Baby not gaining much - 3 months old.

BlackBerry25

Helena & Elliot <3
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Argh, I don't know what to do, so I will just explain my situation.

So I have exclusively breastfed Elliot. He hasn't had a soother, a bottle, nothing. Just my boob. Anyways, he was gaining great. He was 8 pounds 5 ounces at birth and gained approx. an ounce and a half every day up until say 10 weeks. Anyways, so he stopped pooping (for 9 days) which I read was normal, and I talked to the nurse about it and she said its fine as long as he was gaining. So I took him in to get weighed, it was 3 weeks since his last weighing, and he HARDLY GAINED AT ALL. :( :( I thought he was gonna be a big fatty because he was eating CONSTANTLY or so I thought. Anyways, he only gained 10 ounces in 3 weeks. :cry: They said he should be gaining at least 4 ounces a week minimum.

I am just worried he's starving or something because he is pretty fussy in the afternoon. I tried pumping and I only got an ounce after what seemed like FOREVER. I took him to our family doctor, not his ped, and he has dropped percentiles. He also hadn't gained anything in the 3 days between the nurse weighing him and taking him to the doc.

He is pretty much sleeping through the night, and I did get my period today. :cry:

My doc said to just keep bfing for 6 more weeks and then check on his weight, but what if he is starving and loses weight?! I don't want that to happen :( I thought I could start combi feeding, but he refuses to even suck a bottle with my milk in it, so I don't see how I will get formula into him.

My boobs also seem way less full. WAY less. :( He seems to completely drain them until nothing comes out.

What would you do? :cry: I am like a train wreck with worry.
 
Is he wetting enough diapers? My dd is fussy in the evenings pretty often too, most babies are until 3-4 months. There is a growth spurt at 3 months so its normal for your breasts to feel empty and for him to feed often and be fussy
You prob got your period cuz of him sleeping through, Also periods can make your breasts feel more empty the days leading up to your period but it should go back to normal once you are actually start your period
 
If he's peeing lots he's probably getting enough, not pooping really is normal. Since he's sleeping so long at night maybe try waking him every 3-4hrs to eat so he's getting more feedings? Some babies do gain slower though, and them draining is normal too...every time Preston nurses it's like they are completely emptied too. We feed one side per feeding so that he gets plenty of the more fatty hindmilk.
 
On Dr. Sear's website it states a baby who is getting enough milk will wet 4-6 diapers each day.
Some babies truly do just gain little, but are getting enough. My 1st baby was one of them. She is still a twig. Her ped kept worrying me about it. Even now 5 yrs later he wants her weighed more often. Ya, she eats a ton! On the other hand my 2nd gained quite a bit and was chunky. My new baby is a little chunky too.
If all people had the same metabolism then this theory would make sense, that if baby gains too little then he is not getting enough. But, I eat more than a lot of my friends, but I weigh a lot less. I dont weigh ''enough'' for my height etc, but that's just me. Sorry to throw in the ''I'm so skinny'' in here lol, but I think its a good comparison. Now, if he didnt wet enough diapers and was constantly fussy(not just during evening or growth spurts) then that would be something to look into further. i doubt he isnt getting enough though.
You say you cant pump much, but a couple reasons why could be, first some women just can't get pumps to work that well for them, even when there is plenty of milk. Second, if he is going through a growth spurt you wont be able to pump hardly anything, because he will be nursing more and emptying your breasts constantly. This is how he stimulates more milk.
Don't give up and try to stop looking at just his weight gain.
 
I pretty much wrote this post 2 months ago Darcy went from putting on 8oz a weeks to just under 3oz a week. I was told by lots of people that babys weight gain starts to slow down around the 3 month mark and that so long as they are still gaining not to worry. Darcy dropped from the 75% to the 50% but for the past 7 weeks or so has maintained her curve at the 50% and is still gaining 2-3 oz a week. I haven't topped up at all she is just a slow gainer and is very happy being EBF. try not to worry hun i'm sure he has just found his natural curve and will just be a slow gainer.
 
Lots of good advice already - but have you considered dream feeding him in the night now he is sleeping through? Maybe he has slowed down a little because he isnt having a night feed, feeding him in the night will also help your supply too.

If it is any reassurance I don't think he would be sleeping so well if he was starving :flower:

:hugs:
 
Tip: Ditch the scales. If you had not of weighed your LO would you have been concerned? Does you LO look happy and have plenty of wet nappies? Is the LO growing? It is not reccomended to weigh them frequently after the first few weeks as weight can go up and down. It is nice to know they are gaining and how much, but it can also raise concerns like yours which otherwise wouldn't have been there.

Expressing is not a sign of supply. Baby is far more efficient.
Your breasts will have settled down to babies supply so they won't feel full.
Poo is normal, my LO has been 10 days before now.
 
Yeah I wouldn't have been concerned at all!

I do dream feed him, and he does kinda wake up every 4 hours but he just fusses and I pop him on my boob and hes out dead to the world after 2 mins lol.
 

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