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i find that my breast pads need changing once you've had a letdown. i tend to only wear them when out and about. at home i don't bother, as i am prone to getting thrush and having pads in my bra keeps everything moist which is perfect for the thrush bacteria to thrive. :bfing:wearbaby

Hi. So, I am not sure there even is a problem, because your babies were always a little small (although, certainly not bad at all for twins born a couple weeks 'early.') I mean, being in the 10% (or lower) is entirely normal, the issues may be if babies are dropping percentiles dramatically, or not gaining at all for a longish time, or losing weight (when not ill.) Normal growth rate slows considerably after 6 months, so it makes sense for your babies to be growing more slowly since their last checkup. This is why it is called a growth 'curve." because normal growth slows over time and that "line" looks like a curve on the chart. Other wise it would just go straight up at a slant. But let's say you have low milk production. There are many ways to increase milk production. There are other herbs to try besides fenugreek. Some moms decide to try a prescription galactagogue. If your babies will not nurse more often, then pumping can also help. I would suggest there is no need to be 'afraid' to pump. If baby wishes to nurse right after you pump, great! The more often milk is removed from the breasts the faster your milk production will increase. If baby is frustrated now and then, is that really the end of the world? You have two healthy 8 month olds. A 'poor' feeding where they do not get much here and there is not going to hurt them one bit! How much are you expecting to pump? That is normal pump output for a single session. Slightly better than normal actually. ...

So you mean when you are not there? Yes that should be fine. Pacifiers are basically breast substitutes, so it makes sense to use them when the breast is not available! The potential issue with pacifiers is three fold. IN no particular order, here are the possible concerns. One, a pacifier might create 'bad habits' that lead to a poor latch or clamping/biting when baby nurses. If that starts happening, your husband might need to try other comforting techniques, and you might also need to look at how baby is bottle fed (more on that below) Two, and this is the one I think is really serious, is that overuse of pacifiers can create a situation where baby is given a pacifier over and over instead of nursed. In the most severe cases, this can cause slow weight gain and poor milk production. Third, there is the concern about 'triple nipple syndrome' where a baby is both bottle and breastfed AND given a pacifier frequently for comfort. It is believed that over time, this creates a situation where baby stops identifying the breast as THE place for sustenance AND comfort, and starts to lose interest in nursing before a normal weaning time. To counteract that one, it might make sense to encourage as much nursing as you can, both for comforting and feeding, when you are with baby. Is your husband cue feeding baby and using paced bottle feeding techniques? These are also important in avoiding breastfeeding issues when baby is getting regular bottles. Bottle feeding Breastfed...

Hi Tara, welcome to the forum. I am so sorry you are having such a hard time, an constantly upset baby is very hard on mom. Mommal has some good questions that I hope will tell us more. It is extremely rare that a baby cannot digest breastmilk. As I understand it, in very rare cases, a baby might have a condition that makes them unable to digest lactose, which of course is not only in breastmilk but in most formulas, and those babies are very, very ill. As far as having 'trouble' digesting breastmilk, that is something that might happen if a baby is allergic to something you are eating, or if you have rather severe overproduction or overactive letdown which would result in baby getting an overload of the higher lactose so called "foremilk" , which might cause digestion issues even when baby is perfectly capable of digesting the normal amount of lactose. In such cases, (allergy and lactose overload) the issue can almost always be remedied while baby continues to nurse. Also, baby cries all day, but not at night? Presumably a digestive issue of such severity would affect baby all the time? Stools are pure water- do you mean they are colorless? Or have color but are very watery in consistency? Is baby exclusively breastfed? Any formula ever?

As long as it doesn't seem to be affecting his ability or willingness to nurse when you're with him, there shouldn't be anything wrong with your DH using a paci to soothe him while you're at work; it certainly is preferable to DH having to listen to the lo cry in between feedings when he needs soothing.

lllmeg, thank you for your detailed reply. Fully understood your points and i am starting the new plan tomorrow! will let you know how it goes in a short while!

hi tclynx thank you so much! your story is very encouraging and I am even more determined now. Funny thing you mentioned to use the finest tube, I just started to use the finest tube yesterday and i stopped venting the tube so the milk flow from SNS is really slow now and it gets slower as the LO sucks more as the air is depleted in the bottle. Also good to know you don't get much from pumping either! do you ever feel ur breasts full? I was so convinced that i didn't have much milk judging from the pumping results and soft breasts. But now it looks like it doesn't necessarily mean no milk! I start to offer my baby the breast every 1.5 hour now, it's not going well expected so far as he is not used to so much breast and didn't seem interested in eating. I hope it will get better tmr when he is hungrier. thanks again for the encouragement and understanding. For the first time i don't feel so alone and hopeless now!

Have you tried taking him into a dark, quiet room when it's time to nurse?

That's great! If you find that the spit-up returns- and it often does when a baby starts squirming in new ways or rolling over- please don't let it phase you. In an otherwise healthy and growing baby, it's a laundry problem, not a health problem. And the amounts are usually less than they look like. A good way to prove this to yourself is to measure out an oz or 2 of cow's milk and then dump it on your counter. Most people say that the milk looks like more on the counter than it did in the bottle.

Welcome to the forum! Has your milk come in yet? (That is, has it increased markedly in quantity and changed from clear yellowish colostrum to creamy yellow-white transitional milk?) And has your baby been consistently passing his meconium? If you're seeing brown, liquidy stool them my guess is that your milk is coming in and your baby is changing over from meconium poops (black, sticky, tar-like) to breastfed baby stools (very loose, generally yellow but varying widely in color). This link discusses what you're looking for with diaper output in a young baby: http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/enough-milk/

Welcome to the forum! How has your baby's weight gain been? How many times per day does he nurse? Anything else going on that strikes you as out of the ordinary? And how old is your baby now?

What about pumping more overnight and using that to supplement instead of formula?

I'm really not pumping to store up milk. I'm pumping to try to increase my supply. Even though I know I am able to produce over 20 ounces per day (because I am only using about 2-4 ounces of formula per day and my over 9 lb baby is still gaining.) I think I would actually be lucky to express more than a few ounces if I were not breast feeding. I know it is common for supply to be at it's lowest through the afternoon/evening. And that is normally when I have to supplement the most still. It seems I have too much during the night when babe eats the least and during the day I need more for him.

Actually, I used to burp him day and night. Maybe in one my earlier posts I misspoke and made everyone believe that I did not burp him at night. In that case, my question would have had an obvious answer, but it wasn't the case. I attempted to burp him every time I fed him, day and night. Nevertheless, I am still not sure if my baby had/has reflux or his stomach may not be entirely up to speed, but I began following some steps that the article below for GERD babies suggests: http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/lv/lvfebmar03p12.html Also, I ended up taking some of your, ladies, advice. I am no longer actively burping him. He actually passes them on his own. Sometimes while feeding and still on breast. LOL The key for me was not to just keep him elevated, but to sit him up. I attempted Australian hold a few times as well, but it is a bit tricky since his entire weight goes on breast and I just think it is not too comfortable for him to suck. Sometimes, I am too tired to wait 30 min after the feeding keeping him upright, and when I put him down it does not cause spit-up either. For 2nd day, there is almost no spit up. If there is, it is certainly minimal- probably tablespoon at most. I don't mind that, considering that spit ups before where simply scary- up to an ounce in one sitting, or more. I am not exaggerating.

http://www.thankyourbody.com/drinking-too-much-water/ Meg as always has awesome advice. One thing is really jumping out at me though. I definitely feel 20 oz per hour is over hydration. Do you drink to thirst or aim for that amount? Here's a decent article on drinking too much water.

Hi, I know the confidence is probably the hardest thing for moms who are contemplating weaning off supplements. I am going to answer your questions in detail, but first I would strongly suggest discuss your plans with the doctor or IBCLC and ask them to help you monitor the situation as you start weaning from supplements. I also suggest it might make sense to take a few days or a week or so (whatever feels right) of feeding baby the same amount of supplements overall, or very close to that, but in smaller amounts more frequently, before beginning to lessen the amount baby gets overall. No. I do not think you need to pump every time baby nurses. Right now you are pumping 8 times a day, so certainly there is no reason to pump more than that! However, if pumping 8 times is still too much when increasing nursing sessions, I think it is ok to reduce pumping sessions more. But you do still need to pump as long as you are supplementing in order to keep increasing milk production, and the typical goal would be to pump once for every time baby is supplemented. HOWEVER, again, if that is too often, or baby is getting a little supplement at each feeding, then do what works for you. Also, to maximize sleep and to keep from going nuts, you can pump more often at times you are awake anyway, or pump for shorter sessions, pump right after nursing sometimes and at other times when baby is sleeping, etc. - fit pumping in where you can. Some moms keep two pumps set up in different parts...