19wo only weighs 4.5 kg approx, feeds constantly, is this ok/normal?

[titferbrains]

Ds is very alert but quite demanding! Feeds probably at least every 1.5 hrs or so, and will only do long naps in sling - am trying to do one of these a day so when he wakes up he has a good long feed. But feeding goes something like this:

wake at 7/730 and begin feeding, about 15-20 min while dd whinges for cereal.

Give dd cereal then feed dd then myself,

Feed ds again in case he didn't get enough before

915/930 feed after school run to get him off to sleep, can take 15-30min

if he sleeps it's only for about 40 min in cot

Feed again - usually feels like a proper feed not, a quick 10 min and back to sleep.

feed again before p/u dd at 1215 as he's likely to be cranky from not enough sleep

Feed after dd/I have lunch or during

sling for a longer nap 2-4

feed
feed on and off between jobs around house - I usually feed during DD supper at 530, during bath time 6-630

feed at 730 to try to get him off to sleep

if he goes down generally wakes after 40 min- 1hr

feed during my supper or let him grumble in chair next to me or Dh holds him

try to feed to sleep again then rock him and put him down again.

We co-sleep from about 1030, he feeds to sleep, wakes around 2 or 230am then again around 4 or 430 and and again maybe 530 6ish, all a bit blurry as i am swapping sides thru all this and only half awake.

I am constantly ravenous!!!! but he only gains about 100g a week!! plenty wet and poos abotu once per 24 hrs or sometimes a bit less.

Any thoughts?????

am just wondering about topping him up w ff or startin ine bottle per day or if there's anything i shd do to help him go longer, it's frustrating that he looks much smaller tha most babies i know and seems a crazy amount of feeding to sustain minimal growth!

shd i ask hv about length and head circ? just want to be sure he's safe at this weight. osteo says he just has v high metabolism. dd was small but not this small.

Sorry, I'm no expert as I only have a 9 week old DD but 4.5kg sounds a bit on the low side as DD was weighed last week and was 5kg. But I think that my DD might be on the big side considering I'm tiny.

What percentile is DS?

he is off bottom of chart.

docs and hvs have deemed all ok so far as he is alert and well, generally healthy. he is just very small. am trying to ascertain if it's ok for him to grow this slowly. he has not lost any weight except the usual 10 % at start. so i know he is growing. am longing to start him on solids and formula but trying to hold off till 26 wks.

See if you have a local BF cafe/group you could pop along to just to see if his latch could be a bit better.

It's possible that this is the way he is and it's normal, but certainly worth having his latch checked as it mite shorten feeds help him put on more weight if his milk transfer isn't as good as it could be.

bump

Personally I would find this seriously worrying. When was the last time you were at the doctor/hv?

had him weighed at 16wks, will weigh again tmw

I would second going to a bf group/cafe/clinic to check your attachment. 4.5kg might be fine for a baby born tiny, is he following his own little curve even if he's off the chart? 100g is about 3oz (think I have done my maths right) and at about 19wks I think babies are expected to put on 2-6oz a week (double check that though!) so 3oz seems to be bang on average?

He could also be enjoying what one of our LC's calls a "pop and crisps" diet - ie he is snacking frequently instead of having nice big meals and a bf counsellor or LC could help sort this. But definately definately go see a bf specialist.

titfer - this is unusual enough to warrant a check by a paediatrician. Some babies are just small, but being off the chart is something that needs investigating. He's well under the chart, too.

I don't think an osteopath is sufficiently trained to judge this, sorry.

Your HV or GP should be able to arrange an outpatients' appt to the paed clinic.

Agree with tiktok, these needs further investigation by a professional, and sorry, but a bf clinic just doesn't cut it either. :(

at the pop and crisps thing, pettyprudence - eeek. 'Snacking' is perfectly ok and normal for many babies, and breastmilk is just as good whether it is in frequent short bursts or longer, spaced out feeds.

What a thing to say to people......:( :(

Not getting at you, prudence, BTW, just at the person who used the term with you :)

Tks all. Have just booked appt with the doctor next week and HV coming to weigh him next week also.

Have also decided to give him one bottle per day, in the evening, and hope that this will start to help him put on weight a bit faster, rather than topping up. Obv that means offering as much as he wants at the evening feed, not going to force it all down him!! I will breast feed first then see how much he takes...

Very sad not to ebf to 6mo but HV said milk may not be satisfying him, hence endless feeds throughout the day. I am tearing my hair out with not knowing if/when he is full. He is a very happy smiley baby, just endlessly hungry.

I doubt there is anything wrong with your milk titfer- it doesn't work like that. Perhaps it's just that he is not transferring the milk or some other reason why he is not gaining so well. Has he been checked for tongue tie?

had his tie snipped at 1wo

i just can't understand why he periodically comes off to smile, play with hands etc and stops being interested in nipple, ie as iff he is full - if he has lots of feeds like this then why is he not getting enough??

Has the TT been checked recently? It's not unheard of for a TT snip to release other bands of tissue under the tongue or even a TT to be not snipped enough to completely free the tongue or for adhesions to develop at the snip site and for it to knit back up somewhat.

Has anyone looked at the milk transfer during a feed? Not just looked at baby on your breast and gone 'That looks fine'....

I thought that tongue tie can grow back though?

no tt not been checked again

Hi titfer! I'm in a similar situation with my DS who is 14 weeks and 4.5 kilos. Feeds every 2 hours ish and also had tongue tie that was snipped at 9 weeks. Feels like a lot of work for a gain of only a couple of ounces a week doesn't it?! Got no advice for you I'm afraid..... Just wanted you to know you're not alone

OP, how much did your DS weigh at birth?

hodgie tks

so far 1st bottle of ff has just brought on a massive poo.

pray for sleep next. he took about 3.5 oz

he was 5 lb 13

just put him down "drowsy but awake" - we'll see what happens next!

hodgie does yr LO only seem satisfied for quite short periods? DS isn't happy anywhere for more than a few minutes - unless being held by me...

Actually he seems pretty content most of the time. He's very happy to kick on a mat or amuse himself for a while. He's a bit of a 'zero to hero' tho...... Happy and smiley one minute and then a HUNGRY screaming ball of fury!! I'm holding on to the fact that he is gaining weight slowly but I must admit to being a little worried .