>I talked to a mom today, a pediatrician actually, who reported that
>her milk supply never increased beyond the 3 month mark to match
>with her babies' increased needs. She nursed both sons (not twins)
>with no problems until 3 months old, both babies gained well, then,
>bam!, right at the 3 month growth spurt, the babies starting losing
>lots of weight until supplemented with formula. She followed their
>cues, even pumped on top of breastfeeding but to no avail. She was
>in touch with LLL at the time and is quite educated herself so I'm
>assuming she covered all her bases. What could cause this inability
>of her body to produce enough milk beginning right at the 3 month
>mark? I'd love
>to help her avoid this problem next time...
Over the years I have heard versions of this story many times.
I'd want to know here what the mother means by 'losing lots of
weight'...really??? That's a sign of illness in most babies.
Actually *losing*, actually *lots*??? I'd want to see chapter and
verse on this : )
What was the babies' behaviour like? Some babies show illness just by
sleeping more (and not feeding). I know this mum is a paediatrician,
but in my experience this does not always mean much. I have met
doctors who know nothing of normal behaviour and growth beyond the
age at which their specialism stops. Many paeds don't see
breastfeeding babies - I met one who never saw bf babies, because
here, paeds only ever see babies when they are sick!
Many babies do plateau or slow down in their growth at any time, but
especially round three months...if the babies' weights had been fine
or even very great before, you would expect this to happen.
There's a study in R&A which shows that bf babies don't increase
their need for breastmilk as they grow - in fact, babies at 5 months
in the study were taking less than half the amount of milk per kilo
of bodyweight than they were at birth....as babies of that age are
more or less twice the weight they were at birth, that means the
volume of milk taken is about the same.
Also, was this mother judging her supply by the amount she could pump
at any one time? - that can be misleading.
Also....cue feeding may not be enough in some babies who are ill or
lethargic. They need more than this - extra feeds at night, skin to
skin contact to make sure every opportunity to feed is taken.
So, in short, I am very sceptical that this mother's supply let her
down in the way she believes.
Of course, I am a bit biased : )
Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK
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