Breastfeeding advice

First off please don't tell me to go to LLL because there is not one around here that I can go to. I do not have money to go see a LC so that is not an option. Also I can't take my kid to the doctor because I don't have the insurance cards yet and it was effective on the 1st and their prior insurance ended November 1st.


Now then  I have posted a few different times and it still really bothers me. MY baby is going to be 5 months on the 18th. The past few weeks I have just gotten frustrated with nursing my baby. It started out hard to begin with from birth and he lost too much weight which got me discouraged from the start. We supplemented a little with formula. Things started getting better and then there were the growth spurts. Ok I can deal with those. But now more often than not I am just frustrated and tired of nursing because he hardly seems content and has maybe 3 wet diapers a day and a poppy one every week and a half but it is green more often than not. . When I give him a bottle of formula it is a huge wet diaper which doesn't happen when I don't give any bottles. I nursed my oldest until 14 months and even then off and on once the baby was born, it was my only option for him but I had no issues with him and nursing. I am trying, pumping does nothing and by hand I get out an ounce at best. I was on the mini-pill and came to the conclusion last week that may be the problem so I stopped and day 4 of being off the pill he had a brown/yellow poppy diaper and about 4 of them during the day. Today is day 7 but he is still fussy after nursing on both sides (and going back and forth several times). So I don't think the pill was causing the problems like I thought though I am hesitant to start back on it. I can't get an accurate weight on him though at his two month appointment he was 16lbs and when I weighed him yesterday with me he was around 20lbs. I have no clue when I am getting the insurance cards and once I do I need to make an appointment to get caught up since he is nearly a month behind now.

Sorry this is so long, I just don't know what else I can do. I am feeding on demand and letting him nurse as he pleases with switching back and forth but my breasts never feel full anymore and even if I give a bottle instead of nursing my breasts don't change at all anymore (always would have that with my oldest if I went even half an hour beyond his feeding time). So I just don't know. I don't want to give up but I want my baby to be healthy and me be happy and less frustrated:/

mother milk tea.. it helps your milk come in more. . mother milk works charms..

on the other half you want to breastfeed then just suck it up and go.

Quoting Love = Moco and Bubba:" First off please don't tell me to go to LLL because there is not one around here that I can go to. I ... [snip!] ... time). So I just don't know. I don't want to give up but I want my baby to be healthy and me be happy and less frustrated:/"

20 lbs. at 5 months is gigantic. But if he is only having 3 wet diapers per day, he is dehydrated.

Calling a lactation consultant is free. I would call them and ask their advice. Ours has a line you can call during regular business hours and they will answer your questions.

*hugs* I played the back and forth game for 9 months. I was constantly worried about my supply and I could never pump. BTW pumping an oz is actually really good. Have you tried fenugreek, blessed thistle,mothers milk tea, lactation cookies, dark beer or brewers yeast? All of these are supposed to help with supply as well as steel cut oatmeals. There are also pills you can take although they can be expensive and you have to order them online. 20lbs at 5 months is really good and healthy so it sounds like he is growing just fine from your information. He could be getting ready for another growth spurt or teething or just uncomfortable. If you are finding it to hard (emotionally or physically) to keep up with EBF you could supplement 1 feeding a day. I usually did the bedtime feeding. It was bottle then boob. Yes eventually she stopped taking boob at night but it took 9 months. I used donor milk while I could and switched to formula when my donor stopped pumping. As for the insurance call your doctor and let them know the situation they may be willing to wait and still see you. Call your hospital see if they know of a LC that might not charge or maybe they offer a class or group for free. PM me if you ever need to talk.

Quoting Chim Richalds:" 20 lbs. at 5 months is gigantic. But if he is only having 3 wet diapers per day, he is dehydrated. ... [snip!] ... call them and ask their advice. Ours has a line you can call during regular business hours and they will answer your questions."

He was 9lbs at birth, both my boys were(are?) big but so is their daddy. No GD or anything for me when I was pregnant so I just have naturally big babies 

He doesn't act dehydrated though. Once he is content with nursing he is happy but he is fussy at the breast until he gets satisfied which can go up to an hour. Like just now I was nursing him about half an hour on each side. He was falling asleep and I put him down, he screamed and wanted more.

I didn't see a number for the closest group to me when I was looking for one by me so I will have to check again. The LC by me I have to make an appointment for them to talk to me and we just don't have the money.

Quoting Love = Moco and Bubba:" He was 9lbs at birth, both my boys were(are?) big but so is their daddy. No GD or anything for me when ... [snip!] ... will have to check again. The LC by me I have to make an appointment for them to talk to me and we just don't have the money. "

see my eldest was 10lbs 9.1oz we had this problem.. and i ended up just giving him the bottle and he liked it batter. but they say when the baby is bigger it is normal for them to drop weight.. mine went from that to 9lbs 8oz.

Quoting Jennybananna:" *hugs* I played the back and forth game for 9 months. I was constantly worried about my supply and I ... [snip!] ... see if they know of a LC that might not charge or maybe they offer a class or group for free. PM me if you ever need to talk."

I have tried fenugreek and that didn't help. With my oldest I was able to pump 4oz+ in a session but this time I can barely get an ounce by hand and that was before all the frustration started so I am not entirely sure about now.

As for the doctor, its is $150 to go with no insurance and there is no way he would wait for me to get the insurance cards so it isn't an option until then.

This is what I did and worked for us but....

I only fed from one side each feeding, that way he got the fore milk which is more hydrating and then after let down he got all the fatty goodness of the hind milk, the more the hind milk the less green his poops will be.

Switching boobs too early into a feed will not give him enough hind milk and will cause the green poop.

Like I said, this was a problem I came across, so it may not be helpful to you.

Quoting Tea Bag McGee:" see my eldest was 10lbs 9.1oz we had this problem.. and i ended up just giving him the bottle and he ... [snip!] ... liked it batter. but they say when the baby is bigger it is normal for them to drop weight.. mine went from that to 9lbs 8oz. "

Your avi makes me laugh 

He dropped like 15% of his weight within the 3 days of him being born and the LC we saw then was concerned over it. His appointment a week later he was 1oz up from birth weight and that was with 2oz of formula a day.

He is ok with bottle or boob and doesn't have preference to either but is so much more satisfied with a bottle.

Quoting J&E:" This is what I did and worked for us but.... I only fed from one side each feeding, that way he got ... [snip!] ... hind milk and will cause the green poop. Like I said, this was a problem I came across, so it may not be helpful to you. "

I try to just do one side and that doesn't go well with him at all   I know the green poop is from too much fore milk but I don't understand why when he nurses 30min plus on each breast:/

Edit:
With all this I just feel like I am setting myself up for failure too. Ugh:/ Think having nursed my oldest for 14 months would have caused problems? I doubt I am pregnant since I tested when this first started and it was negative.

Quoting Love = Moco and Bubba:" Your avi makes me laugh  He dropped like 15% of his weight within the 3 days of him being born and ... [snip!] ... a day. He is ok with bottle or boob and doesn't have preference to either but is so much more satisfied with a bottle. "

me and my mom where just talking about this.. bottles tend to be more heavy then breast milk. both of my babies where very unhappy with just breast milk i did give a bottle to both. it seems they are and where more happy with the bottle then the boob. and trust me i tried and tried and felt bad with my eldest about giving the bottle to him. my youngest i didnt. if he seems more happy with it just give him more of the bottle.. if you are ok with that. they do say babies dont poop as much when BF.

Quoting Tea Bag McGee:" me and my mom where just talking about this.. bottles tend to be more heavy then breast milk. both ... [snip!] ... more happy with it just give him more of the bottle.. if you are ok with that. they do say babies dont poop as much when BF. "

I would rather not but I need to do what is best for him and me. I don't need to drive myself up a wall trying to feed him and figure out my supply and take care of my 22 month old. I am hoping I get the cards in the mail here soon so I can make his appointment and figure out what I need to do. For now I am going to keep trying though and maybe try oatmeal since that is really cheap to get.

DH keeps saying to just go to bottles though but I feel like I will be shorting him all the good that my oldest got since he didn't get sick till he weaned and hasn't gotten sick since.


Thank you everyone for your help and advice and I am hoping something changes with our situation soon so I can take him to his doctor or find an LC to talk to for free 

Quoting Love = Moco and Bubba:" I would rather not but I need to do what is best for him and me. I don't need to drive myself up a wall ... [snip!] ... and I am hoping something changes with our situation soon so I can take him to his doctor or find an LC to talk to for free "

do rice before oatmeal. you should be able to call and get the number on the cards so you all can see a doctor if needed.

Quoting Tea Bag McGee:" do rice before oatmeal. you should be able to call and get the number on the cards so you all can see a doctor if needed. "

I meant oatmeal for me   I need to find the paper that said their insurance would be effective on the first and if I don't get the cards this week then I am going to call.

Last night after the baby went to bed my toddler decided he wanted to nurse(for the first time in a month and seeing as I wanted to nurse him till he turned 2 I don't really care) and when baby woke up this morning to nurse my boobs actually felt full so I think it may just be baby doesn't have a strong suck. I know he has a good latch though so that isn't it. So when baby nursed this morning he was on each side about 10 minutes and not fussing after wanting more. Maybe I just need my toddler to nurse more lol!

If anyone is still following.... Finally got insurance cards and made an appointment for tomorrow. So hopefully something will get figure out! Only gave one bottle yesterday afternoon and had about 5 heavy wet diapers yesterday along with two yellow/brown poopy diapers. Maybe all I needed was Moco to get things going again. Guess I will find out tomorrow!