7 months & need encouragement & support, low supply

[threebirds]

Hi ladies
My LO is 7 months and im bfeeding with the v occasional btl of formula. He tends to feed often & little, especially during the day. His night feeds are a bit longer, 10-20mins. Ive had low supply all along. My baby was premature and is still quite small. Id love to keep feeding him but I really dont think he is getting enough. I think he's waking for night feeds because he is not getting enough during the day. I do also pump but am really not getting much at all and its taking me a couple of days to get a bottle's worth. (a couple of months ago i could get 80ml in one go) My boobs are also getting sore as he is sucking harder to try and get more milk. Ive also fed him more from right boob as left boob has never produced v much. I take nursing tea every day & try and drink a good deal of water. Im also knackered which doesnt help. He can be up a few times during the night (not always looking for a feed). He doesnt comfort feed. When he feeds he wants fed and it just feels like he isnt getting enough. I gave him a formula bottle a couple of days ago and he wolfed that down. He's on 3 small meals a day. Any advice on how I can boost supply and give him what he needs? Thanks!

 

[luna_19]

Feeding him so many solids meals at this age is going to do nothing but hurt your supply, I would stick with 1 solids meal. Anytime you give formula ideally you would pump to stimulate milk production, every feed you skip like that is also going to hurt your supply. As for the waking at night this is totally normal.for this age, it's called reverse cycling. Basically the world is too exciting to stop for a proper feed during the day so they make up for it at night. You could try feeding in a quiet dark room and when he is sleepy to get more during the day. Pump output is really not a good indication of supply, in the early days I could easily pump a few ounces at a the but because I didn't do it regularly I could never letdown for the pump later on, last the I tried was around 8 months or so amd got nothing despite having no supply problems. Hope this helps

 

[bdb84]

I stopped responding to the pump once my first daughter was past half a year old. I still went on to nurse just over two years, so please place no importance on how much you are able to pump.

A supplement that worked best for me is called More Milk Plus. It does not taste good at all, so I mixed it with an ounce or so of orange juice to make it bearable. It worked better than nursing tea and Fenugreek combined.

Also, he may be waking at night, not because he isn't getting enough during the day, but simply because it's become routine for him. My daughter had plenty of nursing sessions during the day and, as she got older, instead of sleeping better, her sleep got worse. It all came down to habit for her. Once we broke the nurse-to-sleep association that she had developed, her sleeping took off (and she continued to gain weight despite no longer nursing at night).

 

[noon_child]

If his night feeds are that short it sounds like he's a really efficient feeder (knows how to get it all out quick), especially if he's happy to settle to sleep afterwards. Like PP said they get really distracted in the day and pop in and off the breast all the time. I think the soreness you are experiencing could well be from a lazy latch he has developed due to being distracted and wanting to get on and off quickly enough to get back to seeing the world. if it hurts when he latches on, unlatch him and reposition, and I agree with feeding in a dark calm place if possible, and always offer both breasts, as he may seem satisfied by just one but if given a second one he'll think "oh actually yes i could have a bit more!".

If you are convinced its is a supply issue, you could always start a feed on the side that produces less, switch to the other when he seems fussy or has finished. However if he has a good latch and feeds frequently there is no reason you'd have a low supply.

I was never one of those ladies with an abundance of milk. My LO had a terrible latch till 11weeks old, started small and had slow weight gain because she wasn't able to get as much as she needed. However once her latch improved I started producing what she needed, as production is so linked to how much milk is removed from the breast. I still never leaked, didn't let down when other babies cried, any of that stuff, but I had the milk my baby needed and fed her till 27months.

 

[SurpriseBub]

Good luck, op! I am also going to try some the above tips. I wanted to add: if you really feel he isn't getting enough, there is nothing wrong with supplementing with formula. We have had to at times, and I felt guilty... But shouldn't! Breast milk is great, but don't let it be stressful. You have come so far, and I hope you can stay ebf if that is what you want... But don't feel any guilt if you decide supplementing is the way to go.

 

[threebirds]

Thank you girls. I REALLY appreciate each of your posts. I needed your support and encouragement. Some great tips and wise words. I do want to keep going with it.
I think he probably is quite efficient. I do try and give him the rubbish boob as much as possible but he'll often push it away but I am pumping from it when he doesnt feed from it. Id love him to feed better during the day. Xx

 

[bumpin2012]

DD is a highly distracted feeder. She will nurse for 2 minutes TOPS if there is something going on around her. I go to another room as often as possible for feedings because otherwise she is just too nosy.
Many of the low supply indicators you listed are actual rather normal. Our bodies are designed to regulate the amount of milk we make based on the pattern of our babies feeds. We aren't meant to make a full 8 oz extra and have it readily available.

My advice, spend a day in bed with your LO, and feed as often as baby will accept. At this age, you can forgo solids and focus on breastfeeding. Try to avoid formula at this point, because the more formula you feed, the less your body is being told to make.

And if you feel more comfortable giving some formula, that's fine as well. Breastfeeding is not an all or nothing relationship. A good friend of mine only breastfeeds morning and bedtime, and bottle feeds formula in between because it works for her.

 

[bdb84]

And if you feel more comfortable giving some formula, that's fine as well. Breastfeeding is not an all or nothing relationship. A good friend of mine only breastfeeds morning and bedtime, and bottle feeds formula in between because it works for her.

Yes, this.

With DD1 I was adamant that she would never have a drop of formula (even though DS was formula fed and is the picture of health). When I realized that I disliked nursing, I felt like I was stuck because I had been so vocal about not bottle feeding her. I still went on to nurse her extendedly and exclusively, but I wished I hadn't put my foot in my mouth.

With DD2, I knew I wanted to supplement here and there. It's not routine, but it helps. She's one month old and has had three 1-2oz formula bottles just so I could get a little break. We nurse 95% of the time so I am not concerned about it interfering with our breastfeeding relationship. And truthfully, I feel happier knowing I'm not tied to nursing 24/7.

 

[threebirds]

Thanks girls, and I think another reason for this current dip might be hormonal as Ive just started bleeding slightly, so I'm assuming thats my first period back at 7.5 months. Not sure what to expect with it really. I'll try and spend a lot of time nursing though - in bed if possible! I do want to keep going so hopefully supply wont dwindle further xx