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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU To go to A&E/Urgent Care with my baby?

69 replies

MyBabyIsntGainingWeight · 08/02/2018 04:35

I have a 5 week old that has gained less than 7oz since birth. She is ebf and feeds all the time. Will go 2-3hours at night but literally feeds nonstop the rest of the time. If not feeding is crying /screaming. I took her to be weighed yesterday AM and she hadn't gained at all in a week. She's fallen off the chart. I managed to get a GP appointment in the evening and didn't really get any advice, just told to try topping up. But not how much or how often. No mention of monitoring weight. They said they would refer to paediatrician but not given any indication of how long this would take. I'm really worried and want her seen asap. WIBU to go to hospital? So as not to drip feed there is a big family history of food allergies. DD1 ended up on prescription formula and reflux meds and baby is suffering with silent reflux.

OP posts:

Slartybartfast · 08/02/2018 06:32

has she gained an oz a week? they generally lose weight the first week

gamerwidow · 08/02/2018 06:35

I wouldn’t go to A &E before you tried topping up. As other posters said try 1oz after each and see how she gets on. I’m a big supporter of BF but it doesn’t always work perfectly for everyone.

MaverickSnoopy · 08/02/2018 06:37

I am no expert but have been through similar with my two and really struggled. The second time I failed miserably at breastfeeding, she just wouldn't gain and the latch was checked (but by this point I'd got into a cycle of topping up).

Rightly or wrongly this is what I would do. Get some expressed milk (or formula) into her asap because it sounds like she's not getting very much from you. I wonder if her response afterwards will help to indicate whether this is the case or not. Then I would contact the health visitor and ask what support services there are for breastfeeding. It can't just be gp or a&e. As others have said have a look online for your local breastfeeding cafe and le lech league.

Keep fighting for her and insist on some support. In terms of how much to top up if this is the route you choose to go down. I used to offer the breast first and then give 2oz formula or expressed milk afterwards. It should always be after because then you know they've taken from you first. I always felt that 2oz wouldn't detract too much from what I was giving. It's also useful to watch the speed they drink it to indicate level of hunger.

IfYouDontImagineNothingHappens · 08/02/2018 06:44

I think you are right to get help- could be tongue tie, reflux, production or issues or so many other things.

Original poster

MyBabyIsntGainingWeight · 08/02/2018 06:46

To answer some questions:

She did have a tongue tie but it was only borderline. We had it snipped.

We have seen the feeding midwife from the hospital. Latch is good, swallows seen etc. Plenty of wet and dirty nappies.

She returned to birth weight in week 3. In the last 2 weeks she has only gained 2oz. She has gone from being born on the 9th percentile to offer the bottom of the chart.

I don't really want to go to A&E but what is the alternative? Get her weighed again next week when presumably she'll have lost weight??

OP posts:

Behindthedoor · 08/02/2018 06:47

TableShack - well said:

Just switch to formula. Problem solved. It's not poison, you know.

AlbusPercival · 08/02/2018 06:49

Behind the door

Depending on the issue formula may well not actually solve the problem,

PanannyPanoo · 08/02/2018 06:50

Can you ring back first thing to chase the consultant appointment, find out when it is likely.
With the family history and your concern of allergies I totally understand your reluctance to introduce formula.

if you do decide to try a formula I suggest you put a dab on her foot then lip to ensure there is no reaction.

Have you altered your diet? My daughter reacted to allergens through my milk.

She reacted to dairy, soya, egg and wheat through my milk.

it may be worth trying cutting dairy out of your diet to see if that helps. It can take 6 weeks to see an improvement.

is she bringing up her feeds?

PlanetMJ · 08/02/2018 06:51

I had a baby with posterior tongue tie. Yours sounds so similar, it's hellish. Diagnosis required specialist knowledge. Most hv and breastfeeding advisors deal well with normal issues but are not qualified to check for a posterior tie. Anterior ties are easier to spot.
Feeding improved for us after division by a private lactation consultant, alongside lots of additional support with position etc but I supplemented with formula in the meantime.
If you can feed for 20 mins on each side, then top up with as much formula or ebm as baby will take, then pump after the bottle to maintain your supply.
This is bloody gruelling, I won't lie, but we did manage to phase out formula after the tie was snipped and my good friend had the same experience, although she just gave a full bottle of formula twice a day and pumped after. We both managed to phase it out.
If you can afford a private lactation consultant, they could come to you today. Mine cost £75, plus a further £75 to perform the (ridiculously simple) procedure to divide the tie.
The worry is excruciating OP, I hugely sympathise and if formula improves your peace of mind, it's really not the enemy.

gamerwidow · 08/02/2018 06:52

The alternative is to at least try topping up if it doesn’t work you have exhausted all options

speakout · 08/02/2018 06:54

I would second La Leche League.

Phone first thing.

What are your baby's feeding patterns like? And during the night?

SouthWestmom · 08/02/2018 06:58

No why is everyone saying go to a and e? It's a long term problem not an emergency. GP has referred on and given advice to top up.
What exactly will a busy paed in a and e do?

biddybid73 · 08/02/2018 07:00

You might want to try calling the NCT helpline (you don't need to be an NCT member). They are super helpful

Bbbbbbbb2017 · 08/02/2018 07:00

I took my similar sounding three week old. First thing they tried was formula then he ended up tube fed and on IVs for a week. Trust your instincts

MrsCillianMurphy · 08/02/2018 07:01

I would suggest seeing an IBCLC lactation consultant www.lcgb.org these are the experts...in the meantime focus on 3 things:

Feed the baby, at the breast but also at this stage supplement with expressed milk or formula
Maintain your supply - this means pumping, even if little is coming out, regularly
Maintain breast focus - let baby have skin to skin and uninterrupted time at the breast

Somersetter · 08/02/2018 07:01

This is not an A&E issue.

See HV / GP / breastfeeding counsellor but don't go to A&E - it's not an accident or an emergency.

Good luck with getting it sorted

lalalalyra · 08/02/2018 07:03

Does she settle any of the time? Is there any pattern to it? Is she better upright?

Please call La Leche League - they can really help.

Have you had the tongue tie checked since it was snipped? DD3's wasn't snipped enough.

Is it particularly bad this week or has it been like this from day 1? If it's a particularly bad week then it could be a growth spurt. mine all got longer, then heavier.

Nottheduchessofcambridge · 08/02/2018 07:09

Breast is not best, formula is not best, Fed IS best! Is you baby hungry OP? I’m not an alarmist and I don’t want to scare anyone but if you can stomach it, please google Fed is best, just one bottle. Maybe you can decide if your story is similar to the lady in this story.

Rooberoobe · 08/02/2018 07:20

I’m assuming your DD1 had a milk allergy if she was on prescription formula? As I thought (but could be wrong) if one had it more likely others would. Have you checked if she has any other symptoms of a milk allergy? I know weight loss and silent reflux are both symptoms as is regular feeding as they are hungry but then it causes them awful pain in their stomachs so it’s a never ending cycle until they are diognosed. Obviously not saying cut milk out your diet without speaking to a health care professional though.

Nomad86 · 08/02/2018 07:22

We had a similar situation, DS lost a lb in 5 weeks. Nothing was done, health visitors were shockingly negligent. I couldn't get a paeds appointment for 3 months (he was only 2 months old and rapidly losing weight). I was calling every number I could find trying to get help and nobody could get me an appointment. I literally felt like his life was in danger. I eventually got him to maintain weight for a week by giving formula but if he hadn't, I'd have gone to a&e. Of you've tried everything else, I think it's reasonable.

JennyOnAPlate · 08/02/2018 07:24

I would get the tongue tie checked again op.

What’s your diet like? Are you eating plenty of calories? Plenty of high fat foods?

Slartybartfast · 08/02/2018 07:30

She has gained 2 oz in two weeks. That is a gain op. Try not to stress.

holeinmyheart · 08/02/2018 07:31

OP you are a new Mum and all problems take on nightmare proportions because the whole thing is a new experience and you have the added responsibility!! For this small life.
Trust your instincts by all means as we have all heard the horror stories, and no doctor should turn you away.
Realistically your baby HAS gained some weight and yes it does fret and yell ( almost all of them do) but you will be so anxious and possibly afraid, that this will have some effect on your baby.
Go back to your GP and be more strident and demanding if it comforts you.
If it will calm you down get some formulae as you can see it going in and will reassure yourself that your baby is getting enough milk. There is no shame in doing whatever it takes.
Otherwise be reassured that we were all once there wondering and wondering if we were doing the right thing etc, I can remember being so distraught from lack of sleep and a horribly yelling baby that I wanted to throw it out of the window and turn over and go to sleep.
I think your HV and your GP are a better bet than A&E with all those sick people coughing over you and having to wait around for hours and hours.
Hugs, chin up...it will pass. Honestly!

BalloonSlayer · 08/02/2018 07:33

Just switch to formula. Problem solved. It's not poison, you know.

Fuck's sake. She says that there is a big history of food allergies and her eldest child had to have prescription formula. So, yeah, it could actually be like poison for her baby.

My eldest has a severe milk allergy. With my younger two I was told by the allergy consultant that they were not to have formula UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. The OP obviously doesn't say she was given advice as extreme as mine, but she probably highly suspects she could make things worse by "just topping up."

Aeroflotgirl · 08/02/2018 07:34

Op have you tried formula now. I think you should if your concerned about your babies weight, the main thing is the health of yiur baby first and foremost, not bf. Call NCT and La Leche league, Mabey see if there is a Bf cafe near you. All A&E will do is probably give formula to the baby to bump up the weight as that's the main concern.

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