And the rollercoaster heads back down again.

The verdict is in: supplementing  when we think he's still hungry isn't working. Linnaeus gained just over two ounces in eleven days. That is not good. He should have gained three or four times that much. I feel horrible, because we've been half-starving him for the last week & a half, when I thought he was getting enough. Our tactic was giving him formula just when he seemed hungry after breastfeeding. Evidently the lines of communication were not working & we have to supplement more than an ounce here & there.

I'm really feeling down about this because I was beginning to think that my milk supply might be catching up with Sprout's needs. I also feel horribly guilty for starving the poor little guy for the last eleven days. He did start to feed more frequently, which was part of the plan, but that apparently wasn't enough to stimulate more milk. Sigh. Back to the drawing board.

I still feel like he's getting enough in the first two or three feedings of the day, so I don't think we'll bother with a bottle top-up then. Today we offered the baby a bottle around two, before we went out, but he only wanted 15mL & then pushed the bottle out with his tongue. Maybe we'll just offer it in the afternoons & evenings when my milk supply is probably lower.

When we go to our appointment at the Vancouver Breastfeeding Centre next week, I hope he'll have gained more weight. Then I'll have a chance to ask some of the things I've been wondering about, like: is this it for my milk supply, or is it possible it might still go up a bit more? Could coming off the Domperidone have lowered my supply at the same time as we were giving him less supplement? When we start feeding him solid food, could that take the place of some or all of the formula we're currently topping him up with? It'll suck if I have to drag formula AND food around with me whenever I go out.