Weight Gain - supply issues??

[Tmama]

I guess I need someone to tell me its going to be okay or what I'm doing is fine...I'm nursing my 5.5 month old son (my oldest son is 4 and nursed until he was 3).  Never had a supply issue with DS1 but for some reason I keep thinking I don't have a ton of milk.  My right breast is the least preferred...DS2 loves my left one and perhaps I've offered that one more than the right not even realizing it but - nonetheless my right breast is my low producer.  Took DS2 to pediatrician today and she weighed him - he was 14 lbs and 8 oz.  The problem (or the issue) is that 1 month ago, he weighed 14 lbs and 3 oz.  I really thought that he gains roughly 1lb a month or so I thought.  She had me feed him and I did - he wasn't really hungry but I fed him anyway and re-weighed and he gained 2 oz.  So at least MINIMUM I know he is getting 2 oz.  I'm so baffled why he didn't gain more.  

We just started solids but in no way would I ever try to replace nursing calories with solids but at least I can give him a little extra something this way...

I left feeling deflated and discouraged as I never had an issue with my first nursling.  However, with DS1, I went to pedi every 2 months - just looked at his old records and he was 15 lbs at 4 months and 16 lbs at 6 months - so really, he gained 1lb or so give or take in 2 months.  So, I know I need to relax and the pedi was not concerned but would like to see him back for a weight check in 2 weeks.  I spoke to my LC and she asked what the problem was, LOL.  She said it's not unheard of for babies to sort stop gaining so frequently and slow down in weight gain and he isn't loosing weight and is happy, peeing and pooping (he poops once a day or once every other day).  

I'm now thinking I still want to increase my supply.  I drink the Earth Mama Angel Baby Milkmaid tea about 3 times a day and now am thinking about taking Fenugreek capsules just to bump my supply up.  I can't pump for anything - (pumping for his oatmeal) and I"m lucky if I get an ounce or two.  I know pumping is no indication of supply but still...

Just need someone to give me a pat of encouragement or something...LOL ...

[SweetSilver]

Stressing about supply decreased my supply.  Feeding my daughter solids filled her up too much and decreased my supply.  If he doesn't get solids he will nurse more.  (Well....typically.)  Those were my first 2 mistakes with my oldest daughter who was a frustratingly slow grower.  Sure, solids are a great game for a baby, but don't feed them because you are worried about weight gain.

And, right, don't stress over the pump.  Don't stress over a preferred breast or one producing less.  DD1 preferred the right breast, dd2 the left.  For each one the preferred breast produced best.  By about your son's age I started them on the least favorite breast and they nursed better on that side when they were hungry.  Every time!  DD2, who nursed well into toddlerhood, named them "mamamilk" and "turnaround".

[SweetSilver]

And mama milk teas made my touchy supply drop, too.  I traced it to the nettles, which is contrary to what other mamas say about it.  Also, I discovered that my daytime supply was intricately connected to nighttime nursings.  Any reduction led to decreased supply for the whole day.  So, if you've recently reduced nighttime nursings, pick them back up again to stimulate milk production.

[gemasita]

I have been stressing over my DS's weight gain too.  He only gained 5 oz from month 6 to month 7.  I looked it up on Kellymom and they should be gaining 2-3 oz a week at this age.  So, 8-12 oz a month.  So your son isn't way off track for the month.  I *do* have low supply so I've been trying to get a little more donor milk into DS.  My doctor is very pro-BF'ing and said that babies get more calories/oz from BM than from most other foods.  So she was supportive of us delaying solids a bit to make sure he gets the calorie-dense BM.  It IS typical for babies to slow down their weight gain at this age though.  I am doing monthly weight checks for DS right now so I can get the amount of donor milk in the right range.  Can't hurt to weigh your DS in 2 weeks or in 1 month just to keep an eye on things and give you some peace of mind.  Check Kellymom too.

[bigmommylove]

Have you been using that tea for awhile? I've heard of moms that have used an herbal formula for awhile and their body got used to it. They switched to a different one and it was fine. I use Breastea from http://www.breastea.com and I've seen a good sized increase in my milk production. So far it's still working as good as it was before. You might want to try it and see if it helps.