Worried about low weight gain - BF baby

[charr]

I've BF'd DD on demand since she was born and she's now 12 weeks. She weighed 7lb3oz at birth and dropped to 6lb12oz after 5 days. She now weighs 9lb11oz and has dropped down a centile on the charts - cue me being paranoid that she isn't getting enough milk or it's no good.

She had been putting on about 4oz per week (I've been getting her weighed every fortnight - daft first time Mum and all that!) but when I got her weighed yesterday she'd only put on 3oz in the last 2 weeks despite having a feeding frenzy at the weekend. HV had a chat with me and said that DD was alert, latched on well and had good skin tone (she also has lots of wet and dirty nappies and is very active - when she's awake she never stops kicking and thrashing about). She said to get her weighed in a fortnight but to try not to worry - so guess what I'm worrying non-stop!

She's always been slim and long (like her Dad) but the really annoying thing is that in the couple of days before I got her weighed a few people had commented that she was filling out a bit and I wasn't worried about her at all!

Can anyone give me any advice of things I can try to get DD to put on weight or tell me anything I might be doing wrong. I don't really want to give her formula but also want to make sure she's getting all the nutrition she needs.

TIA

Honestly she is getting all she needs from you. My DD is nearly 4 months and is really petite - very long and thin though she was 9lb 2 oz when she was born. She also put weight on very slowly. She is still quite small but that 's just her make up.
As long as your DD is gaining weight, settled between feeds, alert, lots of wet and dirty nappies you have nothing to worry about.
All babies are different... sod the centile charts. You really have nothing to worry about.

You sound just like me! My DS is long and thin too and apart from gainging 20oz in 2 weeks when he was abut 4/6 weeks old he has never gained more than couple of oz a week since then. Well, actually I think he's gained quite a bit in the last few weeks but I haven't been to have him weighed as last time I found it a bit depressing. There was one fortnight where he had gained 3 oz and another where he hadn't gained at all but he did have a bit of diarreah at the time so that probably accounts for it. To me he is fantastically happy, healthy, agile - feeding and sleeping well and producing stupendous nappies. But his slow weight gain meant he was dropping down the centile charts and it was really pissing me off that I was allowing this to spoil my happiness and confidence in my abilities to nourish him properly.

He is fully breast-fed - just started on solids last week. he has always been a fast and frequent feeder (just like Daddy!) and I think he is quite happy doing it his own way.

By the way, they all lose a bit of weight at the beginning - completely normal.

Sounds to me like you don't have anything to worry about at all. DON'T give your DD formula - she doesn't need it. She is getting the perfect food for her needs from you. Don't be tempted to early wean either. Just carry on as you are and ignore the charts. Does she look well to you? Then she is! Enjoy her

charr:

• your baby has been seen by the HV and pronounced fit and well

• dropping a centile is well within normal (up to 2 is within normal and even then, babies who drop more than this are usually fine)

• it is bad practice to weigh healthy babies more than once a month in the first 6 mths, once they have regained their birth weight - guidance to HCPs is to weigh more often only if there are problems (fortnightly is too often, really it is!)

• info you get with more frequent weighings of healthy babies can be misleading and it is anxiety making (as you have found)

• your milk is the best thing for her; formula brings with it health risks, so why would you want to give it just to make your baby gain weight more quickly than she is physiologically 'meant' to? If you think she needs more feeding, you can offer her more breastfeeds, and her own appetite and needs will adjust her intake to 'fit'

Hope this helps!

Thank you all for replying - You're messages have gone a long way towards stopping me worrying (well about this bit of being a Mum at least!!).

DD does seem really content and happy to me - she's been all smiles, grins and very strange noises (I think she thinks cutsey oohs and ahs are boring so we have squawks instead!) today. I'll offer her more feeds and I think that I'll definitely get her weighed less.

Thank you

Its fine. Just like my DS2. He is 16 weeks.

Was on 50th and stayed there until 6 weeks, then down to 25th now just above 9th. HV says its fine. In fact HV told me not to come back for another month, and that not necessary to be weighed fortnightly!

I am not actually sure why you are concerned, your HV was happy, you said yourself the baby is content and active. If your baby was hungry you'd know about it!

Enjoy your lovely baby

Like tiktok says, its best if you weigh your baby no more than monthly as any more than this causes unnecessary concern about weight gain. My dd has also dropped a centile and gains between 6 and 9oz per fortnight. I did the same as you and kept taking my dd to get weighed and like you it only made me worry. Your baby sounds healthy and happy and as if she is thriving on your milk. Try to relax about it a bit. I did and feel much better.

I actually thought this was my thread as I posted similarly the other day.

It's hard to not worry about weight gain but I do agree that if baby's happy and there are lots of nappies that she's probably absolutely fine.

I was told by my health visitor I had to go every week for a while, but if I don't I'm going to try and space out weigh-ins a bit more, though I am very curious as to how he's doing.

Best of luck!

charr, I work mainly in baby clinics, weighing babies. (I actually went on growth monitoring training today) My advice to you is to stop her having her weighed.

What's recommended is, so long as all is well health wise as it is in your case, to have her weighed when she's born and then only again when she has her immunisations and at her routine health reviews at 6-12 months and 2-2.5 years. Any more than this and it can cause unnecessary worry to you because you will see too much change in her position on the percentiles.

Sounds like she and you are doing really well, stop worrying and enjoy her.

p.s. there is absolutely NO need for formula top ups.

My first baby was on the 90th centile when he was born, it took him about 5 weeks to regain his birthweight and was on the 25th centile at 4 months! He was a very long thin baby (and totally different from the two chubby boys I've had since!) His slow weight gain had no adverse effect on him. He's always been lively and he crawled at 7 months and walked at 10. Now aged 8 years he's healthy, active and intelligent. The best advice I can give is try not to worry. Your baby sounds like she is doing really well on your milk and there is no need for top ups. Weight gain can vary. In a few weeks she might have a growth spurt and put on more.

Thank you all so much - Mumsnet's great! I feel much better. MumNWLondon you're right, after sleeping on it, I'm not sure what I was so concerned about now. I guess I was just getting obsessed about charts and centiles and forgetting to enjoy my baby - so I'll get on with doing that from now on!