Would anyone else like to come and tell me to put DS 'on the bottle'?

[suwoo]

Sorry to bore you all with my tales of woe again but DS has only gained another 1oz this week.
He is now 1lb 1oz bigger than his birth weight 11 weeks ago. He has gained 2lb 6 oz in total since his lowest weight.

I am supplementing him with the Medela SNS giving him 3 feeds of 3oz daily.

Why in Gods name is he not gaining? What is happening to the milk? He is feeding really well (so I thought).

People are starting to get twitchy now and suggesting I 'put him on the bottle'. I am like a petulant teenager and just reply 'I'm not' with a face.

Anyone got any bright ideas??????????

[Pinkjenny]

Sending you much love, and as you know, no helpful advice whatsoever.

[neenz]

What does your HV say?

Does he seem content? Is he pooing and weeing normally?

If he gaining weight, not losing it, and seems happy, then maybe it is just normal for him?

Carry on with the BFing, you really are doing the best for your baby.

[neenz]

So he has gained 38oz in 11 weeks? What does he weigh now?

38oz in 11 weeks is not a lot, but it is still 3-4oz a week average. It is not bad.

[ib]

Is he happy?

I had the same story with ds and, tbh, at one point I did put him on the bottle - and bitterly regretted it as he was allergic to cow's milk and took a serious turn for the worse (although he did temporarily gain a bit better - because it was easier to force feed him by combining the two, as when I gave out due to exhaustion dh took over with the bottle).

In ds' case he actually wasn't eating enough. He just ate the minimum he needed to survive and then suckled for about 20 hours a day. It was because he had terrible reflux and suckling helped, but too much milk aggravated. I'm sorry to say it didn't get better until he was put on meds (at about 17 weeks )

[suwoo]

Its actually 38 oz in 10 weeks as he was a week old when at his lowest.
Was 8.9, then 7.4 and is now 9.10.

HV says nowt . Her assistant weighed him and asked me if I was eating and drinking enough (that old chestnut) so I said yes and left.

I think the next step is to increse the amounts of formula in the SNS.

He smiles loads, sleeps for 4 hours or so a day (so not excessive) and can do 5 or 6 stretches a night, which is possibly part of the problem- its too long.

Thanks as always for everyone's good wishes.

[mrsjuan]

Oh dear Suwoo - sorry you're still having trouble.

I have been there -DD was only 8lb at 12 weeks & have to say I eventually gave in and 'put her on the bottle' all be it a mix of formula & EBM to assuage the guilt. I don't regret it as much as I thought I would.

Can you not do more feeds using the SNS? I know it's a faff but you must be pretty determined to keep going this long.

What are his nappies like? DD was always quite happy and alert on her self imposed diet - she got used to taking smaller and smaller amounts & it wasn't until I started the bottles that I realised that her nappies weren't as wet as they should have been.

If you feel in your heart of hearts that he is ok then carry on (only 3 more months 'til he can have some solids )

[suwoo]

The nappies are sodden- I really saw the difference when I started topping him up. They were also green and rancid pre top ups but are now yellow although only one every other day.

I am going to run an experiment this week and give him the 9 oz every day for the week and see what happens as I missed a few this week.

[suwoo]

Sorry for barely coherent posts. I was referring of course to his poo.

[KnickersandVests]

Put him on the boob and your self on the bottle and tell everyone else to fuck off



(not too much bottle for you but a little wouldn't hurt)

[CarGirl]

Do you think it could be food intolerances, something you are eating that he doesn't cope well with. Clearly not dairy (unless the formula is dairy free) perhaps wheat/gluton?

Could he not be getting a good deep latch so not getting enough hind milk?

Big hugs, I hope you find the answer.

I loved bf my dc but my oldest was fully bottle fed and tbh although at the time it mattered hugely to me now I realise it wasn't the end of the world? Just in case you feel you have to go down that route in the end. I loved the convenience of bf and that they were getting lots of the stuff to fight illness but my ff baby is my highest IQ dc - lol!

Are you getting support from local bf advisors?

[haventsleptforayear]

Green and rancid sounds like lots of foremilk??? (racks brains)

Not sure if you've already been through all of this?

DS1's nappies were v. like this because he fell asleep after the foremilk. Not sure how you know they are getting to the hind milk though...

Just a thought.

[haventsleptforayear]

x-post

[suwoo]

Oh I am knickers, I am! My bfc has been off sick for 3 weeks unfortunately.

I think it is a latch issue, thats my latest thought.

[HerMomminess]

HI suwoo. I'm struggling too.DD is 10 weeks.birth weight 7lb9, down to 7lb1 post birth,after vomiting bug 10days ago only 9lb 8. Only green stool, lots of straining;not enough bm to bexpress for top ups.I've been thinking her nappies are sodden (cotton ones) but maybe I' m wrong.

She takes ages to feed&latches on ok-acc to me.

Just went for a walk and got loads of 'ooh she's so cute' followed by 'oh she's so tiny' when they hear her age.

Seriously considering ff top up but worried it makes things worse.

Have posted elsewhere but no response yet.Interested to see replies here.

Hang in there.

[HerMomminess]

Oh- also under huge pressure from my folks to put her on a bottle.Now I'm lying to them bout her weight&progress.Luckily they live too far away too see the truth.

Situation not helped by recent immunisations either!

[cleanandclothed]

Oh dear - sending much sympathy. Have you been referred to a paediatrician? It might help to put your mind at rest if there is nothing wrong, or a fresh pair of eyes might pick something up that others have missed?

Is he still happy and lively?

Will be thinking of you both and beaming good feeding thoughts over the next few days (what time would you like them particularly - DS is great for waking at 11.30 just as I am getting off to sleep...)

[haventsleptforayear]

Things improved for me around 6 weeks when a bf councillor got DS1 to do a "proper" latch - ie open his mouth wide enough. (I was v. sore)

She also had a chat to him (looked him in the eyes, said "you need to open your mouth wide for mummy" !

I had to tickle his cheek I think to get him to open wide enough and get the whole nipple in his mouth.

Can you look at some videos online or get to see someone?

[mrsjuan]

Does the SNS affect the way latches (i.e make him a bit lazy?) Google 'exaggerated attachment' (I think that's what it's called and have a go at that.

DD has a very shallow latch which is fine for a little suckle in the night to get her back off to sleep but useless for any sort of nourishment. I think the exaggerated attachment technique might have worked i we'd tried it in time.

Good luck x

[suwoo]

Yes mrsj, I think you are right, he doesn't have to latch properly in order for the milk to come out of the SNS. Am off to google now, thanks.

[suwoo]

I don't think exaggerated attachment is the right name, I do know what you mean and read up on it before he was born but can't remember. Nothing comes up on google for exaggerated latch.

When I fed him last at 7 ish, I really concentrated on the latch and he definitely took more in and was more settled. I was using the SNS which generally calms him but he wasn't pulling off beacause I was holding his head too tight

[cleanandclothed]

LOL at haventslept 'open your mouth wide for mummy' - I think all DS heard for the first 6 weeks or so was 'big wide mouth for mummy ds, big wide mouth for mummy'!

[mrsjuan]

www.mothersguide.co.uk/mothersguidesample.pdf
Page 14.

I used to do the head holding thing in desperation but I don't think it did us any favours in the long run!

[josiejo79]

Suwoo - My DS can't latch properly and lost a lot of weight in the first week as i was determined not to bottle feed him, i even ended up hand expressing and using a syringe to give him BM!

My MW suggested trying a feed with nipple protectors, (I know some people hate this) and he now feeds really well. I hate the protectors as he still cannot latch (8wks on) but he is getting lots of BM and no green poo's! The Medela ones come in two different sizes from this website, and you can get the medium size from Mothercare.

If the HV and GP are not saying that they are concerned for babys health then tell everyone else to POKE IT.

[suwoo]

Hmm, something to think about Josie as I do have some. I have large nipples though, so they may not fit. I have already had to get a bigger flange for my breast pump as it was too painful.

Am thinking about the lansinoh latch assist. When he pulls off (which is frequently) the nipple is very wet and slippery which makes it hard for him to latch back on with very flat nipples. Is this normal?

[verylittlecarrot]

It took my dd 16 weeks to gain 2 lb from her lowest weight. I had her checked out, my latch checked out and then carried on. Worried myself sick of course but EBF was right for us and I don't regret it for a moment.

DD is utterly healthy, sharp, happy and far too bright for her own good at 2, as she was at 3 and 6 months when she was the slowest gaining baby in the world.

Some babies are the 'outliers' on the charts, and it's the devil's job to decide if they need 'fixing' or not. I decided that mine didn't. (I think I was right)

I'm sorry you're going through this - I know what it feels like.