Hello, new here.
My 4 wk old is not gaining weight, so the pediatrician is having me supplement by pumping after every time he nurses, and then giving him a bottle. LO nurses every 3 hours or less. He falls asleep a lot when he nurses, and I'm working on keeping him awake to get the milk he needs. We also had his tongue tie corrected, doesn't hurt when he nurses just a tiny bit of pain when he latches which I hear is normal. I really don't think hes getting enough while nursing, he nurses for 30 mins to an hour on and off sometimes and is so fussy afterwards. (Not every time[/U] but often enough where its becoming a problem)
I've noticed when I pump, my milk only comes out for about 30 seconds or less during the "let down" and then stops completely for about 5 or 10 minutes. Then another let down for 30 seconds and nothing again. I'm not sure if this is the norm for some? But it seems really inefficient.
Things I've tried:
Hot compress before, massaging during, looking at pictures of baby, adjusting the dial on the pump.
I'm only pumping about 1.5 oz combined from 4 or 5 pumping sessions during the day. I haven't been able to pump after every feed, its been a challenge to get any sleep and pumping in the middle of the night would really mean no sleep. I am getting so worried about getting him enough, and I'm really confused how to balance breastfeeding and pumping.
If he isn't nursing efficiently, is he losing/burning more energy then he's getting?
Is only getting 1.5 oz extra a day really going to help him significantly gain weight?
We've set a goal for him to gain close to 10 ounces in two weeks, to see if the pumping supplementation works. Please any advice on pumping will be greatly appreciated.