BF baby and low weight gain

[solitaire89]

Has anyone else had problems of low weight gain in their BF baby? I don't mean just low on the charts, I mean 1oz a week. We were doing ok, in the region of 5-6oz a week for the first 8 weeks or so, but then my gp at the "6 week" appt (which I had at 8 wks!) said that she was low on the charts, having crossed 2 centile lines, and that i should suppliment with 1 ff a day. I didn't! I should add at this stage that both my and my oh are very slight... That next week she only gained 1oz, but I had restarted the mini-pill which i now find can begger the supply up. I stopped that, and in her next 5 days she gained 7oz. Feeling much relieved, I thought we were back up to speed, but lo and behold, she's weighed today and it's back to 1oz gain this week. She weighes in at 4.04kg at 10+4wks, feeds around 7/8 times a day, and sleeps well at night (goes down at 7, and if left to her own devices will go through to 2:30/3 ish). I tried expresing after a feed to increase my supply, and to see what might be left, and I get just shy of 1oz a time. Please can someone make me feel better?

 

[babypowder]

Didn't want to R&R, I can't help with advice but hug for you x

 

[DaisyDoodles]

My LO is the same, at 12 weeks she's just 4.24kg and it's only the past week that she's ever gained more than 3ozs despite the fact that I'm on domperidone to increase my supply and supplementing her with 3ozs of EBM every day!

The HV last week almost had a fit, but our GP and the BF MW both say that LO is just petite and there's nothing to worry about... I couldn't put her on formula even if I wanted as she has a dairy intolerance so I just have to go with it and try not to worry too much!

I know that doesn't help you much, but you're not on your own!

 

[faun]

I'm in the same boat Darcy has gained 1lb 6oz in 7 weeks and have been told she needs to be weighed every other week and to top up with one bottle of formula a day i don't want to top her up plus she won't take a bottle. She has dropped from 75th percentile to just under 50th while she is still gaining i'm not that worried. No advice though just wanted to let you know you're not alone.

 

[summer rain]

^Hun you're under no obligation to get your baby weighed and a drop of one centile isn't really anything to worry about (even according to the guidelines the HVs themselves follow), if you're uncomfortable getting your baby weighed every other week then you don't have to go. One of my sister's daughters started off between the 2nd and 9th centile and soon fell off the chart altogether; although her daughter was gaining a reasonable amount the way the charts are put together they 'expect' a smaller baby to gain more per week than a bigger one in the first few weeks, she stopped going to the clinic as HVs kept telling her to give formula but her GP was happy with her LOs weight gain and knew that her OH was only 5lb born and a tiny little thing so it was likely to be hereditary.

OP all of mine have had very erratic weight gain at some point, you could try offering more night feeds as your milk is fattier at night, but otherwise I wouldn't worry too much-it is no longer recommended according to DoH/NHS guidelines to weigh weekly or fortnightly anymore; even if there is a perceived problem with weight gain or any other problem, instead it is only advised to weigh as an absolute maximum after baby has regained their birthweight, at 4-6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks and then not again until a year xx

 

[DaisyDoodles]

I should have said in my pist that last week was the first time since the 2 week visit that we'd seen the HV, I knew what her reaction was going to be so had refused to go but BF MW had asked me to go convinced that I was worrying about nothing - she actually phoned to complain when I told her what had been said!

I have to take her in the next few weeks for a development check but otherwise will be weighing her at home from now on, slow weight gain is enough to worry about without snotty HV's making you feel guilty about it!

 

[summer rain]

I was saying to 'faun', thankfully in this area the GP does the development checks but AFAIK in pretty much all areas you can request developmental check ups are done by a GP or at your local hospital if you want to avoid HVs like the plague xx

 

[T-Bex]

GAH! I could swing for HV's.

As long as your baby is gaining weight, had plenty of nappies and is contented in and of themselves, you have no problems. Bethan did the same (was born on the 91st, dropped to the 9th over a period of a few months), and some weeks put on 1oz, and then others 5-6oz. She always put on lots of weight, and then the next week, grew lenth ways, but didn't put on much. All babies are different, and not only are you under no obligation to get your baby weighed, they're not supposed to weigh them every week, as per the red book guidelines. And, you don't have to supplement. I most certainly didn't.

:growl:

 

[Experiment13]

As another mom of slow gainer I think you are fine. My LO does not do well on charts but you could never say by looking at him. Yeah, he is petite but so am I and so is OH. He has big ol' cheeks, has two mega poops a day and is very happy little guy. My ped yells at me when I bring up worries about weight and my LC consultant thinks I am crazy (last time I weighed my LO she said: "Looks like we need to ween mom off the scales!"). As long as your GP thinks everything is fine, I would say you are OK.

While I envy you UK ladies everything else in regards to baby-having, HV I don't at all.

 

[solitaire89]

Thank you everyone for putting my mind at rest - my lo is a very contented and happy little soul; when she's awake she's so alert and aware, when she's asleep she's out for the count, and when she's hungry, be heck does she let you know it! I seem to be in the opposite boat to most people though, it is my GP who is concerned, and everyone else is not in the slightest bit worried, my HV is lovely - we had a blip at the beginning over lo's jaundice, but that's resolved now, and she's nice as pie Even she's said that the GP is trying to force us to ff, and that it's not on Feeling much better today!