How to increase supply without upsetting baby

[no1putsbabyinthecorner]

My ds is almost 9 months and weighed 10lb 2oz at birth. I have had some upsetting and stressful visits with HV over his weight gain (or lack of) He had been referred to Paediatrician who wnats to review again,(had blood tests,urine tests,x ray for spina bifida everything came back ok.
I was told by HV that my BM was poor quality and that I should top up with ff. I went away feeling gutted but pressured and did this.
After another visit to HV she again said 'Dont you think its about time I knocked the bf on the head now and give him ff'
(was very abrupt and again said my bm was rubbish quality) she also said she now wants more tests as to why he isnt gaining more and constantly dropping down.
So I introduced more ff, now my problem is my supply is dwindling which I knew would happen. I intended to express everytime I offered a ff but hard with a toddler,and I never get much anyway.
I wondered if there is anyway I can increase supply. I know the more ds feeds the more I will make,but he is getting too upset with my low supply and now slow 'let down' so I cave and give him ff.
Really didnt want to give up yet.This has been going on a while but I think its the main one thing that is getting me down.
I am not going back to see this HV ever again, will maybe just wait for follow up app with paediatrician. sorry that was so long and thanks for reading.

Have also tried herbal remedy not doing that much tbh.

bump

Hi, you wrote that your DS is 9 months old - is that a mistake?

If not, I can't see that bf/ff would be so much of an issue as your DS would surely be eating other foods as well.

It's wrong and indeed untrue for her to say that your bm is of poor quality - how insulting!!!

I'm not an expert so can't advise as such but it would certainly be worth contacting LLL/NCT or another bfc to get proper help.

Good luck

Yes, I was wondering about the age. I had an early baby and she was a tiddler, and lost weight rapidly but gained ok and then tailed off. By 6-1/2 months she was BLW with some mashed food so I fully expect her to catch up. Surely any supply issues would have become quite critical, way before this time?

As for 'poor quality' breastmilk, what an ill-informed muppet.

Yes sorry he is 9 month, and I am probably being a bit silly getting so upset about it. he is hardly starving. He was ebf for first 6 months then I did blw.
Just had lots of pressure from hv to ff instead and even advised to start weaning at about 4 months (which i ignored)
Just wanted to bf until he was ready to stop thats all. thanks for advice.

As for supply issues. He ate lots of solids and still had lots of bf too so still had good supply until introducing the ff (obviously)

no1 - your health visitors have let you down very badly indeed. I mean shockingly

Breastmilk varies hardly at all in quality from mother to mother. If there was an issue with your baby's weight gain, breastfeeding more often would address it (or in a baby of appropriate age, calorie-dense solids)...but of course the majority of babies whose weight gain causes a question are absolutely fine, and are just that way physiologically. It's normal for them.

When the dust settles you can complain about this dreadful advice (and we can help you here with references to studies and so on). In the meantime, to retrieve your milk supply should not be too hard, though it will need a bit of time and space. Call the bf helplines for further support, too.

You can

• keep your baby close to you and respond to any sign he might agree to a little suck or two

• keep it light hearted - no forcing. If he will play with your breasts in the bath, say, by blowing raspberries on them then that's great

• express as often as you can to stim. supply

• co-sleep

Is your baby actually losing weight? Then I agree, this needs to be checked. If he is just gaining slowly and 'dropping down the centiles' then he may be just fine....your HVs will have the new charts (from May 11) and while these are meant to be used for babies born from that day, there is nothing to stop an older baby's weight being plotted on it. He is likely to be on a higher curve on the new charts.

Hope this helps.

tiktok thankyou so much for your advice.
He is not losing weight,just dropping down the centiles.
He was just over 98th and now under 20 something (sorry forgot).
HV asked what he eats on a typical day and she said that sounds plenty so it must be my bm thats poor quality.
She told me to offer ff before every solid meal aswell.
When the paediatrician saw him at 6 months I was just starting blw and he said he will check him again and see if weaning makes a difference.
He is hoping to see him to at least follow a centile line, not drop or climb.
The hv ranted on that she had never seen a chart like it and then mentioned more tests.
He seems ok to me, but they are making me paranoid and doubting myself.
An appointment came through yesterday for his 7 month assesment and I am dreading it. I try to be asssertive but not up to it atm.

He weighed almost 18.5lb last time btw.
he is very difficult to bf atm unless it is very quiet.
So he tends to feed in the night,first thing in the morning and sometimes at bedtime. All feeds in day he will ignore if my dd is anywhere near.(too nosey)
However he is getting so frustrated as I think he is only getting a small amount from me now, and I end up giving him a ff as I feel guilty I cant satisfy him. I know this isnt helping but obviously cannot let him cry for his milk.

I've heard people say that babies come out of the womb with their weight determined by their mother's metabolism but that once they are out in the world, their weight cruises to the point supported by their own metabolism. Could that be part of it? If he's eating plenty, having milk whenever he wants it and you've no concerns about him, other than those brought on by your HV, then it sounds as if you're making sure he gets all he (not the average baby, not other babies born at 10lbs 2 oz, his unique little self) needs.

no1, if he was being "breast-starved" as the HV seems to be suggesting, I would have thought he would eat more solids to compensate. Is he getting plenty of calorie dense solids? (cheese, cream, avocado, banana, full-fat yoghurt etc etc) if so and all the tests come back normal he's probably OK. It could be an idea to ask for a referal to a dietician who can check over your ds's diet and reassure you that the content and variety is reasonable for his age. This would also give you something to get the HV off your back.

If the HV is causing a lot of stress and you are under a paediatrician, there is no need to go to see the HV. My life and stress levels improved immeasureably when I stopped seeing mine.

Good luck.

Thanks again. Yes he eats well. At least I think he does. loves everything offered so far, including meats veg fruits,pasta,rice,lentils etc...including the cheese yoghurts.
I am no longer going to get him weighed with hv. I am dreading the 7 month check though. I never went with dd1 who was 2 in feb.(I now know why)
Infact when hv came to mine when ds was born she asked if I was new to the area as they had no record of dd
she still not had 2yr check either.
I am only getting stressed as I wanted to carry on bf, and wish I had not listened to her. will try the advise anyway to get my supply up again.
thanks again