Want to make a big mistake right.

[@llli*forecastofrain]

Have you been in to see the LC? And can you post a complete weight history for the baby? (Birth weight, lowest weight, weight at each checkup.)

I have seen LCs. I was thinking about seeking out an IBCLC... We've had so many weight checks. But what I remember is this:

• Birth on June 1st (no IV fluid for me): 7lb5oz
• June 3rd (leaving hospital): 6lb12oz
• June 5th?: 6lb6oz (10% loss)
• June 6th?: 6lb5oz
• June 8th? (began demand feeding): 6lb8oz
• ~4 week check up?: 7lb4oz
• ~6 week: 7lb12oz

[@llli*MaeganAlberta]

I understand, and thank you for being on my side. A question I had was, why does she get SO fussy at night? She will scream and cry murder at the breast when they seem to be drained. I can't convince my husband that it's normal, and it does seem a bit abnormal to me, too, because she lunges at the bottle with full force...

I, too, was SHOCKED by the extreme fussiness. My babies were so happy most of the time. But in the evenings they, and particularly the younger one, would get so upset that I would sometimes start checking them for injuries. Had I accidentally sat on a foot?! Was there a random, unexplained sore somewhere?! No. It was just normal. There is a theory that babies simply cannot control their crying because their nervous systems are underdeveloped. Now when they cry like that I know they are tired and am able to get them to sleep most of the time. So perhaps they were just tired then and I had no idea or they just simply couldn't get to sleep. Just keep in mind that it doesn't last long. Soon she will find happy moments in the evenings and between feedings and then those happy moments will stretch out and you'll suddenly find yourself sitting next to her on the floor while she happily babbles and kicks her feet for an hour or even longer!

[@llli*forecastofrain]

Was this when baby was ebf or was being supplemented?

She was only supplemented her first few days, a few days about two weeks in and since about five or six days ago.

Do you mean you are using this like a finger feeder to supplement baby? Or are you using it as an SNS to supplement baby? Has someone showed you how to do this?

As an SNS. And thank you for the video link!

So whenever there is slow gain, the question first has to be answered -WHY? Is it just who this baby is? Is baby not nursing often enough? Is baby having trouble extracting the milk (aka milk transfer trouble) ,or is it low production-or some combination? Or is baby ill or have a physical condition causing slow gain? If you do not know what the problem is, you end up with interventions that have nothing to do with the actual problem.

I don't think it is who she is. With supplementation I've noticed her gaining chub in her arms and legs. I honestly think it might be milk transfer issues and whatever else caused me to have low production. I was a serious milk maid when my milk came in. I believe she has the worst form of upper lip tie, but the ped said he only worries about lower lip ties and tongue ties. He said only the lower lip tie would affect latch.

I know it probably wasn't a smart idea because she's a smart cookie, and now that she has better eyesight I can't get away with much, but I put on my nipple shield that I thought I had hung up. She latched onto it and got milk out that I thought I didn't have (and she didn't seem to be able to/didn't want to get out)... and fell asleep the most content I've seen in a long time. So, I guess this would indicate a latch issue? She used the shield until about three or four weeks ago.

[@llli*forecastofrain]

I, too, was SHOCKED by the extreme fussiness. My babies were so happy most of the time. But in the evenings they, and particularly the younger one, would get so upset that I would sometimes start checking them for injuries. Had I accidentally sat on a foot?! Was there a random, unexplained sore somewhere?! No. It was just normal. There is a theory that babies simply cannot control their crying because their nervous systems are underdeveloped. Now when they cry like that I know they are tired and am able to get them to sleep most of the time. So perhaps they were just tired then and I had no idea or they just simply couldn't get to sleep. Just keep in mind that it doesn't last long. Soon she will find happy moments in the evenings and between feedings and then those happy moments will stretch out and you'll suddenly find yourself sitting next to her on the floor while she happily babbles and kicks her feet for an hour or even longer!

Thanks for the encouragement! I heard the same about babies, but have also heard that colic is mostly caused by something in the mother's diet bothering the breastfed baby. Or, in some circumstances, a hair being tied around tiny toes or fingers. I never thought that could happen, but I guess anything can! Glad to hear it eases up... her fussing, to put screaming and going red in the face lightly, at the breast at 11p really made my in-laws upset at me last night.

[@llli*lllmeg]

Again, I suggest seeing an IBCLC. For milk transfer issues in particular, that is helpful. It's not about IBCLC vs LC, either will be helpful as long as they have the training and education they need to work one on one with mothers and baby's in these types of unusual, difficult situations. Read the article about what lactation consultations should be like. If you have not had a similar experience, you have not had a “real” lactation consultation.

I cannot comment on the weight gain since the dates are still unclear. in GENERAL, Average gain once baby starts gaining (so, after about a week) is an ounce a day, or some sources will say, 5-8 ounces per week. If you are not seeing that, there MAY be a weight gain issue that may or may not be related to breastfeeding. As far as a baby gaining more weight on formula-Yes, even if a baby is gaining well on breast milk, if they are given additional feedings, they will gain faster. That does not necessarily mean they needed more.

I heard the same about babies, but have also heard that colic is mostly caused by something in the mother's diet bothering the breastfed baby.

When you hear rthnigs like that, remember that breastfeeding is how ALL MAMMALS FOR ALL TIME and MOST HUMANS FOR MOST TIME fed/feed their babies. Why in the world would it make any sense that a mother’s normal diet would harm or give pain to her breastfed baby? The answer is, it doesn’t. There are rare circumstances that a baby reacts in an allergic fashion to something in a moms diet but it is RARE. And even in those cases, doctors recommend baby continue to nurse while mom try eliminating the offending substance (which is usually dairy or soy) from her diet.

[@llli*mommal]

The whole thing about colic coming from something in mom's diet- that's one of those breastfeeding myths that just won't die. Babies are fussy creatures. That's just their nature. But rather than accepting that, people often try to draw correlations between something mom did and how the baby acted- "Baby's fussy, it must be because you ate a piece of broccoli/looked at the full moon/changed your deodorant/whatever." Don't let that tendency undermine your confidence in your ability to nurse your baby.