Need Some Breastfeeding Moral Support... and Perhaps Some Advice

I would seek the help of a lactation consultant. My friend has exclusively breastfed for over year and her son weighs only 17 pounds. She has had to deal with her pediatrician saying that he was in the low percentile in weight. However, he suggested actually feeding him one time at night to increase his weight. She has not had to supplement with formula at all even through all of this. I would definetely seek the advice of a lactation consultant. They may have some suggestions that a pediatrician may not have to offer. Good luck!!

oh, woops! I guess you already have a lactation consultant. Never mind.

Kids gain and they lose yes when they are 6 months old you don't want them to be losing but it hasppens. My 5 month old almost lost an entire pound last month. Yes we know why and it was alarming but fact is she is just fine. I wouldn't suplement with formula ethier because it tends to make moms give up, don't give up until you want to. One thing that you could do is break out the infant cereal. They always say start with rice but we start with oatmeal becasue there is less constipation issues. You are right had he been hungry you would have known he would have let you know.

We went through this exact same thing at six months of age...my son went from the 95th percentile to the 5th percentile. He was labeled "failure to thrive". I know how you feel, that label alone was enough to make me feel like the worst mother on earth. The doctor had him tested for a bunch of things until we told him "no more tests!". It worked out just fine. His weight was an issue until he was about 20 months old...there was never a cause discovered. I would work closely with your pediatrician. Follow his advice. Stay informed, but don't go searching for info online...you'll only scare yourself. We did the same thing, supplements and weight checks. Do whatever tests you are comfortable with, but don't let yourself get talked in to things. Hang in there momma!

I am a labor and delivery nurse so I work with a lot of women with breastfeeding. Have you tried nursing more frequently like every 2-3 hours. I have always been told that this will increase your milk supply. Also there is any herb that increases milk supply called Fenugreek. YOu take this 3 times a day. I tried this and it was very successful. Also you can use red raspberry tea or the tablets. I would just increase my feedings first and try to get your baby to nurse for a longer period of time if possible.

Hi A.,

Even thought I don't understand how is it possible that your liitle boy has lost some weight, I know for sure that you are not a bad Mum. You are giving your little man the best you can. Lots of mums would stop breastfeeding by now but you didn't... And don't, please.
You wrote that your boy is happy, healthy and content so the reason for his loss might just be that he is very active little boy and moves much more than he was in his first 4 months, don't you think?

Well, he is 6 months old now and that is the best time to introduce solids as well as continue breastfeeding.

Good luck :)

Sending our love, M., Troy (2,5)and Sophia (6 mnths)
We just moved to States from Prague (Czech Republic), staying in aptmnts Fort Worth while waiting for our furniture to arrive to move into our new house in Burleson

You just need to nurse more frequently - 5 feedings is not very frequent for a 6 month old whose only nutrition is breastmilk. Both my boys were nursing 5 times a day at one year. You should be feeding at least every 3 hours during the day and do not go longer than 5 hours at nite. Night time feedings are extremely important early on for building the milk supply. Please don't give up and try to avoid the formula - the formula will only decrease your milk production. I learned all this the hard way as my first son also had poor weight gain. So, with my younger son, I made sure to nurse very frequently early on - every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at nite for the first two months and boy did that work. Breastfeeding is all about demand and supply. If the baby doesn't demand the milk frequently your supply will diminish. I know you can do it - just plan on spending the next two weeks nursing ALOT. For example, with my suggestion, you could nurse first thing in the morning say at 6 am, then at 9 am, then at noon, 3 pm, 6pm, 9pm and then go to 1 or 2 am - that's 7 feedings versus the 5 you're doing now. You also need to have your thyroid check - low thyroid function can result in low milk production.

it's late (& i should be sleeping!) so i'll try to be brief...please forgive my bluntness! ;)

-your pediatrician, no matter what he or she might say, is not giving you breastfeeding-friendly advice. talk to a le leche league leader or look up kellymom.com for researched-based, trustworthy advice regarding breastfeeding.
Connie helped us...her number is ###-###-####.

http://www.lllofdallas.org/Welcome.html
(and please note they are there for you and your baby even if you feel following your ped's advice is the best thing to do!)

-if your baby is happy, sleeping enough (but not too much), showing no signs of illness, and making plenty of dipes for you to change, then there is no weight problem. period. nothing "has happened" except you got bad info from a pediatrician; not unheard of by any means.
-i urge you to seek advice from someone who knows what he or she is talking about with regard to infant nutrition and breastfeeding. supplementing and/or offering solids are NOT the way to go, especially if you have a history of supply issues.
-mother's milk tea and beer helped me, as did oatmeal, lots of water, maximizing sleep, and minimizing stress. the last one - stress - has a big impact. it's simply sad that your ped put an artificial stress on you based on a statistic, and a weak one at that (consider norms, distribution curves, variables in weighing, calibrations, clothes/diapers, etc.) i know it's tough, but you're instincts tell you your baby is fine? then he's FINE!!
-many doctors just flat out make more $$ by leading mamas to feel like exclusively breastfeeding makes one prone to being a negligent, psycho mom starving her child.
[i debated leaving in that last point; it's a bit inflammatory. but hey, the shoe fits & i'm tired. so there.]

i'm just hopeful this post helps give you some reassurance & courage. you're the best and most important caregiver your babies have -- never forget that!

dont worry. Babyies will eat when they are hungery and not when their not..... if he keeps loseing then worry but untill then some babies just loses wait. my youngest was like that when he was born he was in incu and they were about to lethim out then he lost weight then gain he went home then loset then gain its just a roller coaster, BUT it gets better. RELAX, make sure you are eating enough fat and wait that is about it GOOD LUCK

I agree that 5 feedings seems too few - you should be feeding every 3 hours during the day and I agree 4-5 hours at night - IF he was gaining well - it would be fine to let him sleep all night - but he is not.

Are you getting all the water, and rest you need? are you getting enough calories??

4 ounces is not that much - I would increase feeds before giving formula!

If he isn't acting fussy after a feeding your supply is probably fine. The mother milk tea is great, but you may not need it. Doctors have good intentions, but sometimes their advice isn't whats best. You are mommy and you know whats best. As long as he is thriving you shouldn't worry. Maybe you could buy a baby scale and weigh him yourself like once a week to make sure he's not losing. You can even take him to the doctor just to weigh him. They shouldn't even charge you for that. I has 2 preemies and they insisted in the NICU that we give one bottle of either breast milk or formula a day with this certain formula additive that added 500 calories. They did it in NICU and then when they came home I did it for a week or so and then went back to nursing exclusively. Some babies will switch between bottle and breast easily and others not at all. Do what works for YOU and your baby.

I was about to post almost the EXACT same thing! I took my daughter for her 6 mo well visit last week and she hadn't lost, but she hadn't gained anything either. Still just 13 pounds. She did grow almost an inch, though. My ped suggested starting her on some cereal, which I did that night. Not sure how much actually went in though! Anyway, I posted a question on Babycenter and somebody suggested that Kellymom website. Well, that was confusing b/c they say not to do solids if you're having supply issues b/c solids aren't as high in fat as breast milk.
But it sounds to me like you and I are in the same boat. Maybe it's not a supply issue, but a quality of milk issue. That's my theory anyway. My baby is not fussy at all and sleeps great. I think there's just not enough fat in my milk. I've heard that you produce 50% more milk with each baby, but that milk isn't necessarily better quality.
All that to say, I called a lactation lady and she agreed. This is what she suggested:

a half to a whole avocado a day
1-2 tsp of cod liver oil a day (I got the lemon flavored and mix it in OJ)
cook with coconut oil or put it on your salads
use flax seed oil generously
snack on lots of almonds!

Basically, that's just all good fat. I was eating a TON of carbs and not enough fats. Obviously drink lots of water.

The other interesting thing the kellymom site said is that "an empty breast means more fat in the milk, a full breast is less fat in the milk". So, I was taking Fenugreek thinking it would be good to have more milk, but all I was producing was a lot of foremilk, and not much hindmilk (where all the fat is). So, make sure he totally drains one side before you move him onto the next.

It all sounds like a lot of work, I know. Especially if you have other kids. I don't know how I feel about waking him up at night to feed. Seems to me like they need sleep to grow, too. Not to mention the fact that we need it! Good luck!

I'm sorry to hear about your situation! I agree with the other posters; nurse more often, and don't offer formula. Breastmilk is high in fat, and has enough for him to gain weight from, as long as he's eating enough. Make sure that YOU are eating well, too - lots of good fats, like avocado. If your son wasn't happy after nursing, then my advice about not offering formula would be different - but, as others have said, your supply will only go down if you supplement with formula. You can do this! It's actually pretty common for babies to stray from their growth percentile beginning at 6-9 months. Have you checked kellymom.com for information regarding breastfeeding and weight gain? Maybe look there and see if you can find some helpful information.

A.,
I also agree that 5 feedings a day is too few. I would try to increase the number of feedings before giving him formula. Giving him formula will only decrease your milk supply. Something you might try is this... for about 2 days stay at home and keep frequent skin to skin contact with him. Lounge around in bed as much as possible and let him nurse as much as he will, offering your breast frequently. This should help to increase your milk supply.

Well, if he is 6 months of age, that is when the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you begin feeding rice cereal and such. I would not supplement with formula if your son is happy and appears healthy to you, I would however begin feeding him the rice cereal. He probably won't nurse any less if you start feeding him the cereal, the cereal is so different that it shouldn't make him nurse any less. I would reccommend the cereal about lunch time, that way, you can nurse him in the morning so that he will get a full breatmilk feeding. Then the next time you nurse him, nurse him until he stops and then when he is done offer the cereal, that way it won't take the place of any breatmilk, it will just be in addition to the breastmilk. This way since it is in the middle of the day he will still be ready to nurse again in the afternoon. The cereal will not replace the breastmilk, it will just add to it and help him gain weight. Only feed the cereal after you nurse though.

I know that you said that pumping didn't work for you, but I am not sure what you meant, if you can't even pump enough to mix the cereal up with breastmilk, then mix the cereal with formula instead. I mixed mine with breastmilk. I couldn't pump enough to give breastmilk from a bottle, ut I could pump just enough to mix the cereal with it.

Hi A.. If you think that you are having supply issues, you might want to see a doctor yourself, since hormone problems (e.g., low thyroid) within your body can prevent sufficient milk production. Teas and supplements won't fix a hormone imbalance. Good luck!

A.!
I am so sorry you are feeling down about this but YOU ARE A WONDERFUL MOMMA AND JUST BY NURSING YOU ARE ALREADY DOING 100% MORE FOR YOUR CHILD THAN JUST FILLING HIS BELLY!!!!!!! Just because his weight is low MEANS NOTHING!!!!!!!!! Nursed babies are usually lower in the weight area than formula babies anyways. Is your son's length on the small side as well? You maybe just have a petite child or one that has not hit a growth spurt like most his age. I really would not worry as long as all else is well. "AVG" weight is too heavy............look at the "AVG" weight of someone your age and gendery today verses someone your age and gender 20 years ago. It is the same for babies as well. Weight charts are based on formula feed babies and formula fed babies weigh MORE, thus a possible start of the obesity epidemic! If your son is not hungry, he is most likely not needing the calories!

You said you have a great Lac. Consultant! Good! Great start! Have you considered joining La Leche League or a nursing support group as well? La Leche League is national and a great resource from active nursing moms! Also, talking to a second Lac. COnsultant can never hurt if you want/need confidence in what your first has been telling you. Lac Consultants at many govt hospitals (Harris Hosp for example) is free to anyone, not just those that deliver at that hospital.

Are you emptying each breast before going to the next? You may only need to feed with one breast at each feeding. Make sure to do this to empty out the hind milk (milk with most fat)! Fore-milk is mostly just watered down to quinch a thirst and hind milk is more fatty to fill the stomach. Use gentle massage from the base/inside of the breast out while your child is nursing (you do the masage, the child eats-LOL)! This will help empty milk sacs so the most hind-milk is received by the baby! Use gentle, flat pressure, not squeezing or agressive pushing: just a type of support to breast really, starting at the base of the breast (as close to the chest bone as possible) and slowly, with pressure, move towards the nipple then start repeat or start at another area at the base of the breast and repeat!

Also, are you making sure to drink water like mad? Tons of water will naturally up your milk production! You should AT LEAST drink half your weight in oz (ie: If you weigh 150 Lbs, 1/2 = 75 lbs, and that means you need 75 oz a day)! AND, drinking water at the beginning of your nursing session will help with your milk let-down!

Also, I suggest visiting your local health food/supplement store and speaking to a supplement specialist. They are very knowledgable about healthy, natural remedies and can help you with some other supplements to help your milk production and milk fat content!

I don't think supplementing with formula is a good idea, esp since your son is not used to it and has never had it. If you feel you must supplement, I would start with just a tad tiny bit of rice cereal, SPOON FED and just a tiny bit BUT you yourself said you don't think he is hungry after eating! All this would do IN MY OPINION is possibly prolong the time between feedings, thus not getting as many feedings in and as much breast milk. However, your son is 6 mos. now, so it is considered fine to do this (rice cereal) if he can hold his head up and support it well and you run out of other options. I would not go over-board and would only spoon feed so he will know the difference between liquid nutrition from a breast and solid nutrition. I would not mix it in with a bottle but i would use the breast milk to mix it up instead of water.......even if you can only express just enough breast milk for a tad bit of cereal at a time!

Best of luck! I know nursing can be hard. No one ever said it was easy.......BUT YOU ARE DOING WHAT IS BEST! DON'T LET YOUR SPIRITS GET LOW AND DON'T LET ANYONE SABOTAGE (sp?) YOU NURSING BY WISPERING FORMULA LIES AND "OH JUST GIVE UP" NOTHINGS IN YOUR EAR! IT IS LIKE A MARATHON AND YOU NEED THOSE CHEERING YOU ON!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT THOSE TELLING YOU MAYBE IT WOULD BE BEST TO STOP OR CUT DOWN ON TRAINING (by using formula)!

Blessings!
T.

Firstly, I think that if you plan on continuing to breastfeed, NEVER supplement with formula. It just leads to the end of breastfeeding. I've never heard an instance when it hasn't.
Secondly, is your son nursing on demand? If so, I wouldn't worry at all. Is he soiling his diapers regularly? If so, no need to worry. However, if he's not nursing on demand, start doing so now. A baby needs to eat when he is hungry or needing comfort. Not when someone can get to it. Make sense?
Trust your momma instinct. You know your child best, not the doctor. That is someone you pay for their opinion. That's all. Trust yourself and you'll make the right decision.
If you think you need "help" in the milkmaking department, try the teas or other herbs that are supposed to help. They can help. Also drink lots of water, that will help milk production.
I hope I don't sound harsh, but I've seen all too often what happens in situations like this, and I personally think that breast is ALWAYS best. :)
God Bless!
Jennifer

I wouldn't supplement with formula either. I exclusively BF as well, and I CAN'T BELIEVE how many people tried to push formula on me!! I stuck with it, and I know my kids are healthier because of it. I was BF-ng twins, and I needed a little help w/ supply. I took fenugreek herbal pills from the health food store...worked good for me.

Don't give up on the breastfeeding. Instead increase it. Do go out and get the beer and have a bottle a day at a feeding session in a rocking chair (you and the beer and the baby with the boob). If you can, get an imported beer as it will have more brewers yeast in it. Check your diet and improve it and take a good multiple or a prenatal vitamin a day and drink LOTS of water a day and REST. Get some Geritol (liquid) and take that each day for your iron levels (doctor gave me a prescription you can get over the counter, I was in Canada at the time of my daughter's birth). Take naps when the kids do. Housework can wait take the naps to improve the milk supply. Create a routine where you play with the 22 month old and nurse the 6 month old at the same time. Don't let stress get in the way. My friend's daughter was breatfeeding and going through a divorce and custody battle -- she lost her milk. Go with your gut feeling and it will work out. Good luck to you. The other S.

Hi A., I would suggest that you get some alfa sprouts and use these with salad or on a sandwich when you have lunch as these will help enrich your milk and eat plenty of whole grains such as oats & corn as these help enrich milk. Eating molases also helps as it will help you drink more water and also eating whole grain bread will help get more grains into you. Cut down on your coffee and soft drinks as these contain caffenine and its a diretic which takes water out of your body. Eating a lot of green vegies will help with your milk supply as well such as spinach, brocli, cauliflower and cabbage. All these things will help with your milk supply and enrich your milk. I wish you all the best as we did these things when our own kids were little. Ed

Don't listen to the scale, it is not near as important as seeing a content baby. Plus things can fluctuate the weight like how soon he ate and went potty before both weigh-ins. I exclusively breastfed my son for 13 months with NOTHING besides breastmilk! It really is the most superior nutrition. If your baby is happy and content and not crying of hunger, you are doing a PERFECT job!! Keep up the great work! Send me a message anytime you want breastfeeding encouragement!!!!

It could be the other way around. You could have a bottle-fed obese baby. Have faith in your doctors, friends, and what your baby is telling you. I breast fed all three of our children(21,15,&7)and they are all very healthy. Keep up the good work!

A.,
It looks as though you have received wonderful advise but I will put my two cents in as well. First I agree with the rest of the moms that said NOT to suppliment any formula into the diet. We women were created by God to Feed our own babies. There are things you can do to help, the beer and milk tea. I would also suggest looking at your own diet. Make sure you have a balanced meal plan every day. Sure they say we breastfeeding moms need 500 more caleries a day, but that doesn't give us an excuss to eat bad caleries just to get them in. Here are a couple of sights you can look at.

http://www.motherandchildhealth.com/Breastfeeding/breastf...

http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1277/mainpageS127...

Good luck, you are giving your child the single best gift he will ever recieve from you.
BFM (Breastfeeding Mamma)
L.

Don't fret! It's ok. You shouldn't feel bad in any way! You're doing what's best for your child. I never dealt with a weight issue (mine was a fatty!), but I babysit a little girl who is still in 6-9 months clothes and she's 15 months old! Some kids are just small. It's great that you're trying to tackle the problem, and that you have a great support system! He'll probably go through a major growth spurt here soon. Keep up the bf-ing!

A., I experienced some of what you are going through with my daughter and on top of it I had extreme Postpartum depression. I stopped nursing my daughter at 6 months for many reasons, but I do want to say that I am a HUGE advocate for breastfeeding. I wish with all my heart that i could have kept at it but I was terribly depressed, by daughter was loosing weight, and things continued to plummet downward. I have had mother's make me feel guilty for the decision I made to stop, but for my daughter and I it was the best decision I could have made.

I'm telling you this because I don't want you to feel guilty for supplementing with formula. However I'm not telling you that that is the right thing. When it comes down to it, as a mother you do what you have to for your baby and you. If the decision feels right and makes the BOTH of you happy then don't worry about what other people say or think!

P.S. My daughter was in the 0.43% for weight at 12 months! Small babies are awesome!!