Finally Exclusively BF & Baby Girl has LOST weight*further 13oz gained combi-feeding

[JaneSharon86]

I am a zombie!

Baby girl kept me up all last night too feeding and feeding and feeding. Had about 2 hours of broken sleep. Anyone know how long it takes for our supply to catch up?

We have some good news - the GP didn't refer to the paediatrician as her last weigh in put her above the 0.4th percentile Means I can relax a little

Were still getting the odd clicking sound, but i then take her off and relatch. I'm looking forward to the baby cafe on Monday to see the HV again. Just to reassure me that the latch etc is still ok as she seems to be clicking a bit more than a day or so ago, even though I can't see that I've changed anything.

Thanks everyone for your support its so kind.

 

[Tess.ie]

Yay for no referral you're doing fab

 

[ChimChims]

Babies are crazy sometimes. It is almost like they get in a comfort zone of improper latch or something. My lo has been doing fabulous but as of the last several days isn't taking much nipple in at all, and nearly always leaves the left one lipsticked. She's making this smacky noise like air is getting in between the latch, and I can't decide if it is the position or angle, but I keep breaking and relatching. It seems to have appeared after I let her use spoons and a rubber nipple (we were breast only). Is this what people mean by nipple confusion? Possibly. Working on it though.

I'm still so tickled for you and your lo. It is so exciting to have a happy ending to this story in sight!

 

[ellie27]

Sounds like things are getting better for you both!

My son didnt get back onto the 0.4th line, back onto the charts, til 4.5 months old!

Well done!

 

[JaneSharon86]

Hi everyone

Thank you for your support everyone, it helps keep me going!

I went to baby cafe today and had a great time. Everyone introduced themselves and said a bit about their breastfeeding journey (this doesn't normally happen). When I mentioned our clicking issue quite a few of the other mom's said they'd had the same thing and also didn't realise it was a latch problem which made me feel a little better.

HV said she wasn't going to weigh baby girl until a week tomorrow - which I'm so thankful for as I was worried that she would be weighed today and would have lost weight whilst my milk recovers from the formula feeds I was giving her over a week ago. Love this HV, she's got her head screwed on!

She's been back on the boob for a week now after a couple of really rough nights (2 hours sleep!) due to cluster feeding, last night we had a great night. Sleep at 11pm, she woke at 3.00am for a feed, no messing, got straight down to business and drained both boobs, then back to sleep at 4.00am. Woke again at 7.00am and ate til 8.00am. Feel so much more human today and was really proud of myself for not getting a bottle during the second night of cluster feeding as I was in tears with exhaustion! I found it hard because I can't seem to get the latch right lying down as she starts to click, so I have to feed her sitting up and so couldn't go back to sleep as I was worried about her rolling off me.

Hopefully we're on the straight and narrow now Everything is crossed for the weigh in a week tomorrow. I'll be chuffed with anything over 6 ounces (2 for the week we were cluster feeding and 4 for the week after).

 

[susannah14]

I bet those cluster feeds were rough...it's so hard being up at night. You're doing great, I have a feeling you two are going to be just fine.

 

[Aimee4311]

Hey Jane, I haven't commented in this thread til now but I've been following it since the beginning!

I just wanted to tell you that you are an amazing mom, and an inspiration to me and others who've followed your journey as well I'm sure! Your dedication through all the struggle has me in awe!

I'm glad your HV seems to have helped you so much! Good luck at your next weigh in!

 

[JaneSharon86]

Hey Jane, I haven't commented in this thread til now but I've been following it since the beginning!

I just wanted to tell you that you are an amazing mom, and an inspiration to me and others who've followed your journey as well I'm sure! Your dedication through all the struggle has me in awe!

I'm glad your HV seems to have helped you so much! Good luck at your next weigh in!

Thank you so much for your support Thanks for the good luck - weigh day is Tuesday. Will have been 2 weeks of just boob, so fingers crossed. Not sure where to go if she's put nothing on after this other than back to formula top ups x

 

[Aimee4311]

Has she still been latching well?

 

[JaneSharon86]

Yes her latch has been great, no clicking

But I've just weighed her on my scales and they say she lost weight.

I'm getting her weighed at the baby cafe tomorrow instead of Tuesday as something has come up so will know for sure then. Wonder what will be suggested if my scales are correct as now she's having loads of feeds, coming off the boob by herself and not clicking.

 

[Sproglet]

Ignore your scales, home scales are really not accurate, plus in my red book it tells you to use the same place for weighing every time. My scales at home, I can gain or lose a few pounds depending on where I place the scales.

Hope your weigh in goes well today.

 

[JaneSharon86]

Hi Ladies

Well we had our weigh in today after 2 weeks of pure breastfeeding after our latch problems were sorted out and....baby girl was exactly the same weight

No gain, no loss but because she's now almost 15 weeks, the lack of gain this week has put her below the 0.4th percentile

I had a good chat with the HV who has been supporting me throughout and she said the time for trying to achieve this exclusive breastfeeding thing has passed. If baby girl had dropped percentiles but was still near the middle-bottom of the chart it would be different, but now she's literally off the chart. Its time to take other action and I agree with her.

The HV was stumped; she even rang her supervisor as she was convinced today we would have a good gain. She watched another perfect feed, no clicking, quick sucks followed by slow sucking and pausing and baby girl coming off herself thoroughly milk drunk.

She said I'd done a great job continuing and not to get disheartened about the supplementing as baby girl is still getting the majority of her food as breast-milk; but we ladies know how hard it is to just accept that! We're all here on the Breastfeeding forum for a reason - we're committed booby feeding mommies who want the best for our LO's.

The plan now is to introduce two 4oz bottles of formula a day. So the schedule will be,

3.00am - boob
6.00am - bottle
10.00am - boob
all day on demand boob
10pm - bottle
12.00am - boob

We'll be weighed again next Monday. If there's no weight gain with the supplementing then its back to the GP for a paediatrician referral again, but I know she'll put on weight as she did in the two weeks we were doing top ups last time.

So gutted that our exclusive breastfeeding journey is over for good, but there had to be a line, and the dropping below the 0.4th percentile for me was it. I've weighed the benefits of the breastmilk and not gaining against formula and gaining and I think its time now.

Hello my name is Jane and I'm a combi-feeder!! (albeit reluctantly...)

 

[kissesandhugs]

Aw hun I'm so sorry! That would be terrible disheartening. But sounds like you guys got a great plan. Idk if this is an option but have you tried cutting dairy out of your diet? My best friend had a hell of a time breastfeeding, her baby girl was loosing weight not gaining any and it turns out she had a dairy allergy. She even has to be on special formula now.

 

[susannah14]

You've done a fantastic job!!!!!

Just be sure to pump when you are giving bottles, it's REALLY important (but you know this )

 

[JaneSharon86]

Aw hun I'm so sorry! That would be terrible disheartening. But sounds like you guys got a great plan. Idk if this is an option but have you tried cutting dairy out of your diet? My best friend had a hell of a time breastfeeding, her baby girl was loosing weight not gaining any and it turns out she had a dairy allergy. She even has to be on special formula now.

It is disheartening. I''m trying not to dwell on it. Wish we'd have known this was going to happen anyways and then I could have continued supplementing her and she'd be a lot bigger now, but then again, at least now I know for certain it was never going to work. Think I'll start to feel a little better at each weigh in when she's going back up the chart.

No one has mentioned dairy allergy - I'll mention it to the HV when I see her next.

Thanks again everyone for the support. Sorry it wasn't a happy inspiring ending!!

 

[summer rain]

I think you need to do what you need to do. If your LO doesn't gain well on formula either then it could be a dairy or other allergy, two of mine had poor growth due to allergies, usually such a baby would react badly to formula but it isn't always the case. Most HVs don't have much knowledge in that area though, the one dealing with my second eldest did and she fought hard to force my GP to refer us to an allergy specialist, the ones dealing with my second youngest blamed it entirely on supply despite him gaining up to 1lb a week until he was 8 weeks and then bam he stopped gaining any more than 1oz a week and started losing. In his case it was a soya allergy as opposed to dairy, though now he is older he has the opposite problem he's ok with small amounts of soya but reacts badly to dairy and has the same problem of it stopping him putting weight on xx

 

[kissesandhugs]

Aw hun I'm so sorry! That would be terrible disheartening. But sounds like you guys got a great plan. Idk if this is an option but have you tried cutting dairy out of your diet? My best friend had a hell of a time breastfeeding, her baby girl was loosing weight not gaining any and it turns out she had a dairy allergy. She even has to be on special formula now.

It is disheartening. I''m trying not to dwell on it. Wish we'd have known this was going to happen anyways and then I could have continued supplementing her and she'd be a lot bigger now, but then again, at least now I know for certain it was never going to work. Think I'll start to feel a little better at each weigh in when she's going back up the chart.

No one has mentioned dairy allergy - I'll mention it to the HV when I see her next.

Thanks again everyone for the support. Sorry it wasn't a happy inspiring ending!!

Oh hun don't be sorry!!! You're on the top of the most determined woman to breastfeed in my book! You did what you could to give your baby the best and you're continuing to do that by taking the proper steps. You're doing a great job

 

[Jokerette]

You're doing such a great job and combifeeding might just be the little oomph your baby needs in addition to your breastmilk. You can still give baby all the benefits of breastmilk for months and months!!!

 

[JaneSharon86]

Hi Ladies

Just thought I'd update: baby girl is having her 2 bottles of formula a day; one at the early morning feed and one before bed. She's now able to take 4oz at a time, whereas on Monday she could manage just 3oz.

For those who always wonder - she hasn't slept any better for the having the big formula feed before bed lol.

Now, the weird thing is...since I've been giving these two bottles, my milk seems to have increased?! When I express after she's fed from me, I now get 2-2.5oz off, whereas before I'd get 1-1.5oz.

When I express during the time she's having her feed, I get 4.0-4.5oz's off.
So confused about this as this seems like a really decent amount of milk for a feed, especially as she feeds every 2-3 hours (even with the formula bottles).

Ah well, maybe she has a high metabolism? Diary intolerance? Don't think I'll ever know!

3 days left til weigh day - eek!

 

[pinklightbulb]

Liam had pitiful weight gain BF...
.... and almost as pitiful FF.

Some babies are just hopeless gainers no matter how they are fed. I hope you have a good result at your next weigh-in