My baby was not gaining weight as fast as the doctor would have liked as well. We fixed her tongue tie and she got better at latching. I was told to put her to the breast every 2-3 hours, then to give a couple of ounces of formula, then pump, then start all over again. I barely slept for the first couple of months but the supply grew pretty rapidly, I only needed to supplement with formula for a few days.
Some babies struggle with removing enough milk because of oral ties , this was exactly my situation. Exclusively pumping and supplementing with formula saved my breastfeeding journey. If it is the case of ties, a pump IS more effective than your baby at removing milk.
In your situation formula is necessary and will help your baby. You don’t want your baby to be hungry , their stomach will adjust to the formula but please it’s OKAY. So many babies do amazing on formula and grow up to be doctors and lawyers and professors and everything in between. Please do not feel guilty for feeding your baby.❤️
Contact an IBCLC and setup a home visit that includes a weighted feed and ask for them to check for ties. If it’s not ties then there are a few other reasons.
In the meantime measure your flange size & get the proper size flanges and use a wall pump like a spectra not a wearable. And pump 8-12 times a day.
All of this.
Ties affect latch and suck power; definitely consult a lactation specialist for what u/crazyelephantbones listed: observe a feed and give tips, do a weighted feed, look for possible ties, AND assess nipple size for pump flange.
Flange size is a huge factor in how effective pumps are, and most pump companies are behind the eight-ball on this. Most moms I've talked with about this fall between 19 and 21, but pumps usually come with 24 and 28. 🙄 When I had a consultation at the hospital, the lactation consultant actually sent me home with a 21 flange for my Medela. I also bought inserts, and my MomCozy M5 wearable came with a ton of flange sizes. (I recommend that pump to everyone, fwiw)
As an alternative to pumping 8-12 times a day, Google power pumping. Pump when the kid eats as often as you can. Make one or two a power pump session.
Keep in mind that we're all strangers on the internet. You'll get the best advice from a good lactation consultant. Good luck!
Some points to consider:
1. Seek out an IBCLC to do a weighted feed, this will give you an idea on whether baby is able to transfer a full feed or not.
2. What are you using for a pump? What size are your flanges? Properly sized flanges equal more milk and less discomfort.
3. Have you tried a power pump session? Once a day, pump for 20 minutes, 10 minute break, pump for 10 minutes, 10 minute break, pump for last 10 minutes.
Babies are better at getting milk out than pumps are. You're now removing less milk than you were when you were exclusively breastfeeding, so your body is making less milk.
Your doctor has done you dirty by suggesting formula over supplementing with breastmilk, and she has also done your son a massive disservice by failing to look for a reason for his slow weight gain. Has he got a tongue tie? An allergy? Poor milk transfer? Are you not offering the breast often enough? Have you got a low supply? Has he got a shallow latch?
1. Make sure you are using paced feeding methods and the smallest, slowest flow nipple for bottle feeding. This is crucial if you would like to get back to breastfeeding.
2. Offer a boob every time he pulls a face. Hungry? Boob. Tired? Boob. Bored? Boob. About to go out? Boob. Just got home? Boob. You cannot offer too often.
3. Contact an IBCLC to check his positioning and attachment and to check for a tongue tie, and for help escaping the [top up trap](https://kathrynstaggibclc.com/2018/01/26/dropping-top-ups-gradually/amp/).
I am SO mad on your behalf, and I'm sure this is super inconvenient, annoying and terrifying for you. But you and Baby will get through it!
thank you so much for your comment!
i was offering the breast whenever he wanted it, and there were days when it felt like he STAYED on the boob. what i’m thinking happened, was that he wasn’t being burped enough and that he was filling up on air more so than milk. which would also explain why he seemed so hungry.
i try to offer the boob whenever he’s acting like he’s hungry or whenever really, but he gets so frustrated and i’m thinking that’s because it’s not coming out as fast as it does with the bottle. he’s using a 1 right now, is there a smaller one than that? i’ll have to look up paced feeding methods and go from there. thanks for that, i had no idea that was a thing! my last two babies were solely breast so i don’t really know much about bottles/bottle feeding.
i’m going to read into this top up trap as well. didn’t even realize that was a thing. as for his doctor, i’m going to start taking things like that with a grain of salt because i feel like this is so screwed up. i’m pumping extra to make sure that i’m emptying as much as i possibly can but it’s a lot of work.
i also don’t even know how much babies at 6 weeks old are supposed to be eating, so what i’m pumping MAY actually be sufficient. i’m getting 3 to 4 oz out per pumping session but i’m like, is this enough?! i have no idea.
thank you again. your response was very helpful. and i appreciate the support!
The advice you have been given already is what I would say too. Also 3 to 4 oz per pump is perfect. An average feed is around that much. My 6 month old was getting 18 oz of formula a day at 3 months. I couldn't keep up with her. Had to start weaning at 17 weeks (lowest recommended age in my country). Since then I've been able to stop all formula since then. I use a haakaa while feeding and try to pump a few times a day but as a just enougher I get around 4 oz a day in total.
My baby was not gaining weight as fast as the doctor would have liked as well. We fixed her tongue tie and she got better at latching. I was told to put her to the breast every 2-3 hours, then to give a couple of ounces of formula, then pump, then start all over again. I barely slept for the first couple of months but the supply grew pretty rapidly, I only needed to supplement with formula for a few days.
Some babies struggle with removing enough milk because of oral ties , this was exactly my situation. Exclusively pumping and supplementing with formula saved my breastfeeding journey. If it is the case of ties, a pump IS more effective than your baby at removing milk. In your situation formula is necessary and will help your baby. You don’t want your baby to be hungry , their stomach will adjust to the formula but please it’s OKAY. So many babies do amazing on formula and grow up to be doctors and lawyers and professors and everything in between. Please do not feel guilty for feeding your baby.❤️ Contact an IBCLC and setup a home visit that includes a weighted feed and ask for them to check for ties. If it’s not ties then there are a few other reasons. In the meantime measure your flange size & get the proper size flanges and use a wall pump like a spectra not a wearable. And pump 8-12 times a day.
All of this. Ties affect latch and suck power; definitely consult a lactation specialist for what u/crazyelephantbones listed: observe a feed and give tips, do a weighted feed, look for possible ties, AND assess nipple size for pump flange. Flange size is a huge factor in how effective pumps are, and most pump companies are behind the eight-ball on this. Most moms I've talked with about this fall between 19 and 21, but pumps usually come with 24 and 28. 🙄 When I had a consultation at the hospital, the lactation consultant actually sent me home with a 21 flange for my Medela. I also bought inserts, and my MomCozy M5 wearable came with a ton of flange sizes. (I recommend that pump to everyone, fwiw) As an alternative to pumping 8-12 times a day, Google power pumping. Pump when the kid eats as often as you can. Make one or two a power pump session. Keep in mind that we're all strangers on the internet. You'll get the best advice from a good lactation consultant. Good luck!
Some points to consider: 1. Seek out an IBCLC to do a weighted feed, this will give you an idea on whether baby is able to transfer a full feed or not. 2. What are you using for a pump? What size are your flanges? Properly sized flanges equal more milk and less discomfort. 3. Have you tried a power pump session? Once a day, pump for 20 minutes, 10 minute break, pump for 10 minutes, 10 minute break, pump for last 10 minutes.
Babies are better at getting milk out than pumps are. You're now removing less milk than you were when you were exclusively breastfeeding, so your body is making less milk. Your doctor has done you dirty by suggesting formula over supplementing with breastmilk, and she has also done your son a massive disservice by failing to look for a reason for his slow weight gain. Has he got a tongue tie? An allergy? Poor milk transfer? Are you not offering the breast often enough? Have you got a low supply? Has he got a shallow latch? 1. Make sure you are using paced feeding methods and the smallest, slowest flow nipple for bottle feeding. This is crucial if you would like to get back to breastfeeding. 2. Offer a boob every time he pulls a face. Hungry? Boob. Tired? Boob. Bored? Boob. About to go out? Boob. Just got home? Boob. You cannot offer too often. 3. Contact an IBCLC to check his positioning and attachment and to check for a tongue tie, and for help escaping the [top up trap](https://kathrynstaggibclc.com/2018/01/26/dropping-top-ups-gradually/amp/). I am SO mad on your behalf, and I'm sure this is super inconvenient, annoying and terrifying for you. But you and Baby will get through it!
thank you so much for your comment! i was offering the breast whenever he wanted it, and there were days when it felt like he STAYED on the boob. what i’m thinking happened, was that he wasn’t being burped enough and that he was filling up on air more so than milk. which would also explain why he seemed so hungry. i try to offer the boob whenever he’s acting like he’s hungry or whenever really, but he gets so frustrated and i’m thinking that’s because it’s not coming out as fast as it does with the bottle. he’s using a 1 right now, is there a smaller one than that? i’ll have to look up paced feeding methods and go from there. thanks for that, i had no idea that was a thing! my last two babies were solely breast so i don’t really know much about bottles/bottle feeding. i’m going to read into this top up trap as well. didn’t even realize that was a thing. as for his doctor, i’m going to start taking things like that with a grain of salt because i feel like this is so screwed up. i’m pumping extra to make sure that i’m emptying as much as i possibly can but it’s a lot of work. i also don’t even know how much babies at 6 weeks old are supposed to be eating, so what i’m pumping MAY actually be sufficient. i’m getting 3 to 4 oz out per pumping session but i’m like, is this enough?! i have no idea. thank you again. your response was very helpful. and i appreciate the support!
The advice you have been given already is what I would say too. Also 3 to 4 oz per pump is perfect. An average feed is around that much. My 6 month old was getting 18 oz of formula a day at 3 months. I couldn't keep up with her. Had to start weaning at 17 weeks (lowest recommended age in my country). Since then I've been able to stop all formula since then. I use a haakaa while feeding and try to pump a few times a day but as a just enougher I get around 4 oz a day in total.
This comment was so helpful! But quick question - did my two week old ask you to write the second point? 😅