Should I just give up?

[EmnJJsMom]

Oh my...I just went through this whole thing.

DD is 9 months old and she went in because she was sick and she was down in weight. I know the insane torture you are going through in your head, trust me. I felt almost like I was a BAD mom for avoiding formula at all costs. I can tell you what I did though.

1. Added in more solids and when I made them I mixed them with formula (like you are trying) And made sure they were high fat foods (avacodos and basically any deep green vegetable have higher fatty acid contents than others *according to a british research company*)

2. Started block feeding...When dd nursed more than once in the same hour, I kept her on the same boob, I realized she wasn't taking my hindmilk, only my letdown, and putting her on the same boob twice in a row was forcing her to take the hindmilk too.

3. Tried not to worry unless she was exhibiting true signs of lack of breastmilk and I had obvious signs of low supply.

DD's urine turned very strong smelling and she started going several hours between wet diapers. She was always fussing and wanting to eat. She was constipated and her poo was a dark, almost black color, on the days she finally did poo. And finally, she LOST weight rather than just leveled off. It's normal for breastfed babies to stay the same weight, but not to lose.

I knew my milk supply was low mostly because my letdown got to be less and less intense until I was barely feeling it and it took 5-6 mins into the feeding to happen (DD HATED that!)
------------------------------------
After 10 days of doing everything that I could to bring my supply up, and block feeding, adding MORE solids and mixing them with formula...DD gained 11 oz and she is still doing a million times better after 2 full weeks of this routine.

OH...And my biggest issue was that I had to learn to STOP STRESSING about it so bad because that was just making my milk supply worse!!!

I know what you're going through, you can get through this!! The biggest thing is making sure there is actually an issue in the first place! DD could be unhappy from teething and wanting to nurse for comfort or something like that.

I hope that ANYTHING I wrote gives you some help. Many many hugs to you, I know how frustrating this is.

[EmnJJsMom]

Also...here is a more accurate growth chart for you to use

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/chart3.html

Just remember...a lot of babies are born with a lot of fat and it's normal for them to lose it...babies are meant to lose a certain amount of the fat that is on them at birth.

[titania]

Originally Posted by presleycaedmon I'm so stressed about DD's weight that I can't even see straight. I have no one in my life who ebf'd their kids and DD isn't established with a ped. due to insurance issues so I'm relying on you ladies for some advice. DD is 7 months old. She's been ebf'd up until this week when we started introducing solids. She was 10lbs 4oz at birth and when she went to the dr. last week for an ear infection she only weighed 15lbs 4oz. He didn't say anything about her weight, but this is the first time he's ever seen her so he doesn't have a clue how much she weighed at birth. She seems healthy enough. She started rolling over both ways at 3 months, she army crawls like a champ, she babbles, coo's, smiles, grabs toys, throws toys, etc etc. She also has 4 (almost 6) teeth and has been teething for what seems like an eternity. All of that to say, her lack of weight gain concerns me. My mom thinks that she's just leveling out and will end up being a petite baby even though she was so big at birth. But I'm not convinced. Diapers that were way too small for her at 3 months fit fine now. The size 6-9 month clothing that should be fitting her is falling off but she's too long for the 3-6 month clothing. Her skull measurement is right on track and her length is right on track. Could it be that she's just going to end up being a skinny baby? She's also fussy all the time when she's nursing lately but I can't tell if that's because of her ears, her teeth, or not enough milk. Ugh. Thank you if you've read this far. I know that was just a bunch of rambling up there, but hopefully I gave enough info that someone can be of help to me.

ok, she's teething, and has/had an ear infection. that right there would make nursing uncomfortable. she is hitting all her milestones it sounds like, so she's surely thriving. the clothes and diapers not fitting the same is expected as she is probably redistributing her weight as she becomes more active. many many babies get skinnier as they start crawling and walking. if she won't eat solids, i am inclined to say follow her lead on that. try again in a few days or a week. nurse her as often as you can, and you can try to give her teething tabs or tylenol for her teeth pain, and see if that helps. i really think she is fine, just needs to get those teeth in!

oh, and one more thing to consider. have you gotten your period back yet? that can cause a dip in supply, temporarily, but that in combination with her teething could be the culprit! try not to worry too much. being a mom is hard sometimes. you are doing a great job mama.

[hulkmama]

Originally Posted by bronxmama Hi, I wuold advise you to get a LLL leader to speak to. They are great sources of support and advice. really, hook up with LLL they are great. HTH

Exactly!!! Please don't give up BFing. It's wonderful for your little one and you. 7 months and counting you're doing great. I'm not a doctor and I can't remember exactly what my 1st DS weight did at that stage. That's why I say coctact LLL even if there's not a group near by you, you can atleast call someone.

Good luck and keep up the good work.

[mrs endrizzi]

Originally Posted by titania ok, she's teething, and has/had an ear infection. that right there would make nursing uncomfortable. she is hitting all her milestones it sounds like, so she's surely thriving. the clothes and diapers not fitting the same is expected as she is probably redistributing her weight as she becomes more active. many many babies get skinnier as they start crawling and walking. if she won't eat solids, i am inclined to say follow her lead on that. try again in a few days or a week. nurse her as often as you can, and you can try to give her teething tabs or tylenol for her teeth pain, and see if that helps. i really think she is fine, just needs to get those teeth in! oh, and one more thing to consider. have you gotten your period back yet? that can cause a dip in supply, temporarily, but that in combination with her teething could be the culprit! try not to worry too much. being a mom is hard sometimes. you are doing a great job mama.

Ditch the formula - it'll only hurt your supply, mama. Pump after feedings, and if you feel that you need to increase your supply, you can eat oatmeal, take Fenugreek, Mother's Milk Tea, etc. There are many ways to increase your supply is you do indeed have a low supply, though it doesn't sound like it. My daughter wants to nurse quite a bit, too - a lot of nursing babies do it for comfort. If she's wetting/pooping diapers and is active, alert, and meeting her milestones, I'd stop looking at her wet. My daughter is very small and petite as well - all babies grow/gain weight at a different rate.

[presleycaedmon]

Originally Posted by mrs endrizzi Ditch the formula - it'll only hurt your supply, mama.

Formula? The only formula she's gotten has been mixed into her home made food to thin it out a bit. We don't own any bottles, just baggies that I pump into. So, that's definitely not an issue

I want to thank all of you mama's for your encouraging words!! DD is still refusing all solids and isn't nursing as much as I'd like, but she's acting happy and healthy. I've started taking fenugreek and blessed thistle and my supply seems to be just fine. So, I'm just going to listen to DD's cues. Apparently she's just in a "not very hungry" phase. I'm trying my best to ignore the fact that her 6/9 month clothing is falling off of her and that she's fitting into diapers that use to be too tight. I really, really need to hang on to the fact that she's just a petite little girl! The only thing that is concerning me now is that she still isn't able to sit up on her own and she's not getting on all fours. She's got oodles of upper body strength as she's abble to hold up her whole torso while lying on her tummy. But, she just doesn't seem at all interested in crawling or sitting up. She's been army crawling since she was about 4 months old and that's all she ever wants to do. Is the fact that she's not sitting up cause for major concern? Maybe I should start a s/o thread about that.

[presleycaedmon]

Originally Posted by titania have you gotten your period back yet?

Nope, no period. I had one day of spotting a few months ago, but that's it.

Originally Posted by AKM Can I ask why you add the formula and olive oil?

I was putting organic formula (w/DHA and ARA) and olive oil into her food to boost her fat intake. I've now switched from olive oil to organic flax seed oil as it is heavy in omega-3's. I think one of the main problems is that she gets impatient while nursing and rarely waits around for the fatty hind milk.

[Leininger27]

Originally Posted by presleycaedmon I think one of the main problems is that she gets impatient while nursing and rarely waits around for the fatty hind milk.

I would recommend nursing her only on one side at a time them so she is getting the fatty hind milk instead of switching sides.

[3girlymom]

I second getting more hind milk....

Teething is gonna make your dd more fussy from about 4 months all the way to 2 years old! There may be a few restful periods in that time...but teething is painful!

Find a good source to use for her teething discomfort...keep up with the nursings...add in foods as she wants them...and you're doing fine. If you are worried, express your concerns to a Ped who is breastfeeding friendly. I also second contacting a local LLL leader.

As long as she's not losing weight...I think it's fine. Kids do level out once they start moving more and the weight gain is slower.

Also...grab a few breastfeeding books to read. Getting info that way may help ya feel better too. It's hard with those around you can't offer support since they haven't ever done what you are doing.

And remember, all those growth charts, they are all of formula fed babies. You can't compare ebf babies to those charts. Each child is different anyway!

And about the oil and omega 3's...Carlson brand fish oil is the best source for that. They have a kid one out, which is the same as the adult but a different doseage. Also, Child Life Essentials make an Essential Fatty Acid Oil just for infants/children. They have an entire child line that is awesome. Do a search for them on google and look into them.

I'd forget adding that formula and oil to the food though. I don't think it's necessary. If you are using that to 'boost her fat intake' to make her gain weight it's not going to happen. Those omega 3's are more for brain function, skin, hair etc. It's not the fat that equates weight gain. It's a food source for those bodily functions, and also helps with immune boosting.

My 14mo doesn't like lots of foods, but she'll eat any soup I make. So I make lots of cream soups...cream of zuchinni, butternut squash soup, potato cheese soup with carrots...and it gets gobbled up with screams for more. There are some good recipes at www.allrecipes.com.

[jls~Kain~Drake]

I just wanted to say that my formula fed son was about 16 lbs at 6 months and also went through that stage where the weight redistributed and clothes started fitting different (getting big) and diapers that were once too small, fit again. With that said, I just wanted to give my opinion that babies are all different and I think it sounds like you're doing an excellent job and she's probably just going through a phase (as far as not wanting to eat)...when my first was younger (of course, he's only 33 months now)...when he went through a growth spurt, he ate like there was no tomorrow...now at 2.5, when he goes through a growth spurt - he tapers off with the eating. My second would get real finicky with food during a growth spurt rather than being ravenous like my first...and now at 14 months, he's like his big brother was when he was little...he gets ravenous. Babies are just different
Blah blah blah to say i think you're doing great and just trust your gut.