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I hope someone can help as I am getting conflicting advice from hv/friends/relatives!
My DS is just over 21 weeks old and is currently 16lb15. Over the last four weeks he has put on 4oz, 3oz (over a fortnight), 3oz and this week only 1oz. Would really like to reach 6 months exclusively breast feeding due to research that suggests digestive problems may occur later on in life if weaning before 6months (due to a change (that cannot be detected) in the gut that can happen anythime between 4 and 6 months. I realise that when you start weaning, that the majority of calories still come from milk, so guessing this in unlikely to lead to better increase in weight, so my question may not actually be about weaning afterall??? I am feeding on demand and DS was feeding every 3 hours until about a month ago when he had another dip in weight. I upped feeding to every 2.5 hours on suggestion of hv and increase in weight improved again (he went up by 15oz one week!). He has been feeding every 2.5 hours and sometimes 1.5-2 hours for the last 2-3 weeks. He is also doing briliantly at night and has been sleeping 8.30pm ish to 6am ish. I am totally happy to feed more often but it is not obvious that is what DS wants. I'm just concerned that he is not getting enough nutrition from me and wonder if there is anything else I can do to try and improve the situation without the need to wean yet. The HV has just said try to persevere with bfeeding. I'm happy to do that, I just don't want to 'stunt' his growth! He is quite long and skinny and it is really hard when relatives keep telling you that 'that boy needs some food inside him'!! Sorry for the essay!
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Want to bf to 6 months but how to keep weight up? |
(20 Posts) |
Have you got the new or old growth charts in your red book (new ones have just come in I think!) Anyway, the old growth charts in the red books are based on bottle feeding and show a steady growth pattern which breastfed babies just do not follow, esp at about the 4-5 mth period. They have started to adopt the breastfed baby graphs because they are worried that the formula graphs are actually not doind anyone any favours and could even be encouraging obesity!! Go to the WHO website and find the breastfed baby growth charts and see if that helps.
Otherwise, sounds like you're doing fine. Everyone is a different shape, sounds like he's a fit and healthy boy. If he's alert, happy, weeing lots and pooing once every few days (or even up to once a fortnight!) he's doing fine! well done!
Otherwise, sounds like you're doing fine. Everyone is a different shape, sounds like he's a fit and healthy boy. If he's alert, happy, weeing lots and pooing once every few days (or even up to once a fortnight!) he's doing fine! well done!
it must b hard for you bein under so much pressure from other people but MUM KNOWS BEST ! good luck x
it must b hard for you bein under so much pressure from other people but MUM KNOWS BEST ! good luck x
my ds was long and skinny too even after weaning.dd was chubby always just different babies different shapes !
my hv was nt supportive either,tried to get me to bottle feed . but i ignored her and breast fed exclusivley till 6 months .best advice i got was from a bf counsellor who told me to feed on demand (it was hard work day and night) but after the first 2 weeks my babies gained weight steadily and we never looked back
good luck !
good luck !
just received my copy of the nct mag "New Digest" which states:
"frequent weighing of healthy term babies isnt necessary and returns misleading information. Once feeding is established the support materials recommend 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks and one year, and say that babies should not be weighed more often than once a month in the first 6 months, and no more than every 2 months between then and a year."
this is in reference to the new growth charts for exclusively bf babies.
"frequent weighing of healthy term babies isnt necessary and returns misleading information. Once feeding is established the support materials recommend 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks and one year, and say that babies should not be weighed more often than once a month in the first 6 months, and no more than every 2 months between then and a year."
this is in reference to the new growth charts for exclusively bf babies.
and enjoy this 'small baby' stage - it gets a lot messier and noisier after this bit 
You sound to me as if you are doing just fine. Is there a reason you are having him weighed so often? Every week seems a bit unusual. I think the normal recommendation is no more often than once a month. If you look at your son's gain over a month it looks fine. If you look at the week where he gained 1oz it makes you feel nervous. But the truth is he is gaining, not losing, and he weighs plenty.
I would just avoid the HV for a month or so, if I were you.
If you are feeling pushed into introducing solids earlier than you wanted to, remember that the early weaning foods contain far less calories than breastmilk. Giving you baby some pureed carrot is not going to help him put on weight.
I would just avoid the HV for a month or so, if I were you.
If you are feeling pushed into introducing solids earlier than you wanted to, remember that the early weaning foods contain far less calories than breastmilk. Giving you baby some pureed carrot is not going to help him put on weight.
Sounds like you are doing fine to me. My dd is 24 weeks (yesterday) and exclusively bf. Other than the first couple of weeks when the mw and hv came to the house she has only been weighed when she went to the clinic for her immunisations. She is bright, healthy looking, active, meeting her milestones has lots of wet nappies and dirty ones about once a week. She is slim, but not skinny.
When babies get to this sort of age they become more active, rolling, sitting up, attempting to crawl etc etc and this can temporarily slow their weight gain, it doesn't mean they need supplementation.
As long as you are feeding on demand and your baby is satisfied you don't need to worry, he will demand all that he needs from you and your supply will adjust accordingly.
This article talks mainly about newborn weight gain, but also briefly covers 2-12 months at the end, and says exactly that. Look at the baby not the scales.
When babies get to this sort of age they become more active, rolling, sitting up, attempting to crawl etc etc and this can temporarily slow their weight gain, it doesn't mean they need supplementation.
As long as you are feeding on demand and your baby is satisfied you don't need to worry, he will demand all that he needs from you and your supply will adjust accordingly.
This article talks mainly about newborn weight gain, but also briefly covers 2-12 months at the end, and says exactly that. Look at the baby not the scales.
Why do you think you need to up your supply. If he's gaining weight albeit slowly and is happy and fine you don't need more milk. I know it's hard to trust your milk when you first start out but honestly, you don't sound like you have a problem. If he was hungry he certainly wouldn't be sleeping so soundly! 
.
Please stop going to see the HV if she isn't supportive. Go to mum and tot groups and seek out the breastfeeding mums - they will probably be lot more knowledgeable and supportive
.Please stop going to see the HV if she isn't supportive. Go to mum and tot groups and seek out the breastfeeding mums - they will probably be lot more knowledgeable and supportive
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