Bf and weight gain slowing down

[CuriosityCola]

Sorry if this has been asked before.

Ds was steadily following the 50th percentile, but his weight gain has slowed down...only 2oz gained last week. He is 16 weeks old and has taken to snacking during the day for 5-10 mins and having larger feeds during the night.

Health visitor said he has reversed and that my milk supply will be suffering in the day. To fix things I need to offer him a feed every two hours for 30 mins. If he doesn't feed for that time to express to boost my supply. Whilst doing this I should gradually unlatch him quicker and quicker during the night and get him to sleep without breast.

I am feeling overwhelmed at trying to express every two hours. I never get much pumping anyway. I have had a really positive experience until now. I think we are also going through 4 month sleep regression.

Now I have rambled I'm not even sure what my question is. There must be an easier way help!

Ooh crumbs, I'd say that your HV sounds a bit confused about breastfeeding.

Weight gain does slow down from 4 months anyway. Have you dropped down centiles or are you still following 50th? Are you getting him weighed every week?

You could talk this through with someone from the breastfeeding helplines or perhaps tiktok is around tonight.

AT 4 months their gain slows and their feeding becomes more efficient

Timing a feed is not a good idea -

Offer the breast as much as possible in the day

Night feeds are usual and fine at 16 weeks too

They are more distractible and may feed more at night because they Are interested in other stuff in the day

FWIW, I never got DD weighed - neglected second child

He has dropped to around the 30th centile. I was really confident about his feeding, so hadn't been for a month. His weight gain had slowed, so I was asked to return the following week. I actually don't mind him night feeding, which I got cats bum mouth for saying.

Why does their weight gain slow at 4 months?

Cross posted Ruby. When I said he was too busy looking around to feed for long, I was told to always be somewhere quiet and to keep persisting for the thirty mins.

When does the weight gain start to pick up again?

Now I'm feeling silly for doubting myself. It's amazing how quickly your confidence can vanish.

I've no idea why weight gain does slow down at 4 months, but that's what is says on kellymom.

Actually I suppose babies can't sustain the level of growth that they undergo in the first few months. (otherwise they'd just be huuuuge).

You're probably right about the sleep regression and I would fully expect a four month old to be feeding in the night.

Thirty minutes? Is that some magic number that your HV has come up . Hardly responsive feeding is it?

Who knows? I was a little upset he had only put two ounces on when it used to be between 5 and 8oz a week. Ended up just sitting nodding whilst thinking my tomee tipee pump will never manage it.

It's not always possible to find a quiet place

30 mins is arbitrary! My DD was a very efficient feeder at 15/20 mins per side

Weight gain doesn't pick up again, it keeps on slowing as baby gets older.

Imagine if you had a 7lb baby who gained 8oz a week for a year* they would be 33lb at a year. If they were a baby girl they would have shifted from around 25th%ile to well off the chart (99.6th%ile at 1y is 27lb 8oz!). They would be the size of 25th%ile 4y/o girl.

May I ask why you are having baby weighed far more frequently than recommended? Is baby under the Paeds or has a health issue? Babies under 6m only need weighing once a month at most once they have regained their birth weight.

Otherwise you are prone to weighing the comings and goings of their digestive system (i.e. if baby has big feed and no big poo just before weighing on week A, then a big poo and they fed a few hours before weighing on week B you might well not see the weight they have gained just the poo and the feed throwing out the weight from the week before).

(*5.5oz-8.5oz is the average per week for a 0-4m)

I'm in a similar position. LO has dropped from 91st to 74th centile. I was told to try to space out daytime feeds so that he takes more at a time. This makes no sense to me whatsoever so I'll be watching this thread with interest in case anyone can offer any better advice.

I've got to say though, anyone who meets DS comments on what a healthy, boisterous happy baby he is so I don't think he's struggling through lack of milk/weight.

A drop of one centile lines is not of concern unless baby has health issues. HVs flag up drops of 2 or more for more in depth review/paed referral (that would dropping from 50th to 25th to 9th).

Feeding on cue and not timing feeds or removing baby before they have finished (okay on a one off if the door bell rings!) are good ways to increase milk intake.

Offering 2 or more sides at each feed (baby doesn't have to take the next side if they aren't hungry but if they get offered it they just might have a bit more) is also an easier way to increase milk intake than pumping after every feed!

2 or more sides TruthSweet? How?

Say baby starts the feed on the left side, feeds for a while then pops off so you offer the right, again they feed for a while before finishing again. You then offer the left side again, if they take that and still seem alert/interested you off the right again, and so on.

Bf are a factory not a warehouse. They are constantly making milk and different ducts within the same breast are at different points in production so it's never empty.

Too many errors (and to many agains!) Breasts are like a ....not bf!!

Ah, okay. I always try to 'empty' one iyswim before offering the other. He rarely takes the second though ( leaving me looking rather lopsided!) so maybe switching earlier would work better?

If you see baby slow down and start doing tickle or fluttery sucks (might not might just pop off) then pops off you can offer the next side.

If you remove them while they are still actively feeding, they can get a bit stroppy so let baby decide when they are finished with a side and then offer the next.

If you keep putting baby back on the same breast when they have fed all they want from that one you are in effect block nursing (but to a lesser degree) and might end up with slightly lower supply.

This slightly lower supply would be due to the long gaps between feeds on the other side i.e. [with rough timings!] R at 6, then L at 8, then R at 10, then L at 12 means rather than each side having milk removed to one degree or another 4 times in 6 hours each side has only been fed from twice in the 6 hours (so gaps of 4 hours between feeds on each side).

This is absolutely fine if baby will only take one side at each feeding and comes off replete of their own accord as then you are following baby's lead.

Thank you TruthSweet. I'll give it a go. Sorry for hijack OP!

No health issues, was just asked to return after a week. Previously I was attending every few weeks, partly as it is more of a baby group with the option of weighing...very nice way to catch up with other mums .

I think I have worded it badly by saying when does the weight pick up again. I meant that if it is normal to slow down and drop a few percentiles when will it start to follow them again? Hope that makes sense.

Don't stop going to see your friends, just smile and decline politely if offer a weighing when you don't want to get baby weighed again.

It is normal to see some movement of a centile up or down, babies can be born bigger (some can be fed very well in the womb according to DD3's Paed.) or smaller than they might be programmed to be. Growth 'down' the centiles is called 'catch-down growth', it's fine as long as baby isn't losing weight. Babies all find their place eventually.

DD3 was born on 91st, plunged down the charts to 2nd (had bronchiolitis numerous times) and now at 2y has settled on 50th for height and weight so her Paed thinks she was born a bit over stuffed! She was over a pound heavier than my lightest baby though!

You may find though if weighing takes place less frequently you are able to see a better pattern e.g. baby might gain 1oz, 2oz, 7oz, 4oz if you weighed on a weekly basis and be panicking about the initial poor weight gain and 'drop' in centiles but if you weighed monthly they would have gained 14oz so 3.5oz a week and no stress .

I'm all for doing what causes less stress, less paperwork and less fussing over what usually turns out to be nothing and definitely all for a cup of coffee and a chat with friends while baby plays.

DS is a 5 minute feeder, weight gain slows that why growth curves are curves and not straight lines.

Weight shouldn't be measured every week but a maximum of once a month. Growth is not linear but tends to happen in spurts so more frequent measuring can lead to unnecessary worry.

You shouldn't force a baby (or anyone) to eat, just provide them with opportunity to feed if they so wish.

If you're otherwise happy I'd just continue you as are (not expressing, not trying to feed for a set time), but just offer the breast more often.

sorry I wrote that post last night but only just pressed the post button, so thread may have moved on

TruthSweet its really interesting what you said about your baby being perhaps born bigger than she was meant to be. My little one has dropped from just under 75th to 6th and I am struggling to see what I am doing wrong. I go completely by her, she always seems satisfied and contented but still she is not putting on as fast as they would like. I basically got told that she was not getting enough hind milk - her feeding times do vary but she does have longer feeds everyday mostly feeding 15/20 on one breast. One hv did suggest that maybe she was just born bigger than she was meant to be so i really hope this is the case. I feel the pressure to fatten her up now and they want me to go back every two weeks.

As for 30 minutes - my DD will not feed for that long! Only occasionally at night if she is struggling to get back to sleep but thats a comfort thing. i struggle to keep her interested for 15/20 sometimes! And one HV told me that and I quote "3 month old babies should not be feeding every 2 hours!" when I said she can feed frequently in the day. I think I will see a different HV next time as she made me feel useless!

Sounds like your little one is doing well curiositycola. Some good advice here to follow but doubt you have much to worry about, just keep an eye on it. I dont think weighing every week will do anything but make you worry more. Sounds like you are doing a fantastic job. Well done! x

MummyGemx DD fed every 2 hours (night and day) until 9 months, even then she fed every two hours just it wasn't always breastmilk.

I'm trying to work out why going longer between feeds is even a good thing, for the most part it makes no difference to me.

Isn't it meant to reduce your supply? I am not going to attempt to time my DD as I dont think that will help her weight either and will lead to grumpy baby. She can go longer than 2 hours if she is asleep or we are busy but if she needs a feed, I feed her. I am now questioning some of the advice given by this particular HVer as I thought they were supposed to encourage breastfeeding not making Mums feel rubbish so they reach for the formula! I will ring my HVer if she is not in cllinic when I go next time!

Truthsweet and Gemx it's really interesting to hear you talk about catchdown growth, because that seems to be what DD is doing at the moment. Did your DCs have a big drop at the beginning followed by slow increases, or did they drop through the centiles more gradually?

My DD's weight seems to have befuddled everyone, even Tiktok!! She was born on the 99th centile, dropped nearly 2lb in the first few days, and is now gaining reasonably. She's 50th centile now, but at nearly 7 weeks old she still hasn't regained her birthweight. She's had all her checks and all the HCPs say how healthy she looks, and she feeds really well although we've started to give her one FF each day just to boost the volume of milk (doesn't seem to have decreased the amount of BF she does). Nobody can understand the strange weight loss, and it's even been suggested the hospital scales might have been wrong! My son followed a similar weight pattern (born 98th centile, eventually settled on 75th) so maybe I just make really efficient placentas!!!