Slow weight gain
My baby is 8 weeks old and has been slow to gain weight. She is 100% breastfed every 1 - 3 hours through the day and 3- 4 hours at night. Good latch, sleeps well, is overall content and is hitting all of her milestones. After initially losing more than 10% of her body weight in her first week of life - she has put on, an average 100g per week since - but this week had a 50 g loss.. Which I am perplexed about as we didn't do anything different from the week before where she gained 165 grams .
There is LOADS of milk available. I have been to the Drs twice but they are not as concerned as the nurses are who weigh her. I was hoping for others to let me know if they've been in a similar situation and how their babes are now? Plus any suggestions of course: I am being sure to keep her upright for a minimum of 30 mins after each feed to keep the spews to a minimum.
Feeling like a bit of a failure and not knowing how to rectify it. My little one is so tiny and I can't help comparing her to others her age who are getting plump. I know all babies are different but im still nervous being a first-time mum.
11 Replies
My son was exactly the same. I ended up formula feeding in between. He gained weight quickly and this was the healthiest option for him. You could try formula at night. I was so relieved when a dr suggested I do that because I was pushed to breastfeed only with no formula, so I didn’t know I could do both. Being a first time mum then. Please think about it and no pressure on yourself.
Also never feel guilty or let anyone guilt you for doing what is right for your baby. If formula means gaining weight and being healthy then go for it, without guilt. We put so much pressure on ourselves to do what we think we have to do.
165g sounds so tiny. Surely a feed or a poo could cause that difference? Also the week before she put on a heap extra so doesnt it work out about right? Watching the numbers and the averages too closely can drive you insane. I wouldnt be worrying about her weight just yet and watch her feeds, contentment and wet nappies.
What’s her height like? Are height and weight tracking along the same percentile? Is she on the charts for both height and weight? Will she drink from a bottle? If yes, try expressing for a few days and give EBM from a bottle so you know exactly how much she is having at each feed. If she’s still not gaining weight ask to speak to a dietitian. You might need to supplement a feed or two each day with formula. There is a way to add extra calories to formula but I’m not sure if it can be added to EBM, so you would need to speak to a dietitian about what you can do.
Listen to your nurses over a GP, the nurses are specialised in this area and a Gp is just a general doctor for everything.
It may be that your quality of milk isn’t there, start trying to eat more fattening foods such as avocado, cheese, eggs etc. to see if that can improve it.
It’s okay to top up with formula after a breastfed if you need to, that should help add weight on too but it’s not everyone’s ideal answer xx
In my experience some of the nurses are not in fact more specialised.
In my experience I was told that my son wasn’t getting any “hind” milk because my latch was wrong.. as my son was experiencing bright green poos.. turns out he had a diary allergy and there was nothing wrong with his latch.. so taking dairy out of my diet was the only action required. Often nurses in this area are also very inconsistent in their knowledge and advice.
They also confused the weight gain expectations for formula fed babies and breast fed babies and went about shaming me about my child’s lack of weight gain!
Thank god I got into the paediatrician before I acted on their advice!
Same with me, they pushed me to breast feed only. He was losing so much weight , I was a mess until I went to a dr and he told me to top up with formula and asked why no one had suggested it to me.
My son was exactly the same. The paediatrician wasn’t concerned as when you looked at my son he did have a few little rolls in his legs and looked proportional. He only gained 80grams some weeks and by 9 weeks was sleeping 7-5. The nurses were alarmed and wanted me to feed him like he was a new born every 3 hours day and night. The paediatrician said absolutely don’t wake him through the night. He is settled and gaining and he is breastfed and they don’t gain as much as formula fed babies. My son also had reflux so he vomited copious amounts. He never slept more than ten mins through the day and I could never put him down. We started solids at 4 months and he really put on weight then.
Watch your baby, not the charts. The charts are not based 100% on breastfed babies. Breastfed baby gaining rates are all different.
If your baby is steadily gaining, having plenty of wet and dirty nappies and generally tracking along the same curve then she's probably fine.
The charts are not the only things you need to look at when assessing whether baby is growing at an appropriate rate. How big was baby at birth? How big are mum and dad? If one or both of you are both short and skinny then baby will probably be smaller than other babies.
Edited to add: however, make sure she is completely finishing one breast before switching sides. The milk is thinner, more watery and less fatty at the start and fatty and nourishing at the end. If you switch breasts before she's fully finished she may not be getting enough fatty hindmilk. If she falls asleep before finishing one breast, start her on that side when she wakes and then switch.
STOP!
She is 8 weeks old DO NOT INTRODUCE ANY SOLID FOODS OR SUBSTITUTES
Listen to your doctor !!
If your eating healthy, and producing milk, that’s all baby needs.
If you are concerned, try forumula, however - what your producing is enough.
DO NOT COMPARE BABIES. One baby is always going to have to be the smallest, one will always be the biggest.
Love, cuddle and feed your baby / your baby will do the rest.
I would try and up your milk supply. I breast fed all 3 of mine and with my youngest she lost weight too after hospital so I was expressing and topping her up. I also took some vitamins (possibly fenugreek) from the Healy food ship and that helped immensely. I thought I had good supply but once I did this she started to gain weight and keep it on even when she was diagnosed with silent reflux and put on Zantac. Good luck