can my milk not be good enough?

[doddy0402]

I have always thought that breastfeeding was the very best I could do for my children and was always a little skeptical when I heard people saying that their milk wasn't good enough so they switched to formula. But now I'm really second guessing myself!
I know that I definitely have milk coming through as I still soak breast pads all the time and spray when he unlatches. My son latches perfectly and I can see/hear him swallowing. He stays on for over 15 mins each feed and is demand fed but I don't let him go longer than 3 hours. He is nappies are exactly what I would expect - wet and poos after every feed. But he just isn't gaining weight!! He's almost 7 weeks old and has gained just under 1 lb since birth. He seemed to be having a growth spurt this week, feeding every 1 1/2 to 2 hours but still only gained 3oz in those 7days!
He is under the care of the ENT consultant at Alder Hey for another problem (floppy larynx) but they are now really concerned by his lack of weight gain and so they are now exploring further to see if he has something else wrong that's causing failure to thrive. If they don't find any other problems though, then the blame comes back to me and my milk.
Sorry for the rambling but basically I just want to know if it COULD be me and my milk that is the problem and is there anything I can do about it?
P.s I have breastfed both my other children without issue.

 

[moomin_troll]

Ur milk is made to be perfect for ur baby. Some just don't gain much weight.
Feeding sounds like it's going great

 

[leoeps1982]

Your milk is the best thing for baby, no question.
It does seem like you could have an oversupply problem, if you are soaking pads all the time. So your LO could be getting more foremilk and less hindmilk, and hindmilk is fattier and higher in calories. Maybe try to do one boob per feed, so LO gets more hindmilk, if your boobs will be ok with that.

 

[Flake-y]

What you're doing sounds absolutely perfect. As long as you're letting baby come off boob himself then he should be getting exactly what he needs. Some babies are just slow gainers, is he alert & happy otherwise?

With regards to the fore milk & hind milk, the first milk from the boob is watery & thirst quenching & comes out quickly. As the feed continues the milk becomes fattier & thicker & comes out more slowly. When the flow becomes too slow baby will usually come off the boob. You should always offer the other side in case he wants the faster flow again, sometimes he'll take it, sometimes he won't. So it's very important to allow the baby to come off the boob himself. Trust your body and your baby. Your milk is perfect for him & better than anything else.

 

[doddy0402]

He seems completely fine, very alert, smiling, following things with his eyes, great neck control etc, it's just when his clothes come off he is so thin that even I think he looks ill! He is over the 75th percentile for length and under the 9th now for weight so very out of proportion.
He feeds on one side until he is fast asleep or comes off himself and very rarely takes to the other side when it's offered.
I'm just worried that if the drs find nothing further wrong with him, that they will guilt me into changing to formula to get him to a healthier weight :'(

 

[moomin_troll]

Just know that it's not u! Every child is different.
I was really skinny as a baby.
Your milk is the best for ur baby and just don't let them guilt u into anything ur not happy with.
Corey did amazing with my milk, didn't lose any weight, he gained straight away and yet I still had docs try to get me to bottle feed

 

[Hope83]

I dont think there is anything wrong with your milk hun!

Everybody grows at a different rate! My son has always followed the 9th percentile in weight and is in the 50th percentile in length. He always was a very slow gainer. He is now 2,5 years old and absolutely perfect.
I always second guess my milk quality as well because now I have the same weight issues with my dd.

There is a reason why the growth charts go from 1-100 percentile. Not everybody is alike!
Youre doing an amazing job and its sounds like you have plenty of milk! Keep up the good work and dont get discouraged from numbers and doctors!

 

[moomin_troll]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that chart based on bottle fed babies?
Oh I don't no! I stopped seeing the hv with Corey from about 12 weeks onwards. They were rubbish and had no common sense what so ever.
They haven't even bothered me with a 2 yr check letter kol

 

[summer rain]

The charts in use since 2009 are based purely on BF babies. However the new charts are in some respects worse because a baby has to gain 10-12oz in the early weeks to keep up properly with the centiles. My eldest was like this he gained very slightly and this was the case on formula as well, we found out a few years ago that he had quite a severe tongue and lip tie and we were also dealing with reflux (that we knew at the time but it was always dismissed as colic/being a sicky baby). As babies though myself and my siblings only gained 2-4oz a week from day one, even my two sisters where my mum was pressured into putting them on formula because of poor weight gain/FTT, in fact they grew less well in height than we did. Xx

 

[doddy0402]

He does have silent reflux, a symptom of his Laryngomalacia, but I'm assuming that because the milk doesn't actually make it out of his body again, it shouldn't affect his weight gain? He is happy while feeding, it is only a while afterwards that he brings vomit/acid back up into his throat causing him pain etc.
I'm worried about being able to fight against them saying he is being starved. A couple of community health visitors I can handle/ignore, but consultants and dietitians from a children's hospital are going to be harder! I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but it is really weighing on my mind!

 

[lily28]

Your milk is the best thing for your baby. Not all babies gain according to the charts. My son dropped percentiles all the way till 5.5 months (also had reflux), and now when he is supposed to slow his gain weight (according to the charts) he is gaining fast and going up in percentiles. I didn't change the way I BF him, still on demand, and I just introduced veggies that are poor in calories (so it can't be the broccoli and courgette lol)... In hind sight I was worried for no reason many times about BF and his weight gain. Fortunately my pediatrician was never worried and she was always saying I', doing great. It is important to have support! So try to find a HV/consultant/pediatrician etc that is pro breast feeding, has experience and will be supportive and stick with him/her

Best of luck!