growth stall after switching to formula?

[Lavendel]

I started out with EBF, then switching to 1 meal of formula at night so my DH could feed our son too and i could get some sleep.
then suddendly at about 10 weeks my milk supply got drastically low and i was pumping all the time. it got a bit better but at the end of the 3rd month it was extra low again so i decided to pump what was available (once a day) and for the rest to feed him formula.

he didnt have any issues with formula, i was also starting to add rice flower to it and he just loved it.

however, at my last check up appointment when they mesured him he was only 64.5 cm, he only grew 1.3 cm ( birth was 48cm, 1 month was 55, 2 months was 59, 3 months 63.2)
i think they measured him wrong, but when i ask them to re check they told me he was still above average and was all fine.

anyone of you experienced a stall in growth after switching to formula?

 

[MindUtopia]

What was his weight? And has he maintained his weight centile after the switch? Length doesn't mean anything (unless it's grossly disproportionate to weight). Some babies are just taller, some are shorter, and they grow at different rates. But as far as feeding goes, weight is really all that matters. If he's staying on his centile line or jumping up the chart rather than down (dropping 50th to 10th centile, for instance), then he's fine. Breast milk, of course, is better than formula in lots of ways, but formula does tend to have more calories, so it's unlikely he wouldn't grow as well on it. Adding rice flour though is often done to make babies cut feeds - so it tricks him into thinking he isn't as hungry as he is, so he might need 6 feeds a day, but he might only be able to eat 4 with the rice flour, so he misses out on those calories and (more crucially) necessary vitamins and minerals. That is probably the culprit if he does slow up in growth. I know some people think it's easier and more convenient to have a baby who doesn't eat as often, but I just wouldn't chance it. There's plenty of time for weaning, IMO. I'd say get all the nutrients in that you can now. Months 4-6 are so important for development.

 

[Lavendel]

What was his weight? And has he maintained his weight centile after the switch? Length doesn't mean anything (unless it's grossly disproportionate to weight). Some babies are just taller, some are shorter, and they grow at different rates. But as far as feeding goes, weight is really all that matters. If he's staying on his centile line or jumping up the chart rather than down (dropping 50th to 10th centile, for instance), then he's fine. Breast milk, of course, is better than formula in lots of ways, but formula does tend to have more calories, so it's unlikely he wouldn't grow as well on it. Adding rice flour though is often done to make babies cut feeds - so it tricks him into thinking he isn't as hungry as he is, so he might need 6 feeds a day, but he might only be able to eat 4 with the rice flour, so he misses out on those calories and (more crucially) necessary vitamins and minerals. That is probably the culprit if he does slow up in growth. I know some people think it's easier and more convenient to have a baby who doesn't eat as often, but I just wouldn't chance it. There's plenty of time for weaning, IMO. I'd say get all the nutrients in that you can now. Months 4-6 are so important for development.

Thank you for the reply!
he was always on the "thin" side, was born with 2.9, at 1 month he was 4.3 (EBF), 2 months 5.6 (1 formula feeding), 3 months 6.2 (1 formula feeding) and now was 6.8 kg.

the percentile in weight is still about the same, but the lenght is somehow weird..they measured him with a thick blanket underneath his back, and at home he measures 67 (but theres always some space for error, normally 0.5-0.8 cm) i asked them to remeasure them but they wouldnt since he is still above averge and theres no problem..but i dont know..the percentile line dropped a bit..

about the rice flour, the pediatrian told us to give him some, we r adding a spoon in one meal per day only. he loves it and i had the green light from the doc (who also asks us: and what other food r u giving him? made me feel a bit bad cos i only tried fruit a couple of times so far...nd they suggested us to give him cauliflowers and green beans..which from my italian point of view sounds very strange...)

so far i feed him about 200ml 4x a day, if he wants more he gets more, but so far it works well like this

 

[detterose]

He sounds perfectly fine to me. Sounds like the growing rate my LO was at from birth to 4 months. And he has been FF from about 2-3 weeks old.