Home Forums Induced Lactation aka Adoptive Breastfeeding Medical Interventions to Induce Lactation/Increase Milk Supply Baby not gaining weight

My adopted daughter is 10 months. I have been her primary source for breastmilk since she was 6 hours old. I have supplemented with my stored milk or donor milk. I've given her anywhere from an ounce to 6 ounces a day (10 ounces a day right before she started solids.) I always gave her supplemental milk based on her "request" for more milk. She stayed on her growth curve doing this.

6 or 8 weeks ago she stopped asking for extra milk. She eats solids like a truck driver and I was quite pleased to be making all her milk. Except after 2 weeks of this she didn't gain any weight. I called our pediatrician who is VERY pro-breastfeeding. Her first response was that I give her extra milk each day because we don't want the donor milk to go to waste. When I explained I have another mom/baby that will use what we don't use, she changed her mind. The baby is not asking for more milk (very often) and is eating solids well. She suggested I add butter and oils to her daily diet. I did this and she started gaining weight again.

I am ringing my hands over this. We eat a low fat diet, so it could just be that she wasn't getting enough calories/fat from her solids and we needed to change that. I worry she needs more milk and I'm not giving it to her even though I have plenty of donor milk to do so. I figure I'd have to give her at least 5 to 10 ounces a day to equal the calories she's getting from butter. But if I give her that much by cup (or even the lactaid,) I'm afraid it will mess up my milk supply. I've tried offering her milk via the lactaid and she fights it during the day. At bedtime she will take an ounce or two sometimes.

During this time I have tried to decrease my dom more than I already had. Even going from 120mg to 110mg, made a huge difference. She started taking about 3 ounces a day extra until I started the dom again. So, I know she'll take the extra milk if she needs it.

What would you do in this situation?

Thanks

I think this is such a hard question. My daughter was never a great eater. She never drank that much milk (about 25 oz a day at her max) but did not want any more than that. I had more available (could always pump extra) but that was all she wanted. She fell in her % from 10% at 4 mo to 7% at 6 mo to 3% at 9 mo to less than 3% at 1 year and that is where she has stayed. But when I looked at the curves for bf babies on kellymom.com, she followed a typical bf baby curve. It was very hard not to stress about it. That being said she was always gaining, just very slowly. I had a scale that I weighed her with before and after feeds, so I knew how much she was eating. I also couldn't "force" her to eat more when she wasn't hungry.

When we introduced solids (at 6 mo), she didn't accept them until she was 7.5 mo. Then she would go through periods where she accepted them happily and times she wouldn't. We also tried to add in calories where we could (butter, avocado, yogurt, etc.). Remember babies need fats for brain development. I think if your doctor is not concerned, then I wouldn't be either.

My daughter didn't eat well and at 12 mo we started seeing a feeding therapist. She has made tremendous improvements and now at 18 mo she no longer needs the therapist and is eating a pretty good variety of foods. She is still pretty tiny, but is growing well.

Good luck!
Jennifer