Hello Everyone!

Would you say that this is true below?

"...the problem I face is a plateau in breastmilk production. As I
understand it, when one has an infant that's not-too-demanding early on
then at some point (often about3 months) it shows up in decreased wt.
gain as babe needs more but the system hasn't been "primed" to produce"

Two moms I've been helping have experienced this problem around 3-4 months.
Both have taken steps to improve milk supply, rest, herbs, pumping, etc..
One has improved to her satisfaction, the other quoted the above and still
needs to supplement 2-3 oz per day, usually with pumped milk, but every
couple days with formula.  What do you say after you don't have anymore
suggestions and they have tried everything?

How would you answer these questions she asks?:

"My question, then, is:  IF I'm not able to produce more but my ever
growing (albeit slowly) child is requiring more and more, how do I meet
the need in the best way possible? If I could (and i surely thought
this'd be the case!) I'd solely breastfeed until babe plucked food and
stuffed it in her mouth. I can tell she's VERY interested in our food...I
just want to know what's second best? It can't be good for her to be
underfed while she's trying to grow brain...?..."

"Also, the most-likely allergenic foods are:  dairy, grains (rice is least
likely), fruit & meats...not much left, eh?! So this is what I want to
know. Do I keep her breasting even if it's not enough until who knows
what age? Or do I carefully supplement (and with what) to ensure adequate
nutrition for healthy development. And, finally, what are the guidelines
for making such choices? How slow of a wt. gain is ok? At what point does
the negative of non-breastmilk supplements get outweighed (s'cuse the
pun) by the benefits of adequate calories, nutrition?"

Baby is 4 months and 12# even.

So many thought-provoking questions, I thought I'd draw from the wisdom of
the best!

Janette, RN, BSN, LLLL, AAPL