My 5 month old has recently started STTN consistantly. He goes to bed around 8, and gets up sometime between 6:30 and 7:30. I feel like my supply has really dropped off over the last couple days. I used to wake up feeling really full, dripping, and like I was about to pop. Today I was full, but not really full like I had been. I'm also having issued with the right side not producing much. (I've been offereing the right side first every time he eats lately to try and combat this.) The right side was just squishy, not full at all. DH fed him a bottle last night before bed, then I pumped before going to bed and only got 2.5oz after almost 4 hrs since his last feed.
He seems to still be having plenty of wet diapers during the day. How many should they have at this age anyway?
Our schedule looks something like this:
7ish - wake up, BF
8:30 - 10:30 nap, BF when he wakes up
12:30-2 nap, BF when he wakes up
4-5 nap, BF when he wakes
7ish - bath, BF, bed
He doesn't seem unhappy. I've just noticed I don't feel full anymore and am pumping much less than I used to.
I started taking the mini-pill about 10 days ago. I didn't think that was supposed to hurt anything, but will stop if there's any chance that's the problem.
This really makes me nervous since I also had problems with low supply when my daughter was born. She started STTN around 6 weeks (lucky, I know!), and we had to supplement with formula since she started loosing weight and my body never could catch up. I just now made the connection with him STTN now. This morning I've BF him, and then pumped both sides for 5 extra minutes while empty.
I tried to answer all the questions I saw in a previous post about a younger baby STTN. Let me know if you have any advice! I'm home from work for another 2 months and would love to continue to BF a little longer!
"It's important to note that the feel of the breast, the behavior of your baby, the frequency of nursing, the sensation of let-down, or the amount you pump are not valid ways to determine if you have enough milk for your baby." http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html#supply
It is normal for breasts to feel softer over time and to stop leaking .
FIve Bf sessions in 24 hours is the MINIMUM we would like to see at this age. IMO Most this age are BF more than that. The "schedule" you have is that your schedule (are you following something like Babywise etc) or are you following baby's lead? One reason I ask is 3 pretty long naps and STTN seems like a lot of sleep. (but maybe I just have unusually wakeful kids -lol!) You don't nurse baby down to sleep? That is an easy way to get in an extra session or two. Generally we like to see babies BF every 2-3 hours during the day for the entire first year unless mom is weaning - you seem to have some longer stretches so it would be better to tighten that up a bit. Is there anyway to adding a couple of sessions during the day? or do a dreamfeed right before you go to bed? Keep in mind that supply is based on demand - use it or lose it. When baby starts to STTN supply will adjust to the baby's demand - in general less milk will be produced overnight if baby in not nursing then and more in the day. This is not the same as low supply, but if baby is not nursing frequently enough during the day it can lead to low supply. KWIM?
"WET DIAPERS: 4 - 5+ sopping wet diapers per day. To feel what a sufficiently wet diaper is like, pour 4-6 tablespoons (60-90 mL) of water into a clean diaper (if baby wets more often, then the amount of urine per diaper may be less). Diapers may be wetter in the morning, especially with older babies. Urine should be pale and mild smelling." http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enoughmilk-older.html
I don't have any reason to think at this point that you can not continue to BF even when you return to work, but I am a little concerned about the frequency of BF during the day right now.
I take advice from the Sleep Lady book concerning daily routine and sleeping habits. She says that babies this age need 14 - 16 hrs of sleep, so he's definitely within that range. The "schedule" I posted is more of a routine than a schedule. I don't insist he take a nap at the same time each day or anything. I just know that he's ready for his next nap about 2 hrs after he wakes up, and if he gets fussy or rubbing his eyes - I know to get him to bed if we're close to that time. And then he eats when he wakes up from a nap. I prefer to feed upon waking rather than nurse him to sleep, so we don't create any bad habits where he always has to nurse to sleep, etc. I like that I can just lay him in his crib and he fall asleep on his own. I'll see tomorrow about sneaking in another BF session or two before his naps. I'm afraid he's just going to nod off and not get a full session. How do you ever get anything done BF every 2-3 hrs the whole first year? He still takes 20 minutes or so to nurse - and about that long with a bottle too. I'm not big on BF in public, so like to plan our outings accordingly. We're fine on diaper output.
Please understand that we are not saying you are doing things wrong, but you were concerned about your supply. We know that supply is based on demand and if you do not use the supply, you will lose the supply. If baby is STTN it only stand to reason that they need to get more BM during the day. KWIM? Most babies this young really are Bf more than 5 times in 24 hours that is what concerns me most in your situation. We know that to increase supply we need to increase demand. Hence my recommendation to add in a session or to either nursing baby down and or a dream feed in the evening. Even if this is a "shorter" session, baby can still get a good amount of milk. More demand will increase supply. It might also help to keep in mind that BM digests in about 2 hours (day or night). Some moms think that with BF or pumping waiting a longer time (4 hours) will yeild more milk, but the opposite is actually true (even if those sessions are short). So to maintain or increase supply it is better to have a shorter session every 2 hours than one long session every 4 hours.
I am not familiar with the Sleep Lady book. We generally recommend Good Nights by Dr Jay Gordon, Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp or The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley - these are all BF friendly books. There are a lot of books out there that can sabotage a BF relationship.
I want to point out for you as well as lurkers that nursing down to sleep is NOT a bad habit. It is developmentally normal for babies to nurse to sleep and the way we were designed. Many moms, like myself, nurse baby down for nap and then BF again when they wake. I have nursed all three of my children to sleep and I can assure you that when I am not there they are able to go to sleep on their own. :) We have yet to see a mom need to go to college with their child because they still need to nurse to sleep. lol!
This explains why BF makes a baby sleepy: CCK (cholecystokinin) is the hormone responsible for gall bladder contraction and is also one of the hormones released during breastfeeding - it induces sleepiness!
"When the researchers measured CCK levels in babies’ blood, they found a peak at the end of a nursing, then a DROP almost back to baseline about 10-15 minutes after the end of the nursing, and finally a rise to even higher levels 30 and 60 minutes after the end of the feed. Their interpretation of these findings was that the first peak was a sucking-induced CCK peak, and the steady rise later was a food-induced CCK rise. So the baby nurses, gets sleepy from sucking, lets go and naps a bit, then wakes again to nurse some more until the food he is digesting induces the second and longer-lasting CCK rise.
"This interpretation is also great for parents, because it explains why their baby nurses, falls asleep, and then wakes up just after they lay her down."
My second DS BF every 2-3 hours until about 18 months actually. He self weaned at 46 months after Bf through a pregnancy and tandem BF for a few months. Nursing every 2-3 hours is not and is re unusual unless moms is actively trying to wean. As to how I get things done......I get done what needs to get done, if the floors don't get swept one day then I will hit them another day - babies are only little for a VERY short time. Nursing the baby is part of my job as a mom and it is something no one else can do. I have yet to meet a mom that says she wishes she had spent more time cleaning doing laundry etc and less time nursing, playing with baby etc. :) (FWIW, my oldest is 11 years, I also have a 4 year old and a 6 month old, we home school.) I do have a couple wraps and that can be helpful to nurse and get things done and it acn also be helpful for BF in public for moms that are uncomfortable. Have you tried a sling or a wrap?
I just want to say that the info that Carol's given is fantastic; please do look it over. Unfortunately, most of these sleep trainers (as well as lots of peds) don't understand the trade-off between more sleep which HAS to mean more nursing. You're told to make baby sleep more, there isn't enough time for baby to nurse as often as necessary, and then we end up in this situation. (And, in some cases baby can also have major problems with weight gain, but that's not the case here).
If you want to stretch out the sessions a bit during the day (if baby allow it-some just nurse a lot!), you HAVE to allow baby to nurse during the night. Your choice. As Carol pointed out, if you don't demand the milk your body won't supply it. Period.
If you're not willing to allow baby to nurse overnight or enough times during the day, you'll have to pump to increase the supply. Again, supply and demand. Most of us feel that bfing directly is much easier than pumping.
Just like with adults, babies should nurse/take a bottle for about 20 minutes so that our brains can 'see' that we're eating and not hungry. People that eat very quickly tend to have more issues with weight. Do you feel it should take less time for baby to eat, nursing or a bottle?
The first 6 months that a baby is alive, it is your 'job' to nurse. Like Carol said, you're supposed to let some other things go, even if we have to grit our teeth to look at a messy house. For some of us, we are lucky to have lots of support around to pick up some of those other household tasks.
Slings can be a great help as baby can nurse and your hands can be free to do other things. This might make you more comfortable nursing in public, too. Oh, I just re-read Carol's post and saw she mentioned those things.
Follow up with any questions, and let us know how today goes!
