Finally Exclusively BF & Baby Girl has LOST weight*further 13oz gained combi-feeding

[JaneSharon86]

Hi Ladies

After a mammoth battle with breastfeeding, we finally became exclusive about 2 weeks ago. I was so happy to have finally overcome all the issues and to be feeding my little girl.

Well my lovely health visitor came today and weighed my DD, and she's lost weight

She was 7lb 10oz at birth, a month later she was 8lb 11oz and today is down to 8lb 3oz.

The health visitor asked me if anything had changed and the only thing I can think of is that around the time the 8lb 11oz weight was taken, DD was on 75% formula and 25% breastmilk as I had mastitis and it was just too painful to nurse so I was expressing what I could but it wasn't much. Now she's exclusively BF.

We have another appointment for 2 weeks time to make sure she is gaining. My health visitor told me not to worry and that the switch from FF/BF to BF was most likely the reason, but how can I not worry! Baby girl has lost weight and is on the 9th percentile now.

This is how our schedule has been today, just incase anyone spots anything that needs to be changed? (Anything inbetween these times means she was awake, playing or having her nappy changed etc).

2.30am - 4.45am - sleep
5.00am - 7.00am - sleep
7.00am - 8.00am - feeding
8.30am - 10.00am - sleep
10.30am - 10.50am - feeding
11.00am - 1.00pm - sleep
1.00pm - 1.20pm - feeding
1.20pm - 3.20pm - sleep
3.20pm - 3.40pm - feeding
4.10pm - 4.50pm - feeding

She's also had 2 poo nappies and 3 wee nappies today so far.

Any help, advice or reassurance would be great. Very stressed Mom here Feel like I'm letting her down as she's not growing/gaining like she should be.

Thanks x

 

[summer rain]

I believe thenewmrs went through something similar when she relactated, perhaps give her a PM? From my understanding it is fairly common and if the HV isn't too worried then I would just continue as you are doing and see what happens in the next two weeks as HVs usually push formula at the first opportunity so the fact she hasn't speaks volumes, and a big well done on getting back to EBF! xx

 

[cat_reversing]

We're trying to make the move from combi feeding to ebf, and it's slow progress but she's taking more from me now and screams less for a bottle so i'm going to keep trying. One thing i have noticed is that her fontanelle is more dipped today than it has been when she's been having formula too. My mum saw it and says it's normal but i've been checking her fontanelle since she was born and i've never seen it so dipped. Any ideas?

 

[JaneSharon86]

I believe thenewmrs went through something similar when she relactated, perhaps give her a PM? From my understanding it is fairly common and if the HV isn't too worried then I would just continue as you are doing and see what happens in the next two weeks as HVs usually push formula at the first opportunity so the fact she hasn't speaks volumes, and a big well done on getting back to EBF! xx

Thanks for your help. I think I'll weigh her every few days as ill go mad waiting for the two weeks appointment.

 

[JaneSharon86]

We're trying to make the move from combi feeding to ebf, and it's slow progress but she's taking more from me now and screams less for a bottle so i'm going to keep trying. One thing i have noticed is that her fontanelle is more dipped today than it has been when she's been having formula too. My mum saw it and says it's normal but i've been checking her fontanelle since she was born and i've never seen it so dipped. Any ideas?

Well done for persevering on the move to ebf. It's tough but possible

Sorry not sure about the fontanelle. Hopefully someone else can help x

 

[muddles]

Firstly well done for sticking with it and managing to get to the stage where you are able to be feeding exclusively. Your feeding pattern for today seems fine, only things I can think of are:

-are you drinking plenty of fluids and eating plenty of calories, you need around an extra 500 a day if you are exclusively breastfeeding-I notice a massive difference in my supply if I don't eat properly.
-are you making sure that baby is latched properly and feeding well throughout the feed, you should notice lots of fast gulps as the foremilk comes through as it flows quickly then much less frequent and smaller gulps as the fatty calorie rich milk comes through. I sometimes have to tickle my LO's feet or break her latch and relatch her sometimes as she falls asleep she loosens her latch and although she is still feeding she is more on my nipple than having a good mouthful of boob.
-do your boobs feel full? If not then perhaps your supply hasn't yet caught up with you ebf yet. I always find eating oats (in porridge or flapjack form ) makes my milk supply go crazy but I know there are lots of other ways to increase it too.

If your LO is feeding frequently, seems contented between feeds and has plenty of wet and/or dirty nappies then I'd try not to worry for the moment and see what happens over the next few weeks and in the mean time try to encourage your baby to feed as often as possible to up your supply as much as possible.

 

[JaneSharon86]

-do your boobs feel full? If not then perhaps your supply hasn't yet caught up with you ebf yet. I always find eating oats (in porridge or flapjack form ) makes my milk supply go crazy but I know there are lots of other ways to increase it too.

If your LO is feeding frequently, seems contented between feeds and has plenty of wet and/or dirty nappies then I'd try not to worry for the moment and see what happens over the next few weeks and in the mean time try to encourage your baby to feed as often as possible to up your supply as much as possible.

Thank you

My right breast feels full, but my left has never caught up after the mastitis.

LO is still feeding every 2 hours. Each feed takes 45 minutes - is this too long? In my red NHS childs' health book it says anything 45 mins or longer indicates an issue?

Also I'm never sure when a feed is over as shes a very sucky baby and doesn't break off. She just starts to pull off then latch back on a lot when shes been on there a while; but would suck all day if I let her. I give her a dummy and she happily sucks that without fussing after 45 mins on the boob so I assume at that point she was just comfort sucking?

 

[muddles]

My eldest was exactly the same but he would come off in the end, although sometimes it would seem like surely he was sound asleep and couldn't be getting anymore milk. Have you tried leaving her to come off by herself even if it takes hours? Is there a certain time of day that she feeds for longer? Both mine cluster feed before bed, though my eldest did it for much longer periods of time. Even if you are sure she is just comfort sucking she could be stimulating milk supply, and the fatty milk is what is coming out when it seems like they are barely feeding. My youngest also does the off on thing towards the end of a feed I assumed it was her trying to decide if she was full or could squeeze a little more milk into her tummy My youngest would happily suck her thumb all day, and she never asks for a feed ever, I just have to go by when she usually wants one and sometimes she feeds and other times she just grunts at me for daring to offer her a feed when she isn't hungry!

I didn't know that about the 45mins+, though I don't read baby books, so I'd say yes it could indicate a problem but it doesn't mean there definitely is one. My eldest used to feed for hours, and I mean hours. He cluster fed every evening for the first few months from around 7pm-11pm. During the day he fed for anything between 20mins and 1hour. When he woke during the night I knew it would be at least 1hour before I would even be able to try and get him back into his cot as he would be feeding for at least an hour (if I remember correctly he would feed for around 50mins on one side then I'd change his nappy and he would feed for another 15mins or so on the other). My LO is a very different feeder and I have had so many problems this time round (mainly related to tongue tie and projectile puking), she is a quick feeder and only does around 10mins at a time, though at bedtime she will feed for longer. I felt like I had a lot more milk first time round, and yet my son fed for much longer periods of time, so i'd say it was more likely to do with the baby rather than milk supply.

Stick with it, and encourage her to feed as much as possible on both sides and I'm sure within a couple of weeks your milk supply will catch up with what your LO is asking for, and if not there are ladies on here who can advise you of how to up your supply using a number of different things.

 

[JessPape]

was she measure on the exact same scale at the time? And was she weight with the same amount of clothes? did she feed before any of thoses weight ins? honestly, I wouldnt worry to much, as sooo much can make a weight wrong. If it was a pound lost i'd be more concerned. With that, you can offer the breast more, so if she noramlly eats every 3 hours, offer every 2 hours, and let her cluster feed at night.

 

[JaneSharon86]

Hi, its hard to see when she would naturally come off sometimes, as she tends to pull off and its me trying to get her to relatch which she will but only for a few more sucks. Shes being doing this all night. Having a good feed for 20 minutes, then pulling off, latching back on, pulling off, me latching her back on, then moaning with my nipple in her mouth, but not latching. Its exhausting, sore and confusing! I don't know if she has wind or what tonight but she seems to be in pain.

When she's not having a fussy day I will try and leave her on until she naturally breaks off. We're still in the early days of EBF and its a little sore still which is why I'm always glad to take her off once she's in that comfort sucking stage. Plus it lets me put washing in, mop the floors etc lol

Is there a certain time of day that she feeds for longer?
Yes she cluster feeds on a night time. Its not as bad as at 6 weeks, when she was literally on me from 6pm-11pm, but she feeds every hour and a half in the evening. Taking 45 minutes to feed, so doesn't leave much time for anything else. Tonight she seems to be feeding for very very short periods of time, wriggling and crying, falling to sleep exhausted then waking after 10-15 minutes and doing it again.

 

[JaneSharon86]

was she measure on the exact same scale at the time? And was she weight with the same amount of clothes? did she feed before any of thoses weight ins? honestly, I wouldnt worry to much, as sooo much can make a weight wrong. If it was a pound lost i'd be more concerned. With that, you can offer the breast more, so if she noramlly eats every 3 hours, offer every 2 hours, and let her cluster feed at night.

Hi,

She was weighed on the same type of scales - they are the ones the midwives and health visitors carry around, but probably not the exact same scale as the first time.

They strip her naked when they weigh her (she hates this!!).

The first weigh in was later in the day so I guess yeah she had ate more that day. It was morning the other day when she had the low reading.

Tonight she doesn't seem to want me at all. I've even just expressed a little (about 20ml) which she downed out the bottle but she doesn't want to latch onto me. Just put our nipple shield back on (we managed to give these up last week) and she's feed for a little while but not long.

 

[JaneSharon86]

Update

I'm gutted ladies had my DD weighed today and she's only gained 3oz in 2 weeks

The HV thinks that the mastitis really effected my supply and has given me a list of things I need to do to increase it but they are all things that Ive already been doing as they were suggested to me on this forum.

She's got to be weighed again on Thursday so I have 2 and a half days to get her to put on weight else it looks like we'll be reintroducing formula

If its necessary then ok but it's so disheartening after working do hard to exclusively BF.

I plan to spend the next two days in bed with her cluster feeding with my fingers crossed.

 

[muddles]

At least she is gaining though and hasn't lost any more weight. Has she dropped more percentiles? In my mind a gain is still a gain, and if she is happy, alert, has plenty of wet and dirty nappies, meeting milestones etc I'd tell the hv to do one and not go and get her weighed. I thought the recommended was once a month for weighing babies. Remember that there are a number of different percentiles and whilst there will be babies who are off the top end of the charts for weight there will also be babies who are following one of the lower percentiles-everyone has to be somewhere. I would imagine all the pressure from the hv isn't helping and I don't see how much her weight will change in a mere couple of days. If you want to give formula then do, but don't feel like you are being forced into it, your baby isn't ill and is gaining weight albeit it slowly. No-one can make you use formula if you don't want to.

 

[JaneSharon86]

Thanks so much for your support.

One of the ladies in the baby cafe today said not to worry as if I was on a desert island we wouldn't know. But the lady who was opposite me in hospital came (our babies were born on the same day) and her baby was at least a third bigger than my DD.

There is so much pressure from the health professionals, I just feel guilty that I'm not helping her grow at an average rate. She has dropped from the 9th to the 2nd percentile now

She is so alert and such a happy baby, but teeny tiny.

 

[susannah14]

Thanks so much for your support.

One of the ladies in the baby cafe today said not to worry as if I was on a desert island we wouldn't know. But the lady who was opposite me in hospital came (our babies were born on the same day) and her baby was at least a third bigger than my DD.

There is so much pressure from the health professionals, I just feel guilty that I'm not helping her grow at an average rate. She has dropped from the 9th to the 2nd percentile now

She is so alert and such a happy baby, but teeny tiny.

You shouldn't compare your baby's size to that of another baby. Baby weights vary SO widely, which is why we have charts and graphs that show this. My friend's baby is 2 months older than mine but mine has always been bigger, and they are both perfectly healthy babies. Like a prev poster said, at least she hasn't lost more weight, and is actually gaining. Barring anything physically wrong with her, she should continue to gain as long as you are attentive to your supply

 

[JaneSharon86]

Thanks for your advice.

Well we're def on mission boost supply!

Baby fed off me from 10.30pm - 12.30am last night. Her Dad then took her to bed whilst I had a bath. Then I woke her at 1.30am to feed again, which she did until 2.30am.

We then both slept til 7.00am. She fed 7.00 - 9.00am. Then back to sleep til 10.30am, then she fed 10.30am - 12.30pm and finally came off herself - this rarely happens!

Bath and play time, then more booby at 1.30 - 2.00pm at which point she fell asleep on the boob. I would normally give her a dummy, but didn't - I let her sleep suck until she was in a deep sleep and then put her in her swing to nap. Shes still sleeping now and I'm expressing. Obviously not getting much out, but at least some is coming out and I intend to let her feed again when we wakes up then give her what I've expressed too.

I've expressed one ounce from the right boob and 1/4 ounce from the left boob. I know its not an indicator of how much milk we have, but some ladies on here amaze me when they can express 4 ounces at a time wish I could do that!

I will have a chunky monkey by the time Thursday rolls around even if it near kills me!!!

 

[susannah14]

I think your expressing output is good, especially for after a feed! I can only express 4 ounces if I'm at work and not feeding at the same time. If I pump after a feed then I usually get .5 to 1.5 ounces. You're doing great

 

[JaneSharon86]

I think your expressing output is good, especially for after a feed! I can only express 4 ounces if I'm at work and not feeding at the same time. If I pump after a feed then I usually get .5 to 1.5 ounces. You're doing great

I think you've just made my day

So nice to be told something positive about my boobies for a change

 

[susannah14]

I think your expressing output is good, especially for after a feed! I can only express 4 ounces if I'm at work and not feeding at the same time. If I pump after a feed then I usually get .5 to 1.5 ounces. You're doing great

I think you've just made my day

So nice to be told something positive about my boobies for a change

For sure...I think some women pumped so much in the early days that they have way more than they need and when they say they pump X amount every day, it's mind boggling. But you and I have a supply that's perfectly suited to our baby's needs and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[Jokerette]

You can do it!!! I think a gain is a gain, even if it was just 3oz. Keeping you in my thoughts I hope your boobs cooperate and the extra nursing and pumping will boost your supply!