Addison is 6weeks old and LESS than her birth weight..

[Pandora]

She only poos 1 time a week and that isn't a huge one either. [/quote]
that can be normal is shes not haveing formula

Wet nappies.. they aren't flooding ones like my other babies has given.. but I'd only change maybe 5-6 a day

if they are sposies thats great, DS rarley had more than 5

6-7 feeds a day.. but they aren't huge ones. USually only 1 big one. She comes off about 20 times during the feed. So I know she's only getting the skim milk, not much of the full cream (hehehe.. what i call fore and hind milk).

How do you know they arent big feeds, are you just going on time alone? Some bubs can drain the breast in 3-5 minutes when they want to.

How is your baby sleeping? Is she settled and sleeping between feeds?

On the caffeine, Im not sure but it is a diuretic, and water is good for milk supply, so if the caffeine is enough to be flushing most of your other fluid intake out, then maybe? Barb or a LC or b/f counsellor might know.

[MantaRay]

RayRay, babies at 6 weeks of age or less should be pooing at least twice a day. Fewer poos than that at 6 weeks or under is a sign that they are not getting enough - especially when the baby isn't back at the birth weight yet.

[Pandora]

well milo didnt, and he was putting on 200g a week? not sure then now im confused

[alioops]

Hun I would be more inclined to go on an iron supplement (like spatone) for tiredness than to increase caffine intake. Milk and caffine also reduce your ability to absorb iron so they are not the best choices when you are tired.

It is not easy but you will get there hun.

[Trillian]

It's really hard when you have a DH that works away from home Another thing is to make sure you eat as well as you can - try to limit highly processed foods and make sure you get your 2 and 5 of fruit and vege each day. I know how hard it can be to cook when your DH isn't home and you have 4 little ones, so make the most of him being home on weekends and cook up a heap of meals to freeze for you and the kids to have during the week and maybe invest in a slow cooker - one of the best things ever invented for time-starved tired mums, so come meal time all you have to do is either reheat a frozen meal or just serve a slow cooked meal. It makes a huge difference to how you feel at the end of the day if you don't have to cook each night.

Even just cutting up and preparing snacks for the older ones early in the day can really help too - especially if you're really putting the effort into BF - that way they can help themselves to snacks while you BF bub.

[mumofmany]

thanks tillian

i'm pretty nifty with the cooking, and have a good stock pile of frozen pre-made meals most of the time.. tho i admit, i tend to snack on the wrong snacks.. i should eat more fruit. .
agrh..

i make sure my kids eat all the correct RDI's each day... plus that is my job too.. i'm a cook for a centre, so i have to make shre everyone else kids get their RDI's!

but i agree.. i need limit the processed snacks and will made a HUGE effort to do so..

I'm jumping up now to grab an apple.. i'm really hungry as i type!

[Visitor8]

sounds like your on the right track.
I would try taking some fenugreek. It works wonders. You get it in capsule form at the health food shop, take 3 tablets 3 times a day for a week, it will up your supply.
I would express. Remember though that pumps don't work like a baby. I have a medella twin pump and when I started pumping OMG I was lucky to get 25mls but I know there was much more than that.
Also drink lots of water. 3ltrs a day if you can
Sup feed her once a day and see how she goes.
You don't have to give up BF, maybe just comp for a while until your supply is better and she is gaining weight.
BF babies should be pooping at least 2 times a day at that age, Ash was almost every nappy change! Aim for the poop!
I know what it's like to have 3 under 5. I had 3, 4 and a baby and it was tough. Try and sleep if you can during the day. Sometimes a movie in bed with mummy while you have a little nap can make all the difference.

Good luck hun.

[Janie]

It's really important to make sure that she is always offered the breast before a comp feed. Otherwise your supply will suffer, and it will be very difficult to get rid of the comps. If you need to comp three feeds, that's fine, but make sure she has a BF first, and then offer the bottle. So 9 or so BFs, and 3 comp feeds, if that makes sense? I would be more inclined to do 2 or 3 smaller comps, rather than one big one. So you're giving the same amount each day, but in more frequent, smaller feeds.

When using bottles, make sure you use a very slow teat, and try to pace the feed out, to mimic a breastfeed. She doesn't need to guzzle it, you can take more control over the bottle feeds to make sure that doesn't happen. She is still young enough to struggle with nipple confusion, so it's really important to take measures to lessen that.

If you are giving top ups it's a good idea to express, and give the EBM to your DD, instead of formula, if possible. Don't be worried about the amount you express though.

While there may be some variances, it's important to note that young breastfed babies should be pooing at least once a day. Yes, as they get older their poos can become more infrequent, but early on it is a very big indicator of how much milk they're getting.

[mumofmany]

when she was born, she didn't do a meconium poo until day 2 almost 3. then the next poo was day 8.

so it was over a week b4 she even transitioned pooed.

she'd very windy though, fluffs all the time, and o my lord.. they stink.. peel paint of the walls stench..

i'll keep plodding, so the BF first and offer he formula after that.

What is the best formula to beef up bubs?? I bought Karicare standard as they didn't have any gold on the shelves, but does the gold beef them up more?

[Janie]

Gold does not make any difference, except to your hip pocket . It also can cause constipation, and for my DS made his reflux heaps worse.

Good luck, it's very hard to getting your baby to gain weight when you're not 100% sure why they haven't been. I think you have a good plan, giving extra feeds will really help her to 'wake up' and start demanding more. Just make sure the breast is readily available when she does want it!

If you don't see some improvement this week I'd be employing the services of an LC to work out exactly what's going on.

[BhoysGirl]

Mumofmany - I haven't got anything much to offer, other than to say you are a true Supermum. 4 kids, including a nb, a hubbie that's away during the week and little ones who don't sleep through for you. And going back to work as well!! If I lived in Brisbane I'd happily volunteer to give you some babysitting time so you could catch some naps whilst your littlest one slept, but I'm not, so I can't, but the virtual babysitting is there I hope that little Addison starts to pile on the weight for you really quickly, so that you don't have to worry so much.
Big

[mumofmany]

Thanks guys! I did a weekend of BF and comp and I cerntainly can see a difference. She is more alert, has given me a poo a day and is generally a different bub.. poor wee bugger was starving.

She still BF and then having a full formula feed as well.. makes me think that I may not be producing much at all for her to scoff a 150ml straight after a BF.

I'll have a chat to my doc tomorrow and see what's the best plan of attack.

And MantaRay, I totally agree.. it is great to use forums to give you some ideas.. but ALWAYS best to check with your GP or Pead..

Addison is being weighed tomorrow, but i'm sure she's put weight on just by looking at her. I'll let u all know tomorrow!!

[Jellyfish]

Great to hear that things seem to be moving in the right direction for your little one! Good luck for the weigh in and I hope the doctor has some positive feedback on where to go from here!