Advise

[krissie328]

So I have been ebf baby, who is 11 days old. Today at his doctors appointment he was down 1 lb 15 oz from birth weight. The doctor wants me to measure and record the amounts of all breastmilk or formula I give him.

I have tried pumping and can only get about 5 ml from both breasts after 10-15 minutes. I want to keep a good supply and go back to bf when his weight goes up.

But it is obvious my supply is not good as he wants to nurse every 1-1.5 hours and is losing weight.

So I was thinking of letting him nurse 10 mins each breast then supplementing. Just telling the doctor that is what I did along with measuring the formula amounts. I can try to keep pumping but I am not holding out much hope there.

Does that sound good? At least then I won't be going dry in the next 4 days until I see the doctor again.

Other suggestions?

 

[luna_19]

Have you seen a lactation consultant? They could do a weighted feed and figure out how much lo is actually consuming. Has baby been checked.for lip/tongue tie? That can cause transfer issues also, a good lc should be able to check for you. How is baby's diaper output? Is he gaining weight at all or still losing?

 

[krissie328]

I saw a lc twice last week. We tried to so a weighted feed but he refused to bf. He seems to be fine in terms of tongue tied, I don't know if they checked for lip tie.

As of my last doctor's appointment he was still losing weight. And has poor diaper output. For an 11 day old his last diaper with poo was at 4 days old and it was still meconium. His wet diapers are 2-4 day and he is starting to get uric crystals which can be a sign of dehydration.

I did try to pump some more and got 5 ml, which is great since I have never even gotten enough before to measure.

So far he he is taking 10 mins on bf and 25-35 ml of formula and is going 2.5-3 hours between feeds and sleeping. I am grateful for the sleep since he hasn't done that in several days.

 

[beagleowner]

I saw a lc twice last week. We tried to so a weighted feed but he refused to bf. He seems to be fine in terms of tongue tied, I don't know if they checked for lip tie.

As of my last doctor's appointment he was still losing weight. And has poor diaper output. For an 11 day old his last diaper with poo was at 4 days old and it was still meconium. His wet diapers are 2-4 day and he is starting to get uric crystals which can be a sign of dehydration.

I did try to pump some more and got 5 ml, which is great since I have never even gotten enough before to measure.

So far he he is taking 10 mins on bf and 25-35 ml of formula and is going 2.5-3 hours between feeds and sleeping. I am grateful for the sleep since he hasn't done that in several days.

I almost never suggest supplementing, but in this case I think it's necessary. You need to get LO back hydrated and fed. At that point, it may be that he will nurse more vigorously, stimulating your supply?

This may be a funny question, but you're not using a nipple shield by chance, are you?

 

[redlemonade]

Fennel tea is fantastic for increasing supply, maybe try that? I also recommend supplementing, and I never normally would, because he does seem dehydrated and hungry. It's only a short term thing until you get supply up! I've also heard of women using motillium to increase supply but please check with your doctor before doing that. Best of luck

 

[krissie328]

Thanks ladies.

I am not using a nipple shield.

I am still supplementing, but I can tell it is hard on his tummy. I am trying to up the nursing and I am getting some mother's love tincture. It was recommended by the lc and has good reviews.

 

[Night Flower]

Deleted post. Sorry - I misread 5ml for 5oz.

 

[Maxy1]

You can try a SNS to help increase supply AND supplement your babe at the same time.

My first fed every 90 mins easily - I would have to hold him out for that because i was so exhausted, he would have been on there every 10 mins!! he had lip tie and it was causing transfer issues. So he was forever hungry - poor chap.

We combi fed for 7 weeks - and nearly fully formula at one point due to me being hospitalised for double mastitis and not getting any flow!! but we kept going and I EBF him to 6 months and continued to feed him to 22 months. The pumping is exhausting, and unfortunately pumping is not indicative of how much milk you are actually producing. The more you pump the better your breasts react to the pump.

We used mothers tea, oats and drinking lots of water every time I BF. i was in regular contact with my LC and was diagnosed with Raynauds and eventually had his lip tie diagnosed and lasered.

 

[Night Flower]

When I was in the hospital, they suggested having our baby nurse 15-20mins per breast. Actice nursing. Making sure she is awake during the suckling and not just nibbling the breast to fall asleep.

Is your baby awake during the entire nursing session? Active good nursing or the nibbling/sucking of a bad latch?

 

[Night Flower]

Also, try a wark compress (hot set washclothe) over each breast prior to nursing and feeding. Itll help with the milk let down.

 

[krissie328]

When I was in the hospital, they suggested having our baby nurse 15-20mins per breast. Actice nursing. Making sure she is awake during the suckling and not just nibbling the breast to fall asleep.

Is your baby awake during the entire nursing session? Active good nursing or the nibbling/sucking of a bad latch?

He is not a super good nurser. He sucks 15-20 times and stops and needs encouraged to keep going. It is really frustrating. I am letting him nurse longer now. Closer to 20-30 mins each side but it usually ends with him sleeping and milk running down his face.