Please help, devastated that I may need to quit BFing (*long*)

[@llli*babygabriel]

Hi All,
I apologize for the length of this, but I am at a loss as to what to do, and so upset. My son is 6.5 months and weighs almost 16 lbs (was 8.1 at birth). He has been doing fine on his growth charts to date. For the last week and a half, nursing and pumping sessions have been a nightmare. I work full-time and nurse him right before I leave at 7, he gets two 4.5-5 oz bottles while I'm gone and I nurse again as soon as I get home around 4:30-5 (I pump at 10 and 1:45 every day).

I used to pump about 4 oz. each session and now am lucky to get 2-3. I feel like I'm barely able to keep up with him for his bottles now and my freezer stash is quickly depleting. I've tried fenugreek and power pumping, but no change. I had AF last week, and it is now over, as I know that can affect supply.

Also, every nursing session only lasts 4-5 minutes. He will start on one side and suck for 1-2 minutes and then start pulling off, relatching, pulling off until he is arching and screaming, so I switch sides and he is fine for another 2-3 minutes, only to repeat. Sometimes, on the 2nd side, he chokes and pulls off coughing, then relatches. I do not know if this is oversupply, overactive letdown or what, but it has been a week of this behavior at every session. He also used to STTN, but the last few nights has been up 2-3 times during the night. Not sure if this is a growth spurt and/or teething as he is constantly gnawing on everything and seemed to be in pain in the middle of the nights with his gums. However, he seemed content (talking, cooing, smiling) after each session and would go 3+ hours in between with good amounts of wet/poopy diapers. However, last night he went from 11-8 with no wet diaper, even though he ate at 11:30 and 3:30. When he woke up at 8 to eat, he was still not wet...I fed him for only 4 minutes, so supplemented with formula

I do not want him suffering. I do not know if perhaps my supply really is dwindling. Starting last night, I pumped after every session. I know nothing to 1/2 oz. is considered normal, which I got 1/2 oz each time. This morning, he only ate for 4 minutes so I pumped while my husband gave him the 2 oz and I still only got 1/2 oz. I don't know if this is normal, but I've always heard that your supply is more abundant in the morning, so I would've thought I'd get more. I'm sure his super short nursing sessions aren't helping if I am having a dip in my supply. I used a Medela PISA pump, and may call to troubleshoot just to make sure the pump is okay. I really, really don't want to stop BFing, but I am so upset and don't know what to do. Any help would be hugely appreciated - TIA.

[@llli*babygabriel]

Also, he does get solids twice a day. Cereal with his 9/10 am feeding and then cereal and a half a tub of veggie or fruit around 5/6 pm. I nurse first (or have the bottle offered first) and don't go hugely overboard with the solids as I know and want breast milk to be the main food for the first year. Thanks!

[@llli*andrea.wolford]

awe sometimes you don't figure out whats wrong..
are you doing any solids?

Some moms do see a dip in supply when their periods return but in a day or so you should be making more milk

Have you tried feeding more often, babies are beter at removing milk then the pump. So maybe hes taking in more milk then you think..
ITs normal too at that age for them to start to beable to go longer between wet diapars. AS long as when they do go its not dark and very smelly you know that they are getting the milk they need.
hang in there!

[@llli*bxlgirl]

Mama, I'll be honest with you, the emotions are there but it doesn't sound at all like a situation where your bfing relationship is endangered. (Phew, huh?) I don't mean to discount your emotions that are running high at this moment, but I honestly think it sounds manageable.

Andrea is right, if your period is returning of LO is getting a taste for solids your supply may be affected. That's the normal way of things so nothing to fret over.

Baby's behaviour has nothing to do with milk supply. The fussing may be due to OALD, or teething, change in the weather, headache... How are his nappy counts? How many wet and soiled nappies does he make per day?
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/lo...ly.html#supply

Your pump is removing a normal amount. What kind of pump do you have? When I went back to work I realized my Phillips Avent single side was not able to do enough. I got a Medela Freestyle. Having a new, quality double pump helps.

That's a lot of ebm that LO is drinking. Are you using a slow-flow nipple? Is DCP giving the bottle more often that baby is really cueing? It's easier to give a bottle, but harder to play with a baby who is bored.

You might not want to hear this, but since you and baby are seperated at work and you cannot put the baby to the breast, the second-choice to increase supply is to pump more often. Yup. Even a five minute session will change the situation. Give it a few days and try to do it at the same time, as you do with regular pump sessions. Your body will figure out what's happening and you'll make more milk.

Cereal is not very nutritious. It's basically just calories. I mean, you don't hear people saying they got their daily dose of vitamins and minerals from a slice of bread. How about giving more nutrient-dense food, like avocado? I buy a ripe avocado, spoon the interior into a covered ice-cube tray, and offer a chunk to my baby every morning along with her breakfast. Avocado is a first food and safe for 6-mo babies, and I began this breakfast routine then as part of baby-led solids. Just keep offering age-appropriate foods until LO signals he has had enough. The quantity may change day by day, especially at this age. I worried when we first began solids that DD would wean more quickly, but then learned she really likes bfing and continues for a variety of reasons, not just to fill her up.

Finally, Dr Jack Newman, a world-renown bfing expert and proponent, offers some advice on how much milk a baby needs when mum is working outside the home:
http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=...tion&Itemid=17
Take a look at point #3:
Babies need to drink milk when the mother is not at home. Not true. Three or four good breastfeedings during a 24-hour period plus a variety of solid foods in goodly amounts gives the baby all he needs nutritionally, and thus he does not need any other type of milk when you are at your outside job. Of course, solid foods can be mixed with expressed milk or other milk, but this is not necessary.

Relax and enjoy this transition! Things will be purring along again in no time.

[@llli*babygabriel]

Wow, thank you so much for these responses all ready! I feel better just reading them. He has many wet/poopy diapers during the day and they are all clear or pale yellow, so maybe it is okay. I am using a Medela PISA. I will try to see if I can add a short session at work. I also pump at night after feeding him, before I go to bed to try and get enough to top off his bottles for the next day. And I am using the slow flow nipples. I used to give close to 6 oz before reading that breast milk is different than formula and they don't need to increase, so I've slowly tried to wean him down. The last couple days the bottles were more closer to 4 oz, but mainly because I couldn't pump enough to get much more than that. However, perhaps that is really enough, especially since he is getting some solids...I am going to start making my own foods this weekend also for him.

Thanks again, SO much

[@llli*annabellasmommy]

Your pump is removing a normal amount. What kind of pump do you have? When I went back to work I realized my Phillips Avent single side was not able to do enough. I got a Medela Freestyle. Having a new, quality double pump helps.

That's a lot of ebm that LO is drinking. Are you using a slow-flow nipple? Is DCP giving the bottle more often that baby is really cueing? It's easier to give a bottle, but harder to play with a baby who is bored.

In my expierence.. (although I did have OALD AND OS, I probably still would with baby 2 but little missy 1 is still nursing for naps and bedtime...so now I worry about too little!) but when I was given the advice to try pumping the opposite side while nursing on the other (same time, fun task to try..) I had SERIOUS super flowage, it actually made my letdown super stronger! So for helping her with my letdowns...not so good, but helping milk to flow, very good idea! So I could see a double pump working out better too. And real quick That is so true and good to hear I'm not alone.. it's "funny", when I had my first my husband persuaded me to try BF (which I am now very grateful he did), but then everytime she would get upset or anything he'd be like "here, she's hungry", lol... it wasn't exactly like that because on my own I was constantly feeding her, she was a marathon nurser, much unlike my 2nd who nurses for like 5 min usually except for her "middle of the night" feeding, when actually I am fullest, she'll nurse and then dream nurse a bit for about 10-15 min. She's really distractable though and her big sister can be a hoggie at times so it's tough...but I had to laugh about that because he always did lack at "entertaining", or better put "showing her some good true lov'n", so it's easier to just feed them in their eyes..
Also two things I'd recommend is drink more, not sure if you do already, but seriously chug either water, or I love gatorade...to keep yourself very hydrated to help keep your supply up, and also OATMEAL Been recommended to me by many mamas on here, and it actually really does help (when I eat in the morn'...) but two things also to consider. You sound like a really good mommy.. Hang in there, teething is really common too around this age, since your mama, I know it can be hard to tell, because it is for me even with my 2nd sometimes, but I feel like she's having gum aches by the way she moves her mouth when she's whining (hope im right about that) and she's trying to chew on things..and certain chew objects will actually soothe her, so i figured if she was crying from hunger then she wouldn't be soothed by chewing on something cold, you know? Also real quick, If she's giving me grief while feeding (back arching, ect) sometimes afterwards I'll just squeeze, do a little "hand pump" to see if milk was coming out, and usually it is...possibly not fast enough for her...ugh, supply issues are no fun. Goodluck, I hope things get better! And btw you are lucky though that he took formula...
I only say that because my 2nd has been refusing it so far... and she has weight gaining issues, she's only like 12.5 pounds right now at 8 1/2 months...so, I gotta start pumping again! Doc wants to see how much she's taking in a day, and it's hard to gage without using a bottle!