Someone please give me some encouragement

[WethreelittlebabiesOfOrientAre]

Apologies in advance for this desperate long ramble!
dd is 18 weeks old and recently dropped from 9th to 2nd centile. She is exclusively breastfed. She seems happy most of the time, and from end of Nov had slept through 10-10 (yes I know I am lucky!) Over the last week tried putting her to bed earlier and she has been waking in the night, even though still had same amount of feeds during the day. Last night was 2am and 4am!! I just don't know what is different, where I am going wrong.Saw HV today, last week she was not concerned about dd's weight (11lb 5.5oz) but today she said she will ring me tomorrow after I have her weighed when she has her injections at dr. DD was smaller than all the other babies at baby massage class (don't laugh!)even those younger than her. I know all\babies are different and that I am being irrational. Today dd has really fussed and cried when being fed, and at times I have thought I could hear her little tummy rumbling. Last feed, 7pm I breast fed for 20 mins before she got agitated (not 20m continuosly) so thought would give her my last precious expressed 6oz bottle. DH gave it her, didn't wind her properly even though I said she would do a projectile vom, and sure enough she brought the whole lot back. I have managed to express a measly 2oz the rest of the evening, nd am now dreading her waking up. I could have cried when she was sick as it took me a day and a half to express it. My mum means well, but said if I was getting upset and exhausted might I be better giving her some formula and considering stopping breastfeeding? DH has also suggested formula. I am trying to tell them I need support to continue, not "solutions" as they see it. Am also dreading HV tomorrow giving me accusing looks and suggesting same. I can't seem to articulate to other people why I want to breast feed so much, or even to myself. Why am I not satisfying her anymore? I have started taking fenugreek capsules today btw, and my GP is supposedly arranging for a breastfeeding counsellor to see me. Am I not feeding her enough? She feeds 4-6 times a day, usually 4 or 5 on average. I would hate to think she has been hungry.
Anyone that can give me any advice, it will be much appreciated! and please excuse poor grammar/spelling, am knackered but too stressed to sleep

3lb - the several soft yellow poos each day only applies to newborns. After 4 - 6 weeks this pattern changes in many babies, and infrequent pooing is much more common. It's to do with the maturing of the gastro-colic reflex. This reflex is immature in a young baby, so poo is ejected very frequently in response to gastric and colonic activity further up to gut. Older babies are less 'trigger happy' in that department.

Hope this stops you worrying )

to gut = the gut

Thanks tiktok, she has poo'ed today anyway! Oh the things you discuss on an internet forum!

Sorry to continue pestering you Tictok... So the several pooey nappies in a day are unusual in a 4 month old and it is likely that he's still suffering from his cold virus?

Cabe: four month old babies have a veriety of patterns, including going several days between poos up to having several poos a day. In a healthy baby it's not an issue. I don't know if in your case it is linked with a cold, sorry. Hope this helps

Cabe... ds was a several-poos-a-day baby right up until 5 or 6 months. The frequency then dwindled, but since starting weaning it's up again (er... nice). He's fine

thankyou both... his nappy habits changed dramatically with the onset of the cold... it may be that despite being better the frequency will remain higher (sorry no caps - one hand typing!)

Had dd weighed and she put on 10oz in the last week, jumping from just below 2nd centile to 9th! So thanks again everyone for the advice, looks like the 2 hourly feeds are paying off, plus she is still sleeping through (touch wood)

Excellent news, TLB! Well done you.

Thanks! How gutted will I be if she doesn't put any on this week though?! Just got to get ds2 aged 3 to eat now, he used to be so good, now I can count the ribs/vertebrae! Some people are never happy, eh?!

YES!!! Well done you.

Brilliant tlb!!

Aw thanks! Feel quite ridiculously proud of dd and myself

We need to flag up these success stories to riase the spirits of women who are finding it hard going (which probably counts for 99.9 % of us at various times.)

You should feel proud.It is a huge achievement.

Even so long after it was written, this thread has really helped me to feel "normal" as I have had similar problems with bf and weight gain. Thanks everyone!