I am posting this query with permission from the mom, in hopes of getting 
some other opinions. Baby is 5 mos. old. Mom returned to work when baby 
was appx 8 weeks old. She works 12-8 PM two days, 2-8PM middle day, then 
10 AM - 4 PM on Saturday. In the beginning she was pumping adequate 
amounts and baby was "fine". She wasn't enthusiastic about the bottle but 
things were progressing nicely. Mom contacted me when she had been back to 
work for about 2 weeks because her pump output drastically diminished. 
After some troubleshooting we determined that her pump motor had failed. 
Things rebounded sometwhat, but now she is upset because her baby has 
begun to want to nurse almost constantly all night and has fallen off her 
previous weight gain pattern to the extent that baby's pediatrician has 
begun recommending this mom use galactagogues to increase supply. Mom 
reported that baby absolutely refused breast when she was on fenugreek. 
She has now begun reglan (three days ago). I brought up the following 
points for her to consider: 1. could baby be ready for solids? I know this 
violates the 6 month "standard", but does the baby know that? 2. I told 
her that she can take all the herbs/drugs in the world, but if she doesn't 
empty the breast more often her body will not sustain increased 
production. She agreed to look again at replacing her pump equipment and 
upping frequency of pumpings. (It has been a tough sell getting her to 
consider the inadequacy of her current pump. long story...) 3. She has not 
gotten her period back yet. 4. the baby is not overly fussy or frantic. 
Just wants to nurse a lot. Mom does notice milk leaks and sprays when baby 
is nursing. 5. baby is very distractible lately, lots of pop on, pop off 
behavior. Thrush has been ruled out.  If it weren't for her pediatrician's 
concerns about the weight gain I'd lean in the direction of telling her 
that her baby may just be reacting to her absence and wanting more 
nighttime attention. There is also a lot of incresed tension in the house, 
as her 5 year old step-son has moved in with them full-time. I explained 
that even though they are very happy to have him there, stress of any 
kind, even good stress, can affect babies and milk supply. Is there 
anything I can offer her in the way of advice/reassurance? She seems very 
willing to try everything I suggest except getting a new pump and having 
baby in bed with her. Baby is in the same room however. Time & travel 
constraints do not permit caregiver to bring the baby to work for nursing 
during working hours on a consistent basis. Baby does not get pacifier and 
will refuse formula bottles when offered. Baby has been getting "a little 
cereal" once in a while, but mom did not see that this made a difference 
in her behavior or pattern so she discontinued. Sorry to go on so long, I 
am just wondering if this is a serious problem, since the pediatrician 
is "very concerned" about this baby's faltering gains. Thank you for your 
consideration. I am hoping you all may see what I am missing.

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html