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Infant feeding

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

Help! Need some nice people to pick me up from a breastfeeding low!

13 replies

halfgreek · 01/12/2011 17:04

Hi - I just made the mistake of getting my DS2 weighed and found that he had dropped from 93rd at birth to 9th now at nearly 4 months...Before taking him in I had no reason to worry, he's alert and healthy though less chubby than my DD1 was at this stage. He also wakes a couple of times in the night for feeding and all my friends are saying I should top him up with formula in the evening to help him sleep. I suppose I just need people to reassure me that it's all ok and I should carry on breastfeeding because (good reasons please!) etc etc as I am feeling a bit useless right now....
thanks!!

OP posts:
TheButterflyEffect · 01/12/2011 17:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tiktok · 01/12/2011 17:13

halfgreek - waking twice in the night is well within normal for a baby of this age. There is no evidence that formula would help with this, and the research that has been done shows parents actually get more sleep continuing to bf solely.

Clinic presumably were happy with his progress?

The drop down the centiles is almost certainly catchdown, but if you are worried he is not getting sufficient you can just feed him more often/give him more 'sides' each time :)

Spagbolagain · 01/12/2011 17:14

If he's healthy and happy it sounds like you are doing fine. Unless there are other issues going on, he won't let himself go short.

My ebf DS woke twice a night till 10months, when I bit the bullet and night-weaned. 4months is still very little. Yes formula might keep him going longer, as it's more difficult to digest, but it also might not as he might be having a developmental spurt, or that just be his rhythm.

You are doing brilliantly, don't feel useless. 4 months is a great time to be breastfeeding- no mess of weaning yet, none of the faff of bottles when you're out and about, you can pack light and just get on with it wherever you are. :)

halfgreek · 01/12/2011 17:15

Thanks for the speedy reply TheButterflyEffect - I've never heard of catch-down growth could you explain further?
thanks

OP posts:
halfgreek · 01/12/2011 17:18

ooo thanks guys - this is really working! Yes, hate the faff of bottle feeding so want to keep on going and yes he's rolling around a lot (re: developmental). I forgot the take the red book so clinic doesn't know the progress - also so rare that I get to take him!

OP posts:
smileitssunny · 01/12/2011 17:31

sounds like you're doing well with the feeding. maybe you can take him back in a couple of weeks and weigh him again. He's sure to have put on weight and it will be reassuring for you.

Crobbie · 02/12/2011 00:33

Keep going with the night feeds - there is a lot of evidence to say your best milk is made at night!

Catch-down growth is where a baby is finding their natural position on the growth charts. Lots of things can artificially raise birth weight (including IV fluid quantites given to mothers during labour, being overdue, maternal diabeties or elevated glucose levels during pregnancy etc.) which are gradually adjusted for over time.

Do you have a breastfed baby growth chart in your red book or is it a bottle fed one? There are two different charts and comparing a breastfed baby on a bottle fed chart can be depressing!!!!

A couple of things you might want to think about for your own peace of mind - do ignore if not relevant!!! Are you using a dummy during the day? If so, it might be worth taking it away for a while as they can mask feeding cues and the sucking action can tell the baby that he is full when he isn't? Are you truly feeding on demand? It may be that just having one more feed in the day will be something he will happily take and will just give him that little boost?

The other thing that I remember happening at around 4 months was that my LO became much more inquisitive and was always looking around at what was going on. I found I had to offer milk more often as she was forever getting distracted looking at things, especially when we were out and about. I found that I had to go and find a quiet place to feed to make sure she really did have the feed she wanted.

It is worth going back to clinic in a few weeks and weighing again, just to show yourself it has all been good :)

You are doing great! Keep going!!!

MarksPA · 02/12/2011 01:43

My DD2 is 6 months next week and I'm still doing one night feed, occasionally 2 feeds. Last week I 'felt' like I wasn't providing all the milk she demanded during the day, but this week 'feels' better. I wholeheartedly put it down to night feeding - feeding demands at night increase mum's milk production, and I now have a more content DD this week (as I sit here with mahoosive boobies :)). Top up with formula now, and you might find it difficult to meet increasing demands through the growth spurts. You're doing just fine. If there was serious concern over baba's weight, then medical support (GP/MW/HV) may have advised you to switch or topup with formula, and I can only assume that they haven't, so keep going!!

halfgreek · 02/12/2011 10:09

Great advice, thank you! I was 10 days overdue but was always expecting a largeish baby as although I'm small, my husband is v big. DD was always hanging around 50th centile so I suppose that's what I'm used to. I do use dummy but mainly to get him off to sleep so i'll try without and feed instead. He's never been one to want to feed to sleep so I can usually just keep putting him back on until I'm 'sure' he has finished. I'm going to keep on going, thank you so much for all your support.

OP posts:
tiktok · 02/12/2011 12:14

Crobbie - nowhere has two charts or should not! There never was a bottle fed chart. The old charts were of babies whose feeding was not differentiated. They were replaced a couple of years ago, but in any case, in the first months breastfed babies and formula fed babies differ hardly at all (breastfed babies are on average slightly heavier - it's only after 6 mths or so that the breastfed babies become on average lighter).

Crobbie · 02/12/2011 17:30

OK, that has changed since my LO was born 2 years ago then. At that time it was possible to download two different sets of charts from the WHO website.

tiktok · 02/12/2011 18:00

Yes - but the other chart was one not used in the UK. And it never appeared in the red book, ever.

debka · 03/12/2011 05:58

My DD2 was born above the 98th centile line then dropped down to between the 2nd and 9th by 4mo. HV and people on here told me to look at the baby rather than just the chart- and she was always healthy, happy, sleeping nd developing well so I didn't worry much. I'd suggest you do the same. BTW she's 9mo now, eats bloody masses and is between the 25th and 50th.

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