7 week old, still only gaining 3oz a week

[Mammie81]

Basically I was told by the midwives that I should supplement his BF. He was born at 6lb 1oz and is still now only 6lbs 9oz. He regained birthweight 2 weeks ago.

Ive been giving him two bottles a day, after hes fed from me, around 12 hours apart and expressed at those times (and sometimes more) in an attempt to keep the milk up so I can return to BF once hes caught up. He takes anything between 3-4oz but this is after hes fed from me.

It seems hes not catching up and today a HV advised I see a dietician who might recommend some kind of formula that is higher in fat?

What is this stuff? Could it be harmful, ie like the carnation milk my uncle was fed as a baby in order to fatten him quickly? I feel very uneasy about it, especially as I hardly had any time with the HV ths morning at clinic and the midwives we've seen before have said yes hes small but hes very alert. I felt a bit like she was just saying this will help, its the only option and thats the end of it.

I just dont think throwing fat milk at this situation is a good idea, espcially without looking into why hes not gaining properly. Anyone got any advise or thoughts?

Mammie81, really sorry I haven't got anything to say that could possibly help you. Just wanted to give you my sympathy.

Hopefully someone with training or experience will be along shortly.

I agree - somene should be supporting you to explore why your baby is not gaining.

If they think it is a plain ol' vanilla 'not enough calories' situation (and they seem to - otherwise why the high calorie formula - which is probably infatrini, BTW, which you can google, and not carnation :) ) - then lets think of ways to get more breastmilk into him.

What do you think?

These ways might include

• more frequent bf day and night
• more sides per session - at least two or three and you can google switch nursing to give you more info
• breast compression

Maybe discuss this with the HVs?

Also - never forget that some babies just gain slowly and are fine :) It's normal for them.

But don't assume this - your baby may well benefit from the chance to have more bf.

Hes well under the 0.4 centile line and I just think they are looking at the figures and not the problem. The HV didnt even discuss breastfeeding, it was as though it was a given that I would give up. And when I questioned this, she moved onto something else. (Mum and I are going to the childrens centre tmw to get some proper 1:1 time)

I think hes a lazy feeder - thats my gut feeling. During the bottle sessions, he guzzles away but I dont get that same kind of hunger at the boob. Hes happy to sit there for hours. Sometimes full on feeding, sometimes nibbling.

Thanks for the tips Tiktok. Ive been trying to maximise our booby sessions and have tried some of those things. Any advice for a lazy feeder?

Babies can't be 'lazy' - I know you love him, and I don't want to sound critical, but please don't call him lazy :(

I think what you mean is he may have a relaxed, laid back personality, and be a little boy who just loves chillin' when he's cosied up next to mummy :)

Don't have much to add to what I said before - check it out with the HVs and see if they are ok with it.

Hope it works out!

I'm sure that Mammie wasnt suggesting her son is lazy in general. Perhaps more that the manner in which he feeds is inefficient or slow.

Poor you, what a worry. I can only give my experience but DD (3 weeks old) didn't gain anything in her first 2 weeks and my dr (who is also a lactation consultan btw) suggested putting her on a feeding schedule. Therefor every 2 hours (from start of last feed) I wake her up give her 25 mins on each boob. After 25 minutes I take her off then change her nappy then put her down to rest. The second she stops feeding and just comfort sucks I take her off too. It was hard work but she gained 160g in 6 days after we started doing that.

HTH

Also if you don't like what the hv is telling you see a dr or get a second opinion.

Ive made an appointment at the dr's, but I did see my GP last week for my postnatal review and asked him - he said see the health visitor!

And after seeing her, Im definatly going back to the GP's.

The thing is, sometimes it feels like theres no way I can physically get more food into him. Hes on the boob for 1-2 hours for every feed, and he feeds every 3-4 hours. He never goes longer than 3 hours even after a formula. Thats what makes me worry that hes not absorbing the nutrients, rather than it being a feeding issue.

I'll update after I see the GP anyway. Thanks again.

Either that or he just eats so slowly hes not getting much milk from me

Mammie81 sorry to hear that you are still struggling and also struggling to get some proper RL support.

How did it go at the Children's Centre today?

FWIW I had a time when I was worried about DDs weight and I did something very similar to what beijingaling has done and it worked for us.

1-2 hours is a long time on the boob. Has his latch been looked at? Are your nipples sore? Is he feeding on and off? Or falling asleep?

Ignore HV. Just keep on BF. My DD only gained the same. She has always remained on 25th cent despite being born on 75th.

I am sure all will be fine. Don't worry. Hope dr is of help.

DD rarely gained more than 3 oz a week, often less. I was lucky by all accounts as all HVs just looked at her and were happy. I don't think she's on the chart anymore (but at 10 months). Was born 25th and just slowly went down, then after 6 months went down (centile not weight) even more.

I ensured I fed whenever so unlike others I didn't worry about trying to space out feeds. I also switch fed.

It does sound like he's on the boob are quite a while, so worth getting things checked out. I would see someone in RL and get things checked out: latch, tongue tie, but see someone more specialised in BF than midwife, HV and GP such as the LLL, BF cafes and/or a BF consultant/counsellor. Some charge, but it's one-on-one and local. Also ring on the helplines.

The switch feeding should help with the lazy feeding.

Slow gain on it's own isn't necessarily wrong, but you need to rule out possible culprits first.

Just a quick update. Baby has now gained 2lbs in 2 weeks and is almost back on the growth chart at the 0.4th percentile.

I now top up after each feed but he seems to prefer breast so Im going to try and go back to it after hes higher on the chart and doesnt feel so bony.

Thank you everyone for your support, without this forum and with only the advice of midwives and health visitors, I wouldnt be breastfeeding at all by now.

two pounds in two weeks? wow! DS only ever gained about 2-3oz a week. Always a very laid back baby boy and now the most chilled out toddler ever! I offered way more than he asked (eventually, after much gnashing of teeth and wailing about it, from me! and someone daring to mention top ups)and I also stopped weighing him!

I am always interested at how some women are badgered into a frenzy when their LO's gain slowly and others of us have HV's who are not remotely interested/bothered/concerned.

I hope you can drop your top ups soon. Well done and how great your mum is so supportive!

Do not despair; my dd has only ever gained 3oz or so a week, she's 22 weeks now, she looks small compared to other babies I know, she's just short of 14lb now, but she has fat in all the right places just happens to be longer ... I think getting in as many feeds as you can will help, boob out at every opportunity, but tbh, if your baby is like mine, a reluctant eater, your never going to have a chubster on your hands, we can't all have hulk babies!

I'd get some irl help with trying to get back to ebf. Positioning and latch can make a real difference to both how much milk and how many calories ~(ie. how much fattier milk) babies get when bfing.