EBF 20 week old drop in centiles

[IShallCallYouSquishy]

My DD is 20 weeks and been EBF from birth. She was born on 25th centile, went up to 50th and has plotted on or just under 50th since about 4 weeks old. I took her to get weighed today after not being weighed for a month and she has dropped suddenly to between 9th and 25th. She's been feeding a lot more recently including waking up in the night which she hasnt done since 9 weeks old. Thanks to an app I've used since birth I've worked out she's on the boob for neatly twice as long as she was before so can't understand why she's gaining so little - only 7.5oz in a month.

I don't want to give her formula, and I'd have to try and get her to let me put a bottle anywhere near her anyway, but the HV at clinic said she was concerned and I needed to have her weighed weekly for a while.

She will not eat any longer then she wants to, will let me know she's had enough and if I try and feed her more frequently she will only do 5-8 minutes then be put off next feed. I don't know what to do and worry there is something wrong with my milk supply.

[tiktok]

Squishy, nothing in your post sounds at all concerning to be honest. That weight fluctuation is well within normal, and a drop of 1.5 centiles after a month is not really 'sudden'. The length of time on the breast never corresponds at all to 'volume of milk taken' or 'weight gained' - babies go to the breast for all sorts of reasons and adjust their sucking and swallowing all the time.

If you really think she needs more milk, then the easiest thing to do is to offer her more breastfeeds, and at the same time, offer her at least two 'sides' each time. But you've tried the more frequent thing and you think this makes her take less.....and you also report your baby knows what she wants and communicates it!

From what you say here, you have a healthy thriving baby whose weight and growth are normal....but a health visitor who has worried you without being able to address anything like 'fixing' the 'problem' :)

Over to you :)

[SamSmalaidh]

In my experience, my own baby and lots of friends' babies dropped a centile at around 4 months. A few people were scared into weaning their big, healthy, gaining babies at that point by HVs for no other reason than they weren't perfectly following a line in a book Weaning didn't make them all suddenly gain masses of weight either.

[IShallCallYouSquishy]

Thank you tiktok and Sam, can you tell pfb?!

I think it was the way she said about being concerned that got me worried and thinking I've been doing something wrong.

Thank you for the reassurance

[AnnaLiza]

I found breast compressions really worked. Like you, my DS wasn't gaining much for no apparent reason and he would not feed more often. With breast compressions at every feed I basically increased the amount of milk that got into him. Try googling it, there are some good videos on YouTube.