How Can I Bring Up Baby’s Weight Without Supplementing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you breast feed more often? Breastfeeding is supply and demand. The more you nurse the more milk you will produce. That’s what I would do. Feed the baby every twenty minutes.

This doesn't always work if there are supply and/or transfer issues. I did feed my baby around the clock for 6 weeks and it wasn't enough. Worse it actually negatively impacted my supply because even though people told me her latch was ok - she really wasn't transferring effectively. I just though because she was nursing all the time it was ok - but it wasn't - she wasn't gaining enough weight and she wasn't sucking effectively enough to build my supply. Pumping was necessary and improving her ability to transfer was also necessary (and that did improve my supply - because I don't respond very well to pumping.

I think this is dangerous advice here. OP should find a supplement that works for her baby (hence my pp about donor milk if formula isn't working.)

OP said her baby eats every 2 hours and eats 2oz or a little more each feed. He is eating 24oz which is a normal amount for a normal amount for a breastfed baby. He gaining over 1lb in his first month. That’s a normal weight gain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to supplement, or pump after feeds. Those are your two options. I was like you. I cried, it was so hard and sad for me especially being post partum. I asked my pediatrician, “but what happens when babies in third world countries have this issue? Frequent breastfeeding HAS to work eventually!” My ped said, well, those babies usually just get malnourished if there isn’t another woman who can offer him her breast a few times a day.

So, let your baby get malnourished and lose out on precious brain development, or, just pump or use some formula.

Your pediatrician was gentle. It’s not just that they’re malnourished. Why do you think infant mortality is so high? I’m sorry about but no matter what, your baby needs to be fed. You have clean water and you have formula…and/or pumped milk.

That's exactly right, pp, those babies die, and that's what will happen to OP's baby, he's not "sleepy" Op he's not getting adequate nutrition, he's getting dehydrated and his little body is shutting down. The next stop for you is the hospital where your baby will be poked and prodded, and you could possibly lose custody because you were aware he was not gaining weight not getting enough nutrition you were advised to change his feedings and refused to do that.
Is this really want you want for your baby?

And I agree with the advice to see your own doctor your obsession with needing to feed him a certain way to his detriment is a big sign that you are struggling yourself.

THIS. OP your baby is falling asleep in the middle of eating what little he does because he is exhausted and either hungry or dehydrated.

Get in touch with your doctor and explain the formula situation. They can advise all the ways to try to make the formula more palatable. Some babies won't drink formula warmed for example and prefer that the water be room temperature so maybe varying the temperature would make a difference. Also the nipple size makes a difference. Have they checked for tongue tie?

If it was me, I wouldn't be checking with a lactation consultant and would actually go in person to the doctor for assistance. At that age, when a baby doesn't eat enough, and it goes on for a while, it can become an emergency situation quickly and you don't want to end up in that situation.

OP never said her baby falls asleep during feeds. She offers both breasts and he eats 2oz or a little more every 2 hours. He has gained over 1lb in a month. That’s all normal. Most babies fall asleep on the breast or eat small amount at 4.5 weeks old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to supplement, or pump after feeds. Those are your two options. I was like you. I cried, it was so hard and sad for me especially being post partum. I asked my pediatrician, “but what happens when babies in third world countries have this issue? Frequent breastfeeding HAS to work eventually!” My ped said, well, those babies usually just get malnourished if there isn’t another woman who can offer him her breast a few times a day.

So, let your baby get malnourished and lose out on precious brain development, or, just pump or use some formula.

Your pediatrician was gentle. It’s not just that they’re malnourished. Why do you think infant mortality is so high? I’m sorry about but no matter what, your baby needs to be fed. You have clean water and you have formula…and/or pumped milk.

That's exactly right, pp, those babies die, and that's what will happen to OP's baby, he's not "sleepy" Op he's not getting adequate nutrition, he's getting dehydrated and his little body is shutting down. The next stop for you is the hospital where your baby will be poked and prodded, and you could possibly lose custody because you were aware he was not gaining weight not getting enough nutrition you were advised to change his feedings and refused to do that.
Is this really want you want for your baby?

And I agree with the advice to see your own doctor your obsession with needing to feed him a certain way to his detriment is a big sign that you are struggling yourself.

THIS. OP your baby is falling asleep in the middle of eating what little he does because he is exhausted and either hungry or dehydrated.

Get in touch with your doctor and explain the formula situation. They can advise all the ways to try to make the formula more palatable. Some babies won't drink formula warmed for example and prefer that the water be room temperature so maybe varying the temperature would make a difference. Also the nipple size makes a difference. Have they checked for tongue tie?

If it was me, I wouldn't be checking with a lactation consultant and would actually go in person to the doctor for assistance. At that age, when a baby doesn't eat enough, and it goes on for a while, it can become an emergency situation quickly and you don't want to end up in that situation.

OP never said her baby falls asleep during feeds. She offers both breasts and he eats 2oz or a little more every 2 hours. He has gained over 1lb in a month. That’s all normal. Most babies fall asleep on the breast or eat small amount at 4.5 weeks old.

Hi OP! It’s so obvious you are the person responding and that this is a total circle jerk and waste of everyone’s time. Please just feed your child. You’re a mom of an infant. Your only jobs at this point are to make sure that your child is properly fed, kept safe, and somewhat stimulated. It’s not that hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to supplement, or pump after feeds. Those are your two options. I was like you. I cried, it was so hard and sad for me especially being post partum. I asked my pediatrician, “but what happens when babies in third world countries have this issue? Frequent breastfeeding HAS to work eventually!” My ped said, well, those babies usually just get malnourished if there isn’t another woman who can offer him her breast a few times a day.

So, let your baby get malnourished and lose out on precious brain development, or, just pump or use some formula.

Your pediatrician was gentle. It’s not just that they’re malnourished. Why do you think infant mortality is so high? I’m sorry about but no matter what, your baby needs to be fed. You have clean water and you have formula…and/or pumped milk.

That's exactly right, pp, those babies die, and that's what will happen to OP's baby, he's not "sleepy" Op he's not getting adequate nutrition, he's getting dehydrated and his little body is shutting down. The next stop for you is the hospital where your baby will be poked and prodded, and you could possibly lose custody because you were aware he was not gaining weight not getting enough nutrition you were advised to change his feedings and refused to do that.
Is this really want you want for your baby?

And I agree with the advice to see your own doctor your obsession with needing to feed him a certain way to his detriment is a big sign that you are struggling yourself.

THIS. OP your baby is falling asleep in the middle of eating what little he does because he is exhausted and either hungry or dehydrated.

Get in touch with your doctor and explain the formula situation. They can advise all the ways to try to make the formula more palatable. Some babies won't drink formula warmed for example and prefer that the water be room temperature so maybe varying the temperature would make a difference. Also the nipple size makes a difference. Have they checked for tongue tie?

If it was me, I wouldn't be checking with a lactation consultant and would actually go in person to the doctor for assistance. At that age, when a baby doesn't eat enough, and it goes on for a while, it can become an emergency situation quickly and you don't want to end up in that situation.

OP never said her baby falls asleep during feeds. She offers both breasts and he eats 2oz or a little more every 2 hours. He has gained over 1lb in a month. That’s all normal. Most babies fall asleep on the breast or eat small amount at 4.5 weeks old.

Hi OP! It’s so obvious you are the person responding and that this is a total circle jerk and waste of everyone’s time. Please just feed your child. You’re a mom of an infant. Your only jobs at this point are to make sure that your child is properly fed, kept safe, and somewhat stimulated. It’s not that hard.

OP here. That was not me.

[Anonymous]

OP here. We have made some progress. I started doing triple feeding yesterday - nurse, pump, and bottle feed. I was using the Haakka on the opposite side and then nursing on that side when he was done with the first, but it didn’t get me a ton of milk. I was getting 4oz a day with the Haakka.

I saw a lactation consultant and she did a weighted feed and looked at his latch. She said his latch is fine and he is transferring milk just fine. He took 2oz for as he normally does. She told me instead of triple feeding and using the Haakka, to pump on the side he isn’t eating from. I started using my Spectra and have been getting 1-2oz each feed. I’m switching side each feeding and I offer him pumped milk in a bottle. He doesn’t always take the moon but sometimes he will take 1oz. He doesn’t seem to eat more than 3oz at each feed. She said 3oz every hours is a normal amount, but to offer 4oz if he goes to 3 hours.

My husband went to the store last night and picked up some kids formula. He again rejected it but did take the Enfamil RTF. We were given the samples of powder at the hospital and I’m wondering if he just doesn’t like the powder stuff. He still prefer breast milk but he did take 1oz of the RTF formula twice. I’m not sure why he takes that and not the powder, but we are offering it to him every other feed. Hopefully this will make him gain more weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We have made some progress. I started doing triple feeding yesterday - nurse, pump, and bottle feed. I was using the Haakka on the opposite side and then nursing on that side when he was done with the first, but it didn’t get me a ton of milk. I was getting 4oz a day with the Haakka.

I saw a lactation consultant and she did a weighted feed and looked at his latch. She said his latch is fine and he is transferring milk just fine. He took 2oz for as he normally does. She told me instead of triple feeding and using the Haakka, to pump on the side he isn’t eating from. I started using my Spectra and have been getting 1-2oz each feed. I’m switching side each feeding and I offer him pumped milk in a bottle. He doesn’t always take the moon but sometimes he will take 1oz. He doesn’t seem to eat more than 3oz at each feed. She said 3oz every hours is a normal amount, but to offer 4oz if he goes to 3 hours.

My husband went to the store last night and picked up some kids formula. He again rejected it but did take the Enfamil RTF. We were given the samples of powder at the hospital and I’m wondering if he just doesn’t like the powder stuff. He still prefer breast milk but he did take 1oz of the RTF formula twice. I’m not sure why he takes that and not the powder, but we are offering it to him every other feed. Hopefully this will make him gain more weight.

OP here. The lactation consultant said 24oz/day is a normal amount to make for most breastfeed women. She said the Haakka was likely just collecting and I needed to pump at least half of the feeds. I plan to pump 8 times a day and use the Haakaa the rest of the times. Pumping 12 times a day is hard and I don’t think I can keep up with that.

[Anonymous]

Yes, the RTF is smoother and thicker than the powder. As a parent it certainly smelled better. When my son was a baby, my friend a pediatric ICU nurse said it’s what they feed there, and to offer it before bedtime if combo feeding, because it fills them up better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We have made some progress. I started doing triple feeding yesterday - nurse, pump, and bottle feed. I was using the Haakka on the opposite side and then nursing on that side when he was done with the first, but it didn’t get me a ton of milk. I was getting 4oz a day with the Haakka.

I saw a lactation consultant and she did a weighted feed and looked at his latch. She said his latch is fine and he is transferring milk just fine. He took 2oz for as he normally does. She told me instead of triple feeding and using the Haakka, to pump on the side he isn’t eating from. I started using my Spectra and have been getting 1-2oz each feed. I’m switching side each feeding and I offer him pumped milk in a bottle. He doesn’t always take the moon but sometimes he will take 1oz. He doesn’t seem to eat more than 3oz at each feed. She said 3oz every hours is a normal amount, but to offer 4oz if he goes to 3 hours.

My husband went to the store last night and picked up some kids formula. He again rejected it but did take the Enfamil RTF. We were given the samples of powder at the hospital and I’m wondering if he just doesn’t like the powder stuff. He still prefer breast milk but he did take 1oz of the RTF formula twice. I’m not sure why he takes that and not the powder, but we are offering it to him every other feed. Hopefully this will make him gain more weight.

Mine ate RTF for probably 6 months before switching to powdered. Not sure why, but he always spit up the powdered stuff and could keep the RTF down. If he took it at all, I’d keep offering it. It’s good to have options!

[Anonymous]

That’s a good update! My baby liked the RTF stuff better as well. I know most LCs say that 24 oz is per day is enough but I don’t think that it for all babies. I made about that much and my babies had poor gain. Not like failure to thrive low, but low enough to benefit from supplementing. I had an epically long thread on this last year….it got ugly.

Don’t worry about the triple feeding. Just breastfeed and supplement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, the RTF is smoother and thicker than the powder. As a parent it certainly smelled better. When my son was a baby, my friend a pediatric ICU nurse said it’s what they feed there, and to offer it before bedtime if combo feeding, because it fills them up better.

OP here. I wonder why they didn’t give us the RTF. A friend of mine who I talk to about this said they gave her RTF and the pediatrician will give her samples of it. They only gave us the powdered packs ( makes 4oz) of Enfamil and Similac. The pediatrician never gave us any formula.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We have made some progress. I started doing triple feeding yesterday - nurse, pump, and bottle feed. I was using the Haakka on the opposite side and then nursing on that side when he was done with the first, but it didn’t get me a ton of milk. I was getting 4oz a day with the Haakka.

I saw a lactation consultant and she did a weighted feed and looked at his latch. She said his latch is fine and he is transferring milk just fine. He took 2oz for as he normally does. She told me instead of triple feeding and using the Haakka, to pump on the side he isn’t eating from. I started using my Spectra and have been getting 1-2oz each feed. I’m switching side each feeding and I offer him pumped milk in a bottle. He doesn’t always take the moon but sometimes he will take 1oz. He doesn’t seem to eat more than 3oz at each feed. She said 3oz every hours is a normal amount, but to offer 4oz if he goes to 3 hours.

My husband went to the store last night and picked up some kids formula. He again rejected it but did take the Enfamil RTF. We were given the samples of powder at the hospital and I’m wondering if he just doesn’t like the powder stuff. He still prefer breast milk but he did take 1oz of the RTF formula twice. I’m not sure why he takes that and not the powder, but we are offering it to him every other feed. Hopefully this will make him gain more weight.

Mine ate RTF for probably 6 months before switching to powdered. Not sure why, but he always spit up the powdered stuff and could keep the RTF down. If he took it at all, I’d keep offering it. It’s good to have options!

OP here. I don’t want the pumped breast milk to go to waste so I we will be offering the RTF every other feed. My husband bought a 6ct of 2oz and he went back today to get another a bigger one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s a good update! My baby liked the RTF stuff better as well. I know most LCs say that 24 oz is per day is enough but I don’t think that it for all babies. I made about that much and my babies had poor gain. Not like failure to thrive low, but low enough to benefit from supplementing. I had an epically long thread on this last year….it got ugly.

Don’t worry about the triple feeding. Just breastfeed and supplement.

OP here. 24oz/day isn’t enough? I know 24-32oz/day is normal but I thought he doesn’t start eating more until 2-3 months. He only 4.5 weeks old. His stomach is still tiny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We have made some progress. I started doing triple feeding yesterday - nurse, pump, and bottle feed. I was using the Haakka on the opposite side and then nursing on that side when he was done with the first, but it didn’t get me a ton of milk. I was getting 4oz a day with the Haakka.

I saw a lactation consultant and she did a weighted feed and looked at his latch. She said his latch is fine and he is transferring milk just fine. He took 2oz for as he normally does. She told me instead of triple feeding and using the Haakka, to pump on the side he isn’t eating from. I started using my Spectra and have been getting 1-2oz each feed. I’m switching side each feeding and I offer him pumped milk in a bottle. He doesn’t always take the moon but sometimes he will take 1oz. He doesn’t seem to eat more than 3oz at each feed. She said 3oz every hours is a normal amount, but to offer 4oz if he goes to 3 hours.

My husband went to the store last night and picked up some kids formula. He again rejected it but did take the Enfamil RTF. We were given the samples of powder at the hospital and I’m wondering if he just doesn’t like the powder stuff. He still prefer breast milk but he did take 1oz of the RTF formula twice. I’m not sure why he takes that and not the powder, but we are offering it to him every other feed. Hopefully this will make him gain more weight.

Mine ate RTF for probably 6 months before switching to powdered. Not sure why, but he always spit up the powdered stuff and could keep the RTF down. If he took it at all, I’d keep offering it. It’s good to have options!

OP here. I don’t want the pumped breast milk to go to waste so I we will be offering the RTF every other feed. My husband bought a 6ct of 2oz and he went back today to get another a bigger one.

Pumped milk lasts 4 days into fridge. You can always buy some freezer bags and freeze whatever he doesn’t eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s a good update! My baby liked the RTF stuff better as well. I know most LCs say that 24 oz is per day is enough but I don’t think that it for all babies. I made about that much and my babies had poor gain. Not like failure to thrive low, but low enough to benefit from supplementing. I had an epically long thread on this last year….it got ugly.

Don’t worry about the triple feeding. Just breastfeed and supplement.

OP here. 24oz/day isn’t enough? I know 24-32oz/day is normal but I thought he doesn’t start eating more until 2-3 months. He only 4.5 weeks old. His stomach is still tiny.

My third was back up to birth weight at 2 weeks and he gained exactly 1 oz per day from the 2 week to one month check up. From 1 month to 2, he gained about .6 oz per day, so we were told to start supplementing. We did and he was still mostly breastfed till month 7 or so. I pumped a lot at work and when he slept, and I know I was maxing out at about 24 oz per day. It wasn’t enough for him. We needed about 8 oz per day of formula.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s a good update! My baby liked the RTF stuff better as well. I know most LCs say that 24 oz is per day is enough but I don’t think that it for all babies. I made about that much and my babies had poor gain. Not like failure to thrive low, but low enough to benefit from supplementing. I had an epically long thread on this last year….it got ugly.

Don’t worry about the triple feeding. Just breastfeed and supplement.

OP here. 24oz/day isn’t enough? I know 24-32oz/day is normal but I thought he doesn’t start eating more until 2-3 months. He only 4.5 weeks old. His stomach is still tiny.

My third was back up to birth weight at 2 weeks and he gained exactly 1 oz per day from the 2 week to one month check up. From 1 month to 2, he gained about .6 oz per day, so we were told to start supplementing. We did and he was still mostly breastfed till month 7 or so. I pumped a lot at work and when he slept, and I know I was maxing out at about 24 oz per day. It wasn’t enough for him. We needed about 8 oz per day of formula.

+1. Some eat less and some eat more. I was told to expect my baby to eat up to 32oz by 4 weeks. He consistently took 28-32oz from 4 weeks old. Some babies eat less but almost all of my friends babies took 32oz/day.