Supplementors?

[Fluffeh]

Has anyone any experience of using a supplementer?
The infant feeding team have brought one for me to use in the hopes of increasing supply by keeping DD at the breast longer.
We have been topping up at each feed since day 3 when they weighed her and she had lost too much. We've tried pumping but even with a hospital pump the increase isn't enough.
Really this is our last chance of being able to EBF which is all I've ever wanted to do.
DD is 10 weeks old, latches perfectly but won't stay on once the milk stops flowing.
Our first feed using the SNS went really well, she stayed latched for ages and came off when satisfied.
Is it worth the faff with the SNS? Will it/should it increase my supply?
Thanks :).

Yes. I used a Medela one to relactate. I had to use it with nipple shields initially as she wasn't keen to latch. It was a total faff to start with but I got into the swing of it!

I would highly recommend the Milton style steriliser for it.

I used an improvised SNS and found it really helped to keep DD interested. I also pumped after every feed and then hand expressed too as this can further increase supply.

Maybe domperidone would be useful? Definitely helped me. My GP was happy to prescribe it but didn't know the dosage so maybe speak to your feeding advisor for info.

Also just to add - despite never having a good supply due to PCOS I'm still breastfeeding at 9 months. Despite what some people say, you can successfully mix feed

Thanks for the help.
I have all my hopes pinned on this. I do intend to keep breastfeeding whether we can get the SNS to help make that ebf or not. But I really want to succeed.
She seems to be taking to it really well so hopefully my supply will catch up now.
brownsauce I have pcos too, maybe that's contributing?
I'm taking 60mg domperidone daily - is that a usual dose?

Not unless they routinely check it in pregnancy. But I don't think I have thyroid problems as my usual bmi is around 18-19 and I'm dropping weight at speed (3-4lbs a week) without even trying.
My diet is far from a recognised weight loss diet.

The SNS is fab! Fiddly and a bit annoying but it keeps her happy on the breast. First feed this morning she took an hour to finish feeding and seemed happy and content throughout. It's such a change to her usual fighting and fussing. :)

PCOS can sometimes cause issues with supply. My lactation consultant said it can cause insufficient glandular tissue to develop during puberty and this is likely the cause of my issues. The high testosterone levels can also interfere with prolactin production, so further inhibiting milk production.

From what I gather it is an under researched area and can affect everyone differently. My midwife had a particular interest in this and anecdotally had noticed more women with pcos requiring fertility treatment had supply issues. It certainly all seemed to apply to me but is just her observations.

Really glad the SNS is going well! There really are some lovely people and great support on here.

Weirdly, I got my bfp the first time (just once) we tried. I had no fertility treatment at all. I have been taking metformin for my pcos for years and as I said previously didn't have a weight issue either.
My endo was amazed with my bfp so quickly and discharged me.
But I have never had breasts, maybe that's significant? They never grew at all in puberty but did swell to a c cup in pregnancy and I leaked colostrum very early on.
All the signs were good but it just hasn't turned out how I expected.
SNS feeding is still going well, but the tubes falling out of her mouth means feeding is more of a frustrating act than we hoped.
We aren't going to give up though, hopefully we will still make it to ebf'ing soon :).