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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

9 week old not putting on enough weight - help

14 replies

cotswolder · 12/03/2011 20:22

need advice please....

DD is 9 weeks and takes my milk via expressing and bottle as she didn't want to bf despite midwives and BF counsellor in hospital trying to get her to. I am taking plenty of milk off me and there is more than enough for her and the freezer - there is always a bottle either in the fridge or on the go.

She was 6.15 when born and was weighed on thurs at 10.5 In effect she is putting on weight, just not as fast as the charts would suggest. HV said she needs to be gaining more than she is. I am feeding on demand so not sure what I can do? Given I have put this much effort into expressing I really don't to give formula yet.

Also not helped in that she is very whingy and crys in the afternoons and will not drink that much during the day, tends to be early norning or late pm/evening. Am I doing something wrong?

OP posts:

crikeybadger · 12/03/2011 20:26

Why does the HV think she needs to be gaining more than she is cotswolder?

Has she dropped two or more centiles?

What is her average gain in a week?

thisisyesterday · 12/03/2011 20:33

the charts should be used as a guide... an average.
some babies will gain slowerr and some will gain faster and your HV should know that

what is formula trying to emulate? that's right, breastmilk. it is no higher in calories or fat... in fact aren't manufacturers always telling us how "close" they're getting to breastmilk?

so, if we know that formula is trying to be breastmilk, then why would it make more sense to give a slow gaining baby that rather than breastmilk itself?

i could understand if she'd said to try and feed her more frequently or larger amounts, but not to swap a very good baby milk for a slightly less good baby milk

i would carry on as you are and see her less frequently.

ftr, it is advised to weigh a healthy newborn (which she IS!) no more than once a month.

thisisyesterday · 12/03/2011 20:36

in fact, am calculating now and her birth weight to now i think is a gain of 3.88888888 oz a week?

"normal" weight gain should be 4-7oz a week i believe... so she is virtually doing that anyway

Original poster

cotswolder · 12/03/2011 20:40

crikeybadger - she has been gaining about 5 onz a week on average looking at her weights which is just about to take her from the 50th centile line to the 25th

Thisisyesterday - apologies if confusion. HV did not say formula yet - more that I do need to ghet her to take more bm so in effect she was suggesting more frequently or more but If I am feeding on demand and giving her as much as she wants then I'm stuck.

OP posts:

doricpatter · 12/03/2011 20:47

Just had a look at a chart and I think she was born on the 25th centile and is now halfway between the 9th and 25th. So she's dropped half a centile and is otherwise fine and dandy. AFAIK that means there's no cause for concern at all.

PenguinArmy · 12/03/2011 20:47

DD only gained about 3oz a week, went from 25th to 0.4th.

No-one ever worried, they looked at her, saw she was otherwise alert and fine and just declared she was a slow gainer.

Thisis is correct, most places state that 4-7oz is normal.

If output etc is fine, then it sounds like your HV is being a bit antsy :)

PenguinArmy · 12/03/2011 20:48

Also two centile variation is normal.

The chart doesn't say that a baby should be a line and follow that, just if you measure loads of babies at different ages, that is the distribution. Nothing about what they were before and how they got there

doricpatter · 12/03/2011 20:48

Sorry she was born between the 25th and 50th centiles. So she's dropped one centile.

I'm sure tiktok or someone else with knowhow will be along to put us right soon :)

thisisyesterday · 12/03/2011 20:57

5oz a week is fine!!! really, it is.

i honestly would carry on as you are and give the HV a miss for a few weeks.

crikeybadger · 12/03/2011 20:59

There you go then - nothing to worry about.

Suggest you wait another month before seeing HV again and just carry on as you were.

Original poster

cotswolder · 12/03/2011 21:05

Thanks all and do feel bit better - DH away so been worrying about it. I have tried to get her to take more milk today but she just chucks the bottle out of her mouth and squauks. Was going to go this week but will give a miss for a few weeks - and will stop looking at the charts so much .

OP posts:

RitaMorgan · 12/03/2011 21:08

50th to 25th is absolutely fine, not even worth mentioning! Mine dropped from the 75th to below the 25th and the HV wasn't even slightly concerned.

japhrimel · 13/03/2011 13:30

Yep, at that age you should be only weighing once a month or less.

DD has fussy times too, usually when she's over-tired. She sometimes has EBM in a bottle, but when she gets like that she'll barely take any (and it now has to warm for her to take any having had all bottles cold before!) but she'll nurse as it's comfort as well as food.

It may not be something you want to consider, but have you thought about trying bfing again? As you've got milk, it's always an option and feeding a 9 week old baby is so much easier than feeding a newborn as their mouths are bigger and they're so much further on developmentally.

Cosmosis · 13/03/2011 19:48

mine went from 50th to 25th and no-one batted an eyelid.

I second the idea of attempting bf again, a friend of mine did this and it worked for her :)

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