Ok to call my WIC lady? What do I do?? Freaking out!

[MrsPinecone]

Oh, and 5 months is on the early side for cereal. I'd cut that out and try again later. Rice plugged DS up so badly that I wouldn't be surprised if your DS is getting a belly ache from it.

Kids that age are just flat out distractable. Nurse in a quiet room, in the dark if you have to. Let him concentrate on eating.

[beth119]

If your first child required Neocate, then I would call your wic counseler. My DD couldn't take ANY over the counter formula. She couldn't even do Neocate :(

Don;t try alimentum or any other like that unless a professional tells you too. Kids who are severly allergic CANNOT handle them. Its not an intolerance, its an allergy to PROTIEN. HUGE HUGE difference.

FYI-- Ask your counseler about Elecare. Its ALMOST the same make-up as Neocate, except gentler. Smells better, and easier to mix. DD was one of the orginial success stories of it. :) It is a bit more expensive than neocate, but worth it!

Hang in there. My DD weighed only 7lbs when she was 6 months old. Couldn't handle ANYTHING until the elecare. Her neurologist told me when she was 1 that she was permantly delayed and damaged from lack of nutrition, and actually called her "retarded".
LMAO! SHe is now 4, and more advanced than most kids! (shows that DR's can be REALLY REALLY wrong!)

[jenrose]

With DS#1 I tried very hard to breast feed. He would nurse for 1 1/2 hours straight then want to nurse 1/2-1 hour later around the clock. He was cranky all the time and I was exhausted. I decided to try to just give him a bottle of formula before bedtime to see if it would keep him fuller so I could get a couple hours of sleep straight. Instantly he was no longer fussy, and eat it all at once and didn't need to eat as soon after. I did not make enough milk to satisfy him. And it wasn't due to weight loss that I found this out. It was sheer frustration and lack of sleep that led me to this conclusion.

Every child is different but I would deffienetly say if you feel a need to call your WIC lady do it. Don't continue to beat yourself up about the thought of ruining her weekend. If she doesn't want to be bothered her phone will be off. Try it!

[njsmomma]

I second what everyone is saying about pumping! One oz after he feeds is WONDERFUL!!! I sometimes couldn't get one oz when I was replacing a feeding when YDS was 8 months old with a pump! I too have small small babies. My ODS is only 25lbs and will be 4 next month, but the child eats like a small army. Some people have small kids. ODS had a milk protein intolerance and I ended up having to cut ALL dairy from my diet. Maybe try cutting out dairy until you can get into WIC!

[tivaclare]

Thanks for the responses everyone!!

DS does have wet and dirty diapers, and he only acts hungry on schedule, but I still feel like he's not getting enough. I know the body regulates itself, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I have no supply. I am also taking fenugreek.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but you've all given me some wonderful advice. I do agree I was pretty emotional when I wrote this. It was 1am and I'd just spent a lot of time trying to get DS fed and happy. He usually sleeps all night, so it was a shock for him to even wake up at 12.

[mkincaid4760]

I have gone through a few trying moments with my 3 (ds 10yo, dd 3yo, ds 11 mos.) but not with BF. I just want to say I have been in the same stressful boat as you with the MMR vaccine. Oldest ds developed full blown measles (it was an allergy) to the compund in it. It was one of my most trying moments as a mother. So as I can not offer the advice that many others did about BF (you guys were great with the suggestions, I wish I had known you 10 years ago with my 1st one) I can only offer (((Big Hugs))). And remember to breathe, you are a good mother, you have 2 precious little ones to show for it. Your WIC lady is there as part of your support system, she will not mind if you call her with any concerns or questions. :)

[redemption_song]

If he's having wet and dirty diapers I would not be overly concerned. You said you are taking fenugreek, but there are other natural supply boosters- brewers yeast, oatmeals, flax. Try making some lactation cookies and eat them all

Housepoet's Lactation Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal*
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats, thick cut if you can get them
1 cup or more chocolate chips
2 tablespoons of brewers yeast** (be generous)

Directions:
Preheat oven at 375 degrees F. Mix together 2
tablespoons of
flaxseed meal and water, set aside for 3-5 minutes.
Cream (beat
well) butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mix
well. Stir
flaxseed mixture and add with vanilla to the margarine
mix. Beat
until blended. Sift together dry ingredients, except
oats and chips.
Add to margarine mixture. Stir in oats then chips.
Scoop or drop
onto baking sheet, preferably lined with parchment or
silpat. The
dough is a little crumbly, so it helps to use a scoop.

Bake 8-12 minutes, depending on size of cookies.

Serves: 6 dozen cookies

*can be found at any local health food store
**IT MUST BE BREWERS YEAST, NO SUBSTITUTIONS.

If you do need to supplement, can you do it at the breast with a supplemental nursing system (SNS)? Using bottles is going to hurt, not help your supply, you want as much stimulation as possible.

Hang in there!

[novbaby]

I know breastfeding can be very challenging and it is easy to become concerned that your baby is not getting enough. Pumping is not a good indicator of dupply at all. Some women are never able to pump more than an ounce and it in no way indicates how much milk they produce. Babies are much more effective than a pump. If your baby is having enough wet and dirty diapers, gaining weight, and reaching other milestones then there really is no reason to be concerned. You might think your baby isn't getting enough but your baby might just be teething or going through a growth spurt and not be feeling well and that is why they want to nurse more. If your ds seems to have a hard time latching on it could be because either your let down is to slow or fast. If he pulls off and chokes or coughs it may be a fast let down and if he pulls off and seems fussy and you have not expereinced let down then it might be slow. You an try pumping for a minute or hand expressing to stimulate let down then latch him on so he gets milk instantly. Also fenugreek, oatmeal, and mothers milk tea can all help increase supply. If allergies run in your fmaily I wouldn't recommend formula as he may have areaction and every feeding you replace with formula will only make your supply drop more. So, if you did replace feedings with formula you would have to pump to continue to stimulate production. So for right now I would probably continue to nurse on demand. Some babies go through periods where they seem hungry all the time and nurse a lot.

I would call your WIC lady or check out the LLLi.org website and find someone else to call if you need to (the website kellymom has great advice too). Having someone there for support and to help might help calm you down. Hugs, I know breastfeeding is tough and it can be very challenging!

[donnamcole]

It's been 9 years since I nursed (my youngest is now 11), but it sounds very much to me as if your supply is unchanged, but your baby is in a growth spurt and needs more. It is also possible that the weather is getting warmer and the baby is just needing more fluids... as may you, so drink up! The only thing that will increase supply is catering to increased demand for a few days as a top priority.

Take a nice, easy weekend... let someone else care for the house, meals and other children... and basically do nothing but eat, sleep, drink LOTS of water and feed the baby. Stop the cereal and any other supplemental feeding... adding formula will decrease your supply and may well end your nursing relationship. It does not sound like you want to wean now and with the allergy issues, it's best to nurse as long as you can practically do so.

Also take some Fenugreek capsules... 2 at a time 3 or 4 times a day. You can get them at many grocery or drug stores in the vitamin aisle, but a health food store will have them if all else fails. They are labeled for stomach upset, but will dramatically increase supply... and make your sweat smell kind of like maple syrup, so don't let that shock you.. LOL.

I was NEVER able to pump more than an ounce under any circumstance, even with a hospital grade pump, so don't let that fool you. I successfully nursed 3 babies, 2 of them for 2 years each. One was a preemie who went from 4lb 11oz to 8lb 9oz in 8 weeks... it will work out.

If you need to call WIC or LLL, do it, but if the ONLY symptom is fussiness for more feedings and the baby has normal diapers and no signs of dehydration, I wouldn't panic yet.

Donna

[fruity]

I think you have received a lot of good advice already. I want to also say that the amount of milk pumped has nothing to do with how much your baby actually is able to consume. Babies are much more efficient at expressing milk than any pump. And 1 oz after a nursing session is great!

I breastfeed my 7 month old dd and I have a few bottles for the rare occasion I have to leave her for a short while. I had to put away the big bottles and use the small (around 4 oz size) because it was too depressing looking at an 8 oz bottle with only 1 oz or so of milk in it, since that was all I could pump. So, you are not alone in pumping small quantities.

I also recommend what others have said about decreasing the formula and increasing the nursing!

If you are looking for more info on low milk supply (or any breastfeeding issue, really!) a great website to look at is Kellymom.com