bottle fed baby losing weight

[iluvcocopops]

Baby Michael was 8lb 11oz at birth. I desperately tried breastfeeding him for the first few days, but it hurt so much & he wasn't getting enough (reason being because he is tongue tied). So I moved him onto formula & he drinks between 3-4oz every 3-4hours. By day 4 he was down to 8lb 4oz, and by day 6 he was 8lb 8oz. But he just got weighted yesterday day 10 and is down further to 8lb 2oz. He is alert, cries plenty when hungry & getting nappy changed. Does plenty of wet & dirty nappies and is now feeding 3-5oz every 3-4hours.

Any suggestions why he could be losing weight? Has anyone else experienced this ??

 

[Witchrose]

Hi,

The amount he is eating sounds fine and normal. Plus, it is common for babies to lose some weight the first week or so after birth. I know it can feel scary, but I would think if it were something to be concerned about then the doctor who weighed him would have said something?

I think as long as he continues eating, and producing the wet nappies, then all is okay. But if he stops, or he starts looking a lot thinner before his next appt, if it makes you feel better, it can never hurt to give your doctor a call and see if they want to see him sooner.

Best wishes on the matter.

 

[MindUtopia]

What does your HV think? Mine was bf at that age, but didn't regain her birth weight until day 26. It's possible the differences you're seeing are due to differences in the scale, who is doing the measuring and whether he's just had a big wee and poo right before or is due a feed. All of that can cause variation in weight. If he is otherwise well, I would just keep doing what you're doing. You can't possibly feed him more I wouldn't think. I had no idea how much mine took per feed until we switched to bottles at 6 weeks, but even at 6 weeks she wasn't having more than about 2oz per feed every 3-4 hours. I don't think we were on 3-5oz until about 4 months! So he is eating loads. I would just keep doing what you're doing and if HV has no concerns I wouldn't worry too much about it just yet. The only thing you might try - with support from your HV or GP - is to make sure he doesn't go longer than 3 hours between feeds if he is at any point. My daughter wasn't very alert to begin with and didn't ever really seem hungry, so because she had lost so much weight and wasn't gaining it back, we were put on a 3 hourly feeding schedule. So we fed her as often as she wanted (though she rarely showed hunger cues at that age), but no less than every 3 hours round the clock. Crying is also a late hunger cue so if you can feed him before he cries, you might find he takes more, though he's already taking plenty. But he's still very young and it might just take a bit. It sounds like you're doing exactly what you should be doing though.

 

[noon_child]

I agree crying is a late hunger cue. Some others you may want to look for are:
Clenched fists
Arm cycling
Head rocking
Lip smacking
Sticking his tongue out
Frowning

Does he throw up any of his feeds?