help help ladies, give me some sense of perspective, i've got myself in a tizz, i'm all confused and I don't know what to think any more.
my 20 week ds has lost weight this month, dropped from 25 centile to the 9th. He's also had green stinky watery frothy nappies for the last week. He's not feeding very well, just nibbling and not doing those long sucks, then fussing alot or falling asleep within minutes.
I've taken him to the doctors and they've taken a sample to see if he has a tummy bug. I'll find out next thursday.
I phoned up the LLL today for advice, and the lady on the phone asked about how often he fed. When I told her that for the last few weeks he was feeding only once over night she said I should be feeding him atleast every three hours if not more, and ideally sleep with him. I could cry after spending the last three weeks trying to encourage him to stop feeding all night! feel like i've made him ill be being selfish and needing to sleep. He's fed on demand throughout the day and feed generally every 1 1/2 halfs to 2 hours.
So I'm really worried about it now, feel like he isn't getting enough milk. Maybe my milk supply has decreased because of him sleeping? and maybe he's not getting enough milk so is having green nappies through hunger?
I also went back to work for a day and a half last week, leaving him for 3 hours at a time without a feed and leaving him ebm. The LLL lady said that would also decrease my supply. Then she asked if he used a pacifier, and when I told her that he'd recently enthusiastically discovered his thumb she said that if he was thumbsucking it was a sign he needed to nurse more, and that when i saw him thumbsucking I should feed him
I feel terrible now for enjoying getting a bit more sleep and going back to work. I was even excited that he'd found his thumb, and he's been crying less. But I feel like a bad mother now, because he's losing weight and having these nasty green nappies.
I've spent the last two days in bed having skin to skin with him feeding him every hour in an attempt to up my milk supply if it is waning and give him more milk and comfort him if he's ill. His nappies are still rancid and he's still feeding not very well.
I'm worried as I'm due to be working 2 and a half days this week, and so far have only managed to express enough milk for a day of it so was going to supplement the ebm with aptimal for the first time. but now feel that this isn't a good idea?? and should i be waking him to feed him again over night?
or should i just stop worrying. on the plus side he is still active and smiley and alert. so confused. what to do?