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| Waiting to pick up my APNO 'scrip at the mall. |
The Bad
Baby's only gained an ounce & a half since Monday, which is a bit short of the half ounce to ounce a day that's expected. I have to admit, I felt crushed. I was so hoping that she'd have gained as much as she should have & be on track to regain her birth weight by two weeks old. I started getting flashbacks of the pumping, supplementing & all that I was doing last time around with my son. After getting less than four hours of broken sleep last night, that was tough to take & I cried.
I feel like her weight gain is a bit slow because she's been a bit sleepy the last day or so, not feeding as effectively. I thought that might be related to the heat, but it could also be that I've been stressed & a bit busy with Linnaeus & his ever-so-gradual entry into preschool. I haven't been focussing on trying to make every feeding the best it can be with breast compressions, making her keep the best latch she can & listening for swallowing.
Rather than waiting to see if I can get her to transfer more milk, the midwife recommended giving baby 60mL a day supplement for a few days. Then we'll do another weigh in, plus a weigh-feed-weigh Tuesday when I go to the Vancouver Breastfeeding Clinic again. So I tried using a 25cc syringe with a #5 French tube at the breast, but it got a bit messy--I had trouble positioning the tube. Finger feeding worked much better, but she refused to take more than 35mLs. She then slept a nice long stretch--four hours! She then had a good, active feeding the next two times at 4am & 6:30am.
The Good
She is gaining, if not as much as she should. So I started pumping a little a few days ago. Tuesday I got 5mL altogether from both sides one afternoon after a feeding. Thursday it was a meagre 12mL, at a similar time. Friday I got 60mL in the afternoon after feeding the wee one. This means that I can supplement my little girl with my own milk, provided I can consistently pump that amount daily.
I do feel like I'm making more milk than I did at this point with Sprout. A few signs make me think so: I get a lot more engorgement, I can feel the fullness nearly into my armpits, plus baby was actually overflowing a couple days ago: she'd spit up fresh milk at every single feeding.
I also have a few more 'tricks' up my sleeve to help make more milk: I've got a couple bottles of MotherLove More Milk Special Blend capsules that I haven't yet started taking & I'm only on a low dose of 40mg a day of Domperidone, so that can be increased. It seems I'm making as much as baby needs now, she's just not getting it all out herself. I'm still hopeful that I might just make it to 100% of what she needs as she grows.
A Shout-out
Hello to any mamas who came to visit my blog from the IGT & Low Supply group! This group is an endless source of emotional support for me & many other moms who struggle to breastfeed their babies. There is tons of information sharing & advice giving (both personal/anecdotal & empirical research), so I've learned a lot over the months I've been part of it. I wish I'd had these ladies to lean on when I was going through all the ups & downs of breastfeeding, pumping, supplementing Linnaeus in the first few months.
If you are having trouble with low supply or you have in the past & are hoping to avoid it with a subsequent baby, I highly recommend you join the group. It is a private group, so your posts will not be seen in your friends' feeds & you'll need to request permission to join.
For context, here are some of my past posts about the rollercoaster that was breastfeeding, from August to November 2010:
Adjusting, Pumping, Supplementing
8 Pounds 0.5 Ounces
The Simple Routine: Feed, Sleep, Repeat
Silver Lining
The Latest From Breastfeedingland
Progress
Second-Guessing
And the Rollercoaster Heads Back Down Again
Follow Spokesmama here too:
Keep at it mama! You can do it.
ReplyDeleteYou look beautiful by the way :)
Aw, thanks!
DeleteYes you look amazing!! And you are feeding your baby!! Yay you!!
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping I can feed her all on my own... :/
DeleteHey, Lisa, I won some Dragonfly Organics Baby at Breast lactation tea that's supposed to help in milk production...I personally have always had a milk excess, would you like to give the tea a try?
ReplyDeletehttp://dragonfly-organics.com/babyat.php
Thanks, Dayna. I wouldn't mind having it if it's not too difficult to coordinate getting it. :) I've heard that taking the herbs directly is more effective than the tea, but it definitely won't hurt to throw it into the mix. :)
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DeleteApparently I don't know how to reply properly. :P
DeleteYou are probably totally correct, but a nice cup of tea is a pretty soothing way to ingest them too ;) My doctor is in your neighbourhood, my next prenatal is on October 2nd, if you're not busy I could drop by on my way to or from her office... or I could always leave it in your mailbox, too.
You are a rockstar :)
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ReplyDeleteThe midwives in the UK always suggested fennel tea, which, it seems, is in that Dragonfly Tea. I knew a few mums who had great success with it. I was a dairy cow when breastfeeding, so I didn't try it. You're doing so well though! Hang in there Lisa. xx
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