Problems with supply, 5 months

[threebirds]

Hi girls
My LO is 5 mnths / 22 wks and by now I had so hoped bfeeding wouldbe straightforward. We had a tough start as he was 6 wks early. He had some formula (& some donated b milk) in hospital but mostly its all been my breast milk. I was pumping a fair bit too but over the last month Im not producing enough to pump and I really think Im not producing enough to satisfy him. He can go 4-5 hrs between feeds at night and 2-3 during the day but particularly during the day he'll cry and get frustrated at the boob. If he doesnt get enough he'll just be looking for more sooner but then there wont be enough and so it goes on. His feeds are mostly v short. I hate seeing him unhappy and it is so tough that I dont think he is getting enough from me. Maybe its because Im older or tired or vegetarian but my body isnt producing enough. Today I caved in and gave him 120ml formula at lunch time and it was gone in minutes. It also meant that by the next feed my supply was better. Id love to hear advice & thoughts. I really want to continue to bf. should i introduce 1 btl of formula each day?
Im taking nursing tea which helps a bit. LO has been putting on the weight throughout although he is still small for his age on account of being premature. I just want to do what is best for him.
Thanks!

 

[mara16jade]

How's his weight? Wet diapers?

It's possible he's trying to increase your supply, and/or he's going through a growth spurt.

Drink lots of water (I read 10-12 cups). Try taking Fenugreek and make sure you're eating enough (and not low calorie /low fat).

Have you always thought your supply was low, or just recently?

 

[OnErth&InHvn]

Call La Leche League. Its free!!

Also look on kellyMom.com for herbs, supplements, even prescriptions to up supply!

 

[threebirds]

Thanks girls, my supply has always been on the low side but I was getting enough to feed & pump until about a month ago. I dont think its a growth spurt at the moment - we've had a few alright - this is more just general day to day low supply. Theres plenty of wet nappies but v few poos - only every 6-10 days (whereas up to 3 months it was every day), I think this is another sign he is using up everything he gets. He hasnt been weighed for a couple of weeks but has been increasing steadily, about an oz a day. His birth weight was 5lb 3oz and he was 12lb 12oz at last weigh in - so he's doubled his birth weight but is still on a low percentile but he was born 6 wks early. Im drinking nursing tea which has fenugreek in it & lots of water & thats all i drink really (no tea or coffee). Trying to eat best I can, just had avocado on toast with flaxseed for breakfast.
X

 

[AnonymousCAT]

The public health nurse told me it's normal for a EBF baby to only poo once a week when older as their bodies get so efficient at utilizing bm. So I wouldn't worry about that as a sign about not getting enough. If you are concerned about supply introducing a bottle of formula a day will only decrease it further as you will not have lo suckling at the breast for that time. Even if you pump that feed, pumping is not as stimulating as your lo. And if your lo is on and off and fussy it's possible they are trying to increase your supply to meet their needs. So introducing formula is not the route I would take if it was me unless your lo was not gaining weight or having the right number of wet diapers. I suggest seeing a lactation consultant and getting some advice/reassurance about your situation before doing anything else. If continuing to bf is important to you I wouldn't want to risk decreasing your supply by introducing formula. It may be everything is just fine! Isn't there a 3 month growth spurt? If you use your lo's corrected age he may be around that mark... And just doing what he's supposed to do.

 

[mara16jade]

Yup, there's a 10 day, 6 week, 3 month, 6 month, etc. growth spurt. And my lo has hit pretty much each one right on the target, except his 3 and 6 month were about 2 weeks early.

I hope you find something that works. I have found there is NOTHING more stressful than feeling you're not able to fully feed your baby. I just went through a 3 days extremely low supply issue, and its getting better now. But wow, its so stressful and for me anyways, emotional.

 

[Elsa50501]

Just make sure that if you give formula that you still pump for that feeding otherwise your body will start to reduce supply even more. Estrogen will cause low supply days. You'll have estrogen spikes around ovulation and menstruation. good luck . Does your hospital have any lactation groups ? If not you can also ask the pediatrician for a prescription to meet with a lactation consultant 1:1

 

[noon_child]

... Today I caved in and gave him 120ml formula at lunch time and it was gone in minutes. It also meant that by the next feed my supply was better. Id love to hear advice & thoughts. I really want to continue to bf. should i introduce 1 btl of formula each day?
...

There has been loads of great advice already but I just wanted to comment on the bit of OPs post that I've highlighted in bold.

By the next feed the supply wasn't 'better', your breasts had just produced what they expected him to have been drinking, and when he didn't take it there was nowhere for it to go, so it built up in the milk ducts and was readily available when LO next fed.

This wont last though if you continue skipping that feed, after a few days your body just wont expect the feed and will produce less. This is because there is a hormone in breastmilk that feedsback to receptors in your breast. If your breasts keep getting the signal from that hormone that the milk is till there, and not being drunk, they slow production down. When breasts get no feedback from that hormone, they know all the milk is getting drunk and speed production up.

 

[threebirds]

Thanks everyone. Ive managed without any further formula and things have improved a bit. That one bottle helped break the cycle where DS was hungry and not getting enough and looking for more a short time later but I do know its certainly not a solution if we want to keep my supply up long term. I was just so frustrated at seeing LO getting upset at the boob. I'll keep looking for ways of boosting my supply x