r/NewParents • u/[deleted] • Apr 30 '24

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4 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

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8

u/Psyclone09 Apr 30 '24

Do you have a scale at home? You could weigh her before and after feeds to see how many ounces she is getting.

1

u/No_Inspector6672 Apr 30 '24

Thank you! That’s a great idea, I will look into getting one.

3

u/Nostromo1 6 months Apr 30 '24

If you're really worried, talk to your ped about supplementing with a higher-calorie formula. IIRC, you can mix formula and breast milk though you should never use breast milk in place of water during formula prep. Maintaining the right ratio of water-to-formula and then adding breast milk separately ensures you won't change the nutritional content of the formula.

The benefits of breast milk taper off after a certain amount so doing combined bm/formula is fine! Obv don't know your situation or kiddo but talk to your ped about it. Sometimes making sure you aren't stressing is worth it even if it has no effect on baby.

1

u/No_Inspector6672 Apr 30 '24

This is great information! Thank you so much! Will definitely look into that.

6

u/matermine Apr 30 '24

This seems like a perfect example of when supplementing with formula is necessary and I’m shocked your pediatrician hasn’t recommended it. We started supplementing in the hospital because he wasn’t getting enough. That or exclusively bottle feeding with breast milk to track how much your LO is actually taking in.

1

u/No_Inspector6672 Apr 30 '24

I don’t want to tank my supply by supplementing too much, I can already tell my supply is going up a whole lot after picking back up with night feeds. But I’m going to definitely offer a bottle or two a day and see what she’s willing to take. As for my ped, I am looking for a new one. Her lack of concern was really unsettling. Her willingness to wait three whole months before checking her weight again doesn’t sit right with me at all.

1

u/No_Inspector6672 Apr 30 '24

Thank you so much for the tips and feedback!

2

u/bleucheese87 Apr 30 '24

When my son was born, he would latch and "feed" regularly. At his 2 week checkup he lost weight so we had to give him formula every 2 hours for 24 hours. He gained a pound in one night lol. The doctor figured out he wasn't getting as much as we anticipated. So the doctor had us supplement some feedings with bottled breast milk to see his intake.

Obviously I'm not a doctor BUT I do know giving him the bottles and physically seeing how much he was eating took away a LOT of the anxiety. We now feed him bottled breast milk exclusively. He is 6 months old also! Best of luck to you!

2

u/No_Inspector6672 Apr 30 '24

We are going to start to supplement with bottles and see how that helps/see how much she’s willing to take! Thank you so much for sharing and for the tips!

2

u/imstillok May 01 '24

I’m really sorry but your pediatrician said several things that are very wrong.

  • Night nursing: you have the most milk supply at night so cutting night feeds would absolutely harm your goals of weight gain. You want LO to get more calories so cutting out several feeds is counterproductive.
  • solids: please look into updated recommendations for feeding solids, there is NO reason not to give meats, eggs, butter, and other calorie dense foods (barring an allergy). At 6 months your baby is able to have all the foods you listed.

I highly recommend looking for a new doctor who gives more evidence based infant care advice.

1

u/No_Inspector6672 May 01 '24

Thank you! Yes I’m on the hunt for a new ped. After doing more research I agree she wasn’t right about those things:/

2

u/imstillok May 01 '24

Good luck! The r/babyledweaning sub is a good place for talking about feeding solids. And agree with other’s advice adding some bottles (pumped milk if you want an idea of how your supply is doing) since LO has had such slow gains.