EBF 3 week old not gaining weight

[blackcurrants]

and not yet back to birth weight of 10lb 7oz. He was 10lb 2oz a week ago, and was the same today.
He's alert, peeing and pooing, and the doctor said if it weren't for the (lack of) weight gain they'd say he was doing fine.

I feed on cue, before crying, for ages. He does tend to drift off on the boob, but I wake him, burp him, and offer more. I fed DS1 for 20 months without incident and wasn't worried about supply or anything until today, now I'm feeling really rattled and have had my confidence knocked a bit. Doc said to offer a bottle of EBM or formula (1-2oz) after every feed. Feeling a bit chained to the pump and miserable.
I wonder if it's a latch problem? No tongue tie (DS1 had it, I made sure the lactation consultant checked). He feeds ever 2-3 hours (4 at night) and sometimes I have lipstick nipples that are sore AFTER a feed (I unlatch him if they're sore during one). Basically I am just feeling down after a week which, I would have thought, was a good time for feeding. All those bastard hours on the sofa and he's not gained any weight!

Someone hold my hand and tell me it'll be fine? I'm taking the dog out so Dmum can give him some EBM in a bottle. Looking at the bottles is making me sad.

Hi and well done for persevering, you are doing really well

From what you have mentioned, it sounds like a latch issue which may need slightly adjusting. I would recommend getting a breastfeeding peer supporter look at your positioning and attachment as the lipstick nipple, suggests a shallow latch which will affect the efficiency of DS2 feeding.

I'm fairly sure you're right - the flat lipstick nipple and the line across my nipple after a feed (that hurts!) suggests a shallow latch to me, but I have no bloody idea how to deepen it! I have tried just about every position and waiting for him to open really wide and brining him deeply to the breast etc. . . never seem to manage a deep latch! argh!

Hi blackcurrants. I had similar latch issues with DD3 after feeding DD1&2 with no problems (once tongue tie was snipped - had with all 3!). The only way I could get a deeper latch was to basically make my nipple tought so kind of pull it tight/back with thumb and index finger, when she had an open mouth flick it in. Sorry - hard to explain but basically helped me get more of the breast in. Nose to nipple too.

She's now nearly 10 weeks ad feeds fine but first few weeks were tough. You are doing really well and this will all feel like a distant memory in a few weeks.

I'd suggest getting a second opinion on the tongue tie and getting some RL help with the latch.

Good luck!

thank you
our pediatric practice has a lactation consultant on staff, I saw her when he was a week old, and will be calling her when they open this morning ... the more I think about it, the more obviously it's a latch problem. I drip milk on him while trying to latch him on, I suspect my supply is so ample that he's staying okay without a deep latch, but.forgetting enough to.grow, we.can't go on like this though, pumping is even more time spent away from my toddler. And I don't want to give him top ups as a regular thing.
I'm being a bit mad and hormonal about it but I had toddy yesterday because the formula makes him smell different. argh, just got to get him to open his mouth more!

well I haven't given him formula today, and he has taken one measly ounce of ebm , most of which he.sucked up. He hasn't been a Puter before but yikes!

Hang on in there, my now 10 week old was really bad at 3-4 weeks, but is a way better feeder now. I also didn't know what I was doing wrong as bf DS1 for a year without problem. Try googling the flipple technique to help with a bigger latch, saw a really good picture of it somewhere, will try and find the link...

users.i.kiev.ua/~vylkas/kinolatch.html can't find the picture I was thinking of, but this animation on random Russian website might help.

Hi blackcurrants, how worrying for you! And you have a toddler to deal with too. Hang in there! So he has remained the same for a week - good that he is not losing. Good idea to get RL help too. You might find he now starts to gain momentum after a slow start, particularly if weeing and pooing and alert. Pooing lots? How many in 24hours? Obvious drinking? Satisfied it seems? There is that graph like a hockey stick - so inbetween last week he has gone down but now in fact he is on his way up (does that make sense??) If you had weighed him mid week, you may have seen it, but now it just looks like it is static - when in fact he is starting to gain.

Try and go for an assymetrical latch - [http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/lv/lvfebmar04p3.html scroll down there is a picture]] you probably know all this after bfing DS1!

So so frustrating for you - particularly like you said what YOU think has been a good week!

'so in between last week and today'

This is helpful, thank you everyone :)
Got another weigh-in at the docs tomorrow, and then I am going to a lactation consultant in the next-door town who is recommended in raving ardent tones by absolutely everyone (including my midwives) - lovely H came back from work today after I'd spent the day fretting and said 'what are we doing getting ourselves all worried? Let's see a professional!'
A lactation consultant definitely saved our breastfeeding bacon with DS1 (she diagnosed the tongue tie and showed me some less-painful holds while we waited to get it snipped) and so H suggested we to pony up the cash once more. This is specially great of him as we're pretty broke at the moment. I think some of it might be covered by our insurance (we're expats in the USA) so that would help.

He's fed well today, he's a very sleepy chap which is worrying me a bit (more so as DS1 never ever slept, so I keep panicking that there's something wrong with DS2 because he's a relatively easy baby!) but with the doctor and a lactation consultant to talk tomorrow morning I feel that somehow we'll get it sorted! :)

Hi blackcurrants :) glad u seeing somebody, and nice one of your DH too. My DS2 was sleepy too, so tricky. He used to fall asleep after a few minutes and cry if I put him down, just wanted to feed on and off for 24hours. Exhausting! Try and enjoy too, he won't be tiny for long!

UPDATE
I realized I never completed the story: went back to the docs two days after I started this thread to discover the weight that threw me into a panic was WRONG. he had been measured at 10lb 2oz one day but was 10lb12oz two days later! stupid bloody nurse! (I know, we all make mistakes and etc)

anyway best part of it all was seeing the lactation consultant and being diagnosed for breast thrush-NOT good to have but good to get lots of powerful medicine for it!
and I think the soreness is going, and we are doing well. Thanks for all your help!