2.5 mths- still lots of questions-bad latch,side nursing...

[@llli*mistletoe-jess]

hello ladies...

had previously posted here before at 2.5 weeks on the constant nursing/whether i am starving her and got so much encouragement and advice from you all so thought i would post again with my list of new worries! thanks in advance!!!!i really do truly appreciate all the support and encouragement since i get told at every turn by family/relatives that baby should not be nursing so often (ie. 1 every 1-1.5 hours - i don't even want to mention the cluster feeding sessions!), that i have low milk supply, etc.

anyways, i have happily been able to wean off the supplement formula at abt 3 weeks old and have since been EBF with an occasional bottle of formula for the few times i had to go out and did not have enough pumped.

however, i am abt to go back to work next week (yes, on Valentine's day, lucky me!) so am getting really stressed that i wont be able to pump enough for baby to take during the day. i have tried pumping occasionally (for the rare times i went out without baby). Was originally using the Ameda PYS but got a Medela PIS from my cousin-in-law which seems to work better for me. despite this, i seem to have trouble with pumping such as low output (max i have been able to pump was 3oz but this was like after a 4-5 hr stretch), i generally am able to pump about 2-2.5oz from a 2-3 hour stretch which is a bit low. if i pump after nursing i can stimes get 1oz.

this leads me to worry about whether i will have enough when i start work since I will be away from baby for about 12 hrs (so that would translate to 12-15oz at least). the few times i was away from baby, grandma tried feeding her with BM (tried both 2oz and 3 oz feedings) but baby would start fussing at about 1.5 hr mark and no amt of coaxing would do so had to resort to feeding her a bit of formula to tide her over...the 2oz feeding seemed to be a bit better since baby appeared more irritable after the time grandma did the 3oz feeding. i know i should just see how things turn out when i go back but am super worried we will have to resort to lotsa formula so any advice is appreciated. i'm trying to build up some stash at least to tide over for the the first day but not very successful with baby still constantly feeding.

second, due to the low pumping output, i am thinking whether i should be more worried since baby's weight gain is rather slow and she is in the lower end of the health charts.
birth - 6llbs 10 oz
2.5 wks - 7llbs 4oz
8 wks - 8llbs 8.5oz
10 wks - 9llbs 1.5oz

she is however generally quite alert and happy with tons of movement and sleeps v little (for a baby!), likes napping more than longer stretches of sleep. Cries but can usually be soothed via nursing. so not sure how worried i should be.

my last worries involve bad latch and side nursing (especially at night!)...i believe baby has a shallow latch as my nipple does come out lipstick-shape half the time...but don't have much pain...just a little stimes but not unbearable. should i worry more especially with the slow weight gain and frequent nursings? as for side nursing, this worked pretty well for the first 8 weeks but recently, baby seems to have difficulty latching on in this position and will get really frustrated and upset...or she will nurse a bit but will need to nurse about 1 hour afterwards so less sleep for both of us. hence, it has just been easier to pick her up nurse her in cradle hold and putting her to sleep. however, i want to ask if we can go back to side-nursing as this is just so much easier and no need to be as "awake" especially for when i go back to work.

super sorry for the VERY lengthy post but just have so many worries...THANK YOU!


this amt seems to be rather low and even if i pump more often, i still won't make enough for the hours i am away from her (abt 12 hours). at home now, i nurse on demand which means anything from a 30 minute to stimes almost 3 hours between feedings. but if i am at work, i am not sure how grandma should feed her and what amt of bottles i should leave! for the rare times i have gone out,

[@llli*mommal]

Going back to work on Valentine's day... What a bummer!

It sounds like things are going a lot better than you fear. Your baby's nursing frequency is absolutely normal. It doesn't indicate low supply at all- my baby who had to deal with massive oversupply nursed about every 1-2 hours at 2.5 months. It's just how most breastfed babies eat- though of course there are always babies at the other end of the frequency spectrum who prefer to eat larger amounts less frequently.

Since your baby is clearly in the camp of babies who prefer small feedings more frequently, I would leave 2 oz bottles for her, with 1-2 oz "chaser" bottles. Make sure your caregivers are aware that she needs small, frequent feedings- they cannot expect her to take a large bottle and then just lie around for 3 hours.

I'm not surprised you had better luck with the Medela PIS than the Ameda PY, since the PIS is a much better pump. And your output isn't bad- it's about normal. Still, I'd make sure the PIS is in tip-top working order (replace the valves and tubes, possibly have it serviced by the company?), particularly if it was heavily used by your cousin-in-law. Also, make sure your shields are the right size- if they are even marginally too big or too small that can affect your output.

The one thing that concerns me is the pain, lipstick nipples, and the difficulty latching. Is a visit with a LC, preferably an IBCLC, a possibility for you? I'd want to make sure that baby is checked very carefully for things like tongue tie.