BF and supplimenting with a bottle of EBM at bedtime

[lyndsy_p]

Hi, my LO is 7.5 months old and she is BF and gets 7oz bottles of EBM when I'm at work. I have noticed that my output when pumping at 7pm (sometimes I work until 9pm) is 5-6 oz, and my 3pm pumping session is 7-9 oz.

Well lately when I'm home for the 7pm feed, Grae will be very impatient of my letdown. I have even given her a bottle of EBM to see how much she takes, because she cries when the letdown doesn't come as fast and furious as at other times of the day. It has been as much as 3oz! She doesn't stay on the breast that long either. So naturally I figure my supply is dwindling at the 7pm feed, but because I pump so much at 3pm, is she getting all she needs between the 2 feeds, averaging out to 7oz?

If you can make heads or tails of that, what I am asking is if there is anyway I can shift the quantity of the large feed (3pm) to the small feed (7pm) to make sure she is satisfied without supplimenting with EBM. We no longer do a DF, and she sleeps through.

Lyndsy

[MJMom]

Lyndsy- i'm definitely finding that the late feed my supply is dwindling.  It seemed like Marina was just getting lazy/tired by the end of the day to eat.  Do you feed her before or after a bath?  I used to always wait until after the bath, then she became miss crankypants for some of the similar reasons you're stating.  i started feeding her before her bath.  She seems to get so relaxed after the bath that she just doesn't want to be bothered with having to try to eat.  So, I fed before the bath, and then topped her up right before bed.  that seemed to increase production too because she was actually eating.  Now, I take a look at her naps and how alert she seems before her bath.  If her naps weren't ideal, then I'll do the double feed.  If she seems awake and alert (normally the cue is her bouncing up and down and giggling!) then I just do it after the bath.
Not sure if this is remotely applicable, but know that you'll just pick out what is applicable to you. 

[Samuel's mum]

It might not be that your suppy is dwindling but that your letdown is naturally slower at that time of day (which is common and often confused for less supply). And that is going to make her feel frustrated at the time of day when she is likely to be more tired. Plus as she has bottles during the day and is used to a faster flow she is even more likely to be frustrated by a slower flow (assuming you are using normal bottles and now a variflow feeder or haberman feeder which mimics breast speed).

I would try a couple of things - perhaps breast compressions while you are doing that last feed (see the bf FAQS). Then you can try and jiggle your supply a little by pumping after she's gone to bed to send those precious 'make more' signals - even if virtually nothing comes out initially. Make sure you drink plenty when you get home and later in the day. When you aren't home for the 7pm feed I would try and continue pumping as long as you have time for even on a dry breast.

[lyndsy_p]

Thank You both for your replies.

Alissa...I just started feeding before her bath again this week (6ish) when I'm home, and when I go to top her up that's when she's fussy. Actually she's always wanted to do this, we stopped about 3 weeks ago when she started taking those 7oz bottles (weaning the DF). She wouldn't take much at 6pm, and I was to quick to consolidate those feeds. Obviously she could use more milk now. That's why I assumed that my supply was low, because she already drank about 5oz, so she is not motivated to suck to achieve letdown?

Emma....yes I use a fast flow nipple, but I shouldn't change that should I? I do normally have a lightning speed letdown, (thanks for the info on the time of day thing, didn't know that) so she is used to it. I think I will continue to try to cluster when I'm home in the evenings.  When I am at work I have noticed that my output stops at the 4 min mark, where as at the 11am and 3pm sessions it lasts as much as 8 mins. I will pump for the extra 4 mins on a dry breast. Seems freaky though. Will my output increase in about a week? Will I still pump up to 9oz at the other times of the day?

Thanks again
Lyndsy

[Samuel's mum]

The nipple decision is going to be partly governed by your own letdown but it may be a factor. Older babies sometimes start to get frustrated at the breast when they might not have minded before.
But don't forget the breast compressions (including when you pump BTW).

It's all about supply and demand so pumping more in the evening really shouldn't change what happens at other times (as long as you keep up fluids intake). I would say you'd see a change within a week. Usually a new pumping regime can get results within 3-5 days.

[lyndsy_p]

Just an update on this....

Since I last posted I haven't had a day off of work, so we struggled a bit to find our way. I've realized now that the best plan for us is to do one big feed at 7/730 depending on her bedtime. I was trying the cluster feed thing, but because my letdown is soooooo slow, the 2nd part of the cluster failed miserably. She wasn't hungry enough to suck for as long as it took to get a letdown. A few nights she missed that 2nd part all together and her last feed was 6/630....so we had some EW because of it. Last night I fed her just before bed and she took a nice looooonggg feed which I am hoping was the result of pumping a dry breast when I was at work late (that still sounds freaky).

Thanks again all...

Emma Congrats on the baby girl, she looks just perfect!

Lyndsy

[Samuel's mum]

Thanks

Hope the plan works out.