Underweight baby and sleep

[SpringCrane]

My little guy (4 months yesterday) was having some weight gain issues when ebf. I started supplementing with expressed milk per the LC, and he's now refusing to nurse during the day and will only take a bottle. He nurses at night when he wakes. His weight is better, but still low and gaining just enough.

I bedshare with him. He was waking once or twice in the night. He'd nurse for a few minutes and go back to sleep. In the last few nights he's started fussing more like 5+ times though the night. I led my first son to develop very bad sleeping habits that plagued us until he was about 2, and I'd really like to not repeat that! However, I also can't fathom NOT nursing him when he's willing to latch, for the nutrition, supply, and bond it provides.

I'm open to any suggestions!

 

[jessmke]

I am a FTM so by no means an expert, but if he is willing to latch and eat then I would let him. Especially if he has weight issues.

He is likely going through the 4 month sleep regression where baby's sleep changes and they start cycling though light and deep sleep more like an adult does. They wake slightly when they transition between sleep cycles and need to learn to fall back asleep, which is probably why he is suddenly waking more often. Some are proponents of teaching baby to fall back asleep on their own (ie. self settle) without creating a "crutch" like nursing/rocking/etc that they will then require every time they wake in order to get back to sleep. Others say nursing is the quickest way to get them back to sleep so who care if it creates a "crutch". And can you really call nursing a "crutch" when it is they way nature intended baby to fall asleep? Personally I don't know if I believe that self settling is all its cracked up to be because my LO always goes down awake in her crib and self settles for naps and bedtime without any "crutches" (no pacifier, nursing or rocking to get to sleep) and she has only a handful of times settled herself back to sleep after a night waking. So I would say do what feels right for you. If you are co-sleeping and can nurse him that often without it affecting your sleep then I say nurse away! If he is still waking that frequently in a couple of weeks or a month and it is creating a problem for you then maybe look at helping him get back to sleep without the boob.

 

[laila 44]

If baby has weight issues then what I would is pump and give him bm in a bottle so I can control how much he takes etc. I would also definately be supplementing with formula. I do believe in bad habits as I have fallen victim to some myself with my 2 older kids and has to correct them later which was much much harder. Maybe start by pumping and monitoring his intake and see from there xx

 

[crownest]

Not to nit pick but what do you mean by underweight. Bf babies gain differently to ff babies and most charts are based on ff.

 

[6lilpigs]

one of mine did this and then refused the breast altogether, broke my heart If you would like to nurse for a good length of time then I would suffer the nights to keep him interested, gl x

 

[SpringCrane]

Not to nit pick but what do you mean by underweight. Bf babies gain differently to ff babies and most charts are based on ff.

Well, he started dropping off his growth curve, so we did weight checks to track his gain between set dates. The pediatrician and lactation consultants were of the opinion that his gain was lower than it should be.

 

[jessmke]

Not to nit pick but what do you mean by underweight. Bf babies gain differently to ff babies and most charts are based on ff.

Well, he started dropping off his growth curve, so we did weight checks to track his gain between set dates. The pediatrician and lactation consultants were of the opinion that his gain was lower than it should be.

How long has he been dropping? My DD only gained 8 oz one month as she went on a 2 week nursing strike. She gained fine up until that point, so my doctors said they wouldn't be concerned unless she continued to refuse the breast by the time we had her next check up. The following month she was nursing much better and had caught back up to where she should be so it wasn't a problem at all for us.

 

[noon_child]

I agree it sounds like sleep regression with the added benefit that if he nurses to comfort himself he'll be getting more nutrition! At that age my LO was having at least 3 20minute feeds per night to keep up her weight gain, so I can imagine if your LO was previously a "good sleeper" (if there is such a thing) ie only waking twice very briefly, then that might have contributed to it being hard to put weight on him. Sleep regression usually settles down after two to four weeks or so.

Everything we are told is a bad sleeping habit seems to be a child's natural response. In my opinion they are "bad" only because they don't fit our lifestyles, not because they render a child incapable or unable in any way. Certainly at 4months he needs you so I wouldn't change what you are doing just yet.

I really liked the no-cry sleep solution book (although it has mixed responses) and it has ideas in there about how to start gently transitioning from co-sleeping to sleeping alone IF that's what you want to do a bit further down the line. It is worth reading it before you plan to start it because it is a very slow gradual approach.

 

[crownest]

Not to nit pick but what do you mean by underweight. Bf babies gain differently to ff babies and most charts are based on ff.

Well, he started dropping off his growth curve, so we did weight checks to track his gain between set dates. The pediatrician and lactation consultants were of the opinion that his gain was lower than it should be.

Oh I see. I only asked because most doctors are now only used to the standard charts which where developed for ff babies and some don't understand a bf baby won't necessarily follow the same pattern ie they will cluster feed to increase supple when need it rather than a set amount of milk. I've no real advise but go with your gut feeling if your happy to feed a night keep going there seems to be an obsession today with getting babies to sleep through the night as early as possible but if you want to cut down that's absolutely finecessary as well. I've being know to give a big bottle of milk just before bed to try get a few more hours sleep

 

[SoupDragon]

Not to nit pick but what do you mean by underweight. Bf babies gain differently to ff babies and most charts are based on ff.

Well, he started dropping off his growth curve, so we did weight checks to track his gain between set dates. The pediatrician and lactation consultants were of the opinion that his gain was lower than it should be.

Oh I see. I only asked because most doctors are now only used to the standard charts which where developed for ff babies and some don't understand a bf baby won't necessarily follow the same pattern ie they will cluster feed to increase supple when need it rather than a set amount of milk. I've no real advise but go with your gut feeling if your happy to feed a night keep going there seems to be an obsession today with getting babies to sleep through the night as early as possible but if you want to cut down that's absolutely finecessary as well. I've being know to give a big bottle of milk just before bed to try get a few more hours sleep

The WHO growth charts, which are what is used in the UK 'red book', are based on weight gain of healthy breastfed babies. Which charts are based on ff babies?

To the op, it does sound very much like the 4 month regression. I'd just power through it and nurse when he wants to nurse, and it will gradually get easier. I'm sure you know this but the more you nurse, the more milk you make, which can only help your little guy. I had to pump as my DD couldn't latch at all, and ok I could see what she was getting, but it didn't make any difference to what she ate - if she wanted 3oz she'd have 3oz, if she wanted 7oz she'd have 7oz. It was blimmin hard work though and I'd rather have bf'd directly, so I feel your pain re daytime feeds. Sounds like you're doing a fantastic job!

Young babies are programmed to wake frequently as a survival strategy, and this is only considered a 'bad' sleeping habit because it's inconvenient for adults (I am not saying this is what you said, I know it isn't, it's just the general received 'wisdom' that a baby is only 'good' if they sttn from an insanely early age). My DD is 21.5 months and STILL wakes once for milk most nights, and she falls back to sleep instantly after her milk so I 100% believe she still needs that milk (and she's not a tiddler by any stretch of the imagination, she's been on 91st for height and weight since she was very young).

This is a tough stage, but it does get easier!

 

[crownest]

Not to nit pick but what do you mean by underweight. Bf babies gain differently to ff babies and most charts are based on ff.

Well, he started dropping off his growth curve, so we did weight checks to track his gain between set dates. The pediatrician and lactation consultants were of the opinion that his gain was lower than it should be.

Oh I see. I only asked because most doctors are now only used to the standard charts which where developed for ff babies and some don't understand a bf baby won't necessarily follow the same pattern ie they will cluster feed to increase supple when need it rather than a set amount of milk. I've no real advise but go with your gut feeling if your happy to feed a night keep going there seems to be an obsession today with getting babies to sleep through the night as early as possible but if you want to cut down that's absolutely finecessary as well. I've being know to give a big bottle of milk just before bed to try get a few more hours sleep

The WHO growth charts, which are what is used in the UK 'red book', are based on weight gain of healthy breastfed babies. Which charts are based on ff babies?

I stand corrected I'm not in the UK. A LC and nurse told me this but I've researched and your correct the updated charts now used where I'm from are based on healthy bf babies.Apologies for the incorrect information.