I don't know what I'm doing...breast or bottle

[Veggy]

hi all, my 12 week old isn't gaining what he should be - he's dropped from 50th to just below the 9th percentile and if he is anything like my first he will be off the chart in a few weeks. I didn't want to go through the whole non-thriving baby thing again, so am looking for advice.
He has been both breast and bottle fed from birth. Recently, due to slow weight gain, I've given a few more bottles so I can get a better idea of what is going in. Sometimes it can take me an hour to only get 2/3oz or 80ml in. On the boob, he fussed after 2 or3 minutes. So, I do less breast as he's obviously not getting enough, but it seems like the bottle isn't going to be the magic bullet I hoped it would be.
Does anyone have any advice? I've tried: sleepy feeds, which are a bit better. spacing out feeds - he eats just as little. Different types of bottles. Big teats small teats.
Please, any thoughts would be much appreciated.
X

I see why you are worried, I'm curious though. What are your health professionals saying? Are you looking to augment their advice or do you disagree or are you just hoping for additional ideas?

There are several regular posters here who will b along. I'm not that experienced but I would guess regular offering of either is useful far above what might usually b expected. My dd fed every few mins for weeks. Nearly drove me nuts but her weight picked up over time. It threw me though being told every 2hrs was normal.....I thought I was wrong for a while til I trusted her although I'm still a bit suspicious sometimes!

Could it not just be genetics? Is your elder child ok now or are there still concerns over weight gain?

I can understand why it feels secure to give formula milk, so you can see how much is going in, but you feel your baby doesn't take that very well so I'm going to write from a breastfeeding point of view.

If he is fussing on the breast it may be useful to adjust the position in which you feed him. Do you have a breastfeeding support group near you? If not a helpline and some information are available here

The more you put the baby to the breast, the more your body will be stimlated to make milk.

Looking at the way he takes the breast, with help if possible, may help. The better the attachment is, the more effectively your baby can take milk, and the more you will make. Spacing feeds won't help you here, because your breasts need the stimulation of the baby sucking to produce the amount of milk he needs. Some babies like short, frequent feeds, especially when they're tiny.

Thanks so much for responding.
My first child is fine and healthy now, but absolutely miniture. She wears clothes for a 2/3year old and has just starterd school. But she's bright, has energy etc but eats tiny amounts and is small. But I guess that's ok - there has to be small and big people of course. I do sometimes worry about her still - when she not well and doesn't eat properly within a day her ribs poke out and you can feel her spine down her back through her clothes as there are absolutely no fat reserves. but, I guess that's her. So I do have an anxiety that my next is going the same way.
And no eating means no sleeping, being hard to settle etc. And my worry - whether or not it's worthy worry I don't know.
Re breast feeding - my latch is fine, and there is an abundance of milk. In fact I think that itself may have put him off - big jets of milk rushing at him. If my breasts are very full I always express some off in an attempt to get rid of the first rush of milk.
I guess it just seems like he doesn't have much of an appetite. He never seems ravenous and rarely cries to be fed. But as one of you said, maybe that's ok that he has a small appetite. And again, maybe it's ok that he doesn't grow in ,ine with the wretched charts.
But it I bottle feed I'll feel less to blame for having a low weight baby which rightly or wrongly will make me feel better.
The hv is not yet worried but I have to back each week.

Are you slight of stature? Is your partner? Its probably genetics. At which point your child will be the envy of every female most of her life.

Don't forget your hv is a paid gov box checker. your child is an individual. I think from what you are saying you are doing everything you can sensibly do.

Little and often. I still eat this way too. Like a horse, graze all day but no big meals. So long as they are healthy in other ways I think you will be ok