Breastfeeding a 4 Month Old

I would suggest seeing a lactation consultant. I saw one when my son was first born because he lost weight and had problems latching on. She will weigh him before feeding, then after to see how much he is getting. I can suggest one in the Appleton area if you are interested.

You will never be able to pump as muc has your baby can nurse, even with the most expensive hospital grade pump. Your baby can easily nurse out 2oz or more than any pump. So please don't measure your supply on what you pump because its not a good indicator.

As for him unlatching and whining, he could just be fussing, he could be getting teeth and it hurts to suck sometimes, he is 4mos and thats the biggest growth spurt, so if he seems hungry all the time, he's just growing, so nurse on demand. Also, remember to only nurse one breast per feeding, you want him to get the hindmilk and if you switch breasts mid feed he won't get that fatty hindmilk, so he won't gain much and he wil lbe hungry more often. Let him nurse on one breast for each feeding, don't unlatch and sswitch breasts, just one breast and let him eat until he's done.

Also at 4mos post partum, you wont' feel full unless you go quite some tie between feedings. Like in the morning you will feel full, or after a long nap, or a day out away from baby. Otherwise your body has adjusted to his nursing nad only makes the milk he needs, and knows when he eats so you won't feel full. Doesn'tm ean your milk supply is down, just means its adjusted. Can you imagine being full like newborn stage boobs all the time? Ugh nobody would nurse then... holy uncomfortable batman!!

So remember, you won't be able to pump as much as your baby can nurse, so if you pump 3oz, you baby is easily nursing 5 or more. Also only nurse one breast per feeding so he can get that fatty hindmilk that helps him grow and is also great for his brain and body. And remember 4mos is the biggest growth spurt, so if he's hungry, nurse him. It will up your milk supply to match his needs, and he will be more content.

When you pump, feel for the full pockets of milk in your breasts and massage them until they are empty. I disagree with the poster that said you will never be able to pump as much as your baby nurses. I exclusively pumped for 11 months with my second baby and had enough extra to get 2 months ahead pumping twice a day after 4 months. I attempted it with my 3rd and, even only doing it 3x/day for 10 weeks, I got 2 months ahead.
If you pump until you're completely empty and then continue for a few extra minutes, you will get more. The supply will meet the demand if you're anything like me.

Your son is a lot more efficient at getting the milk than a pump would be. So he is most likely getting much more than the 2-3 oz you can pump. Is there a reason you need to pump? Are you going back to work or something like that?

What was your son's birthweight? Is he staying on track on the growth charts? The traditional growth charts are based on formula fed babies, so they might not be accurate for your son if you are exclusively breastfeeding him. Try these charts: http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/growthcharts....

As far as unlatching and whining, have you tried burping him when he does that? My daughter is a month old and she does the same thing after only a few minutes of nursing. I burp her and after a nice manly belch (LOL), she is usually ready to relatch and eat a few more minutes. At 4 months, your son might just be eating quickly and ready to be done when he unlatches. As long as he is gaining well and his soft spots are not sunken (indicating dehydration), you should be fine.

If you're still concerned, I'd check with a lactation consultant. They can help you with any issues you might be concerned about. Hope that helps!

its totally possible to produce as much milk as baby needs. some kids just don't eat as much as others, and the more you feed and pump, the more you should have. i also have a 4 month old and being back at work i was concerned about my milk supply. in the last 2 days i noticed i wasn't getting quite as much when i pumped at work...i also noticed i had run out of my prenatal vitamin (which they recc. you still take while you nurse) so i hadn't taken it. obviously theres a connection to your nutrition and supply. lots of water, balanced diet, and keep takin that prenatal! just because hes only 12 lbs isn't totally a bad thing! some babies are just smaller than others and it doesn't mean you have to start supplementing yet! good luck and hang in there!

I have a two month old that I am breastfeeding and I am supplementing about once or twice a day because she is still hungry. She unlatches a lot during some feedings and still seems hungry afterwards so I make her a small bottle which she usually downs pretty quickly. I give her the bottle after she has nursed on both sides 2-3 different times so I feel like I am trying to get her to get everything out that she can. I have pumped when I give her the bottle so hopefully my body will produce more.

I see that many have said to try the fenugreek but I am actually taking Blessed Thistle and that has worked a lot. I actually ran out and went a day without it and felt like I hardly produced anything. When I started taking it again, I woke up with a wet shirt! I buy it at Whole Foods.

I know some people don't like the idea of supplementing but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it especially if he is still hungry. You have to do what is right for you and your baby. If you try to increase your supply and it doesn't work, try giving him a bottle. If you try to increase and it works, GREAT and let him nurse. Good luck and hopefully he will gain some weight!

how much did your son weight when he was born?

instead about worrying about how much he weighs and how much he is eating, worry more about his general health. is he healthy? is he happy? does he have a healthy color in his skin and eyes? is he starting to be active? those are things that are MUCH more important than exactly eating a certain amount or his weight.

pumping is hard. i did it during my 19 months of breastfeeding and i always had trouble, although i KNOW that i had plenty of milk. when my son was around 13 months old i had such a strong let down my son was leaking it out his nose while feeding! it sounds uncomfortable, but he didnt care. LOL. he would giggle about it :P

anyway, one thing that i know worked for me to pump more was if i heard my son crying. so if there is a way for you to record your son crying on an mp3 player or cell phone or something, and listen to it while pumping, that might help you. especially if you record him crying or fussing when he is really hungry. it sounds mean, but it helps. also a picture of him while pumping.

when it comes to supply, demand determinds supply. so nurse often, even at night, and dont give him a bottle if you are present. once you pump, breastmilk can be at room temperature for up to 24 hrs, so you can have dad do one night bottle feeding to help you out a bit. chances are you will wake anyway, so it might just be easier for you to nurse. pumps will not stimulate breastmilk production as much as your baby nursing, so like i said, if you are present, you should never give a bottle. it may seem for a while like you are feeding on empty, but its important for your son to be 'nursing' during that time in order to stimulate an increase in supply! :D its a good thing. its going to seem for a while like all you do is sit and nurse nothing to him, but its worth it and required for more milk production. in no time, you will be back to a more 'normal' schedule. growth spurts are always like this - they want to, like be attached all day!

one thing you can do to help is get a moby wrap, they are extremely comfortable, and baby can nurse while being in one (though its sometimes easier said than done....)

so, 24 hrs room temp, i dont remember fridge time, but i think its up to 3 days. if you dont use the milk at room temp in 24 hrs, freeze it and then you have started a storage of milk for times when hes perhaps more hungry than normal or something like that. its always nice to have that stuff in storage.

another great use for milk in storage is putting it on major cuts and scrapes, it heals MUCH faster, and pretty much eliminates or reduces scarring from big scrapes. my son got a good scrape on the side of his head, and putting milk and a bandaid on it once or twice a day he healed up in 3 days with no scabbing. it was pretty nice.

what else what else..
www.askdrsears.com should have some GREAT info for you.
another place that is important to look is the la leche league. they can help you with SO MANY THINGS its unbelieveable. www.llli.org - contact a local or nearby group - the closest to me was an hour away... and go to their meetings. its usually only once a month. the wealth of information there is amazing. :D

good luck! :D any more specific questions you can sure send me a note! :D

I had this problem with my first baby. Sometimes a body just doesn't make enough milk supply. My doctor had suggested that after breast feeding make a formula bottle to see if he is still hungry. I gave up on the breast feeding because I wasn't making enough to help my son grow. I moved him to all formula and he started gaining weight right away. Good luck.

Hi N.,
I produced a huge amount of milk but there were times when my son would whine. That was usually due to a growth spurt and he would just nurse more often and my milk would accommodate. Once I got sick and noticed that I didn't have as much milk so I nursed more frequently, pumped each side an additional time per day, drank more water, and had oatmeal for breakfast everyday. It took about two weeks to get back to normal but it worked. I was worried that I would have to stop but it was fine. My son would get frustrated because he was used to it being easier. He had to work harder for it now and didn't like it, but it turned out fine. I breastfed for 1 year. Keep diligent and it will work out. You are doing the best thing for your baby by breastfeeding.
S.

N.,

I agree with the previous poster with trying fenugreek-you can get it at GNC stores. Also if you like tea there is Mothers Milk-I found that in the organic part of the grocery store. I've heard that these two products have worked enormously for some, and others it does not help. I was one of the ones that it didn't help significanly. I spoke with my doctor about the problems and she put me on Zofran-and this worked wonders for me when I was breastfeeding my daughter!! This is a medication that is normally used to help fight nausea and vomiting for chemo, but was shown that it also can be used to increase milk production!! and it did.

I hope this helps-I understand what you are going through. Been there and done that and made it through. My daughter is now a healthy 19 month old!!

Good luck!!

Are you felling the let down reflex? That may be why you're only getting 4 oz when you pump and why he's fussing and pulling off.

Try taking fenugreek to increase your milk supply or help boost it a bit. You can get it at GNC.

Also try and contact your hospital if it has a breastfeeding center or contact La Leche League they should have someone in your area that can help you out and meetings that you can go to as well for support.

Good luck and great job for breastfeeding for this long. Any amount of time is better then non at all and you should be commended for sticking with it and trying to solve any issues that crop up.

C.
p.s. My milk always gives out at about the 9-10 month age:( maybe this time will go longer.

I have a 4 month old, also!! He is 16 lbs, though ;))).. I am having a similar issue with one side. I am trying to get more of a supply so I pump after a feeding or start each feeding with that side.. It is working but is taking a while. But, the same is true and I believe it is normal to get ALOT less oz wise when you pump. I sometimes only get 1/2 oz on the right side.. they get more when they are eating..
I think the only way you can get more is to increase your supply, which is what you are doing.. Have you tried increasing your water intake? Have you tried herbal remedies like fenugreek? This is what my midwife recommended to me if my supply goes down while running.
I am not full at all during the day, it is normal! that just means our milk is regulated for the amount he needs. If Dylan unlatches and crys on the right side(never does it on the left) that means my milk is done and he wants more. Does he do that on both sides?? If not, just feed from both sides each feeding. This is what I have had to do. Good luck!
N.