Motilium?

[Charlotte91]

I don't think all kids drop feeds at that age. I know DD didn't. She barely ate any solids until she was 1.
There's no way I'd be introducing cows milk at Isla's age, but that's just me.
Call ABA. There has to be a way to get your supply back up.

[HotI]

Maybe you do have to look at supplementing her feeds then. If she doesn't take enough in solids, and you can't produce enough, she might need EBM or ABM. My daughter was still having 12 feeds a day at 12 months when i feel pregnant, and i found it so hard when all the increase supply tricks just didn't work. I began giving her cows milk but kept breastfeeding as much as possible and she kept feeding through the pregnancy. SHe also upped her solids after a couple of months. I went through the guilt thing too, i didn't want to wean her prematurely.

Every woman is different, but my milk decreased during 1st tri, then plateaued for a few months, another dip, plateau.... I was able to increase it slightly couple of times. It wasn't a continual drop in supply.

[RhiChiChi]

Hi PZ,

I was just on Pinky McKay's website & she has an ebook titled ‘Making, more mummy milk, naturally’ and she is promoting her new lactation cookie range 'Bookie Bikkies' (you just pay postage and get a 'free' sample). I don't know if it will help you or not, just a thought whilst you try to find a more permanent solution.

[PumpkinZulu]

Thanks Rhi I've tried her cookies and even spoken to her in person about both DD's sleep issues and feeding issues, and was told 'oh, well hopefully she'll grow out of that. At least you're young enough to keep up with her'. So not a huge fan of Pinky anymore.

I guess I just have to accept that the pregnancy is taking priority in my body.

[meow]

The diet we follow has a baby diet aimed for formula fed babies to get off formula. So we're talking about babies under one being totally on solids. Which you woudln't even need to do as you are still BFing even if it's just less supply. If you'd like I could copy some of the foods for you so you could introduce them to Isla. They are nutrient dense foods. I know bone broth with raw egg yolks is an early food which I was feeding my little one by Isla's age and it's super good at packing weight on.

[nothing2lose]

I think that sometimes there aren't solutions to things, and to keep searching for them and searching for them causes even more stress and adds to the perceived problem iykwim.

There are things that we wish would go a certain way (especially when it comes to our body) and it is extremely upsetting when it doesn't. It's right to look for an answer to rectify the situation, but sometimes it gets to a point where we just have to accept it just "is" and deal with it emotionally and practically as best we can.

I am thinking of myself in this too (as in fertility) but it could be applied to your situation.

I know you would love to have breastfed for a longer time. And, who knows, you may be able to do that....But, if it gets to the point where you can no longer nourish Isla predominantly through breast milk, that's okay. It's not your "fault". It won't damage your relationship with her. Things change. Things happen beyond your control. You can't beat yourself up over it.

Pinky is right in that Isla will grow out of this phase. I promise you. In the meantime, please try not to add more pressure to yourself by feeling bad about things you can't control.

Take care x

[Taurean]

Hi PZ. What a tough situation

I'm not really going to give advice but just some thoughts as such....

Firstly, I was on Motillum for low supply with DD1 and like others have said, my dosage was a lot higher (2 tablets 3 times a day!) and I was on it for about 4 months before I started weaning. I wasn't pregnant though so the dosage may need up be lower but weaning after such a short amount of time seems pointless to me And yes, it helped with my supply for sure.

My DD1 self weaned at 11.5 months. She just refused the breast for a few days in a row and that was it. Babies can certainly self wean at that age but I understand Isla is not doing that. Just saying that babies certainly do it, there was no stopping my DD, she just decided she no longer wanted boobies by pushing them away and climbing down off my lap!

Babies can move to cows milk a little earlier and can thrive on it too. I don't have studies to reference, just one amazing (and a little sad) example that happened to my close friend's DS in March. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in March this year. The tumour was really big and aggressive so a mastectomy was scheduled ASAP. She got the diagnosis on the Monday and her breast was removed on the Wednesday - damn quick. Her 11 month old was the biggest boobie monster, still having several feeds a day including 2-3 overnight. Despite having cancer and losing her breast, her DS's breastfeeding was one of her biggest concerns. It concerned all of us that are close to her actually. Well the poor little guy was given no choice, he had to wean cold turkey and he'd never had a bottle in his life. The first two nights were a bit tough on him but he survived and quickly adjusted and loved cows milk. And even better, he started sleeping through - for the first time ever. A totally unexpected bonus. He hasn't looked back. It was super tough on my friend and her little man to have to break their beautiful bond so quickly and unexpectedly but they had no choice and it all worked out ok. The extra sleep at night couldn't have come at a better time either.

On solids, have you tried Isla on purée or mashed foods as well? Baby led solids isn't for all babies. Some babies prefer the texture of puréed or mashed food. It could be worth trying her on softer foods to see if she takes to it better. Just a thought.

So, as I said, no real advice, just some things to think about. Good luck and congrats on the pregnancy

[Barb Glare]

Hi, Pumpkin,

It sounds like you have a whole lot going on. Tell me (I seem to remember something from previous posts - but I might be wrong, my memory isn't great these days) Does your little one have allergies or food intolerance? Is anyone in the family coeliac? Has your little one been sick lately? This might be one of the factors underlying her reluctance to eat. I don't think she will be forced to wean at all. I don't think she needs bottles at all either. Have a look at her diet. With children that are reluctant to eat you want to make sure that what they "are' having is calorie dense - not low cal. If she has no sensitivity to cows milk, dairy foods are really helpful - cheese, yoghurt or milk in a cup (not a bottle!) are good high calorie snacks or might be added to cooking. The natural sensitivities women feel in early pregnancy might be playing a role in your perceptions. Morning sickness and feeding aversion impact on your ability to cope. You sound really disappointed about the prospect of breastfeeding ending sooner than you hoped. That's a normal feeling, but I don't think it will necessarily happen.

[RhiChiChi]

Thanks Rhi I've tried her cookies and even spoken to her in person about both DD's sleep issues and feeding issues, and was told 'oh, well hopefully she'll grow out of that. At least you're young enough to keep up with her'. So not a huge fan of Pinky anymore.

I guess I just have to accept that the pregnancy is taking priority in my body.

I'm sorry hun, I think I do remember reading the issue you had with her. I wish I had a solution for you. I can't imagine how difficult this is for you. ((hugs))

[Arcadia]

PZ I second the idea of feeding isla more mushy foods if it will help full her up. What about porridge, cereal avocado etc. by 11 months ds was feeding himself using a spoon.

I also think you shouldn't worry about your supply. Keep feeding dd. she's getting something and may feed well after your new bub is born. Feeding while pg is tough but there are also advantages.

Just keep ticking along and deal with the main issue at hand which is filling up your little ones tummy. Cows milk, yogurt, puréed etc are great. What about those organic squeeze things from the supermarket.

As n2l said I think it's time to let go of expectations and try to just relax into a new normal.

[PumpkinZulu]

Thanks. It's really hard to relax into this new normal and I'm struggling a lot. With this whole pregnancy honestly.

I do a mix of BLS and mushy/spoon foods. She just spits most of it out. She loves playing, and tasting, but not so much eating. I'm definitely not going to stop boob feeding her. I really appreciate everyone's advice here

[Sagres]

I think you are right when you say your body is giving the pregnancy the priority, it knows what it needs to do now and I think it will be hard (or impossible?) to get it to do otherwise.
Not sure if you are offering her solids or BF first, but perhaps if it is BF first you could try the other way around? By the sounds of it she will still be draining you every feed anyway so from a demand perspective it would still work the same?
It is hard, my first was a non-eater when I needed her to be eating for several reasons and it was VERY frustrating.

[Liz]

You sound really disappointed about the prospect of breastfeeding ending sooner than you hoped. That's a normal feeling, but I don't think it will necessarily happen.

I agree with this. It won't necessarily happen, it's just that the bf is changing. DS was 12 mths when I was pregnant, and I knew my milk had diminished and we were on to colostrum. I introduced a cup of cows milk at night. His feeding pattern hardly changed at all because he was feeding to sleep, and didn't care if he got anything or not. It definitely wasn't about the milk when feeding through my pregnancy. But it became about the milk again once bub arrived Supplementing the milk side of it doesn't equal weaning at this age as there's so much more to the relationship now.

[meow]

Just read this and wanted to post it for you re: egg yolks:

Eggs from truly pastured hens allowed to roam and eat bugs are one of the most nourishing and easy to digest foods on earth. Raw egg yolk has actually been compared with human breast milk in that it’s almost 100% absorbed into the body apart from digestion. They are loaded with amazing nutrition from, amino acids, loads of vitamins especially B vitamins, essential fatty acids, zinc, magnesium and more. They are pretty much a perfect food. If you are able to get really good quality eggs, this would be a great way to ensure that you are getting a good spectrum of essential nutrients for overall health.