Please please help, issues with weight gain

[snowchick1977]

Im so desparate for help.....I'll try and be brief:

Dd is 5 weeks and 4 days old and ebf. She was 6lb 14oz born and took 31 days to regain her birth weight after fighting with midwives to keep breastfeeding etc.

She was admitted to hospital on Sunday and had a serious virus. She needed oxygen and was tube fed expressed milk until today when we came home. I managed to feed her myself in hospital on the last night when they took out the tube.

She has now lost weight again and is now back under her birth weight at 6lb 13oz on day 38. I am gutted. I want to carry on breastfeeding but I'm so close to giving up because she simply isn't gaining weight.

I've got a hospital grade pump, I express, my supply is good, I have seen lactation specialist twice. I've tried everything!

Has anyone got and advice/tips/hints on what I should do?

Thanks x

Sounds v stressful :(

Are you giving bottles of expressed milk exclusively or mixed feeding or just offering the breast? Have you seen a BF counsellor to see if that's all working well, latch etc.?

The resident gurus will hopefully be along soon so as much info. as possible is usually helpful.

Best of luck :)

I'm just breastfeeding her. I have only ever been told to top her up via syringe.

I'm not topping up her feeds now as she was refusing the top ups when she had regained the weight.

How difficult for you, it's so hard when they're ill.
Second Welove's tips and getting to a local support group, help in person (and tea and biscuits) is hard to beat.

Was the weight loss after her spell in hospital? Without minimising your concerns, is it possible this is a by product of the illness?