Hi, BF moms!
Before you read, here are my questions:
1. How can I get ds to nurse better during the day?
2. How can I get my milk supply back up?
Here is my situtation:
DS is 6.5 mos. He has been either a really fast nurser (and squirmy) nurser since 3 mos. At 3 mos, I was worried about the short nursing session so I talked to the dr, nurses, lct consultants, and we decided I just had an abundant milk supply and/ or he was very efficient. (Also, he has reflux.) Still, ever since he reached that age when he started noticing the world around him, it's like he tries to finish nursing quicker so he can look at other things -- the light and the window are his favorites. ARGH! I even started nursing with the lights off, but it doesn't help. He was gaining weight fine, though, so I figured he was okay (though he has never slept through the night without eating).
Four about a month now, however, I have noticed that he is very hungry in the evenings. He was suddenly fighting us at bedtime, and he hadn't really ever done that before so we knew something was up. He is on a four-hour routine (7, 11, 3, and bedtime plus DF sometimes and one or two night wakings, depending on if we do a df). He has solids (up to 4 Tbs each meal or as low as 1 Tbs). After the 3pm nurse, there is a meal of solids at 4:30, and then he's tired and wanting bedtime by 6:00. Well, since I nurse at 3:00 and also after the 4:30 solids, I don't have much milk for the 6:00 bedtime snack, and I started wondering if that was the cause of our new bedtime battles. So one night I decided to use a bottle to see how much he would take. He took 4-5 oz. at 6:00, woke at 7:00 and took 4 more, woke at 9:00 and took 6 more! Fifteen oz in a three-hour span! He refused his 11:00 df that night and slept until 4:00 and nursed again for a full feed. So I have switched to a bottle for the 6pm feed to tank him up, and he still wakes up an hour later for more. He still wakes an hour later for more.
He doesn't nurse very long at his day feeds -- 7 minutes at the most, and sometimes just two sucks' worth after solids, which is probably okay since he might be full. It seems like maybe he's going all day on just a little and then is really hungry by evening and during the night. He nurses really well in the middle of the night -- longer and harder than in the day, it seems. I'd like to take away his night feeds so he nurses better during the day, but he absolutely will not sleep if he's hungry. He is capable of putting himself to sleep -- so it's not habit. I switch sides during the day, more for the purpose of keeping his attention than for any other reason, so I don't know if he's getting hindmilk or not.
I also feel like my supply is decreasing because of his daytime short feeds. I can hardly pump two ounces from both sides together, when I used to be able to fill a 6oz bottle or more.
My questions again:
1. How can I get him to nurse better during the day?
2. How can I get my milk supply back up?
I've been trying to pump a few ounces at different times during the day so I have a bottle to give him after each nurse (to "top him off" and get him used to more milk), but I just don't have time most days because he's also not a good napper, and I'm trying to fix that so I spend all my "Y" time in his room attempting sleep extension and intervention methods. I absolutely do not plan to switch to formula, but I know that's the advice I'd get from people around me. I thought about calling the LC to check on those supplementer things you wear around your neck.
Does anyone have any suggestions?