Breastfeeding help needed for a friend. Please advise. :)

[Jennefer@SSA]

I have a sweet friend for whom I am writing this thread. Her daughter has gone from 75% to 40 percentile at the last few dr. visits. She is nine months old and has never had formula, only breastmilk and now table foods. Actually she refuses formula - all types, brands and so on. My friend is committed to increasing her supply as well as the quality of her milk to be able to continue nursing. How can she do this, especially with an older child who is on table foods and getting less and less interested in nursing?

 

I should add that as a family they are going dairy free in an attempt to help with digestion/gut issues a few of them have had for some time now. The pedi suggested putting the baby on whole milk to increase her caloric intake but my friend doesn't want to do that. Especially if they end up going dairy free permanently. She doesn't want to get her attached to something that she'll just have to switch her from.

 

Thanks in advance. I was the equivalent of a milk truck ;) when I nursed mine so I really want to be able to encourage her in this. I have no experience but I knew there would be some really knowledgeable ladies here who would have tons of wisdom on the topic.

[melissel]

The pedi suggested putting the baby on whole milk to increase her caloric intake but my friend doesn't want to do that.

 

I don't have time for too many thoughts, but this right here tells me she needs to think about finding another ped. That's completely ridiculous advice from anyone, and from a doctor it's nearly criminal. Your friend is right to avoid it. Gah!

 

There's a recent thread about this--I can't find it now but will come back later if no one else has dug it up by then.

[believe in miracles]

I used Fenugreek when increasing my supply. A common myth is for people to pump to increase milk supply... it actually decreases the milk supply. It's far better to have the baby suck on the breast than to pump it.

Does she nurse through the night? If she doesn't, maybe she could start? The more you nurse, the more milk comes in!

 

It's too bad that she wants to go dairy free. Some of those cheesy, thick yogurts are so good for helping them grow.

 

It does sound like she should see a different pediatrician. Some toddlers are just smaller than others. My niece was always being whisked off to specialists for her size... there was nothing wrong with her.

[Heather in OK]

My third dd did the same thing at that age and same circumstances (nursing and starting solids). She was dxd with failure to thrive. My dr recommended weaning and adding in high fat foods. So I did. Oh if only I had known then what I know now. :crying:

 

Ditto the suggestion to nurse more. But if the little one just isn't interested there's not much you can do to force it. I'd tell her to offer the breast as much as possible!!

 

Avacado is a great source of healthy fat!!

 

Has she tried getting with a LC or IBCLC in her area? Perhaps she could offer some one-on-one advice and have a ped recommendation for her.

[believe in miracles]

That's right, Heather, I forgot about avocado. I just remember my sister buying lots of those minigo yogurts to fatten up baby:) If she can't do dairy, avocado. If baby will eat it! I couldn't get my babies to eat it unless it was in a shake.

 

Babies get so distracted when nursing at that age. Maybe she can find a quiet dark room and nurse every few hours.

[Jennefer@SSA]

As a mom, what can she do to improve the quality of her milk supply...more fatty and better quality. :)

[SnowWhite]

Oatmeal is great to increase supply, as are fluids in general. I would work on limiting the child's access to bulky foods with lots of fiber. Nurse, nurse, nurse. If there is no peanut allergy in the family, nut butters are a great source of healthy fats and protein.

[CherylG]

We have a million allergies-so formula/milk was never an option for us.

My third was a little piggy and when my milk didn't seem to satisfy, a friend suggested that I start eating like a cow. It sounds funny as I type it but I was desperate so I ate huge salads at dinner and lunch and probably had spinach at breakfast. It worked, or my mental changed, I relaxed and made more milk...either way: he ended up nursing the longest of all 4 children. :)

[mominbc]

I have always struggled with low milk supply and instead of formula the doctor (who specialized in breastfeeding difficulties) actually put my baby on early solids, so formula is NOT necessary. My fourth son had health problems and the dietition always tells us to add olive oil to all his foods to increase the fat in his diet. This was also told to a friend who's son had failure to thrive. I think letting him nurse and just adding the healthy fats is enough. Also, at this age when they are more active it is quite common for them to go down on the growth chart. Just as long as it eventually stops. :)

[Tiramisu]

I had my first two kids in Japan. I remember getting advice from midwifes to avoid fatty foods to increase milk supply. They thought fat clogged up the works. I was also told eating root vegetables helps.

[Chris in VA]

Is the baby getting enough hind milk? I wouldn't pump but encourage long suckling at one breast, then offering the other.

The little one I watch every week is small for her age (going down in percentiles, I think). Her ped wants her to not snack as much. I think the idea is to increase her stomach's capacity.

That's for an older, no-longer nursing child, tho.

[Jennefer@SSA]

Thanks everyone. I will send her a link to this thread. :)

[hillfarm]

Keep in mind that some babies just decide to wean themselves regardless of how good or how much milk is produced and offered. My dd decided at the age of 9 mos that she was done. There was a whole world out there to be seen and she refused to miss a minute of it facing such (ahem) boring scenery. I tried everything I could think of to no avail. Finally, when she was at the 90th percentile for height but only the 15th for weight, I put her on whole organic goat's milk and she did great. I was also feeding her homemade organic baby food at the time. We mixed avocado with carrot and she loved that.

 

BTW, she is still doing fine, no food allergies, no weight problem, no major eating issues. However, at 11yo, I am beginning to wonder if early weaning could account for some of these attitude problems that have cropped up. Are premature weaning and premature teenagehood related:D? (I'm grasping at straws here!!!)

[IsabelC]

Her daughter has gone from 75% to 40 percentile at the last few dr. visits.

Firstly, has she checked that the paediatrician is using the latest growth charts? The old charts that were used until recently were based on artificially fed babies, so were not really relevant to breastfed babies, this is why it was common for those babies to fluctuate a lot from the "normal growth" lines.

Secondly, different children naturally have different patterns of growth and have "spurts" at different times. If the little one is well and otherwise developing as expected, there might not even be a problem. Remember, weight gain alone is never a useful indicator of a baby's health and development.

 

She is nine months old and has never had formula, only breastmilk and now table foods.

What a great achievement!

 

My friend is committed to increasing her supply

The easiest way to increase her milk supply is to feed her baby more often, and for longer, and especially in the evening when prolactin stimulation is more effective. Ideally, baby would have free access to suckle for as long as she fancies at any time. But given that older babies can be very distractable (and moms don't have time to spend half the day feeding!), encouraging evening feeds is an easy way to remedy this as well as having a nice relaxing time with baby at the end of the day.

 

as well as the quality of her milk

"Quality of milk" is not generally a very useful concept. Apart from rare exceptions, there is no such thing as bad, poor or low quality breastmilk that doesn't do babies good. Research has shown that even women who are malnourished themselves produce excellent milk for their babies. Of course it is great if she can maintain a healthy balanced diet, but this is more for her health. And of course, avoid any likely allergens, as she is doing with dairy. (I'm assuming she's not a heroin addict or similar.)

How can she do this, especially with an older child who is on table foods

At nine months of age, it's quite normal for the baby to be getting interested in family food. Some mothers like to offer the breast before meals so that the baby isn't too full for her milk, while others prefer to keep breastfeeding totally separate from meals. It's up to her, but as long as she offers breastmilk frequently, the baby should be able to get enough as well as developing her appetite for food.

 

and getting less and less interested in nursing?

Is the baby refusing to breastfeed? Or just not "asking" very often? If she is not asking, it's just a matter of offering every time mom notices baby hasn't breastfed for a couple of hours. Again, offering during the evening can be helpful, as can taking baby to a quiet corner where there are fewer distractions. If she is refusing breastfeeds altogether, it would help to track down the cause (there are heaps of reasons this can happen) and go from there. Also bear in mind that it's normal for babies to have ups and downs in their demand for milk: they don't all have a steady decrease from the introduction of family food through to total weaning.

 

The pedi suggested putting the baby on whole milk to increase her caloric intake but my friend doesn't want to do that.

Tell her to RUN! Seriously, I would not trust a medical professional who recommends unmodified cows milk for any child under 12 months of age, let alone one with a family history of gut problems and/or dairy intolerance.

 

Especially if they end up going dairy free permanently. She doesn't want to get her attached to something that she'll just have to switch her from.

That makes sense.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Hotdrink

[Ellie]

To increase breast milk supply: nurse more, give fewer solids/other liquids. It's simple supply and demand. The more the baby eats solids and drinks liquids the less he will nurse, and the less milk Mom will make. It's supposed to be that way.

[Chrystal]

I second the addition of fenugreek and fluids. My lactation consultant said to take fenugreek until my sweat started to smell like it. Mammary glands are just a modified sweat gland and it helped.

Also the fluids are super important.

And take the baby and spend a weekend in bed. Nurse the baby all day if she will. Rest and eat and drink lots of fluid and nurse often. At the end of the weekend her supply will increase.

And I agree no cow's milk for this child with a family history of problems.

Avocado is a good idea. My kids always loved it.