S/o from my random: WWYD?

SuzyQq02 · June 2014

I'm feeling a little lost in this whole "feeding my kid" world, and would appreciate some wisdom from F14!

I think a lot of you know that LO had trouble putting on weight in the beginning, and I've had supply issues pretty much right along. (A possibly relevant detail, I have Hashimoto's disease which can often affect milk supply, especially if levels are off, and mine haven't been checked recently.) She did start gaining again and was doing well along her own little curve, but she's also TALL so her height-to-weight curve fell off the chart, but the doc wasn't particularly concerned about that just yet at our 2 month appointment.

Fast forward to now, and LO is still eating 8-10 times a day, every day, including twice overnight. I'm officially not pumping enough to keep up with what she eats at DC (two different arrangements, so I don't think it's an overfeeding situation, and she's not spitting pretty much any of it back up), but have a bunch of frozen we're tapping into. I know that's against the advice of pretty much every site out there with regards to building supply, but I'm fairly certain I'm maxed out at what I can provide... I'm doing everything short of prescription meds to boost supply and this seems to be as good as it's getting. And with my massively inefficient way of weighing her at home, she seems to be gaining steadily but slowly, and is nowhere near the "double her birthweight" standard for 4 month olds.

Her 4 month appointment isn't for almost another 3 weeks due to the spacing of her vaccines, and I'm driving myself a little crazy wondering if she's getting enough to eat (and whether or not that's impacting her sleep). My mom commented yesterday that with the bigger bottles she seemed happier, which made me crumble a little and think I've been underfeeding her. (I know that wasn't her intent, she was trying to tell me "good call on upping what she's getting!" but it's such an emotional thing.)

I'm considering calling the pedi to do a weight check/weighted feeding to see where we're at and make some decisions sooner than our 4month appointment. She's been super helpful and responsive via phone and email, but I feel like I can't really wrap my head around where we go with this unless I have all the info. Does that sound reasonable, or am I totally freaking out for no reason?

Bless you for reading this far, clearly a paranoid FTM over here! ;-)

mlynn333 · June 2014

I think a weight check/weighed feeding would be good. If it's not something your pedi can work with you on, some BF support groups have that as part (at least the one I go to does). It can give you some peace of mind - I know I would worry myself to a point of insanity if I waited until the next appointment. I sometimes wish our LO's came with a "fuel gauge".

cattuccino · June 2014

Bookshelves said:
I think you should go ahead and call now. You have been trying so hard, but your stress level has really been coming through your recent posts about it. You deserve to have peace of mind that LO is getting what she needs, however that looks. (((Hugs))) again!

This!

SuzyQq02 · June 2014

TyrannosaurusLex said:

Huge hugs, and I second what the ladies above me said. Fwiw, my daughter definitely still eats 8-10 times a day and nurses 2x overnight, and she's 5lbs away from doubling her birth weight - I've actually never heard that given as a 4 month old goal, only as a 1 year old goal? Eta: and our pedi thinks she's just fine

Kellymom cites doubling birthweight by 4 months as a "goal" for bf babies. Not sure if that's standard or not, but looking at the growth charts, it seems fairly accurate along a "normal" curve.

If we were just BFing directly I don't think I'd be as concerned about 8-10 times a day (given I could assume that she's getting roughly the same amount most of the time), but with the volume she's taking in bottles, it's concerning what little volume she might be getting from the breast to get to "normal" daily intake, KWIM?

Codypup · June 2014

I just went through (and am still going through) something very similar. In my case, I called my pedi a week before our 4 month appointment, and that's when he suggested a GI Specialist (cue panic) and to start supplementing with formula. We also upped the frequency of her feeds, and moved to mainly bottles so we could track exactly how much she was taking. All of those things seem to be helping.

So I'd definitely say call your pedi! I think you'll feel more reassured and more in control if you have all the information possible.

And FWIW, my pedi likes kids to double their birth weight by 5 months, not 4, so I think you've got some wiggle room there.

PM me if you want to talk more.

boogerbearoriginal · June 2014

::hugs::

It sounds like there's a lot going on that can be influencing things. First off, don't be worried about scheduling a weight check and/or weighted feed - I know my Pedi has always said to feel free to come in anytime if I am concerned between appointments. Second, I would get yourself checked, beyond whether it's impacting your BFing you need to have healthy numbers for your own well-being. Third, my LO eats a lot and its' very, very normal for BF babies to eat smaller amounts more frequently. That has zip to do with supply, and just how BF babies are. Finally, whether LO is sleeping through the night is developmental and NOT related to feedings. My LO is still waking 2x a night too.

You are doing a great job Mama!

SuzyQq02 · June 2014

Codypup said:

I just went through (and am still going through) something very similar. In my case, I called my pedi a week before our 4 month appointment, and that's when he suggested a GI Specialist (cue panic) and to start supplementing with formula. We also upped the frequency of her feeds, and moved to mainly bottles so we could track exactly how much she was taking. All of those things seem to be helping.

So I'd definitely say call your pedi! I think you'll feel more reassured and more in control if you have all the information possible.

And FWIW, my pedi likes kids to double their birth weight by 5 months, not 4, so I think you've got some wiggle room there.

PM me if you want to talk more.

I was actually thinking of you when I was writing this, @codypup, since W seems to be on a similar path with J, right down to not loving the boob at the moment. The fact that you guys have seen some success really gives me a lot of hope!

Codypup · June 2014

SuzyQq02 said:

Codypup said:

I just went through (and am still going through) something very similar. In my case, I called my pedi a week before our 4 month appointment, and that's when he suggested a GI Specialist (cue panic) and to start supplementing with formula. We also upped the frequency of her feeds, and moved to mainly bottles so we could track exactly how much she was taking. All of those things seem to be helping.

So I'd definitely say call your pedi! I think you'll feel more reassured and more in control if you have all the information possible.

And FWIW, my pedi likes kids to double their birth weight by 5 months, not 4, so I think you've got some wiggle room there.

PM me if you want to talk more.

I was actually thinking of you when I was writing this, @codypup, since W seems to be on a similar path with J, right down to not loving the boob at the moment. The fact that you guys have seen some success really gives me a lot of hope!

Did you ever see this article? https://drjaygordon.com/pediatricks/newborns/scales.html

It helped ease my mind soooo much. I think there's a ton of pressure for every baby to fit an exact formula, and that's not realistic. If your baby is eating frequently, having plenty of wet and poopy diapers, is clear eyed, hitting milestones, etc?...they're probably fine.

That being said, we took steps to help bump that weight, and the pure JOY I feel when I see the scale is awesome. I mean, she's not suddenly turned into Baby Hulk or anything, but she's gaining. It's slow and steady.

Also, we never saw a LC, but I wouldn't be surprised if my supply was low, too. That's why bottle feeding, as sad as it makes me, has also been a huge blessing for us.

Trust me when I say I know the anxiety you feel about this subject! It can completely consume my mind if I'm not careful.

(((hugs)))

keags5496 · June 2014

No new advice but wanted to add my hugs. We struggled with DS1s weight and food intake and I remember how frustrating that can be. Def call the pedi of it will ease your mind...not worth the unnecessary stress of waiting. Good luck!

JackieP1023 · June 2014

I would definitely call the pedi if it will help to ease your mind. We just had our 4m appointment, and DD had gained only 4 oz in 2 months. She has fallen from the 53% at birth to 25% at 2 mo, now down to under 3% for weight. We have stopped nursing for the week, and are giving bottles, making sure she gets 28-32 oz each day, and we will go back tomorrow for a weight check. I don't pump near enough to fill that need, so we have been doing 2-3 bottles fresh (whatever I can get), 1-2 frozen (my freezer stash will be gone soon), and 2 formula. I am just getting into doing everything I can to increase my supply. So far, it seems to be coming up slowly. I am nervous about going back to BF-I'm afraid DD won't be interested after this week or 2 of bottles.

Regardless of what you end up deciding to do, it doesn't mean you have 'failed'. You are making the best decision for you to feed your baby and keep her healthy! ((Hugs!!))

SuzyQq02 · June 2014

Thanks, ladies. I did end up calling, but work fell apart this week and was no way to take her in before Monday. But I spoke with both the LC and the doc, and we put together a plan to hopefully keep her on track.

We're combo feeding now (one bottle of formula a day) and supplementing her daycare bottles with frozen. She also gets oatmeal made with formula once a day. I would like to at least keep combo feeding until she's 6 months, so that she's getting some BM at least that long. I'm going to try just nursing tomorrow (aside from the one formula bottle) and see how it goes, and how long she's able to go between feedings.

After just a few days of this, the morning daycare teacher noted that she seemed to have filled out a little bit more, so I'm both happy that it's working and sad that I can't give her all of what she needs. BUT happy healthy baby trumps all, and if this is working for her, we're going to stick with it.

Thank you SO much for the support, ladies. I heart you all!

Meghan14 · June 2014

Just wanted to offer some ((HUGS)) feeding and weight issues are so hard. Glad to see on the update that things are a bit better and that combo feeding is working for her.

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