Home Forums Breastfeeding Breastfeeding Don't think baby is getting enough

I am worried that DD isn't getting enough. She is almost always fussy (BM took an antidepressent that causes withdrawal in infants) but I am worried that she is fussy b/c she is hungry. her stools aren't runny breastfed poo, they are pasty and sometimes they almost can roll off the diaper. Her soft spot isn't sunken and her lips are moist but I am afraid she isn't getting enough. On the occasion that I use the supplementer or DH gives her a bottle she will be more settled.
Any advice for a worry wart????? Thanks

Is she getting any formula at all? That would make her poo look like that. How old is she now? and how long can you expect the withdrawal?

no, shes not getting any formula. Even in the hosp she only got breast milk. As of today now she hasn't had a poo for 3 days. I know up to 7-10 days for breastfeeding is normal but not for her. She will be 3 weeks this Friday. I added alfalfa to my herbal intake and that seems to help a little bit. Usually in the morning and at night she is not satisfied with nursing. I have also started to pump for 10 mins after nursing and I am starting to feel more "let downs" sometimes a couple times a nursing session.
This definately isn't as easy as nursing my own bio-son but I am determined to make it work, even if I have to supplement at the breast. I have about 100 ounces still in the freezer to use so that is good. Thanks for your help!!!!

Melissa I actually think you are doing fine. Just keep at it. You are right it isn't as easy as nursing a bio baby but it is well worth the extra effort. I took alfalfa too. Are you getting enough liquids yourself, particularly water? DO you live in a dry or desert climate?

Melissa - It was so much harder to nurse my adopted daughter than my bio son. I was very determined, but there were many days I thought about giving up. I worried that she wasn't getting enough every day. What ended up helping me was getting a baby scale (I borrowed one from a friend). That way I could see how much she was taking by weighing her before and after each feed. She never took much, but in retrospect I think she was taking what she needed, she just had a small appetite. kellymom.com says bf babies take on average 25 oz in a day after they are a month or so old. My daughter worked her way up to about that amount, but never took more than that. If you are getting something while pumping after you nurse her, I would say she is probably getting what she needs. What you pump is extra. I built up a huge stash pumping after several feeds a day. Good luck to you and I hope it gets easier soon.
Jennifer

Lalle: I am trying to increase my water intake...ugh. I wish water didn't taste like water... it needs to taste better. I should get some crystal light or something.

Jen: I am glad you told me you felt like giving up too. I really am committed and she is really addicted to nursing. She is sometimes satisfied with just nursing and other times she nurses, lets go, nurses, lets go like it is empty. I worry that I am starving her, although she has a lot of heavy wet diapers. We are using cloth so it is all pee. I just have to be OK in the back of my mind that if she is still hungry it is OK to use supplementer. Then I think that using the supplementer is making her have flow preference. I try not to use it unless she is absolutely mad at the breast. I let her suck on the breast when ever she wants, even if it is for 2 minutes just to go to sleep. DH is in trouble. I go to work tomorrow~~~ and he doesn't have the boobies to put her to sleep. When I see that she loves to be so close to me and that I can soothe her so well, it then changes my perspective that I am not just "feeding her", that I am bonding with her, that she loves my smell, feel, taste and sight!!!!
Thanks for all the encouragement ladies. I will probably be back for more!

Melissa - I don't drink water. I don't like the taste of it (crazy I know). I drink juice. It is composed of mostly water. I have done fine. I just drink my 8+ glasses daily of juice.
Jennifer

Jen, it's not crazy, that why I don't drink it much. I do drink it at night though which is odd, always have kept a water bottle next to bed and will drink the whole thing in a night. I have been trying to increase my fluid intake.

sprinkling a little flavor pack in water is probably better than just drinking juice. Juice is full of sugar, even natural and it can cause weight gain. Maybe do half your liquid intake as water and half as other non caffeinated liquids.