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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

help, im about to fall into the is she getting enough trap...

26 replies

Tinkerisdead · 27/02/2009 12:00

Help, im having a major wobble over breastfeeding. DD is 13 weeks and breastfeeding is going really well. She has always fed every 2 hours, except at night where she goes 8pm til 2am. Thats the longest gap. Recently she has been crying pretty much all day which i attributed to tiredness as she drops off,wakes, cries all afternoon. She also fusses on the boob coming on and off repeadedly like she has wind, but i cant get wind up.

i just had her weighed after a month and she had previously put on around 6lb a week, now shes put 6lb on in a month. her head circumference has also plataued. Now to her credit, the HV didnt mention topping up or anything, she just said we'll weigh fortnightly and see.

But, i'm now having a huge wobble, is she getting enough, is she crying out of hunger, do i top her up, do i pump to increase my supply, do i space out feeds...what do i do?

apologies for typos, punctuation etc, DD in my arms crying but i was desperate to get advice

OP posts:
Original poster
Tinkerisdead · 27/02/2009 12:03

i of course mean 6oz, i wouldnt be worried if she was piling on pounds and pounds...

OP posts:
Helms · 27/02/2009 12:21

My ds is the same age and a similar thing has happened with his weight. My HV was fine about it too (said she sees patterns like this in BF babies)but I got in a panic. Had to tell myself that the HV can see my baby, is trained to look out for problems and isn't concerned so neither should I be. Easier said than done!

Just a thought about the fussing- could it be the start of teething? I think that sometimes that can account for behaviour like that.

Original poster
Tinkerisdead · 27/02/2009 12:28

oh my dear god..teething?...surely not it feels like I only just had her!!!

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tiktok · 27/02/2009 13:14

TheDoctorsWife, the weight pattern is within normal limits, no doubt about that. Have no idea why she is having her head measured - is there some reason for this? It's not thought to be an accurate or helpful way of assessing normal infant development at all, these days. You cannot make babies' heads bigger by feeding them more, either...

Fussing on the breast and coming on and off repeatedly needs investigating, I agree - but it could be anything (least likely to be wind, IMO - in fact repeated patting and jiggling and messing about is likely to cause more distress rather than relieve it )

If you think you have an issue with supply (which I suppose is possible) then working to increase it (feeding more often, expressing) won't harm, except be a bit of a hassle.

Original poster
Tinkerisdead · 27/02/2009 13:24

i dont think she has wind either and taking her off to try to wind her causes hysterics. interesting about supply though, im feeding every 2 hours, mostly i can hear it whizzing down her throat. she sounds like a piston going off. but that lasts about 3 mins. after that shes on and off crying between sucks. I know expressing isnt a guide but in the past ive got 3oz from both boobs but last night i attempted to pump to store emergency milk and i got 1oz from both boobs. thats when she was asleep, three hours since her last feed.

are you still around tiktok..im really at a loss..and dunno why she measured her head. she shuffled out the house when she pulled out her weaning book and i said i was considering BLW.

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LackaDAISYcal · 27/02/2009 13:36

hey DW .

Try not to be despondent lovely. how many weeks is she again? bumble went through a bit of a mad feeding frenzy for a couple of weeks there, which I can only put down to a growth spurt and was getting really fussy at the breast, but it has calmed down again thankfully. The teething is possible as some babies can fret for ages before the teeth actually come through, and teeth can appear from 16 weeks onwards. Some more info on fussiness here

the pumping, as you know, isn't indicative of supply, and pumping in the evening when your supply is naturally lower will be less productive than normal. I know my supply is fine, but I tried to pump last night and got less than an ounce from each boob. You could try pumping in the morning as things are supposed to be more productive then. You could try some natural remedies for upping your supply like oats and fenugreek. I was testing some nursing tea made by Weleda, and it had an alarming effect on my already OK supply and I was leaking and dripping for the first time ever!! I have some left I can send you if you like?

All the info I've read says that BF babies weight gain starts to tail off around this time as well, and that as long as the baby is still gaining things are generally OK.

Original poster
Tinkerisdead · 27/02/2009 13:45

She's 13 weeks, right okay, i'll try to express in the morning and def get some fenugreek. And what on earth is nursing tea? Because she cries all the time, i can never really identify if she is hungry, i just offer her boob when she starts to grizzle or when she wakes up etc. On postnatal thread, suggestion that she could be snacking and so fussing at breast. am i better to draw feeds out to every three hours like she naturally does at night, or just whip a nork out at whim?

OP posts:
tiktok · 27/02/2009 13:49

There may be some unusual local policy that says babies' heads need to be measured as a routine at 3 mths or something, TDW - she should have told you why she was doing it.

Three minute feeds can be normal at this age - especially if the let down is fast and responsive - maybe she wants to come off and be allowed to come off without a struggle to get her back on again? And then to go back on in a short time?

No, expressing is not a guide at all. Most women find their performance for the pump decreases after weeks go by anyway - prob because the over-production of the early weeks has settled down.

A call to a bf helpline might help?

tiktok · 27/02/2009 13:52

Nothing wrong with snacking, TDW. If you think drawing the feeds out would help, you could try it, but normally there would be no benefit to this, unless you were a case of massive over-supply which overwhelms the baby - spacing feeds out reduces the supply, which is why this can sometimes work with babies who are drowning in breastmilk

(Should add: this spacing out is best done not by keeping the baby off the breast for x hours, but by doing one sided feeding or 'block' nursing....just to clarify.I don't think this applies to you, anyway)

LackaDAISYcal · 27/02/2009 13:53

nursing tea is a foul herbal concoction of fenugreek and fennel amongst other things. I slurped some honey in though and it was quite nice. It did the trick for me though re increasing supply. email me daisybump @ yahoo dot co dot uk and I'll pop the tea bags in the post for you. Oats are supposed to help too, and even if they don't do much, it's a good excuse for eating flapjacks

It might well be a growth spurt as this is quite common around the three month mark.

When she wants feeding again quickly, are you swapping sides so she might just be getting the thirst quenching milk and not the creamier stuff so isn't filling up? tiktok, is that a possibility and would block feeding help in this sort of situation?

Original poster
Tinkerisdead · 27/02/2009 13:54

that makes sense too, i keep pushing it on her i suppose, but thats cos she had green poo and another HV made me paranoid that it was due to foremilk imbalance so ive got in this mindset that she needs to stay on and stay on and stay on...the green poo was due to a cold!

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LackaDAISYcal · 27/02/2009 13:54

lol tiktok, you answered my question before I even asked it

LackaDAISYcal · 27/02/2009 13:56

DW, is there a BF support group nearby? It sounds like you need advice from someone who is a bit more clued up than your HV. Or can you call one of the BF support lines and talk to a breastfeeding counsellor? It might put your mind at rest.

Original poster
Tinkerisdead · 27/02/2009 13:58

errrm right, she has both boobs at every sitting, i was paranoid about the foremilk issue see above, i just revisit the last breast used at the next feed. i'll email you daisy thank you

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Original poster
Tinkerisdead · 27/02/2009 13:59

No BF support nearby but my indie midwife has just trained as a counsellor..i'll give her a call.

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QueenFee · 27/02/2009 14:09

Both of my babies plateaued about this age. It is common for BF babies to do this (they tend to rise quite steeply on the charts then suddenly level off)
This is also a common time for growth spurts.
Don't know what part of the midlands you are in but my sister got help through an NCT group in the midlands.

Original poster
Tinkerisdead · 27/02/2009 14:13

Im in NW leics queenfee..

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PrettySprinkles · 27/02/2009 14:19

My son is 14 weeks and we had a few days like this last week. I assumed it was a gowth spurt at first but in frantic tired moments decided I must have nipple thrush. Was about to phone the doctors for an appointment when DS proudly showed me his dribble soaked and bloody comforter. He is teething already so it could be that with you too?

bessmum · 27/02/2009 14:40

Hi TDW, have you had a chance to meet up locally with any other BF mums? I'm in the same area as you with my 15 week old, there are a few mums who go to the BF group in Ashby on Thursdays, I've popped in a couple of times. The advice on here is great but I've found it helpful meeting other like minded people IRL too, just to feel that you're not on your own!

Original poster
Tinkerisdead · 27/02/2009 14:45

where in ashby and when i'm just up the road...

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bessmum · 27/02/2009 15:12

HI TDW the BF group is on Thursdays at 1pm-2.30pm at the Sure Start centre in the grounds of Woodcote School, Willowbrook Rd in Ashby. It is a brand new lovely building. The group seems quite small but very friendly and laid back. I've also been going to a new baby group there on Friday mornings at 10am, there have only been about 4 of us going along but 2 of us are BF. I could email you if you wanted more info?

KiwiPanda · 27/02/2009 17:26

Just a suggestion which is probably completely wrong but is there any chance she has a bit of a cold/ nasal congestion? I only ask because my DD was like this a few weeks ago due to the old can't-eat-and-breathe-properly-at-same-time problem! We used one of those nasal aspirators (with me hysterically going "No! too close!" every time DH used it within 1 cm of actual nostril... ) and it worked wonders - once the gunk was out she fed beautifully. I was surprised myself cos she had no other obvious signs of cold.

Anyway as I say probably no help at all. I'll get me coat...

KingRolo · 27/02/2009 19:04

My DD did a similar thing - we know now that it was due to early teething (started at 12 weeks, first tooth through at 18 weeks!).

I wish I had realised sooner that her fussiness was down to teething as it would have saved a great deal of agonising over supply and so on.

Original poster
Tinkerisdead · 27/02/2009 21:18

bessmum that would be great mrsspen at bt internet dot com

kiwi she has had a cold about three weeks ago but no signs that she is congested. i do have some nasasal so i'll try it and see.

Im starting to wonder if it is teething now because shes soaking my DH's shirts chewing on them, she's drooling but i put it all down to the fact that she just found her hands and so they are always in her mouth.

I checked WHO guidelines and she shows as being on the 50th centile which ive never paid attention to before, should i?
Also asked my midwife to come and have a look at feeding time.

Had some great advice today, thank you all.

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QueenFee · 27/02/2009 21:21

Just found this Forgive me if I have got the completely wrong area - Geography is not my strong point

here
If its not local to you they may know of one
HTH