Well it's been a while since I EBF'd so I hope I can remember, in the beginning she was happy but after being at home for about a week there were days where I would have to put her on the breast every hour, she would fall asleep at the breast, I would be constantly trying to keep her awake for her to get to the 20mins per breast, then she would fall asleep in my arms but if I put her back in her crib she would wake within 20 mins or so crying. Since then, after I started pumping and supplementing if I offered the breast she would seem to get frustrated even though I knew there was still milk. 3 nights ago she suddenly started sleeping for really long stretches at night so I started breastfeeding her at night because my breasts where so engorged from not pumping since the last feed (6hours). The first night was perfect, the second night she more or less drained the left breast but started fussing half way through the right breast. I thought she was still hungry and I couldn't understand why because I could see and feel the milk that was left. I put her back to the left breast and she was more content to suck there for a few minutes, using me as a pacifier! Last night I pumped for the last time at 21.50, she woke at 3am but I didn't feel engorged, I breastfed her any way (really not for very long) and she fell back to sleep until 6ish this morning. She isn't the kind of baby that wakes up crying, she just wakes up but I figure if she was starving she would cry, right? Even after drinking 150ml from a bottle she will cry when it's finished and I burp her for a minute, she doesn't realise she's full then. Since that first night of being engorged after waiting for so long, I seem to have a bit more milk (don't dare to say it!), I have started re-using my breastfeeding tea-bags, so drinking 6 cups instead of 3 and two cups of fenugreek tea made from seeds instead of 1. I pumped at 7.50 this morning after breastfeeding at 3am and I had 160ml, if I waited that long during the day I don't think I would have that much.
Yesterday I had a visit from a lactation consultant. She said to continue breastfeeding at night for a while, then end of next week to substitute one of the afternoon bottles with breastfeeding (try to pump afterwards) and then they will come back to weigh her. She is eating way more than she is meant to for her weight though. she calculated 6 x 115-138ml each day (total 690-820ml), at the moment she's getting 6 x 150ml (total 900ml).
Here is her weight chart...I have converted it into pounds so I hope it's more or less correct...
30 april 7lbs
1 may 6.7
2 may 6.5
3 may 6.4
4 may 6.6
5 may 6.6
7 may 6.6
9 may 6.7
11 may 6.9
14 may 6.9 (gained 10 grams, started giving formula, one day)
15 may 7.1
18 may 7.2 (gained 20 grams, started giving formula up until today)
24 may 7.6
29 may 8.3
7 june 9.4
12 june 9.6
21 june 10.1
Length at birth 51cm, yesterday 58cm
The last few days I have managed to scrape by supplementing with one bottle, sometimes it's two...
Follow Mothering