Breastfeeding: Is She Satisfied?

OMG! And I thought I was the only one. Seriously the same thing happened with my daughter right about that time. She was previously sleeping through the night (in my bed) and got that drunkard look when she was done nursing. She's 6 months now and it hasn't come back. I was so afraid I was losing my milk supply. I contacted La Leche and read some books and heres what I learned:
1. Around 4 months your milk supply does sort of plateau in that when the baby is young you usually over produce and later your body produces just what the baby eats. This is ok and normal. If the baby needs more, she will eat more often and you will produce more. I think my daughter could drink a gallon of milk if I had it but she doesn't need it.
2.Your let down relex gets slower, I know this is part of what was frustrating my babe, causing her to whine and pop on and off the breast. This is also ok and you should try to relax and let the baby do what it wants to "milk" your breast. This includes any hand action she might be doing too.
3. Teething can interfere with nursing way long before any teeth peep through so when all else fails blame the teeth not yourself.
4. It is not necessary or recommended for breastfed babies to eat anything else for the 1st 6 months. That young they are really not capable of digesting and extracting nutrition from solids and any food you give her may displace breastmilk from her diet so in the end it could actually lessen the calories and nutrition she is getting.
5. Nightime nursing is one of the best ways to increase your milk supply and some babies get the majority of their nutrition at night. I know mine did bc at night she was half asleep and patient enough to suck steadily and stimulate a let down.
After reading all that I also looked at my life and yes, I too was way stressed, not drinking enough water, I had cut back calories cuz I wanted to lose the baby weight asap, and I was not sleeping enough.
The baby was in my bed at night since birth which had worked fine but it seemed like overnight she stopped sleeping. So I skimmed through Dr. Ferbers book and the No Cry Sleep Solution. I ended up doing a combo of both. I gave her regular nap and bed times and implemented a sleep ritual. I got her to stop nursing to sleep even though it is still a part of the sleep ritual.
She would cry 5 minutes at a time and I'd go in and shush her, pat her anything except pick her up for 1 min. For a few days I had to do this 3-4 times with each nap then she started to get it. She still lets our a few wails now and then (not even lasting 1 min) but she sleeps for 4-5 hour stretches, I can nurse her and quickly set her back in her crib at night and I get at least 2 1.5 hr naps.
Sorry that was long but I really hope someone can learn for what I went through. It was hard, I was hysterical all the time. Check out those book (I found them at the library), take care of yourself and be confident that your baby will ask for what she needs. We just had our 6 mo appt and shes a lil over 14 lbs, the doctor said she looks great, people tell me all the time that shes so small but she is happy, healthy, and developing great. So keep your head up!

When I had my son I had plenty of milk coming in, but not enough to meet the demands of my son's appetite. He was a beast lol so, I had to top him off with formula after feedings. My milk supply, after going back to work and pumping, depleated and soon after was non existant so we had to naturally switch to formula as his main source of nutrition. That was when he was about 6 months, but we started feeding him Gerber Stage 1 foods around 5 months and he was the most satisfied happy baby. I'm not gonna tell you what to do, just share what I went through with my son when he was around that age. Do what you feel in your gut is right for your daughter. Also note that my son got his first teeth at 5 1/2 months and now is 13 months with 9 teeth... can we say OMG ;)

I agree with SH. I think it is worth seeing a lactation consultant. I was able to nurse twins (with no formula) until they were 3 yrs old (not really necessary but thats how it worked out). I drank Mother's Milk tea (bought from Henry's or Mother's Market) to increase my milk production. I had to drink 2-3 liters a day. Also, I noticed if my weight got under 134 pounds (I am 5'6" tall) my milk would be thin and the babies would fuss. But if I could keep it over that number then life was great and no fussing. You should not have to supplement. I also used the book "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child" like a bible. The sleep schedule worked great for me.

you could just top her off with formula if shes still hungry after a nursing. I did this only at night (I called it her goodnight bottle). I didn't notice a decrease in my milk supply, but I did notice that she would sleep through the night.

It all sounds pretty normal to me.....If you are worried about production than I would try feeding her a little more often..try every 2 1/2 hours or so. 5 hours overnight is considered sleeping through the night....but every baby has bad nights. Neither of mine slept well ever. I think you are doing the right thing....crying it out just isn't right to me, at least, until they are old enough that you know they don't really need you, they just don't like the situation. At this age, they are crying cause they need something. Have you tried cosleeping? This would help you get more rest, she would get milk whenever she wanted/needed and would probably help your production due to more suckling, more rest, and more skin to skin contact. Taking the 6 oz is probably more because with a bottle the flow is faster and her stomach probably just hasn't gotten the message to her brain yet that she's full. Nursing takes much longer than the bottle feeding and takes more work/energy so the stomach has more time to get the message there. I would be feeding her as much as possible to get production up a little (doesn't sound bad, but with her being small you probably want to give her as much as she wants). You don't say if she's always been small /smaller size runs in the genetics or if she has suddenly gone down on the growth charts. If the first is the case, I wouldn't worry too much, the second is a different story. Seems funny to me if the ped is concerned about size for him to be advocating crying it out...but then most peds don't really know much about feeding babies....they learn more about development and problems not so much about the every day care.

Breastmilk is more dense calorie wise than any food you can give her, so I wouldn't be doing the food.....6 months is really the earliest recommended time to start that but most old school peds haven't kept up with this research. I would wait till at leastl 6 months and start her on some real food with real nutrition rather than cereal. Mashed banana is a good one.

If you can do a "nursing vacation" where you just spend most of the day in bed with baby, offering the breast anytime she seems the slightest bit interested, that is the best way to get your supply back up. If you are already drinking alot of water, make sure you are getting good nutrition, more rest will of course help, oatmeal and dark beer can also help. If nothing else there is also Fenugreek, which is a natural supplement, if you take enough of it, you should see an increase in production in a couple days. You have to take enough so that your sweat starts to smell like maple syrup. http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/fenugreek.html

Your milk supply naturally plateaus at about the 3rd month cause your body has pretty well established how much milk you need to make, and unless you do something to make it think otherwise (increased stimulation signaling to your body that that baby is hungry and needs more..which would mean more nursing) then it's not going to make more. It's a balancing act...you don't want to make too much either cause that will cause problems with oversupply (baby doesn't get enough of the fatty hind milk which leaves them less satisfied and fussy) so just keep that in mind too. Try to relax a little (I know easier said than done) too, I found the more worried/uptight I got about it, the more it would impact my supply. If I could relax and let things go the milk flowed better. It is also normal around this age for the baby to come off and on alot cause they are so interested in the world around them. It will get easier on that front eventually.

** Also, please don't supplement her unless you visit a lactation consultant and verify that this is needed. This just sabotages you in your milk production because if she is hungry, she should be suckling...this is how your body knows to make more milk. If you give her the bottle with formula, it might satisfy her for now, but you lose the stimulation your body needs to make the more milk that she needs. I would not be giving her cereal to get her to sleep longer at night. She obviously needs to be waking up at night and 4-5 hours is perfectly fine for her age. To cut out feedings at night means decreasing an opportunity for her to eat and if she needs to put on weight this is the opposite of what needs to be happening. You just need to find a way to make it so that the wakings don't cut down YOUR sleep so much....which is why cosleeping is a good idea.

Also, the pump can't tell you exactly how much milk you are making. The pump does an *OK* job at getting the milk out, but it is nowhere near as efficient as the baby is at getting milk out....so just because you get 3.5 oz pumping doesn't mean the baby is only getting 3.5 oz. You don't say why she is getting a bottle but if you give her a bottle of breastmilk make sure you also pump....don't skip the feeding or you will be signalling your body to make less. It is best to just feed all feedings directly from the breast so your body knows what it needs to do and she gets as much as possible. If you feel you need to pump for a back up stash or something do it a short time after she has fed. You probably won't get much but that's pretty normal if she has already gotten most of it out. Really the time to build up the stash is in the very early days when you are making more than she needs.

My daughter is also small for her age, 25% in weight and now 11 months old and weaning... =( I related to the things you wrote in many ways. I fed her every 3 hours around the clock until she was 6 months old b/c I was afraid she was hungry and not getting enough. She fussed and did like what you described. At 6 month appointment, the doctor suggested CIO at night b/c she shouldn't be hungry. It was hard for me b/c she actually ate the most at night but we did it anyways. For a month and a half, we trained her consistently at night that she would eat at 8 pm and then not again until 6 am. I wish we would have begun at 4 or 5 months so with that said, I do think you should do CIO at night. I think a lot of their waking by this age is completely out of habit. She would wake up and cry out within 30 minutes from her "regular scheduled feedings" until she was 10 months old, but then she went right back to sleep. It was just like an internal alarm clock saying, "WAKE UP!" We had to train it to not do that.
As for the day time, I would continue feeding her every three hours for as long as she will. If she fusses, she probably just isn't hungry. She will eat if she's hungry. I'm not a fan of introducing solids early (I think breast milk is sufficient until at least 6 months) but you could try a little bit of solids here and there.

Lactation consultants are great resources and you should be able to find one at any hospital near you or check if your pediatrician can recommend one. Also, I drank an organic herbal tea when my milk supply was dropping off and it was fantastic. It tasted good with some honey and could be drank hot or cold. You can find it at this website: http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/breastfeeding-support/m...
Hope this helps!

Good for you for breastfeeding and for caring so much about your baby girl, L.H.! You are definitely on the right track to nurse her more often and not to let her cry it out! How would that doctor like it if he was left to cry it out when distressed? Give me a break!

The more you put her to the breast, the more milk you will make. There's nor reason to think you've plateaued! I would suggest nursing on demand until things smooth out and that means around the clock. She isn't ready to sleep through the night. Sounds like she's not ready for solids either. What she needs is you! Your main priority has to be to give her adequate nutrition while meeting her emotional needs. This is done best with breastfeeding on demand. Don't worry - she will not always need to nurse so often but it sure sounds like she needs it now so she can grow and be happy. Maybe she's in a growth spurt, maybe she's teething. She's too young to "soothe herself" at any rate! Can you use a sling or front pack sometimes, making sure she can breathe easily, so she can get more of you but you can get up and around. What about walks in this lovely weather? Some babies love to walk when they have a full tummy.

I'm confused about how you know how much milk she's getting from the breast. Most of us have no idea, but go by the baby's signals, plenty of wet and poopy diapers, consistent weight gain, and general well-being. If she's switching from bottle to breast, she may have some nipple confusion. If it were me (of course it's not), I'd remove all artificial nipples until she's older and things are smoother.

None of this sounds abnormal but her slow weight gain needs to be paid attention to. Your milk is the very, very best thing for her. It's perfectly suited to her little system. But it it's not given often enough, she won't gain well unless she's an extremely efficient nurser. Sounds like that's not the case at this point. Nursing during the night is an excellent way to beef up her nutrition - fewer distractions, less stress. Can you do it in a way that you can also doze off while keeping her safe? Keeping her very nearby so you and she can communicate more readily until she's more mature is very helpful. Getting her to be independent is a great long-term goal but she sure is telling you she's not up for that at this point.

You would find La Leche League very helpful. There's a Group in Utica and one in Shelby. Go to www.llli.org. You can also call a Leader for help.

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The answer to "if she's getting enough" is weight gain and wet/dirty diapers. If she's growing and having proper amounts of w/d diapers, then she's just needy. Babies can be that way.

My 9 months old went for the first 4 months wanting to eat every hour (I usually held her off at least 1.5 hours, but tried to wait 2). She'd sleep at night, but during the day she was eating every 2 hours. It was exhausting, she was never happy when awake, so I was constantly trying to get her to sleep. Even now she wants to eat every 2 hours if she's awake. Though sometimes she'll go 3-4 if she's got enough to entertain herself with. Solids didn't make ANY difference, and she eats a lot of solids. By the way, she's 25% for weight and 75% for height.

Some babies are sucklers. They just want Mommy. And 5 months is not too old for a baby to be so attached, though we can be ready to go CRAZY. If you're concerned about her try feeding her every 2 hours, that will boost milk supply. Try some fenugreek (herb, you can find teas and tablets at the health food store), that helps me boost milk supply in about 24 hours - I take 2 tablets with each meal. Also drinking lots of water and eating oatmeal.

I am not opposed to crying it out, BUT don't do it until YOU are emotionally ready. It is hard on Mama! With my oldest I wasn't ready until she was 5 months old. With the second it was 4 months. Just don't wait forever. I have a friend who's baby has been co-sleeping and nursing all night long for over a year, she's having such a battle teaching him to sleep alone because she can't stand for him to cry. What she doesn't realize is that he's in TOTAL control of the situation. Who wouldn't want to cuddle all night with Mommy and have unlimited access to food? My point here is that if you wait for baby to be ready they won't be until maybe 5 years old. :) (my nephew is an example of this).

Remember your body can produce what your baby needs. Pumping is NOT a good indicator of what your baby ACTUALLY gets. I wonder though if your baby isn't getting enough hind milk? Maybe you're switching sides too early. Baby should get MOST of their meal on one side and just a bit on the other. Or as one lactation consultant said, dinner on one side, desert on the other. Some mothers just do one sided feedings. I had problems with my oldest loosing too much weight and having a crisis where we had to supplement with formula and then she refused to breastfeed... I had been switching back and forth many times in each feeding, mostly because she'd fall asleep and I'd take her off and then she'd want to eat more, so I'd give her the other side.... Anyway, all that to say with my second I was paranoid that we'd have problems again, so I just did one sided feedings, and we still do that at 9 months. I only offer the 2nd breast when she's going through a growth spurt and needs more. I can also tell when she's gotten the hind milk because it is really white and creamy compared to the fore milk that is watery looking.

Lastly, don't stress about it. If you're concerned about her getting enough, offer her the breast more often, it will help boost your production and give her more calories as well as more soothing. And give her less at night time so she starts to sleep more. Best wishes!

If you are not producing enough milk... she will not be getting enough intake. And if she does not know how to latch on properly, she will not be getting enough intake either.

A baby does know how to self-regulate and eat until they are full.

Next, a baby's appetite changes everyday, and at times of 'growth-spurts.' Eating amounts is never static. Nor sleep.
A baby this age, will wake at night.
And feeding has to be on-demand for the 1st year of life.

I would see a Lactation Consultant.

You said she sleeps 4-5 hours at a time. THIS IS GOOD. That is a long time. A baby, does not sleep all night like an adult. She is pretty much 'sleeping through the night' almost. For a baby, 'sleeping through the night' means sleeping at least 5 hours. So she is good.

When you feed her by bottle, what are you feeding her? Breastmilk or Formula? ALSO, if you feed her bottles in lieu of breast... then your milk production will drop. If you give her bottles, as a supplement, then this should be given AFTER nursings. Not in place of nursings.

ALSO when going through growth-spurts, a baby will NEED to feed more frequently, so that their intake keeps up with them and their development and growing. It even means that the baby 'cluster-feeds' which means they even feed every single hour. Thus, you need to feed on-demand.

all the best,
Susan

Wow it sounds like you are having a tough time. If she has a good latch ( it doesn't hurt when you nurse) then she is probably doing just fine. Sometimes they do that cluster feeding and need to eat more. Some kids never reach that sleeping through the night stage until they are over a year. I would suggest meeting with a nurse practioner or lactation consultant if you are really worried about your milk production. Good luck!

First, I am not a fan of the "cry it out" club. I believe it just teaches baby that mamma doesn't care and the only reason they stop crying is because they give up. Babies go through all different growth spurts, teething issues, just wanting Mom. Aren't those all reasons to be there for your sweetie? It doesn't matter if it is day or night, she knows you are the one to help her with whatever issue she has...she's only 5 months! Adults don't eat the same amount every time they eat, they don't sleep the same amount of time every night and adults can solve their issues by talking to someone...what is your sweetie to do, she can't talk YET and her only communication skill is crying. As for your milk supply...nurse her on demand, drink plenty of water, TRY to relax. If she is waking in the night, it is for a reason. Plug her in and go back to sleep. I have 3 grown daughters. Time goes by SO fast, I now have 3 grandchildren. I have never regretted getting up in the night, nursing my darling whenever needed. They are little for such a short time...savor it!

I'd suggest you contact a Lactation Consultant for a visit. It's really hard to know how she's doing without knowing exactly how much she takes in. Call the hospital you delivered at, or ask your pediatrician/ OB/Midwife for the name of a local LC.

i stole link for "lactation cookies" from a post someone else put....but a lot of people seem to like it! The first link is a recipe to make your own, the 2nd has info about how the cookies work, and another recipe. good luck!

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Oatmeal-Chocolate-Chip-L...

http://www.yummymummycookies.com/Lactation_Cookies.html

Ginny B said everything I was going to! All the moms have offered you great advice. Make sure the baby is latching on correctly. Also 4-5 hours IS sleeping through the night for a baby that age. Plus most babies do need to get up to nurse after that amount of time. Crying it out does not make sense. You will always make enough milk for your baby if you nurse on demand----somedays they suck a lot and that's ok; you will build more milk for the next day.

Start supplementing with formula; add a small amount of baby rice cereal to it to help thicken it and make it fill her up more. She will stop eating when she's no longer hungry. If she's five months old, you should be okay to give her 6 ounces with each feeding; when I had my son who is now 4 and a half, the hospital told me if I couldn't get him to latch on to give him 2 ounces of formula at each feeding and to increase it by an ounce to two ounces after three to four weeks. You may also need to start giving her baby food; my daughter who is now three refused to eat any of the baby food or baby cereal so I would take small amounts of what we were eating, cut them up into the smallest pieces as possible and give it to her; she'd gum on it until it was soft enough to swallow. Good luck!

Hi L.H., I have a 6-month-old baby and I know how you feel! I have omitted soy and dairy from my diet because it was bothering her; but if this is the first time your daughter shows fussiness, it may not be your diet at all. In terms of milk production, I have found that eating a big bowl of oatmeal with about 2T of flaxseed meal and 2T of nutritional yeast (ingredients from the lactation cookies recipe) do wonders for me. I also just started taking the fenugreek supplement, and I think that has helped too. The first day I did both the fenugreek and the oatmeal I expressed 3 extra ounces during the work day (I pump twice at work). Best of luck and hang in there! :)

I recommend continuing to breastfeed. It sounds like you know how much she's getting so why not add a bottle after that? For the first two months of my son's life, he was fussy a lot and I didn't think he needed formula because I was breastfeeding and I figured he was getting enough. Once I started to supplement with formula (after breastfeeding), he would take up to 6 additional ounces of formula and VOILA - no more fussiness!! It's not a bad thing to have to supplement. I know many women are against supplementing but I figure if you are breastfeeding and just not producing enough, why not add in that extra nutrition? More work for you, yes, but it's worth a shot to see if it makes a difference.

And on the no teeth tip - my son is 9.5 months old and just is sprouting 2 teeth now!

I don't like nor will I ever do crying it out - but that is just me. As far as not sleeping more than 4/5 hours in a row, that is normal for that age. It is considered 'through the night' at I think 5 hours. So if she's hungry and you've breastfed her, give her a few more ounces of formula in a bottle.

You are doing great!