Findlay's weight issue- now seen dietician!!

[Lottie86]

Well Findlay was back at hospital yesterday for a weight check as well as a general check up as he had been in hospital v poorly for nearly 2 weeks and got home last weekend. He's only put on 10 grams since he was weighed last week (at which point he'd lost 90 grams in 48hrs!) and considering he'd only been fed 1hr before he was weighed yesterday he probably hadn't actually put on anything

The registrar got the head dietician in to speak to us as he's actually drinking more than the guideline amount for his weight so he should be gaining weight at a really good rate but he's not.

The dietician is wondering if with his weight loss/no gain, odd nappies and dry skin he might have a cows milk allergy so I've got to cut all dairy (it's amazing how much stuff has milk or milk proteins in it!) out of my diet until next Friday and see if it makes any difference. I know it sounds awful but in a way I hope it doesn't make any difference as I've got several very severe food allergies already so with cutting dairy out too I've not exactly got a wide choice of foods and other than me being dairy free until I stop expressing the only other option would be to fully swap him to milk free formula.

If the exclusion diet doesn't make any difference she was mentioning about putting him on alternate feeds of calorie enhanced EBM and high calorie formula to build him up as he's only 6lbs at 9 1/2 weeks old and he was 5lb 14 on the day he turned 3weeks old! For now she's given me some high calorie powder to add to every feed to get lots of extra calories into him.

She was so nice though and said that if it's not a cows milk allergy that it's not that my milk is wrong or no good it's just that it's not enough with him being a preemie and needing the extra calories and that lots of preemie babies have to go onto alternate feeds or have their EBM feeds fortified.

Off to phone the doctors now as I apparently now need calcium supplements and I also need to get some of my medications changed as they've got lactose in them

Honestly it's beginning to feel like taking a pharmacy when we take him anywhere now he's got his thickener, his high calorie powder, his reflux meds, his iron and his vitamins! *rolls eyes*

 

[Samantha675]

Goodness hun, that is a platefull. Well I hope the extra calorie powder helps get him back on track. I had to cut out dairy as well. I found that when I ate any it turned Brenn into the exercist baby! haha. The good news is that the intolerance to the dairy protein does go away at about 6 months. Some babies just can't handle it till their little tummy matures.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Fingers crossed you start to see a difference soon honey x

 

[Lottie86]

Today he went back and has put on 70g (just under 2.5oz) in a week so he now weighs 2.88kg but apparently it's not enough so this afternoon we've got to go back in and stay in. Findlay is absolutely fine in himself and is bright, alert and happy.

Apparently it's for them to 'support my breastfeeding and see how he feeds and how my supply is ' and to do daily weight checks. I really don't know how many times I need to tell them that he has never been fed direct from my boobs and he never will! They saw I had plenty of milk and that he takes his bottles perfectly when he was in hospital the other week so really don't see what the point of this is!

All that staying in is going to do is cause my supply to drop even further as I'm so stressed in the hospital that I won't be able to express often enough for long enough (his 2 week stay last time caused my supply to reduce by about a third!) plus I won't be able to sleep properly as I'll be sharing a room with Findlay (he's always been in his own room at home) and the ward isn't exactly going to be quiet and with all my allergies I'm not going to be able to eat without them letting me go home to cook. They haven't even told me how long we've got to stay in for so could just be the weekend or could be next week too.

I am so stressed it's beyond words. They are going to have to let me leave Findlay for a few hours a day as I will need to drive the 1hr journey each way back home to check on the cats especially as one is having a flare up of a severe grass allergy (pooor girl has a v nasty swollen mouth) so will be off to the vets next week which will mean me being away from hospital the whole of Monday afternoon! And to top it off my OH is offshore in Norway until Wednesday so I'm all on my own

 

[Lottie86]

Today he went back and has put on 70g (just under 2.5oz) in a week so he now weighs 2.88kg but apparently it's not enough so this afternoon we've got to go back in and stay in. Findlay is absolutely fine in himself and is bright, alert and happy.

Apparently it's for them to 'support my breastfeeding and see how he feeds and how my supply is ' and to do daily weight checks. I really don't know how many times I need to tell them that he has never been fed direct from my boobs and he never will! They saw I had plenty of milk and that he takes his bottles perfectly when he was in hospital the other week so I really don't see what the point of this is!

All that staying in is going to do is cause my supply to drop even further as I'm so stressed in the hospital that I won't be able to express often enough for long enough (his 2 week stay last time caused my supply to reduce by about a third!) plus I won't be able to sleep properly as I'll be sharing a room with Findlay (he's always been in his own room at home) and the ward isn't exactly going to be quiet and with all my allergies I'm not going to be able to eat without them letting me go home to cook. They haven't even told me how long we've got to stay in for so could just be the weekend or could be next week too.

To top it off my OH is offshore in Norway until Wednesday so I'm all on my own

 

[Mervs Mum]

Can anyone see to the cats for you? A neighbour or friend?

 

[beancounter]

don't know what else to say, stay strong.

 

[Samantha675]

oh hun, I am sorry they are giving you such a hard time. Hang in there!

 

[Lottie86]

YAY he's put some weight on (although lost 20g today)

At 11 weeks old (6 weeks corrected) he now weighs...

*drum roll*

6lb 5 oz!!

​

 

[beancounter]

just got back from hols n was wondering how he is getting on??