Combo feeders/EPers--come in!

JackieP1023 · June 2014

We took DD to her 4mo appointment today. Everything looks good except for her weight. She was 53% at birth, 25% at 2 months, and is now

%. For the next week, I have to basically EP, but combo feed when needed to get her intake volume to where it needs to be. Apparently supply is my issue-we did a weighted feed while at the dr, and she only transferred 2oz. I have been eating oatmeal the past couple of days, and have some 'Lactate Support' pills to start taking, with the hopes of increasing my supply. Any tips beyond this? I posted earlier in the week about having what I thought were pump issues, since my output was low, but based on her lack of weight gain, and the weighted feed, it looks to be more of a supply issue.

Unknown · June 2014

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SuzyQq02 · June 2014

Clb has great advice! I've had supply issues from the beginning, and added a pumping session every day, even when I was bfing her all day, pumped dry plus 5 and put baby to breast as often as possible.

I take fenugreek and moringa supplements, drink mothers milk tea and eat oatmeal. I try to make sure I'm getting enough water (100oz a day), and enough protein and fat calories (you need an extra 500 calories a day while breastfeeding). I've also done lactation cookies, but haven't had time to bake since I went back to work!

inluv4life2 · June 2014

Clb has great tips. Not much else I can add!

JackieP1023 · June 2014

Great tips, thanks! I want to try to see how I do for a few days taking this supplement--see if it helps. I have *some* milk stashed in the freezer, I'm sure we will be basically using that up. If I don't see a decent increase in my production in a week or two, I think we'll probably continue combo feeding. At that point, I'll need to figure out where my line is as far as switching to formula.

PeachLove25 · June 2014

I go to a BF group every week and many of the moms SWEAR by Gatorade. It's probably placebo or just an increase in hydration- but heck, it can't hurt to try!!!

boogerbearoriginal · June 2014

One of the best ways to increase supply is nursing as much as possible, baby will stimulate supply better than a pump for most women. IIRC, you were only feeding her ~5x a day, work on bumping that up. Offer every 2-3hrs during the day. Try a dream feed before bed if she's sleeping longer stretches at night.

Something else to keep in mind, one weighted feed isn't necessarily an accurate representation of every single nursing session. She may have taken in less because she wasn't as hungry at that moment, in a strange setting, etc. What baby takes in will typically vary from 1-2oz to 3-5oz at any given nursing session depending on whether she's looking for a meal or snack/comfort. Some babies like to nurse a lot, less frequently and some babies will nurse more often but take in smaller amounts. Only taken in 2oz doesn't necessarily mean you have a supply issue, but it does mean you'll have to be vigilant about ensuring she's nursing more frequently than if she were taking in a larger amount.

IMO the best thing you can do at this point is nurse as often as possible, and any time you give her supplement (whether formula or breastmilk) be sure to pump, even if you just nursed her and only get a few drops that stimulation will cue your body to make more milk.

Good Luck!

gingerm84 · June 2014

Drink a ton of water! I can always tell when I haven't had enough, I pump significantly less.

JackieP1023 · June 2014

Pedi has us strictly bottle feeding, at least for a week. So far so good--we have given 2 bottles of formula so far. I've been pumping every 3 hours, and so far today (4 pumps), I have gotten about 9oz. For now, my plan is to pump regularly, do what I can to pump what I can, but not going crazy about it. It is what it is, at this point. Biggest goal is getting DD back up to where she should be, weight-wise. If it means formula, so be it. We'll make it work!

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