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Infant feeding

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

Breastfed baby losing weight

37 replies

hjscho · 26/01/2006 15:52

I have been feeding my 20 week old DS and since 8 weeks old he has been gaining only about an oz a week, sometimes losing weight. I went to doctor with him as he looked very thin and he had lost 6oz in a week. He is now the same weight he was at 8 weeks old. Doctors advice was to give up breastfeeding. I want instant weight gain and see that as the only realistic option. I did a 'top up' today and now he wont feed properly at the breast, as if he is expecting a bottle. Any advice?

OP posts:
Piffle · 27/01/2006 19:20

Also how does his height equate to his weight?
If they are following the same drop in centile that may be less worrying for you
FWIW my dd actually has a genetic syndrome which causes low weight gain which went along with her heart problem
We did not get a diagnosis for several months so went through exactly what you are going through at the moment.
I was veggie with ds (now 12 yrs old) and I was a bad vegggie, ate not nearly enough protein, but ds piled on the weight.
Many doctors are laid back about weight, my paediatricain says look at the baby not the scales but best to get him properly checked out to make sure
Hope you get some answers ...

Tipex · 27/01/2006 21:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

nanneh · 27/01/2006 21:49

hjscho - sounds like you urgently need to see a paed. It can take a GP absolutely ages to get you referred if they don't think its urgent. I hate to say it, but exaggerate like mad to get your referal asap. Sometimes you need to make the situation look much worse than it is to get a referral quickly.

I agree that a 20 week old BF baby should look quite chubby. BF babies gain loads of weight in the first 3 months. My DS looked very chubby at that age. He began to slim down after 6 months, which is very normal for an excl. BF baby. Kellymom.com has an excellent explantation for this.

Where do you live ? If you can afford a private appointmnet with a paed. I can refer you to one in North London. He isn't a friend or anything so this isn't advertising. I have never had to use him (thank goodness) but when my DS was born I asked a lady at the NCT if she could give me a no. of a private paed. for emergencies because I know how slow the NHS can be. I still have his no. She said this guy had saved her son's life, so I reckon he must be good !

I really sympathise with your situation. A friend of mine had a very thin looking baby throughtout until he was about 5.5 months old. He looked like skin and bone. She was breastfeeding, but used a dummy very frequently from the day he was born and he also seemed to have reflux as he threw up practically after each feed. Both of these things can lead to low weight.

I suggested she take him to a paed., but she didn't. She ended up giving up BF and switching to formula (on the advice of her HV) without getting her baby checked to see WHY he wasn't gaining. I was really sad about this because it may have been remedied without the need to give up BF.

I am really glad you have raised your concerns here because you will get lots of good advice !

Good luck.

Tipex · 27/01/2006 22:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

nanneh · 27/01/2006 22:27

tipex - I wouldn't normally have said this but my GP is very anti-BF and so whenever I have had a concern she has brushed it off with "formula".

I just felt that if hj wants a quick referral she should insist that it is very urgent. Perhaps my use of the word "exxagerate" was inappropriate. I just meant that she needs to push for a referral.

Sorry, just my opinion of the way the NHS works.

r3dh3d · 27/01/2006 23:58

The best way to see a Paed in a hurry is to get to a hospital, ideally one with a separate Paediatric A&E & present yourself as an "Emergency". They will be used to seeing hysterical first-time parents for coughs and colds: a genuine problem like this won't faze them.

LucyJu · 28/01/2006 10:49

FWIW, when dd1 was born, I was a vegetarian and her weight gain was fine. I've since started eating meat, and guess who was on mumsnet a couple of weeks ago about slow weight gain in dd2? Just wanted to reassure you that, whatever it is, I'm sure your diet isn't to blame so you can discount your mum's theory.
Hope your GP visit was helpful.

hjscho · 02/02/2006 09:36

Had DS weighed yesterday. I was SO nervous, but I needed to know what was happening. He has put on 13ozs in the week. Thats down to feeding hourly and giving 2 'top ups' of about 120mls. The doctor referred me to the pead, but no appointment as yet.

OP posts:
MissChief · 02/02/2006 09:38

that's great! You must be v relieved? Still worthwhile getting that paed appointment though..

tiktok · 02/02/2006 10:18

That's good news, hs.....I am still puzzled about the 6 oz weight loss and the fact he looked 'skinny'. Could be you thought he looked skinny and he wasn't, and that the 6 oz weight loss was operator error on the scales (has been known!). Clearly, though, even with all that, he was gaining weight v. slowly....and just feeding lots and lots does (of course) put weight on!

hjscho · 03/02/2006 09:33

Tiktok, I hope the 6oz loss was due to error on the scales rather than anything else. DS is defnitely a happier baby with a bit more food. Perhaps I wasn't reading all the hungry signs... I am still concerned that he gets 'bored' and starts bobbing off once the milk gets slow. In the afternoons this is after only a short time at the breast. He has also become very nosey and its now hard to feed in public as he keeps leaning round to watch people. Any tips (other than to stay hidden away at home all the time)to avoid that?

OP posts:
tiktok · 03/02/2006 10:33

Sometimes, the operator error when weighing is because the metric is translated incorrectly into imperial. Clearly, he cannot look thin, after all, which is good.

As for the looking round and being distracted, this is normal behaviour in a baby of this age - but some mothers find if they wear a 'nursing necklace' (check archives) this keeps the baby interested...worth a try!

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