4.5 month old really fussy at boob - low milk supply?

[@llli*tanpixie]

I've been really stressed lately - we've moved house, moved into a nicer house/area but with a neighbor that has a studio right next to our room so his bass keeps me awake all night. My LO has started waking up every 2 hours to fed and my relationship with my DH isn't going so well.
On top of that Im just exhausted and definitely not eating enough.
Lately my LO has been getting really fussy whilst nursing, she sucks almost on the end of my nipple and tugs at my breast like she did when she was a newborn.
She grunts and crys and her little legs start kicking like crazy.
She still seems to have enough wet/poop diapers - 2 poop and about 6-7 wet.
She was 6Ibs when we left the hospital and 15.5oz at 4 months - she's always been around 70-80th percentile and she's not on the chart for height anymore re : 99th percentile so she's a very tall girl.
I just worry that all my stress is causing my milk to wane.
How can I increase it without managing the stress! ha ha its all to much at the moment and I'm doing my best to stay afloat.
Can I eat more - drink more water ... does it sound like low supply - does it sound like she might need solids?
Thanks so much!!!

[@llli*tanpixie]

As a side note we did talk to neighbor about bass and he said he'll try keep it down but bass is the worst freq to ignore and even though it's quieter I can still make out the rhythm so at 3am Im just listening to his beat over and over!

[@llli*mommal]

If she is having enough wet and poopy diapers, then there's nothing wrong with your supply and no reason to think that a 4 month old baby needs solids. Remember, babies fuss for many, many reasons, 99.9% of which are unrelated to nursing. They get tired. They start to teethe. Thtry get frustrated as they try to master some new developmental milestone, like sitting up or rolling over, but just... can't... quite... do it. They get ear infections. They get colds. They perceive their parents' stress. Etc.

2 things that happen to a lot of babies around this time are the "4 month fussies" and the "4 month sleep regression". Both unrelated to milk supply, and really just a developmental phase that baby is passing through.

[@llli*auderey]

hi! if your LO is nursing on demand, has enough wets & poops, and you're not pregnant or on birth control, you have enough milk. (why do people always assume they are running out of milk? it's just such a huge and usually unfounded fear!)

4.5 month olds can be fussy at the boob for any nubmer of reasons, many of which you mentioned. and sleep changes are normal ath this age, even for babies who haven't moved and whose moms are well rested. waking every 2 hours to nurse is normal, too.

so it seems to me that your stress and exhaustion is something you need to address, but it's almost certainly NOT significantly affecting your milk supply. remember, mamas successfully nurse babies through famine, war, lots of things much more stressful than moving.

for sleep - i recommend ear plugs, white noise, a rug on the wall, and speaking to your neighbor (maybe not in that order!) for food, are you too busy to eat? too stressed to have an appetite? if you tell us more we can help you brainstorm some options. same with your relationship with DH.

[@llli*tanpixie]

so it seems to me that your stress and exhaustion is something you need to address, but it's almost certainly NOT significantly affecting your milk supply. remember, mamas successfully nurse babies through famine, war, lots of things much more stressful than moving.

Thank you for this especially - I think I'm suffering from 'poor me' syndrome at the moment.
I have earplugs, a white noise machine and i sleep with two fans on high to drown out noise - I also use this online noise generator for sleep to, so one ear has an earplug the other has a headphone with whales, the sea and a flute playing all night - hilarious - and somehow I can still hear the thud thud.

I think both with food, my LO has started sitting up and rolling at every opportunity - she hasn't mastered tummy to back but I wake up at night to see her on her tummy trying to figure out how to get to her back - which again causes sleeplessness as I worry that she will get exhausted and sleep face down.

DH - well... we stil have not been intimate and Im afraid I just don't feel the desire and its putting stress on us and we are a one income family right now as Im not working so we haven't laughed in whats felt like years!

sorry Im really having a whinge aren't I!!

Glad to hear with my LO that it;s just part of it... I love BF its absolutely amazing.

[@llli*auderey]

I have earplugs, a white noise machine and i sleep with two fans on high to drown out noise - I also use this online noise generator for sleep to, so one ear has an earplug the other has a headphone with whales, the sea and a flute playing all night - hilarious - and somehow I can still hear the thud thud.

egad, that's some loud bass! doesn't sound like your neighbor is "trying to keep it down" much. but also, we can get used to amazing sounds - i just moved and there's a train by my house which i didn't know about. it goes through town at 10 miles an hour blaring its whistle the whole time, several times a night. and people here tell me that in a couple weeks i won't even hear it.

I think both with food, my LO has started sitting up and rolling at every opportunity - she hasn't mastered tummy to back but I wake up at night to see her on her tummy trying to figure out how to get to her back - which again causes sleeplessness as I worry that she will get exhausted and sleep face down.

generally once they can roll themselves over, you can relax about them suffocating when they sleep face down. make sure the bed is firm and there's no bedding or toys etc that can cover her face, and stop worrying so much

DH - well... we stil have not been intimate and Im afraid I just don't feel the desire and its putting stress on us and we are a one income family right now as Im not working so we haven't laughed in whats felt like years!

this is tough. our first time was around 4 months, and i really had to psych myself up for it. it just didn't seem like i had the time, much less the energy! and he didn't want to do it in the same room as DS, even when DS was asleep, and it stressed me out to be too far away in case DS woke up, blah blah. so i feel your pain. you've got to do what you feel comfortable with, but in my case, i also had to kind of push myself to it - i wanted to, and especially i knew i'd be happy we had, and DH wanted to, and so it was the right thing to do. sexuality is one of the huge adjustments post-baby that i think we don't talk about enough!
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[@llli*tanpixie]

Yeah .. you're so right ... you have to give yourself the ultimate pep talk before hand .... I've tried that pep talk but just not ready yet... but it's funny because you know you HAVE to at some stage - and some part of you definitely wants to.... yep tough.

Thanks Auderey

[@llli*auderey]

for what it's worth, sex is definitely better for me post-baby than it was before! no one told me that was a possibility

[@llli*tanpixie]

That sounds good!!

[@llli*mommylove]

Tanpixie
I could have written your OP!
Girl, you are NOT alone. Getting the same type of things with my LO, who is about 4 months old. I am dealing with the 4 month sleep regression thing, teething, and night wakings all over the place as well. AND Im in the same exact boat with DH. I thought I was the only one who was this far behind on getting "back" to normal relations.
I really dont have any advice for ya, sorry, but thankfully these ladies do, but just wanted to say you are not alone! NAK sorry!
Erin