Hunger cues

mandy+chi

have anyone here encounter cases that your baby is not showing hunger signs?

My baby is 11w old. He was breastfed 8 times a day till week 6. From week 7-9 he was changed to formula as I was in medication, in which he was bottle-fed 6-7 per day . From wk10 I resumed nursing but knowing my supply has roughly reduced by 40-50% by pumping (I roughly got 2-3oz each time.) I assumed that I would need hybrid for awhile. However my boy is not taking the bottles after I nurse him in many cases, nor does he cry out for hungry. I tried to look for hints when he's sucking his fingers or so, but when I give him the bottle he would throw up after a few sips, or refuse to drink and fall asleep.

i wonder if anyone has the same experience that the baby is not showing hunger cues? 

I wonder if the baby feels too tired after nursing to take bottle in hybrid method? I think he's clearing not having enough milk as his diaper is not so wet today, also the amount of poop is getting less. Is there anyway i can encourage him to drink more? Or is that I should not resume BF and go back to formula only?

thanks a lot!

Kurrant

My munchkin did the same thing around the same time funny enough.  She stopped showing hunger signs and would cry hard when she wanted to eat which made me realize she wasn't letting me know when hunger hit and was waiting till she was Hangry instead.. She started showing different hunger signs though the last few days that I have noticed. She used to peck and stick her tongue out when she was hungry, now she does the tongue thing but in a different way and will munch her hands in a more desperate way instead of just comfort sucking. Shes now 12 1/2 weeks.

Knottie13257900

Yes there are days when baby is less hungry than others. I don't worry about it unless she seems sick or unhappy. As long as she's gaining weight regularly.

mandy+chi

@Kurrant yes, I assumed for week 11 we still need to feed about every 3-4 hours. So I try to look for these signs when time is closed, he is willing to take the breast but I just worried he is not having enough milk as he refused to take the bottle after nursing (while I know my supply has decreased since week 6)

huskypuppy14

June Lurker..
How do you know your supply has decreased? Maybe he's getting plenty by breastfeeding, and he doesn't need anymore. Babies are more efficient than the pump too.  Also, their diapers can vary so a week of less poopy diapers could be a coincidence. Can you try giving him some formula first and then breastfeeding? he might just prefer the breast and not want the formula?

lalala2004

What you're pumping isn't indicative of your supply necessarily. This is also a time when they start to get more efficient. Also, breastfed babies often poop less. As long as he has a handful of wet diapers a day, I'm sure he's getting enough. 

lalala2004

huskypuppy14 said:

June Lurker..
How do you know your supply has decreased? Maybe he's getting plenty by breastfeeding, and he doesn't need anymore. Babies are more efficient than the pump too.  Also, their diapers can vary so a week of less poopy diapers could be a coincidence. Can you try giving him some formula first and then breastfeeding? he might just prefer the breast and not want the formula?

I wouldn't give formula first. Then he may not eat from the breast as much and supply would decrease further.

missnc77

huskypuppy14 said:

Can you try giving him some formula first and then breastfeeding? he might just prefer the breast and not want the formula?

Don't do this. That makes no sense for her to fill her baby up on formula before offering the breast. Then her baby won't drink as much, this causing her supply to go down as @lalala2004 said. 

mandy+chi

at week 6 I was able to pump 3oz or more by hand expression but now I only got 2-3oz by electric pump so I assumed my supply has decreased. My breast also feels less full than before.

also in wk7-9 when he was only taking formula, he could take 4-4.5oz in each feed. 

Therefore i assumed I need hybrid when resuming nursing. He would take my nipples but only take it for 5-7 min, and after that he usually doesn't show much signs of hunger or willingness to take the bottles. And now I only BF him about 6-7 times a day that's why I think he's not having enough milk.

I will continue to look out for his wet diaper and poop today.

i just worry what should I do if he's giving less wet diaper and poop again.

@huskypuppy14

proudparent2b

You probably should check with your ped if worried.

However, I can definitely say that poops do decrease in frequency. LO used to poo several times a day but has only been doing so every 1-3 days since 6 weeks old.

Were you pumping and dumping during the weeks that you had toprovide formula only? If so, that should have maintained your supply reasonably. Also, your breasts won't get as hard anymore as they adjust around week 6 (unless you let them get way too full!).

If your supply is low, you can power pump for a few days to increase supply (once a day, pump 20 min, off 10, on 10, off 10, on 10).

Also, even if feeding cues are decreasing, a good rule of thumb is to try feeding every time LO wakes up.

Hone this helps!

mandy+chi

thanks I used hand expression to pump for a few minutes and disposed it whenever I have time - I didn't do it on a very regular basis - perhaps 5-6 times per day. When I decided to go back to nursing, I first tried electric pump 6-7 times a day for a few days before directly nursing - to make sure I have enough supply first.

now I nurse him 6-7 times a day, and try to top up with formula whenever he's willing to take the bottle afterwards.

he still pee min of 5 times a day but the amount has decreased. I also feel like he's been sleeping more than usual even in day time  - he can sleep for hours and I had to somehow wake him up every 3-4 hours to feed him.

 Thanks everyone I will see the midwife day after tomorrow to have her check out.  @proudparent2b

lalala2004

@mandy+chi the only way to really know how much he is getting is with a weighted feed. Maybe your midwife will let you do that? A pump is really not a good indication of your supply unless you are exclusively pumping.

mandy+chi

Thanks we did a weighted feed today and he got  48g (1.7oz) after nursing. The midwife assured me his current weight gain in the last 2 week is ok but I should top up with formula 2-3 times a day - perhaps when I feel my supply is low in daytime.

I'm still unsure how to tell when my supply is low during the day, or when the boy is not yet satisfied after nursing - but I will give it a try this coming week.

@lalala2004