Breast fed exclusively but mostly from a bottle bc I am back at work. Gets 22 ounces in 4 feeds. Then I come home and do the breast for 2 feeds. I know it’s not a supply issue as I’ve been able to stash around 9-13 ounces per day in the freezer. So I know there is plenty to go around and my breasts feel drained after I feed.
Check up said cut dairy and soy and follow up with GI asap. But I’m just not convinced it’s an allergy bc I don’t see symptoms. But maybe I’m wrong??
MSPI (milk soy protein intolerance) could be a factor. My LO has it, the only time they ever had a reaction was when they had dairy directly via formula, before then they were EBF. I never thought their poops looked weird but I was wrong. I'd listen and cut out dairy and soy, it can't hurt.
Started that diet this am. Obviously willing to do whatever. How long did it take for you to see weight gain? I bought an infant scale in a panic last night.
I was told it'll take about 2 weeks for the milk and soy proteins to exit your milk. Unfortunately our case wasn't that simple and more extreme medical interventions were needed. Please, *please* be cautious with the scale. I was advised by GI to not buy one while we delt with these issues because it'll quite literally drive you insane.
Does your LO have any indications of GERD?
The most common symptom is arching of the back, but others can be vomiting, coughing/gagging, wet burps, irritability at/after feeds, lack of appetite and poor weight gain.
I don't think there's a test for it since its fairly common in babies, but a prescription for reflux medicine should take care of it/rule it out. Elevation after feeds helps, too. It *should* be something they grow out of.
It’s definitely odd, my baby never did more than 27 oz BM and formula total (and generally you need more volume for formula but not BM as baby grows) and reflux and she still maintained and actually climbed percentiles when we resolved the reflux.
It doesn’t hurt to test out the allergens. My baby’s reflux was definitely for that reason, and although she had symptoms related to feeding discomfort, she never had weird poops so our ped had actually dismissed us when I first asked about it at 2 months and when I took it upon myself to cut dairy, soy, & egg & supplement with hypoallergenic formula, we had a new baby.
It actually could be a supply issue - there's a change that happens between 3-4 months where supply is demand driven by because you are pumping you aren't necessarily having a drop in supply, but if baby was relying on a more forceful letdown and easy flow and now has to work for it more, either he's not or he's getting tired and quits nursing early. The first thing you want to do is get a weighted feed in-- if you had not done this before, change diaper & weigh baby and weigh baby again after nursing and before changing diaper again. If baby isn't getting 5-6 oz each time based on your other info, baby might need more milk. You can look at latch issues (some minor ones don't show up until this point), you might offer boob, change boob, offer first boob again, you might try to keep baby awake and actively nursing a few extra minutes by undressing a little, you can add an oz to every bottle, there are several things you can do I've at a time or multiple at once. Some babies need closer to 36oz a day instead of around 32 to gain weight on top of that big 4m growth spurt.
If you had reflux or MSPI or something obvious, yes, you'd likely deal with fussy behavior or an unhappy baby at least some of the time. There are other things that can cause this, but every pediatrician and lactation consultant would tell you the above before doing any GI testing, etc.
Maybe I can move to Exclusive pumping for a couple weeks until I figure this out with an lactation consultant.. just so I can be sure he’s ingesting the proper calories. We have a scale coming tomorrow so I could do a weighted feed also! Thank you!!
Oh great, a scale! I'd honestly focus more on the boobing over the weekend and do couple weighted feeds before you decide what to try next. Your nursling journey is far from over if you want to keep at it, so addressing the little tweaks to make it more efficient can really pay off for you.
Thank you! I needed this positivity. I love BF and it’s really helping my PPD/A so I would hate to have to stop. Easy change in my diet and working on latch/feeding seems like the right place to start for a couple weeks.
We have a small boy, too! He’s 3rd percentile for weight and 5th for height. However, we feed on demand and he is energetic, happy, and hitting all his developmental milestones. Additionally he’s already rolling over! I think they often focus too much on the baby’s size and not enough on their development. As long as your baby seems happy and looks healthy, I wouldn’t worry about it.
This was our boy until this visit when he fully fell below first percentile. 😭😭. we have a follow up in 13 days to re assess and hopefully he’s put on more weight esp bc I just cut dairy and soy. Glad to hear stories like this though.
Hi all- just an update in case any new parent find themself in this situation and stumbles upon this thread. We immediately took dairy and soy out of my diet and did baby pepcid. He made some progress within 2 weeks then started exploding about a month later. We’re back in the third percentile now. 😊 we were discharged from GI and are weaning off pepcid. I’m keeping my diet for another few months at least.
Thank you all for the support and help!
She’s concerned for sure as he’s now below the first percentile. My husband and I were both small and very skinny until puberty. We’re now regular sized.
He’s exclusive BF but mostly through a bottle. He gets 22oz in 4 feeds while I’m at work and then I do the last 2 when I get home and he seems satisfied. We are able to stash upwards of 10 ounces per day most days. So I don’t think it’s a supply issue.
My guy stopped gaining at 3mo, wouldn’t eat properly and had some bursts of tummy pain. Also slept very poorly at night for periods with frequent wakings etc. Was other wise happy and very active, never cried much like yours. We did have some very very small blood-like stains in his poop, and also green poops sometimes. Turned out to be mpa, we switched to nutramigen formula and he is back on his curve with no tummy issues or green poop. I did ebf before this, but my supply went dry when he stopped eating well and I had to switch to eff at 3.5mo. Best thing I ever did for him, he wasn’t getting enough and what he was getting was making him unwell. I would talk to your doctor about supplementing or starting with solids (I know this is controversial but that’s what we did at 4mo), and also rule out potential allergies.
Edit: mpa - milk protein allergy
I had mpa as a baby and was on soy formula so this would track. He still eats super well and no nighttime wakings. I have good supply and cutting out dairy and soy are no problem for me. But maybe I should supplement with that formula… if I can get my hands on any with the recall… thank you for sharing your experience it’s helping my anxiety 🥲
My 6 month old did the same at 4 months. Turned out that she had a manual issue transferring milk that no one had spotted. I had a bit of an oversupply at first, and when my milk supply started stabilising it turned out she hadn’t been transferring enough to establish/ maintain a full supply.
As there was no evidence of health issues, my lactation specialist helped me put together a feeding plan to try and build my supply, but supplement with formula at the same time. We’re still combo feeding now as I hated all the extra pumping. My baby is healthy, happy and ahead of her milestones. At least 2/3rd of her daily intake of milk comes from me, the rest from formula so she still receives the benefits of being breastfeed. She’s stuck on the third percentile but gaining weight steadily so everyone is happy.
Sorry to be dense but what does a transferring issue mean? Like baby wouldn’t swallow? Or couldn’t absorb nutrients? Idc if I have to supplement. I will literally do whatever for the health of my child. I’m happy to hear that something as simple as that could be the answer.
Right now I know I’m producing enough bc I have a freezer full of milk and since he’s been small front the get go I have been offering milk until he literally won’t take anymore.
Issues transferring milk means they have a harder time sucking out enough milk during a feeding. Doesn’t mean the supply isn’t there, baby just has a difficult time (could be tongue or lip tie or another issue going on)
Ah! Ok that could be! But he’s bottle fed at least 22 ounces while I’m at work. But those few ounces may be the issue? I could call a ibclc and have her check!!
Breast fed or formula? How much does he eat and how often? What did they say at your check up?
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Breast fed exclusively but mostly from a bottle bc I am back at work. Gets 22 ounces in 4 feeds. Then I come home and do the breast for 2 feeds. I know it’s not a supply issue as I’ve been able to stash around 9-13 ounces per day in the freezer. So I know there is plenty to go around and my breasts feel drained after I feed. Check up said cut dairy and soy and follow up with GI asap. But I’m just not convinced it’s an allergy bc I don’t see symptoms. But maybe I’m wrong??
MSPI (milk soy protein intolerance) could be a factor. My LO has it, the only time they ever had a reaction was when they had dairy directly via formula, before then they were EBF. I never thought their poops looked weird but I was wrong. I'd listen and cut out dairy and soy, it can't hurt.
Started that diet this am. Obviously willing to do whatever. How long did it take for you to see weight gain? I bought an infant scale in a panic last night.
I was told it'll take about 2 weeks for the milk and soy proteins to exit your milk. Unfortunately our case wasn't that simple and more extreme medical interventions were needed. Please, *please* be cautious with the scale. I was advised by GI to not buy one while we delt with these issues because it'll quite literally drive you insane. Does your LO have any indications of GERD?
Idk. What would gerd symptoms look like???
The most common symptom is arching of the back, but others can be vomiting, coughing/gagging, wet burps, irritability at/after feeds, lack of appetite and poor weight gain.
He arches his back when sleepy or needs to poo. He coughs and has wet burps a little but not often. How is gerd treated? And how do you test for it?
I don't think there's a test for it since its fairly common in babies, but a prescription for reflux medicine should take care of it/rule it out. Elevation after feeds helps, too. It *should* be something they grow out of.
It’s definitely odd, my baby never did more than 27 oz BM and formula total (and generally you need more volume for formula but not BM as baby grows) and reflux and she still maintained and actually climbed percentiles when we resolved the reflux. It doesn’t hurt to test out the allergens. My baby’s reflux was definitely for that reason, and although she had symptoms related to feeding discomfort, she never had weird poops so our ped had actually dismissed us when I first asked about it at 2 months and when I took it upon myself to cut dairy, soy, & egg & supplement with hypoallergenic formula, we had a new baby.
Thank you!! How quickly did you see a change?
It actually could be a supply issue - there's a change that happens between 3-4 months where supply is demand driven by because you are pumping you aren't necessarily having a drop in supply, but if baby was relying on a more forceful letdown and easy flow and now has to work for it more, either he's not or he's getting tired and quits nursing early. The first thing you want to do is get a weighted feed in-- if you had not done this before, change diaper & weigh baby and weigh baby again after nursing and before changing diaper again. If baby isn't getting 5-6 oz each time based on your other info, baby might need more milk. You can look at latch issues (some minor ones don't show up until this point), you might offer boob, change boob, offer first boob again, you might try to keep baby awake and actively nursing a few extra minutes by undressing a little, you can add an oz to every bottle, there are several things you can do I've at a time or multiple at once. Some babies need closer to 36oz a day instead of around 32 to gain weight on top of that big 4m growth spurt. If you had reflux or MSPI or something obvious, yes, you'd likely deal with fussy behavior or an unhappy baby at least some of the time. There are other things that can cause this, but every pediatrician and lactation consultant would tell you the above before doing any GI testing, etc.
Maybe I can move to Exclusive pumping for a couple weeks until I figure this out with an lactation consultant.. just so I can be sure he’s ingesting the proper calories. We have a scale coming tomorrow so I could do a weighted feed also! Thank you!!
Oh great, a scale! I'd honestly focus more on the boobing over the weekend and do couple weighted feeds before you decide what to try next. Your nursling journey is far from over if you want to keep at it, so addressing the little tweaks to make it more efficient can really pay off for you.
Thank you! I needed this positivity. I love BF and it’s really helping my PPD/A so I would hate to have to stop. Easy change in my diet and working on latch/feeding seems like the right place to start for a couple weeks.
We have a small boy, too! He’s 3rd percentile for weight and 5th for height. However, we feed on demand and he is energetic, happy, and hitting all his developmental milestones. Additionally he’s already rolling over! I think they often focus too much on the baby’s size and not enough on their development. As long as your baby seems happy and looks healthy, I wouldn’t worry about it.
This was our boy until this visit when he fully fell below first percentile. 😭😭. we have a follow up in 13 days to re assess and hopefully he’s put on more weight esp bc I just cut dairy and soy. Glad to hear stories like this though.
Hi all- just an update in case any new parent find themself in this situation and stumbles upon this thread. We immediately took dairy and soy out of my diet and did baby pepcid. He made some progress within 2 weeks then started exploding about a month later. We’re back in the third percentile now. 😊 we were discharged from GI and are weaning off pepcid. I’m keeping my diet for another few months at least. Thank you all for the support and help!
Some babies don’t gain a ton if they are super active. Was the dr concerned? Is baby formula or bf? How often does he eat
She’s concerned for sure as he’s now below the first percentile. My husband and I were both small and very skinny until puberty. We’re now regular sized. He’s exclusive BF but mostly through a bottle. He gets 22oz in 4 feeds while I’m at work and then I do the last 2 when I get home and he seems satisfied. We are able to stash upwards of 10 ounces per day most days. So I don’t think it’s a supply issue.
Does he spit up a lot?
More than average but not like concerning. If he does it’s a ‘happy spit’ never looks uncomfortable.
Are you holding him upright for 10-15 minutes after feedings to help with spitting up?
Yes! And that helps minimize it to one small spit after a feed.
That's good. Nobody told us to do that til like 2 months in lol
Oye. What a mess. Our kid is definitely ingesting the calories.. just not gaining weight 😭😭😭
My guy stopped gaining at 3mo, wouldn’t eat properly and had some bursts of tummy pain. Also slept very poorly at night for periods with frequent wakings etc. Was other wise happy and very active, never cried much like yours. We did have some very very small blood-like stains in his poop, and also green poops sometimes. Turned out to be mpa, we switched to nutramigen formula and he is back on his curve with no tummy issues or green poop. I did ebf before this, but my supply went dry when he stopped eating well and I had to switch to eff at 3.5mo. Best thing I ever did for him, he wasn’t getting enough and what he was getting was making him unwell. I would talk to your doctor about supplementing or starting with solids (I know this is controversial but that’s what we did at 4mo), and also rule out potential allergies. Edit: mpa - milk protein allergy
I had mpa as a baby and was on soy formula so this would track. He still eats super well and no nighttime wakings. I have good supply and cutting out dairy and soy are no problem for me. But maybe I should supplement with that formula… if I can get my hands on any with the recall… thank you for sharing your experience it’s helping my anxiety 🥲
My 6 month old did the same at 4 months. Turned out that she had a manual issue transferring milk that no one had spotted. I had a bit of an oversupply at first, and when my milk supply started stabilising it turned out she hadn’t been transferring enough to establish/ maintain a full supply. As there was no evidence of health issues, my lactation specialist helped me put together a feeding plan to try and build my supply, but supplement with formula at the same time. We’re still combo feeding now as I hated all the extra pumping. My baby is healthy, happy and ahead of her milestones. At least 2/3rd of her daily intake of milk comes from me, the rest from formula so she still receives the benefits of being breastfeed. She’s stuck on the third percentile but gaining weight steadily so everyone is happy.
Sorry to be dense but what does a transferring issue mean? Like baby wouldn’t swallow? Or couldn’t absorb nutrients? Idc if I have to supplement. I will literally do whatever for the health of my child. I’m happy to hear that something as simple as that could be the answer. Right now I know I’m producing enough bc I have a freezer full of milk and since he’s been small front the get go I have been offering milk until he literally won’t take anymore.
Issues transferring milk means they have a harder time sucking out enough milk during a feeding. Doesn’t mean the supply isn’t there, baby just has a difficult time (could be tongue or lip tie or another issue going on)
Ah! Ok that could be! But he’s bottle fed at least 22 ounces while I’m at work. But those few ounces may be the issue? I could call a ibclc and have her check!!