficiencies.

Also, I'd do the nursing to sleep over a bottle of juice or tea. Or even a bottle of water. A bottle of juice to go to sleep with will not be good for the baby's teeth.

[southernmommie]

I just got home from his peds GI appointment. She suspects silent reflux. We are doing a trial run for 4 weeks to see if it will help. My other instructions are to eliminate milk, eggs, fish, and citrus. But she told me I could continue to eat those items. (Who would feed their baby's those things?) I will be eliminating them for myself too. She also said to not replace the milk with soy. Also do not use the jar baby food because the water content is higher. Just make the food myself. And to add the infant cereal back into his diet twice a day for the high iron. (His blood test revealed he was low in iron and his regular doctor said to eliminate cereal and take iron drops. Sometimes I could smack her!) When she looked in his mouth she agreed with me that there are a couple of tongue ties that are on the side of the tongue that she's never seen before and to keep the tongue tie surgery appointment for that. If he doesn't have this silent reflux then they are going to put a camera tube down his throat in 4 weeks. (Please pray that it is this silent reflux.)