Lost milk due to pregnancy- supplementing formula for toddler?

[MamaMochiko]

DD is 17 months and I am 22 weeks pregnant.  I lost my milk at the beginning of the second trimester.  She still nurses a few times a day but it's dry.  Only recently have I noticed a little bit of white around one nipple after she nurses- colostrum already, perhaps?  

Dr. Sears says my toddler should be getting 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day but on a good day she only gets 700-800 calories.  Developmentally she's fine just on the thin side and the last time we saw her ped neither of us was concerned because I still had milk.  She just likes foods that are dense but not high in calories and likes to graze and is very active.  I leave foods out for her all day but she still doesn't eat much.  She has been drinking cow's milk since a year old and now drinks a little over two cups a day as well as a smoothie I make for her with cow's milk, greens, fruits, and almond nut butter.  She loves the smoothie and likes to drink her calories since she's always on the move and I am increasingly exhausted with chasing after her with food that she spits out or trying to get little meals into her while she's in the high chair.

I am considering formula for her to get more fats and vitamins into her diet but using dead, powdered milk to me is not ideal.  Donor milk has been a no-go, evidently people want to donate milk to infants and not toddlers.  I plan to tandem nurse and I am grieving the possibility that she might forget to nurse- now she kind of suckles instead of actively nurses and it tickles when she nurses.  I have considered using an SNS but that seems like a lot of fuss- wish I could find a syringe.

I don't think she needs infant formula which is all that is commercially available to us in the health food stores but I am wary of making my own formula.  Perhaps I can just add some oils and vitamins to her smoothies? 

Furthermore, while I love raw milk and drank it during pregnancy, in my head I can't justify the risk to my LO.  If something were to happen she's just a baby.

Lastly, anybody have any experience with boosting supply at this stage in the game?

[aidenn]

If your ped. isn't overly concerned, I wouldn't sweat it too much.

My older DD was 13 months when I became pregnant with my newest DD.  My older DD is a picky eater (and always has been), and I think she mainly subsists even to this day on drinkable yogurt, grapes on skewers, and clementines.  Occasionally, I can get her to eat some curry and rice, tuna salad, or ravioli with sauce, and that's about 2x a week.  She's just thin for her age, but my ped. wasn't worried.  She'll eat when she's hungry at this stage in the game.

Keep in mind that formula isn't sterile, so while I appreciate not wanting to feed raw milk to your toddler, keep that in mind for formula as well.

[prettypixels]

I would get her some of those Boost essentials drinks and let her have a few of them per day.  Your kid is underweight and if she is underweight her brain might not be getting all that it needs.  Keep her on whole milk too, instead of skim or 2%; babies under 2 need the fats.  If she is comfortable drinking from straws, it seems unnecessary to start her on bottles or sippy cups with formula;  boost, chocolate and vanilla, is great for this.  

[MamaMochiko]

I guess she's not underweight.  She's still on the charts.  And she definitely gets whole milk.  But she's not a lethargic kid getting less than the recommended calories.  Everybody says she is healthy and looks great but I can't get over the fact that she practically never gets that goal number of calories and burns them right off.  She does eat a lot of nutrient-dense foods and does dairy and meat but she'd rather eat a whole banana than half of a grilled cheese sandwich.

That being said, what do you guys think:  Is it "okay" to give  your toddler spicy food if they will eat it?  She seems to be more interested in what I eat even though I make her non-spicy alternatives but she gobbled up some enchiladas the other day.

[Megan73]

I think it's totally fine to just give toddlers whatever you're eating and I think it makes them less picky. My older DS1 likes Vietnamese and Korean food and just ate some pretty spicy black beans for dinner.
If she's eating a variety of solids and growing along her curve, I wouldn't worry about the formula. I doubt she'd drink it anyway - it's a pretty distinctive taste.
If you are interested in keeping her at the breast so she doesn't totally lose her latch you could use a Medela SNS or Lact-Aid for the rest of your pregnancy. I don't have any experience with introducing a supplemental nursing system to a toddler. She might reject the tube but it's worth a try and you can often buy a Medela SNS used on Craigslist.
HTH
Edited by Megan73 - 12/20/11 at 4:47pm

[crunchy_mommy]

I absolutely think it's fine to give even a very young baby spicy food if they like it. There is no reason a healthy baby or toddler can't eat exactly what her parents eat.

I also think it's fine to make your own 'formula' for a toddler if they are also eating food and you want to get extra calories in them. I wouldn't even think of it as formula, more of a smoothie or enriched milk drink to supplement her diet. I don't think you *need* to do this but I don't think it will hurt if she continues eating food well.

I think you may be worrying about this too much, it sounds like she is happy & healthy & within range for her weight. Making too big an issue of this might just cause her more issues down the line.

[wishin'&hopin']

If she enjoys spicy/savory/heavily flavored, go for it!  DS (20 months) just ate braised fennel; chickpea patties and mustard sauce (a sauce which involved capers, mirin, dijon mustard and garlic).  If she's not lethargic, poops and pees appropriately and the doctor is not worried--well, I wouldn't worry either :)

[TiredX2]

How are you calculating her calorie intake?  I only ask because she may be getting more milk (from you) than you know.  Two cups of whole cows milk is 300 calories right there.  Another 200 from a smoothie and you're at 500.   Many people seriously underestimate their

If she looks healthy and acts healthy I would *avoid* introducing the meal replacement drinks.  I have seen too many kids who get used to those and don't make the normal transistion to solid foods (not a *huge* deal, but they can still be relying on them years later---- I am talking about NT children without medical conditions: obviously if your doctor instructs you to use them and your child has a medical need, you do it).

If she isn't turned off by the taste of formula, you could always add the powder to her whole milk (or add powdered milk to her whole milk) for the calorie boost.  The same thing with certain oils.

Additionally, I wanted to mention that 17 months is a fairly common weight plateau time, so you would not be expecting a *lot* of weight gain at that point anyway.  Like PPs have mentioned, though, you do need enough fat for optimal brain growth.  If she is still growing taller and in head circumfrence and her weight has plauteud or is going up very slowly (plus meeting developmental milestones) I would just try not to worry.

Good luck & CONGRATS on your pregnancy!

[Adaline'sMama]

Im 34 weeks pregnant with a 20 month old who weaned about 4 months ago. Honestly, I dont think your baby needs formula or donated milk. I wouldnt sns, and I wouldnt be so worried about calories. As a PP mentioned, people drastically underestimate their caloric intake. My DD is not on the charts, is very small, and drinks 3 cups of cows milk a day and eats probably 300-500 calories and I would never refer to her as a "big eater." She is on the move, all the time. My ped is happy, and I think she is perfectly healthy. Honestly, at 17 months I really think a kid should be alright without any supplementation, but if you feel something is necessary, you could give her an Odwalla protein shake or something like that. We do those a couple of times a week (mainly because they are cheap and Walmart and they dont sour as fast as my raw milk, which Im stingy with when it comes to putting it in the diaper bag).

[Abeautifullove]

I think spicy food is just fine! :) My kids go through phases where they will eat spicy foods, then they wont touch them lol!  I like to make smoothies for when I feel like we havent gotten enough that day, add fruits, greens, and I like to use a raw vegan protein powder, or a type of nut butter, coconut oil, etc....I try to pack a lot of nutrients in them when we do ave them, so if we are full, it was worht drinking instead of a snack!  I also worry about my DD, I'm 11weeks pregnant and shes 22m and still nursing even though theres not much there, I'm just hoping she continues to nurse through the pregnancy when my milk dries up.  Shes an awesome eater, but I dont know what she'd do without her boobie! lol

[TiredX2]

Originally Posted by MamaMochiko 

That being said, what do you guys think:  Is it "okay" to give  your toddler spicy food if they will eat it?  She seems to be more interested in what I eat even though I make her non-spicy alternatives but she gobbled up some enchiladas the other day
 

I didn't respond to this earlier, but agree 100% with the previous posters--- definately fine!  Americans tend to have a fairly bland diet and there are plenty of places that children are eating well spiced food as soon as they start solids.  If anything, you are expanding her palette and she will enjoy more foods as she ages.  If you've been eating spicy foods while nursing her, she probably already has a preference for them!

Also, remember that a serving size is generally one tablespoon per year of age.  So, a serving of something for your daughter is only 1.5 tablespoons--- that's really a very small amount when you see it but perfectly sized for her!