My little budgie exactly 5 weeks old and he has gained a mere pound from his discharge birth weight. While he has never lost, he is gaining extremely slowly.

I have been nursing around the clock (sometimes letting him nurse for hours at a time, which thankfully, is not too uncomfortable most of the time), taking fenugreek, eating oatmeal, and staying hydrated. The only thing I haven't done is pump after every BF'ing session, because honestly, when the average interval between nursing sessions is about an hour and a half (after he's been latched for an hour), I never feel like I have the time or the reserve. (I never feel full after the morning, if I feel full then at all.)

I've weighed E before and after a morning session (when I feel the most full) and he only transfers 1.5 ounces after 40 minutes.

I don't know if it is because of his initial disorganized suck reflex (which is better; however, I feel that he is still inefficient at the breast), his jaundice, the fact that DH had to be gone for two weeks after E was born, or the stress of moving 4300 miles away (at one point, I was nursing on the floor in our closet, because movers were in and out of our house for a week getting everything loaded on the truck). But I have never been able to pump more than an ounce per session. So many strikes against us.

I've already let him nurse around the clock on demand for the last 5 weeks and he is not gaining enough weight. As much as everyone says "stay away from bottles" we are giving him bottles, because his health comes first. The plan has been to give him pumped milk and top it off with formula, which we alternate with nursing. I hate pumping and would so much rather be able to breastfeed.

All of this is really breaking my heart that I cannot provide such a basic thing for E. I do have an SNS system, but it has proven awkward and messy to use. The reality is that he will require bottles anyway as soon as I go back to work in September. My last ditch is going to be Reglan.

Has anyone been able to rebound their supply after the first month? I really love the bonding of breastfeeding and it hurts that I cannot produce enough to provide him what he needs. I've thought long and hard about it and I just can't give it up to go FF only.