well had lo's checkup today....

[Ashley8806]

and with ebf and pumping, lo still isnt gaining weight and remains in the 6th percentile. she has only gained 8 oz in a month. so by dr's suggestion i am adding a bottle or 2 of formula a day, but still pumping when she gets the bottle before bed and breastfeeding during the day. does it sound like i will keep my supply up to go back to ebf when shes gaining better? i would like to go back to ebf once she starts going up on the charts a bit, and her dr agrees just wants this little boost for a lil while

 

[grandbleu]

I hope your LO starts gaining soon so you can go back to your EBF. I don't really know the tricks to build supply but for me I'm just putting the little guy on the boob every 1-2 hours as he seems hungry and eating lots of nutritious food and drinking tons of water.

 

[DarlingMe]

Ashley just thought I would ask this because formula isnt the answer! How long do you let LO nurse for? Do you leave her on until she unlatches herself? There is fattier calorie dense hind milk at the end of the feed. Most of the teaching in the US focuses on letting LO nurse for 15 minutes and then switching to the other side. If you allow her to nurse until she unlatches, then offer the other side it will both help you supply and increase her weight. Personally I would not supplement the formula. Unfortunately US docs dont know or dont care enough to suggest the correct treatments! This site has some tips also: https://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/weight-gain_increase.html

 

[summer rain]

I completely agree with darlingme, formula top ups are so often seen as a first resort in these circumstances and they should be a last resort; after everything else has been exhausted. The best way to get baby gaining again is to feed more frequently and until baby unlatches him or herself, in the vast majority of cases this will make a huge improvement in weight gain, any top ups will compromise your supply and its very hard, impossible in some cases to get back to full supply again. Most doctors do not know how milk supply works; as far as they feel; milk supply is static and cannot be increased, nor do they know it will decrease if top-ups are given. Some doctors even believe if you give top ups and leave your boobs to 'fill' better; then there will be more milk in there for your baby than ordinarily-this is completely untrue and will only send signals to your body to produce less milk. Also your breasts are never empty and the 'emptier' they are-the fattier and more calorific the milk produced is, so the more you feed your baby the more fattening the milk for your baby. I would honestly try feeding more frequently; making feeds every 2 hours or even every hour; and try to feed at least once in the night if not more, for as long as baby likes and see what happens. I'd be very surprised if you don't get an improvement in weight gain xx

 

[summer rain]

Just read a couple of your other posts; and I'd definitely get your latch checked and tongue tie looked into as well-because feeding for hours can be and most often is normal but accompanied by the poor weight gain as well-it may be something is amiss xx

 

[Ashley8806]

thanks- we have had her checked for tongue tie and she doesn't have it, and they also checked latch and it looks fine... had some problems in the beginning but now is fine. I let her feed whenever she wants, which is usually constant. I don't switch sides because with her not being that efficient and when she was first born she was quite tired from being sick in the NICU, they told me to let her finish on one side and not to switch so I don't. Then if she wants more or will take it I will switch sides so I don't have to pump it.

 

[midori1999]

I personally think you were given the wrong advice about switching. Switching is more likely to keep her interested and increase milk transfer. Babies are likely to feed for longer when milk flow is the fastest and although 'hind milk' is important, it's a bit of a red herring really and if you swap sides each time the sucking slows down, then back again, as many times as you need, she is very likely to get more milk. It will also increase your supply to 'switch nurse'.

Also, when you say your baby is still on the 6th centile and has only gained 8oz in a month, do you mean she was born or or followed the 6th centile and has gained 8oz from her birthweight? If so, then allowing the two weeks to regain her birthweight, 4 oz a week for two weeks isn't that bad at all and is within what is classed as normal, although the lower end of it. Some babies have to be on the 6th centile, that's how it works. 50th isn't a 'target', it is an average, so some babies have to be on the highest and lowest centiles.

Can you attend a La Leche League meeting or similar in your area? They are likely to be able to give you the best advice on where to go from here, or indeed if there is even a problem. If your doctor hadn't weighed your baby, would he/you think there was anything wrong? Is your daughter otherwise well and thriving?

I would personally be reluctant to supplement with formula partly because it does remove some of the benefits on BF and partly because it is not condusive to keeping up supply and it can also be a 'slippery slope' to FF.

 

[patch2006uk]

Does 'remains on the 6th percentile' mean she's gaining just not jumping percentiles? There's nothing wrong with being on a lower percentile. Got to be a range to create an average!

 

[summer rain]

I misread your sig that your LO is 6 weeks old; at a month old many babies will have only gained around 8oz because it does take some babies longer to fully regain their birthweight, its completely normal and I definitely wouldn't supplement. My eldest only gained 13oz by nearly 7 weeks, but between 12 and 20 weeks he started gaining more like 8-10oz, although he had the occasional bit of formula here and there I don't think it was any factor in him gaining because he was actually having more formula when gaining more poorly. Also if your baby has been following any centile; this is totally fine; all the weights on the chart are normal; 'average' weights, the underweight and overweight measurements are outside the bottom and top lines. In my own personal experience most babies who are on the lower centile will end up jumping a few centiles at some point in babyhood, toddlerhood or beyond no matter what you do-so it would be a shame to potentially jeopardise your BF relationship, especially if your baby is getting the right amount of wet and dirty diapers and otherwise thriving xx