Teething and feeds

[rayasunshine]

DS is 4mo and has started teething more aggressively in the past week.  I was in denial but he is clearly teething.  We have had so many issues with my lo that I think I had one week where things went rather smoothly.  I feel like teething is never ending...I don't see any teeth, no bumps but he is chomping down on everything and anything he can get his hands on. 

I have had issues with my milk supply and am back on domperidone and nurse throughout the day but he gets formula at bt and df.  Obviously with bf I can't tell how much he's getting and I am feeding him quite regularly because I'm afraid he's not getting enough during the day.  I can hear him drinking but only for the first few minutes.  I definitely have lots of milk for his first feed of the day and then it's hard to tell if I have enough for the remainder of the day.  That is why I introduced the formula at bt and df to at least make sure he gets through the night.  Also because he wasn't gaining weight and I wasn't making enough milk for him. 

But the last 2 nights he has outright refused his bt bottle...yesterday didn't take any at all after trying for almost 15mins, took only 3oz at df and tonight he only took 3oz at bf.  Up until these last couple of nights he's taken his 5oz with no problem.  Tonight I gave him advil just before his feed and he was freaking out so much I gave him 2 Hylands teething tablets.  After trying for 10mins he then took 3oz and fell asleep.  So pain from teething?  Could the Hylands have worked that quickly or advil for that matter? He's nursing ok (I think) but the bottle not so much.  Is this normal because I ebf my daughter and have no idea if it's harder to suck on a bottle than the breast?  Anyways that's that but thanks so much!

[Roseii]

Hi there, teething can most certainly bother them enough that they don't want to feed, and I would guess that yes the pain relief did work quite quickly.
So how many feeds and how often, is he getting? I'm wondering if he's not that hungry?

[rayasunshine]

Hi Charlibob,

I think it's a combination of both pain and not hungry enough to take the 5oz an hour and a half after I've bf him. Tonight he did not want the bottle at all at bt but he took 5oz at the df.  I know he bf well at 530pm and I also gave him meds at about 6pm so that they would kick in for his bt feed but he wasn't interested.

My issue with feeds is that the sleep consultant wants me to feed him before his naps which doesn't always lend to a great feeding schedule because his naps can be all over the place. That said I try to feed him every 3hrs but I have a feeling that someone may suggest that I push to a 3.5/4hr EASY as he is 4mo...I feed him more often because of my fear he isn't getting enough.  It's hard to say if he's super efficient or whether I'm even making enough to fill him up.  The domperidone is definitely working though and I do hear him sucking.

Thanks for your response...I really hope teething goes away soon. I know I know asking for a miracle 

[Roseii]

((hugs)) Out of interest, is the reasoning behind feeding him before naps so he doesn't wake with hunger?
Tbh neither of my girls were on 4 hour easy at 4mo, it was closer to 3 hours. That said, if he is gaining weight well, plenty of wet nappies, there's no reason not to try and extend past the 3 hour point...

[Fiver]

DD never went past about 3h until after she was eating a decent amount of solids, FWIW.

[rayasunshine]

Hi Ladies,

Thanks for your replies and I guess I don't have to worry about pushing him to a 4hr EASY then...and yes feed before nap is so that he could potentially sleep longer and not wake due to hunger. That said when I take him into the room to feed before his nap he never feeds properly because he is tired and dosing off so then I feed/top him up after he wakes which doesn't really get him nursing well overall either and doesn't help my milk supply problem either.

So I am a bit confused as how to deal with this issue...generally speaking I feed him every 3/3.5hrs from the time he wakes and his usual 530pm feed and then 5oz bottle at about 645/7pm (which like I said up until a few days ago he would take with no problem) and then df at 1030/11pm.

Any suggestions? Or am I getting way too nutty about this?

[Fiver]

Is giving him a small feed before the nap working?  Is there a reason you feel feeding more frequently will have a detrimental affect on your milk supply?

A 3-3.5h EASY is completely acceptable, btw, so if you're both comfortable with that, I might be inclined to carry on for now.

[Erin M]

What if you fed about 45 minutes before the nap?  Would that work?

[rayasunshine]

Hi Everyone,

I just want him to take a proper feed and before nap is not working so I think maybe I can try 45mins before his nap (naps by the way is wonky too). But my supply is quite low by the end of the day and I spoke with the LC and she's suggesting I pump after ds's BT and DF bottle in order to incresse my milk but wouldn't I make more at night then? My last BF is at 530pm and then he doesn't feed til the next morning after 6am.  TBH I don't want to pump. I just don't have it in me this time around to do it.

I am going to go see the LC tomorrow and just make sure his latch is ok and also weigh him before and after a feed. The LC feels that 13hrs without nursing is causing my supply issue and being on domperidone alone isn't going to fix anything.

My issue with frequent feeds during the day is that he will become a snacker and I don't want that.

I also think the poor guy is possibly going through a growth spurt as he is 4mo which may explain 430am wakings for the past week. He generally cries off and on and then goes back to sleep. That said I don't know if he's hungry or in pain from teething...l don't know.

I also just had a cyst under my breast drained today so we'll see how nursing goes today...I'm sure the LC will not be impressed that I'm not pumping yet...

Anyways I feel like a chicken with my head cut off with BFing...it just won't settle down... Ahhhh!

[Fiver]

Do you feel that he's "emptying" the breast when he feeds?  The way that milk production works is that the more a breast is "emptied" the faster it "refills" (I hate those terms as breasts are never truly "empty", but they make a point) (http://kellymom.com/pregnancy/bf-prep/milkproduction/)

I think she's asking you to pump after the BT feed to signal to your body that it needs to make more milk at that time of the day (milk supply is lower in the evening anyway, but contains more fat).  And asking you to pump at DF time so that the time between you feeding is not so great.  That milk production article mentions "storage capacity", so perhaps she's wondering if you have a smaller capacity to "store" milk in your breasts and is thus encouraging you to pump so that your body is getting the message that more milk needs to come out.

I totally understand the frustration in finding the time to pump and the PITA that it can be.  Also if he's having a GS, especially the 4m one, it can make you feel like you have no milk at all (I remember it well!)

[rayasunshine]

So the LC says his latch is fine and I just need to have him on the breast as much as possible and pump as well. Pumping will have to wait until my incision heals and I'm thinking of increasing my domperidone from 6 pills a day to 8...

Fiver it's hard for me to say whether he's actually 'emptying' the breast but when I squeeze not much milk comes out but that is more towards the day. I fed and weighed him with the LC and he only got 2.2oz from me...better than 1oz which is what I had the last time.  Thanks for the links and what you say makes a lot of sense. I figured that after 4 months this issue would be a non-issue.

DS is also taking 3.5 of his 5oz formula at BT so I figure he is more full with breast milk by the time his 645pm feed comes around. Anyways just hoping my incision heals quickly and he doesn't struggle too much with his 4 month immunizations that he had today...wish us luck!

[Fiver]

*hugs* 4m is definitely a tough time due to the GS (and often sleep regression too) - it's such a big GS that it feels like you're not producing enough, but it does settle down again after that.  Just keep going