Breast feeding - advice please....

[mummysangels]

Hi my 5 month old baby girl is fully breast fed but over the last couple of weeks i have noticed her mucking around on the breast, at first i thought ok she doesn't want it, then last wednesday i had her weighed and she had gained no weight and hasn't done so for 4 weeks.

I had told the nurse at our local chemist that i felt DD was messing around and maybe DD was ready for solids or that maybe my supply was low, she said flat out no to solids and wants me to persist, eat well, drink plenty of water and try and feed as much as possible to regain my supply, (which i have followed her advice) and she would like to see DD try and gain 150g by this coming wednesday.

Any way i don't have a problem with what she wants me to do but i honestly don't think i can get through to wednesday to see a possible weight gain, as DD is feeding but is constantly pulling on and off my breast, whingeing, crying, like she isn't getting anything, it just seems to have gotten worse this week. I have plenty of milk for the first 2 morning feeds but after that its a battle.

I think she gets what she can and deals with it.

I had given her a bottle on friday cause all she did was cry and I just couldn't watch her go without and that afternoon she slept for almost 4 hours something she hasn't done before as she a 40 minute cat napper.

I don't want to put her on formula full time if i don't have to but am i depriving her of a full tummy? please what should i do? :confused: should I start to supp feed or try and see my ECHN?

[Refresh]

:hugs: I would suggest you speak to the ABA? They are great for advice :yes: You sound like you have a good CHN!! Do you think you are drinking enough water?

My kids often went through periods of gaining no weight....has she started movnig more, sitting up etc? My children never gained weight according tothe charts but they are all totaly healthy!

Call the ABA if you havent done so already:hugs:

[Oblena]

Is she teething?

The soft nipple might annoy her and she liked the bottle because the teat was harder. Sometimes when my bub did this type of thing I put bonjella on about 10/ 15 min before I intended to feed and then did it.

It didn't always work - and it definitely won't work if it is not her teeth though.

I would also call the ABA like Ffrenchstar said, they might have heaps of other ideas.

Good luck:)

[punkbaby]

I agree with the others too, maybe af is arriving? We had a growth spurt the other week and we faught the boob drank like crazy then things were normal again. She was fussing again and it was due to teething, shes got her 2nd just through now and shes happy again.

I am sure things will settle maybe lay in bed all day if you can but contact the ABA :)

[justmum]

This is the same stage I got to before things went off the rails and the BF relationship with my DS ended. Much to my continued distress.

I want to offer you a caution - I worried about my supply and fussing too at this stage. I offered DS more formula. He ended up rejecting me for the bottle. It broke my heart.

I say this, not to make you feel sad, but because I want to say the things to you I wish someone had told me at the time so I didn't end up losing out on BF my baby:

* feed, feed, feed. Offer the breast constantly.

* take fenugreek and make some lactation cookies.

* this is prime time for teething - bubs may be having a nursing strike because of teeth pain. It is temporary. Don't give the bottle as an alternative or your breasts may be permanently refused.

* bubs is also becoming more aware of her surroundings at this age. Try feeding in a quieter place to limit distractions - tv off, quiet corner, etc.

* call the ABA / a lactation consultant and get some support.

* drink plenty of water and rest when you can during the day - sleep will boost your supply. Go to bed with baby for a day if you can. It will do wonders.

It is normal for weight gain to slow at this stage as baby becomes more active. And baby is gearing up for solids too.

Stick at it (if you want to of course). Please make sure that if you do end the BF relationship with your daughter, it is because that is what you decide to do rather than have it happen by default to you.

All the best - we are all here for you if you need support.

[saremc]

Hi mummysangels i have had the same thing happen to me although now she has gained weight for the last three weeks it did get bad enough to see a pead. He sugested top up formular but she will not have a bar of it so what we have done is offer the breast as much as possible and try to pump. Do you feel you upply is lower after the morning feeds?

Im on motillium for my milk which i hope to be cutting back and seeing if all goes well i will still take the fenugreek and i love the cookies.

My DD is really slow at gaining weight she only puts on around 60 - 75g at max although it was a bit more last week, i think it is unrealistic to think they could gain 150 in a week if they havent been feeding well.

I hope this helps io know its all over the place but just try to stick through it i did and im still feeding :fingerscrossed: it will be for much longer if you want some one to talk to just holler! :p

Try not to stress but i would call ABA they have the best advice!

GOOD LUCK :thumbsup:

[Freya]

Honeslty I wouldn't worry to much, just feed.

Your bub is way too young for solids and it is good that your local nurse said that.:yes:

At this age bubs become alot more aware of what is going on around them and quite often will do exactly what your bub is doing.

If you really want to continue your breastfeeding realationship don't give your bub any bottles.:no:

I would also think maybe your bub is teething? Braurs teething relief is great for this.:)

[mummysangels]

Yes I want so much to continue Breast Feeding as its a lovely little bond between us :).

I have tried the bonjella before feeding as teething is what I thought the problem was but no :no: still fussed.

She is fine with the first 2 morning feeds and then we struggle.

I have tried the lactation cookies, I have been drinking plenty of water and eating well and still no change.

She used to gain around 300g a week and then went backwards and has remained at her weight, I thought that she a good little size but the nurse and ECHN doesn't like them to stay at the same weight for to long.

I have rang ABA and they beleive that my supply may not be rich enough, they have advised me to see my doctor.

anyway I appreciate all your support and advice. Thankyou :wave:.

[Sheer Bliss]

I'd ditch the bottle for any top-ups & as others have said - feed, feed, feed.

DS went through breast refusal at 5-6months, and it was 3 weeks of hell, but I am glad we persisted through it, we are now 2weeks of making it to the 1yr mark!! The was a LC explained a possible cause of it to me made heaps of sense....I had heaps of milk at the start, and DS had a rather weak suck (slight tounge tie & premmie) so he may never have actually learnt to 'milk' the breast properly, he just sucked lazily & it poured out. Once my supply settled down and he started wanting more - he didn't know how to do it properly, and so would suck a few times, then cry crankily as the milk wasn't pouring out. As a result my supply did drop off, but once i persisted he eventually learnt to become more efficient at milking the breast properly & it wasn't long before he got my supply bac up again. It took 3 weeks of on & off refusal to get there. I had a similar thing happen at the same age with DD (again - she was premmie :hair:) and i didn't have the knowledge then that I have now, and went onto solids against our CHN advice. It made no difference, she still fussed and carried on while b/f. She never really learnt to do it well, so weaned at around 10months as she found it all to hard, and i didn't know to keep trying.

DS goes through phases of gaining weight too - he will plataeu for a few weeks, then have solid gains for a few weeks after that. I don't bother too much with the weight thing anymore - mostly I go by his nappies & generally how he is. Weight is too numeric & clinical sometimes. As others have suggested too - the ABA is GREAT!! When DS was refusing, i knew in my head all the things to do, but chatting to some of the mummies on here, and over the phone to the ABA just confirmed it, and gave me the confidence to keep going.

I also went to a local b/f clinic & had them re-check his attachment, and he was laying out a bit more as he was bigger, by turning his body so he was flat against my tummy made it easier for him to get strong attachment. A simple thing that I SHOULD have known, but took an outsider to remind me. Sometimes the little things picked up by others can make all the difference. Goodluck!!

[Freya]

Yes I want so much to continue Breast Feeding as its a lovely little bond between us :).

I have tried the bonjella before feeding as teething is what I thought the problem was but no :no: still fussed.

She is fine with the first 2 morning feeds and then we struggle.

I have tried the lactation cookies, I have been drinking plenty of water and eating well and still no change.

She used to gain around 300g a week and then went backwards and has remained at her weight, I thought that she a good little size but the nurse and ECHN doesn't like them to stay at the same weight for to long.

I have rang ABA and they beleive that my supply may not be rich enough, they have advised me to see my doctor.

anyway I appreciate all your support and advice. Thankyou :wave:.

They can go through phases of not gaining weight.:yes: Is bub crawling yet?

[Oblena]

Yes I want so much to continue Breast Feeding as its a lovely little bond between us :).

I have tried the bonjella before feeding as teething is what I thought the problem was but no :no: still fussed.

She is fine with the first 2 morning feeds and then we struggle.

I have tried the lactation cookies, I have been drinking plenty of water and eating well and still no change.

She used to gain around 300g a week and then went backwards and has remained at her weight, I thought that she a good little size but the nurse and ECHN doesn't like them to stay at the same weight for to long.

I have rang ABA and they beleive that my supply may not be rich enough, they have advised me to see my doctor.

anyway I appreciate all your support and advice. Thankyou :wave:.

Ok that makes sense as you are getting tired as the day goes and you body is still trying to make milk - I found this when I tries to express later in the day as opposed to the morning - it just didn't work.

As much as I hated it (as I really wanted to get off preg weight) I had to rest and just make sure I ate enough to make good milk. I didn't lose any weight in those months adn only started to really lose in DD's 12 month. before that I had to accept that for her welfare I had to carry the weight so that I could make good milk (not saying that you are worrying about this ;)). Any way I tell you this, because a by product of rest and eating heartily to make milk, may be you feeling like a lazy ..., but it sounds as if you may have to for a while.

I also found that when DD fussed that I used breast compressions. Basically using my hand I would also squeeze the breast to allow more milk to come through. I f you express you can see how this increases the flow significantly.

Trust your body, eat well, try not to stress about it ( easier said that done - I know), and just keep offering. You body will make what your baby needs. Focus on getting bub to feed nicely rather than if bub gains weight at this stage. Let the wet nappies etc be your guide rather than weight gain at this stage.

hope it goes ok :hugs:

[ikis84]

Ok that makes sense as you are getting tired as the day goes and you body is still trying to make milk - I found this when I tries to express later in the day as opposed to the morning - it just didn't work.

As much as I hated it (as I really wanted to get off preg weight) I had to rest and just make sure I ate enough to make good milk. I didn't lose any weight in those months adn only started to really lose in DD's 12 month. before that I had to accept that for her welfare I had to carry the weight so that I could make good milk (not saying that you are worrying about this ;)). Any way I tell you this, because a by product of rest and eating heartily to make milk, may be you feeling like a lazy ..., but it sounds as if you may have to for a while.

I also found that when DD fussed that I used breast compressions. Basically using my hand I would also squeeze the breast to allow more milk to come through. I f you express you can see how this increases the flow significantly.

Trust your body, eat well, try not to stress about it ( easier said that done - I know), and just keep offering. You body will make what your baby needs. Focus on getting bub to feed nicely rather than if bub gains weight at this stage. Let the wet nappies etc be your guide rather than weight gain at this stage.

hope it goes ok :hugs:

:iagree:

[the_queen]

:hugs: :hugs: You've gotten a lot of very very good advice so far :yes: :yes:

So bubs' weight has plateau'd - what about her length/height? Is she growing upwards instead of outwards, I mean?

:hugs: You're doing really well, please take the advice to rest and feed and you and your princess will get through this. You'll be so proud of yourself on the other side of this phase :hugs:

[mummysangels]

Yes I have gotten alot of good advice from you all and I appreciate it alot, so I am going to try another few days and if things don't improve I will start to supp feed her as I feel in the end I need to look out for her best interests in having a full satisfied tummy :yes:. I just feel so guilty when she crying and fusses and because I not able to satisfy her :(.

I never had this kind of problem with DD2 who I breast fed till she was 18 months old.

the_queen - DD3 hasn't grown much in anyway besides her weight thats why I don't understand the concerns of nurse and ECHN as she has tripled her weight, she was born 3 weeks early induced due to complications.

At birth she was-

wt: 2310g (just below 3rd % line)
L: 48.5cm (25th % line)
HC: 33cm (10th % line)

Now she is-

wt: 6550g (25th % line)
L: 58.5cm (3rd % line)
HC: 38.5cm (below 3rd % line)

She has been this weight for almost 5 weeks.


OneBlessing - no not crawling yet she has only just started to roll alot more from back to tummy.


OblenaandMullet - I would lovvvvve just to do nothing for one day but DH is a truck driver and we have 2 other children so this makes it very difficult to have even a 2 hour rest, but I do try .


Love all your advice and hugs Thankyou really needed it today as I am feeling a bit sad and teary :crying: .

Thanks again :hugs::hugs::hugs:

[Oblena]

OblenaandMullet - I would lovvvvve just to do nothing for one day but DH is a truck driver and we have 2 other children so this makes it very difficult to have even a 2 hour rest, but I do try .



Unfortunately there is no calling in sick hey? Hope the days get better and that there is someone there irl to give you a big hug:hugs::hugs:

[mummysangels]

Unfortunately there is no calling in sick hey? Hope the days get better and that there is someone there irl to give you a big hug:hugs::hugs:


Thats it no days off for us, children are 24/7 365 a year non stop. I spose bed would be a good place to be right now now I have gotten her down. night :sleeping: