Not sure what to do......

[mama2b]

Im having one of those days when I don't know what to do for the best

Yesterday I took him to be weighed and he was 14lbs which is under his target weight which I was kind of expecting as both me and OH are slim build and on the shorter side lol, the biggest suprise is that he is really long and over the chart height thing. He was 8lb 6oz at birth so I guess they are expecting he should be packing the weight onmore ?

The HV didn't actually say there was anything to worry about but it was just her whole attitude to it, I just didn't like the vibes she started giving off when she'd weighed him. Im probably reading to much into it but she really changed once we got his weight!

Im still bf apart from the last feed at night which I give formula, he will usually drink no more than 4oz though. When I bf he will have one side is satisfied then promptly sick and will continue being sick for at least on hour, only little bits but enough for an outfit change !

He also feeds pretty much spot on 3 hours but is looking for a feed after about 2 1/2 hrs its only furiously sucking on a dummy that keeps him going until 3 hrs or I will just feed him.

The real thing that is starting to get me down is the night feeds. I gave him a bottle last night at 10.30 and he was awake looking for a feed at 1.50 then again at 3am ish then 6.30am. I was to tired to express last night so he got a pretty good feed all three times !

When I express I have noticed that in the last month there is only a tiny amount of fat at the top whereas there used to be loads. I have never had a problem with getting much milk from both of them I can get at least 5oz but its always quite watery....

Couple of other things he is always chewing his fist even straight after a feed which I put down to teething as he has been getting some discomfort in his mouth. Also watches us eat all the time but then he has done that from as soon as he could focus.

Anyway sorry for the information overload but I guess what I am trying to determine is should I maybe replace a couple of feeds with formula instead to try and fill him up (he is very rarely sick after formula) or does he really need weaning yet ?

ANY help appreciated. I would rather increase the formula than start weaning due to the information I have read but I have noticed that a lot of the baby food states from 4 months which he nearly is.

 

[CountingDown]

Didnt want to read and run hun xx

Olivia has just hit the 14lb mark and is a little bit older than Lucas and my hv wasnt worried about her weight. Not sure how long she is now but she was on the 80th centile for height when born

Not sure what to suggest about the feeds/formula but I am currently going through the same with Olivia and the night feeds. Last night she fed at 8pm then 11.45pm, 2am, 4am and then again at 6.30am. She is definately feeding as she feeds for over 20 mins each time. I am just trying to ride out the night feeds at the moment in the hope she is just having a big growth spurt but I feel like a walking zombie due to lack of sleep .

Hope things pick up for you soon xx

 

[mari72]

Hi, my little girl Ellis was 14lbs9oz the last time she was weighed which was when she was exactly 6 months!! She was 8lb4oz when she was born so not much in it compared to your little one-although comparing is a bit pointless. Both myself and my oh are average height and slim, Elllis is long too. Her paediatrician was more than happy with her weight-said it was perfect!!
As for weaning, yes baby food does say 4 months but the current WHO guidelines are 6 months-its up to you but i've just started weaning my little girl and its made not a jot of difference to her waking through the night. As for you milk-what you get when you express and what baby gets are v different-or my baby never gets more than an ounce of milk!!!
Not alot of great advice from me but hopefully some reassurance that it all sounds pretty normal. You need to do what you feel is right for you and baby but don't feel pressured into it because of his weight etc it seems health workers in this country have no agreement in what they ask of mums. Good luck x

 

[qmama]

It is ok to breastfeed a baby more than every three hours. Sometimes before bed they like to cluster feed. This is where they may feed every 15 minutes or so to ensure they get all of the fatty milk from your breast. The fatty milk sticks to the inside and needs extra sucking when the breast is empty to get it out. This is also the milk that helps baby sleep.

I wouldn't worry about the expressing so much, baby can always get more milk from you. I am sure your supply is enough for him. The most important thing before 6 months is to let him suck at the breast whenever he wants to. It does settle down eventually.

Good luck
x

 

[Hevz]

It is ok to breastfeed a baby more than every three hours. Sometimes before bed they like to cluster feed. This is where they may feed every 15 minutes or so to ensure they get all of the fatty milk from your breast. The fatty milk sticks to the inside and needs extra sucking when the breast is empty to get it out. This is also the milk that helps baby sleep.

I wouldn't worry about the expressing so much, baby can always get more milk from you. I am sure your supply is enough for him. The most important thing before 6 months is to let him suck at the breast whenever he wants to. It does settle down eventually.

Good luck
x

I'm afraid you've been misinformed there babe. Hindmilk doesn't stick to anything (except the bottle), your body produces foremilk 1st as a thirstquenching drink for baby which gradually gets thicker and creamier as feeding carries on. It isn't all stored in there like a camels hump, the body makes it as baby is suckling and adapts to how much baby is feeding. When expressing for a bottle make sure you heat milk well so the fat melts and shake bottle well so the fat spreads through the milk.


You're right in saying let baby feed whenever he wants it though as this is what encourages breastmilk production.




My babies have all been longer on the length charts and very low on the weightcharts,this is typical of a breastfed baby (obviously they're all different though). There is no need to panic or try and "fatten" baby up. If baby is happy, healthy, lots of wet and dirty nappies then stop panicking.

By the way Erin is 6months and only weighs that much, my HV is very pro-breastfeeding and says it's perfectly normal

 

[beancounter]

Finn is skinny, and very tall. The HV said he was fine, just doesnt look chubby cos he's so tall. he was born on the 25th centile and dropped to the 9th and followed that perfectly, he's very sicky and very active so she said he probably wouldnt go above that line and he has put a bit on with weaning but mostly it's his build. I never FF.

 

[Lu28]

Hey hon, I'm in a similar situation at the moment too. Aisling was 8lb 15oz when she was born, she's older than Lucas and is only 13lb 10oz now. She's just below the 50th centile for weight but is on the 96th for height. The HV doesn't seem too worried but wants to see me every 2 weeks instead of every 4 which would otherwise be normal, I guess just to keep an eye on it. I'm trying not to worry because DH and I were both tall and skinny as kids but it's difficult not to

 

[Shifter]

If he's hungry after 2.5 hours then feel free to feed him then, rather than keeping him waiting for half an hour. Until last week Jack fed every 2 hours pretty much from birth. You will probably find that if you feed on demand he will gain a little more weight.

But you certainly shouldn't feel pressured into trying to fatten him up! As long as he is happy and producing lots of wet nappies then his weight doesn't really matter. Babies don't need to be fattened up, in fact trying to do this can theoretically lead to very bad dietary habits and obesity later in life.

 

[qmama]

I think this piece describes far more succinctly what I was trying to say.

'Foremilk is the milk (typically lower in fat) available at the beginning of a feeding; hindmilk is milk at the end of a feeding, which has a higher fat content than the foremilk at that feeding. There is no sharp distinction between foremilk and hindmilk – the change is very gradual. Research from Peter Hartmann's group tells us that fat content of the milk is primarily determined by the emptiness of the breast -- the less milk in the breast, the higher the fat content.

A woman's breast really only makes one type of milk, the higher-fat milk that we typically think of as hindmilk. As milk is produced in the breast, the fat globules in the milk tend to stick to each other and to the walls of the alveoli (where the milk is made). Between feedings, milk collects in mom's breasts and gradually moves out toward the nipple, leaving more and more of the fat "stuck" further back in the milk ducts. The more time between feedings, the lower the fat content of the foremilk available to baby at the beginning of the feeding.

Once the let-down (or Milk Ejection Reflex/MER) is triggered (by baby's nursing, pumping, etc.), the milk is squeezed down the ducts until it becomes accessible to the baby. Milk production is not faster during letdown - the flow is simply faster. There are several let-downs per feed, although most mothers only sense the first one.

As the breast starts to empty, the fat globules begin to dislodge and move down the ducts (let-down facilitates this process). So the further into the feed, the higher the fat content of the milk, as more and more fat globules are forced out. The end result is that the milk gradually increases in fat as the feeding progresses.'
By Kelly mom

 

[k8y]

It is ok to breastfeed a baby more than every three hours. Sometimes before bed they like to cluster feed. This is where they may feed every 15 minutes or so to ensure they get all of the fatty milk from your breast. The fatty milk sticks to the inside and needs extra sucking when the breast is empty to get it out. This is also the milk that helps baby sleep.

I wouldn't worry about the expressing so much, baby can always get more milk from you. I am sure your supply is enough for him. The most important thing before 6 months is to let him suck at the breast whenever he wants to. It does settle down eventually.

Good luck
x

I'm afraid you've been misinformed there babe. Hindmilk doesn't stick to anything (except the bottle), your body produces foremilk 1st as a thirstquenching drink for baby which gradually gets thicker and creamier as feeding carries on. It isn't all stored in there like a camels hump, the body makes it as baby is suckling and adapts to how much baby is feeding. When expressing for a bottle make sure you heat milk well so the fat melts and shake bottle well so the fat spreads through the milk.


You're right in saying let baby feed whenever he wants it though as this is what encourages breastmilk production.




My babies have all been longer on the length charts and very low on the weightcharts,this is typical of a breastfed baby (obviously they're all different though). There is no need to panic or try and "fatten" baby up. If baby is happy, healthy, lots of wet and dirty nappies then stop panicking.

By the way Erin is 6months and only weighs that much, my HV is very pro-breastfeeding and says it's perfectly normal

OOh i was told not to shake it, that you just had to kind of swish it round gently?

 

[k8y]

I just started a thread about James weight, He is only 12lb14 so your doing good !!! He feeds as often as your little one too. We have just started on Baby rice once a day.

 

[QueenMummyToBe]

Juliette.. I'm still breast feeding Amelia.. occasionally she has a formula last thing at night.. but more often than not she doesn't.

At 13 weeks she weighed 11lb 3oz.. she is in the 9th centile for weighed at the 91st for height.

I always get made to feel awful about it but she always puts on about 4/5oz a week.. on target for what they say.

Amelia likes to cluster feed.. she would rather have 5 short 10 minute feeds that a long 50min one.

Some days it is really hard work..

On Tuesday evening she woke up at 1am (so wednesday early hours) and didn't go back to sleep until 10.30PM wednesday night..

She is teething & she sucks for comfort a lot of the time.. she refuses to take a dummy (prefers her hand)

I think 14lb is perfectly fine.. if you know he is feeding regularly and is a happy baby that is all that matters

xXx

 

[Hevz]

It is ok to breastfeed a baby more than every three hours. Sometimes before bed they like to cluster feed. This is where they may feed every 15 minutes or so to ensure they get all of the fatty milk from your breast. The fatty milk sticks to the inside and needs extra sucking when the breast is empty to get it out. This is also the milk that helps baby sleep.

I wouldn't worry about the expressing so much, baby can always get more milk from you. I am sure your supply is enough for him. The most important thing before 6 months is to let him suck at the breast whenever he wants to. It does settle down eventually.

Good luck
x

I'm afraid you've been misinformed there babe. Hindmilk doesn't stick to anything (except the bottle), your body produces foremilk 1st as a thirstquenching drink for baby which gradually gets thicker and creamier as feeding carries on. It isn't all stored in there like a camels hump, the body makes it as baby is suckling and adapts to how much baby is feeding. When expressing for a bottle make sure you heat milk well so the fat melts and shake bottle well so the fat spreads through the milk.


You're right in saying let baby feed whenever he wants it though as this is what encourages breastmilk production.




My babies have all been longer on the length charts and very low on the weightcharts,this is typical of a breastfed baby (obviously they're all different though). There is no need to panic or try and "fatten" baby up. If baby is happy, healthy, lots of wet and dirty nappies then stop panicking.

By the way Erin is 6months and only weighs that much, my HV is very pro-breastfeeding and says it's perfectly normal

OOh i was told not to shake it, that you just had to kind of swish it round gently?

That's only coz some bottles leak when the milk is shaken and you can get air in the milk but this settles quickly anyway. You won't "damage" the milk babe