Need more help... I'm losing this battle I think

[@llli*lintrax]

I posted about 2 weeks ago that my LO was nursing nursing all day long then gulping down a pumped supplement (which we had started because of poor weight regain)

Here I am 10 days or so later. Saw a lactation consultant on Monday. His weight gain in a week was only 60 grams (they want to see 130 minimum). This was after we started to cut the supplemented feedings.

Well, this week. He seems to be losing interest in nursing. I get him to latch on and he nurses for maybe 5 min. per side. I can't get him to relatch and suck!! At times I can get him latched back on and he doesn't suck... Middle of the night is worse. He was latching on beautifully in a side lying position and nursing about 15 min. on each side. Last 2 nights... I can barely get 3 sucks. He's taking the bottle with gusto and finishing it off in the blink of an eye.

I seriously don't know what to do. I'm in tears at least 2 times a day. And, to make matters worse. I was getting a minimum of 70 ml each time I pumped now am getting 30.

ANY help would be appreciated. I'm failing. I've successfully fed my other 2 kids and now with my last angel Im failing him.

[@llli*punky]

Firstly, 's. I'm sorry you're dealing with this. It must be so worrisome for you to see he's not gaining as much as you'd like him to. Are you still working with the LC?

How's his diaper output?

Hang in there mama. I encourage you to stick with it, keep and just keep working with him and offering to nurse.

[@llli*aphimama]

Oh, Mama. You're not failing. You're in this fight, and man are you working hard.

If less than 4-6 diapers/day and you're worried about supply, I'd try some mother's milk tea and make sure your own rest/nutrition/hydration needs are being met. Then, consider pumping right after nursing in order to boost supply. I know it's a ton of work, but it's worth it.

[@llli*lllmeg]

re the slow weight gain at the weight check with the LC-was the last weight done on the same scale or different? Using different scales can make weight checks very inaccurate.

I know it's frustrating to see your pump output go down but that may have nothing to do with your actual supply. It could be the pump, it could also just be that pumping is just not the same as nursing and the stresss is getting to you. What kind of a pump are you using, is it new, old, have you done any troubleshooting, changed flanges, checked connections, had the suction tested?

As far as the not interested in nursing and guzzling the bottle-sadly this is what can sometimes happen when a baby has gotten used to the flow of a bottle and realizes he does not have to work for it, like he does on the breast. The kellymom article linked above has lots of great ideas for encouraging baby back to the breast and I would also suggest you take steps to try to counteract this "flow confusion" if you continue to need to supplement. You could consider using a lactation aid so baby gets supplements at the breast. Or you could try cup feeding, or you could try paced bottle feeding. Also you could give a small amount of the supplement prior to nursing and then see if baby will 'finish" the feeding at the breast.

Also your IBCLC should be helping you figure out why baby is not getting enough at the breast. Is it a milk transfer issue? Low supply? both? What?
There are many possible solutions to both issues....

Some info you may find helpful: Protocol for managing breastmilk intake: http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=...tion&Itemid=17
Lactation aid: http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=...tion&Itemid=17
paced bottle feeding: http://www.llli.org/docs/00000000000...astfedbaby.pdf
low milk supply: http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supp...es/low-supply/
pumping: http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/p...-when-pumping/

[@llli*lintrax]

Just to update. The last 2 days we're doing a little better. My breasts are fuller again (I'm using fenugreek and drinking more water). We go to the lactation consultant and am praying for a favorable weight gain then hoping we might decrease the amount of supplement (pumped milk mostly is what we're using).

Have also begun to think I over-reacted to the whole thing. He was weighed on a different scale... (I wonder if that truly could have accounted for the variance) He never stopped having 6 good wet diapers minimum and never problems with decreased stool. SO, now I do think I may have overreacted to the simple number. Boy do I feel like a fool... one piece of data and did't look at the whole picture.

Yesterday was a great nursing day. We successfully nursed in public (at the zoo) AND he refused the supplement bottle! Strange that he nursed better in public than he has at home in days.... I can't begin to fathom why!!!

Thanks everyone for the responses and help.... we'll see how the weigh in goes....

[@llli*kass.love]

I am sorry to hear you are having a hard time. Your story sounds similar to mine: my daughter lost a lot of weight after initially gaining well.. This as due to issues created by her not sucking. We have had great success using an SNS and pumping after each nursing session. Over time I was able to pump enough milk to get my dd off the formula. Using the SNSi have. Een able to eliminate the bottle too. We are now not using the SNS for two feedings a day. Her gaining has been great! I owe all of this to the Medela SNS. Maybe it will work for you? Of note, I did all of this under the supervision of a LC.

[@llli*lllmeg]

Have also begun to think I over-reacted to the whole thing. He was weighed on a different scale... (I wonder if that truly could have accounted for the variance) He never stopped having 6 good wet diapers minimum and never problems with decreased stool. SO, now I do think I may have overreacted to the simple number. Boy do I feel like a fool... one piece of data and did't look at the whole picture.

Heavens do not feel like a fool. Lots of people including medical professionals who really should know better base everything on weigh-ins. It's one piece of the story, but only one. I am glad you have your diaper counts to look at as well, that can be reassuring.

And yes, different scales can make a tremendous difference. Jack Newman talks about this alot-how different scales, misreading of scales, etc. cause undue panic all the time. Just a few days ago I talked to a mom who had her few weeks old baby have 2 different weigh-ins at two different places in 24 hours-and the difference was 1/2 pound!

We successfully nursed in public (at the zoo) AND he refused the supplement bottle! Strange that he nursed better in public than he has at home in days.... I can't begin to fathom why!!!

Maybe being at the zoo allowed you to be distracted enough to not be so worried. I think babies can sense when momma is tense and that can affect nursing behavior, Just a pet theory of my own...

[@llli*worknpump]

Just to update. The last 2 days we're doing a little better. My breasts are fuller again (I'm using fenugreek and drinking more water). We go to the lactation consultant and am praying for a favorable weight gain then hoping we might decrease the amount of supplement (pumped milk mostly is what we're using).

Have also begun to think I over-reacted to the whole thing. He was weighed on a different scale... (I wonder if that truly could have accounted for the variance) He never stopped having 6 good wet diapers minimum and never problems with decreased stool. SO, now I do think I may have overreacted to the simple number. Boy do I feel like a fool... one piece of data and did't look at the whole picture.

Yesterday was a great nursing day. We successfully nursed in public (at the zoo) AND he refused the supplement bottle! Strange that he nursed better in public than he has at home in days.... I can't begin to fathom why!!!

Thanks everyone for the responses and help.... we'll see how the weigh in goes....

Sounds like progress!! Keep it up...