This has been a long road but I think I have exhausted all other options. My ds was born at 8 lb. 11 oz. and gained well the first two months. At his two month wbv he was 11 lb. 2 oz. which was decent and definitely didn't cause any reason for concern. The trouble happened when at his 4 month wbv he weighed in at 11 lb. 4 oz. My son's ped. has been wonderful through all of this and didn't even hint at formula but did suggest that it was most likely due to low caloric intake. He recommended a few things like having his pre- and post-feed weight taken, see a lactation consultant, etc. I use a nipple shield when nursing my ds and he will not latch on without it so far so I believe this has been at least contributing to low-supply issues. So we saw a LC to try and get him off the shield to no avail. Hind sight is 24/7 but I wish I would have never even given him the nipple shield because it's caused way more problems than it has solved but I was feeling a lot of pressure in the hospital to get him to feed. (Yet another reason why my next will be a home birth!) I have been taking him in for periodic weight checks and just last week when he was weighed he lost an ounce! It is so frustrating to be trying so hard and nothing seems to be helping. I have been popping fenugreek and blessed thistle like crazy too. It doesn't help that my sister had a baby 7 weeks after me and her baby has already surpassed mine by several pounds. I'm not sure exactly by how much but it is very obvious by at least 2-3 lbs. My ds ped. has another family in his practice in the same boat as us and he recommended that baby see a cardio specialist based on another symptom she was having and told me he would call me to let me know if they found anything out. Well he called me yesterday and said the cardio specialist did not find anything wrong with the baby's heart but that the baby was going to have to be hospitalized. I am freaking out. I asked if their case was more extreme as ours and he said no that we were both in pretty much the same situation except that the other baby won't take a bottle at all. My ds has taken bottles of EBM so I know that is not a problem for us. I DO NOT want my ds to be hospitalized! Especially since he isn't vaxed. I feel so defeated and that our only option is to supplement with formula. I only want to use this as a last resort and would never use it for convenience but my baby's health is on the line now. This has gotten to be a long story and there is so much more to it but I guess the main reason why I was writing is to just make sure I'm doing the right thing. I will be pumping like crazy to get my supply back up so that the formula is only temporary but any words of wisdom or advice would be much appreciated. I also would like to know if anyone has supplemented what kind of formula they recommend.
I might have to supplement with formula.
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my daughter is 2, and she is just weaned... I have to ask... you said you expressed... how much came out? was it a replacement feeding or after feeding? do you feel much milk being expressed? I believe that you have the ability to nurse... I believe that almost everyone does, on the other hand, some need a little more support... try mothersmilktea... there are more herbs in the tea than just fenugreek... earthmamaangelbaby was my favorite... but i smelled like the tea everytime i drank it. do you have friends that can express for you? feed on demand, but if your little one isn't getting satisfied, try a little donated milk. Also, I hate formula, and I think that when babies drink formula they smell unhealthy (i guess it is a swap... mothersmilk tea stench vs. formula stench) but if it was down to my baby's health (not my mainstream peds perceived idea of health) she would have as much formula as she needed... good luck... Know that I, and many other mothers around the world believe in you and in your natural abilities as a mother
OK--your first responsibility is to FEED the baby! I have to say, I am ignorant about healthy weight gain, as both ds and dd were rolly-poly. However, you should never feel guilty for feeding your baby, even if you have to supplement.
It sounds like you had some challenges and you dealt with them the best way that you knew how based on the information you had available, even if the nipple shield did seem to cause more trouble than it was worth.
I would suggest two things:
1.) get second opinions on both the weight issue and the nursing issue. Don't beat yourself up about another baby's gain. People are all different. Some healthy 30 year old women weigh 110 pounds--some 150. Babies are not all the same either. I would also seek out another LC or maybe a LLL leader for help--perhaps they would have more ideas for you.
2.) If supplementation is necessary, investigate a human milk bank in your area.
it sounds like you are really committed to breastfeeding your baby, and I am sure that you will be able to work through this, though it may take some time and effort.
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It sounds like you had some challenges and you dealt with them the best way that you knew how based on the information you had available, even if the nipple shield did seem to cause more trouble than it was worth.
I would suggest two things:
1.) get second opinions on both the weight issue and the nursing issue. Don't beat yourself up about another baby's gain. People are all different. Some healthy 30 year old women weigh 110 pounds--some 150. Babies are not all the same either. I would also seek out another LC or maybe a LLL leader for help--perhaps they would have more ideas for you.
2.) If supplementation is necessary, investigate a human milk bank in your area.
it sounds like you are really committed to breastfeeding your baby, and I am sure that you will be able to work through this, though it may take some time and effort.
mama2be11, I SOOOO feel for you. I am in a VERY similar boat right now. I have a 7 month old. She was almost 9 lbs at birth, so around 90% for weight. Now she is at the 5th. Talk about discouraging. Lots of issues from the very beginning-- still on a nipple shield too-- though I have attempted to get her to latch without it, she wants nothing to do with it.
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I see all these other babies around me thriving, and I feel like mine is just "surviving" as far as weight goes. I so understand what you are going through right now. I feel like I have road this emotional rollercoaster long enough, I just want off. This is not the wonderful bonding experience I have wanted it to be. Just wanted to ask you something though, my DD doesn't ever seem like she is "starving"-- she seems very happy and content-- goes 4 or 5 hours between feedings. I will offer many times, and she will decline. Is your baby like this too-- or does DS showing signs of hunger?? Just wondering. My heart goes out to you though...
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The first thing I would do is bf baby, then pump, then feed whatever you get from pumping either in a bottle or SNS etc. Just make sure he gets some milk, bm for formula or donated, whatever. You want to be looking for about 4ozs of gain a week at this age. Ilana was 7#2oz at birth and 9#13oz at 4 mos. We started supplementing then and she gained a # in a WEEK! She obviously needed the food and she was a different baby after that. She had a weak suck and either didn't mind being hungry or didn't recognize hunger signs. Once she started getting formula (I've had super low supply w/ all my kids so I was in some heavy denial that last time that made me wait so long to supplement) she recognized her hunger cues again. There are all kinds of things out there you can do to help your milk supply, I'm doing some while pg w/ this baby. Google MOBI breastfeeding and read there, LOTS of info on herbs and increasing supply.
I would suggest maybe just taking a day or two and spending the whole day in bed witht he baby. Make sure you are well hydrated and let your baby nurse as much and whenever he wants. Are you letting him spend enough time on each breast? How many diapers does he wet? Is he crying tears? Does he seem lethargic, or is he alert and active?
Gossamer
Gossamer
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Low weight gain is not necessarily an indicator of a concern.
Is your ds meeting milestones having plenty of poopy/wet diapers, does he seem happy/content?
Is he getting frustrated at the breast or gulping?
How do you nurse? Are you switching sides or only nursing at one side per session?
I don't think this is necessarily an indicator that you need to supplement.
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I know you are probably freaking out. It will be ok.
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Is your ds meeting milestones having plenty of poopy/wet diapers, does he seem happy/content?
Is he getting frustrated at the breast or gulping?
How do you nurse? Are you switching sides or only nursing at one side per session?
I don't think this is necessarily an indicator that you need to supplement.
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1,092 Posts
Is your baby happy and otherwise healthy?
We had low-supply issues to, when DD was 3 months old our LC sent us on to the peds at the hospital for evaluation - and they threatened to hospital DD if she didn't gain a lot over the weekend! I really didn't want that to happen, as hospitalization, according to a friend who used to work as a ped nurse before baby, would mean feeding through the nose, and it almost always means the end to breastfeeding. Anyway, said friend got her blood test result back that very day, and we went by to pick up frozen milk, which we fed DD through the SNS, and her weight was up in time. Then we got Domperidone from our GP, and after four weeks on Dom, we slowly weaned DD off donor milk (1 more donor) by 6 1/2 months!
FWIW, after that hospital visit DH and I talked about it, and decided we would refuse hospitalization if it ever came up for this reason again, and we would have got legal advice if pushed.
We saw a specialist ped after the hospital visit, and at least he respected our choices. He supported the use of Dom, and suggested giving less donor milk while taking it to help my body produce more. He also explained that weight alone isn't important. Head circumference on the other hand is! It shows that baby's brain is growing. Is your baby's head growing well? Also, they catch up. The ped told us not to worry about brain damage (and I believe him, he is one of the best in the country), that doesn't happen, instead as soon as there is enough intake of calories, baby's body catches up.
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This is so hard. I found it terrifying, and so hard to know what was best for DD.
We had low-supply issues to, when DD was 3 months old our LC sent us on to the peds at the hospital for evaluation - and they threatened to hospital DD if she didn't gain a lot over the weekend! I really didn't want that to happen, as hospitalization, according to a friend who used to work as a ped nurse before baby, would mean feeding through the nose, and it almost always means the end to breastfeeding. Anyway, said friend got her blood test result back that very day, and we went by to pick up frozen milk, which we fed DD through the SNS, and her weight was up in time. Then we got Domperidone from our GP, and after four weeks on Dom, we slowly weaned DD off donor milk (1 more donor) by 6 1/2 months!
FWIW, after that hospital visit DH and I talked about it, and decided we would refuse hospitalization if it ever came up for this reason again, and we would have got legal advice if pushed.
We saw a specialist ped after the hospital visit, and at least he respected our choices. He supported the use of Dom, and suggested giving less donor milk while taking it to help my body produce more. He also explained that weight alone isn't important. Head circumference on the other hand is! It shows that baby's brain is growing. Is your baby's head growing well? Also, they catch up. The ped told us not to worry about brain damage (and I believe him, he is one of the best in the country), that doesn't happen, instead as soon as there is enough intake of calories, baby's body catches up.
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Quote:
This sounds like really good advice.
If you have to supplement, can you try something like a SNS or Lact-aid?
Originally Posted by abimommy  Low weight gain is not necessarily an indicator of a concern. Is your ds meeting milestones having plenty of poopy/wet diapers, does he seem happy/content? Is he getting frustrated at the breast or gulping? How do you nurse? Are you switching sides or only nursing at one side per session? I don't think this is necessarily an indicator that you need to supplement.
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If you have to supplement, can you try something like a SNS or Lact-aid?
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