baby losing/not gaining weight

[squirmyworm]

Hi all. Really need your help with this. DS now 13 weeks and dropped from 91st to 9th centile in five weeks. I'm trying not to get too hung up on figures and HV has been supportive, not pushing for formula but suggesting I up number/duration of breastfeeds. HOWEVER on Monday we have another big weigh in and if he's not gained I have to take him to GP. Can anyone who's been through this tell me what happens? What do they look for? What test may need to be done? I'm trying to bf him every three hours during the day and then leave him 10pm - 7am max overnight but my supply seems to be a bit low at the mo, to the point where I can't even express any as I'm afraid I'll risk shortchanging him at his next feed (and it takes AGES to get any out - not usually the case). He's also totally rejecting bottles after being quite happy with them so expressing isn't much use anyway... Help anyone?

Has this drop off coincided with his sleeping through. It certainly did with dd at around 8 weeks and I was able to get her to gain enough by more frequent day feeds. She was also diagnosed with an ear infection and reflux at the same time so could be attributed to several causes. Also what centile was he born on - did he have a surge of weight gain which has tailed off or has he dropped from 91st at birth ?

Don't use your ability to express as an indicator of supply though - a number of factors including stress can supress it - but your baby could still be feeding well but more efficiently than previously.

Is he otherwise well - filling nappies, wakeful and happy ? At least your hv sounds supportive.

Good luck

yes, he's decided (!) that he wants to sleep from his bedtime (7) until about 7am if allowed -I know, sounds like bliss until something like this happens...HV recommends waking him at 10 for a feed which is no prob as he settles fine afterwards. Born on 91st...big boy

thanks for tip about expressing - that helps. he had his first jabs yesty so a bit grumpy today and a bit more sleepy than usual but otherwise yes, fine - loads of full nappies and lots of smiles.

If he is losing weight and you think your supply is dropping off I would wake him at 2 am for a few nights (honesttly). There are babies who are 'happy starvers' who benefit from being wonkem to feed during the night. It will give your supply a boost.
However, if your baby has wet and dirty nappies and is thriving I wouldn't be overly concerned. Was he a big baby at delivery? He perhaps is now ropping to the centile he naturally should be at.

Thanks so much everyone...like the idea of a feedathon - particularly if I can be surrounded by choc bars and magazines! The thread was massively useful Bron - thanks for that - so interesting to hear how you thought you could see/feel a difference in weight. I was pulled up a bit short when I felt I could feel more bonyness (word?) around his shoulders yesterday but he feels better today. Yup, big baby, Mears -9.7 lb - he is still wetting and pooing well but I have noticed he is tending to poo only once every 1.5-2 days rather than his regular as clockwork after-the-first-feed effort. anything to worry about do you think? He is a happy chap so maybe I do need to 'remind' him a bit more that he needs to feed. I don't mind getting up in the night - it's just so lovely to see him!

Hi squirmyworm. My babes both did this - dropped from 91st and 98th respectively to below 25th. Both are fine, and were just destined to be small! Also, I think the pooing does change round this time.

Don't worry about the dirty nappies. My daughter v. quickly went from regular poos to one every 3 days or so. It freaked me at first, then I was rather pleased! Breast fed babies have less waste apparently as the milk is all digestable.

My son dropped from 40th to 7th percentile... gained only 3.5 oz between weeks 12 & 16 weeks. I was advised to start solids... and do you know what? He never regained percentiles! Stuck on 7th percentile ever since (now 4yo). Although he eats for England... So I just do know it's a common age for this to happen.

HI everyone...well I did the feedathon and he's put on 5oz in five days which is apparently ok so I don't have to go to GP - hooray.
HOWEVER...I now feel really fed up because HV says that because the little man is currently firmly declining being fed anything from a bottle, he may be a baby who doesn't like being mixed fed and so I should consider the possibility that he may need to be exclusively bottle fed by the time I go back to work (April). Although this would mean that I could express some milk and continue to give him that, inevitably I guess it'll mean formula too quite soon and I'd need to get him used to not breastfeeding from about three weeks time Don't know if I'm being oversensitive about this but I get a giant lump in my throat at the thought of stopping feeding so early. Probably just being a wimp. Any advice anyone?

It never ceases to amaze me how many HV's all over the country make such glib remarks with such little consideration for the self esteem of their "clients".

Your ds could yet decide that bfeeding is best am and pm but will make do with a bottle if you are not around in between - which could still be ebm. Please don't give up hope just because of what she has said. You still have 2 months after all. There are plenty of mums on here who can tell her that it can work.

I am going back to work soon when dd will be 5 moths. She is bf and wont take a bottle of expressed bm. I was told by a bfcounsellor that at that age she should manage on solids mixinmy bmilk in and may take from a beaker milk.Worst come worse she can sip bm from an open cup. If you want to continue bf then there are lots of ways to do this. HV are often too keen to give formula. I wouldn't drink it so wouldnt expect dd (mind you I wouldnt fancy drinking bm either.Mears should be good for advice on this Do get proper advice!!!

Stupid HV! What does she know? My ds also didn't much care for a bottle but if I wasn't there would drink from it - not as much as from me, I suspect, but he certainly didn't starve - fat little thing. And he breastfed cheerfully am & pm on days I worked (3days) and on my days off. She's talking out of her a**e in my opinion. Don't stop breastfeeding because of one silly woman.

SW - she doesn't know what she is talking about. Of all the stupid reasons to give formula....

squirmyworm - dd will NOT take a bottle. From me, from dh, from any babysitter who has tried it. With one exception - anyone at nursery. Last week she drank 14oz of EBM with no fuss whatsoever. But if anyone else tries it, then she hits the roof.

I'm sure it will be fine.

musica, which teat did you use? What did you do before this?

squirmyworm - carry on breastfeeding Some babies take bottles, some babies don't. There are other ways of getting milk into them. I didn't introduce a bottle till I went back to work and baby took it. I think problems come with bottles by trying too hard to get a baby to take one. Every so often you can try again. What age will he be when you go back?

why do some babies refuse exbm in a bottle? is it cos its not the nice warm cuddly breast, milk not right temp, don't know how to use teat or all of these?

thanks all of you for this...He'll be five months mears, well, just over. DH is going to be looking after him and I'm really concerned to make the 'handover' - ie me going back to work and him becoming the main daytime person as smooth as possible. Don't want to force the bottle issue at the mo as it makes the little chap so upset but am worried about going back to work and stressing the whole time because little one won't eat and poor old dh is at the receiving end of endless screaming and worries about weight...all tips for my april of hell very welcome. I'm keen to bf for as long as possible however it can be achieved. We've tried various methods of heating milk, various temperatures, times of day, me giving it, DH giving it, the works but nada. Haven't tried different teats though...does that work?

Not until April? That's AGES away. He'll be a different baby by then, totally. You won't believe he was that tiny 13 week old! put the bottles away and stop stressing. Try again a bit nearer the time, but honestly it will not be as bad as you think it will be. Please don't let this lovely time with your tiny baby be clouded by anxiety about the future. You are thinking up the worst possible scenarios all by yourself and then assuming they are fact! It might just as well go like a dream. You won't really know until it happens. In the meantime, have a glass of wine and a nice relax! Judge John Deed is on later.

Gosh that HV has just got to make you feel bad about something hasn't she? Ignore her, it's only January, even if baby took a bottle now, that's no guarantee that come April the same would be true. Congratulations on the weight gain BTW.

Well done on the weight gain. I was thinking about you yesterday. If it's any help I had to give bottles to my first child when I went back to work. He still wouldn't take them 2 weeks before but was OK in the end. I carried on bfeeding at night for the next 18 months! I totally disagree with your hv as mine obviously didn't like bottles and gave them up at 1 yr so I never had problems getting him off bottles. A friend's child never took a bottle and managed with water and some solids while she was away.

I am going back in April and still haven't tried bottles yet. I thought I'd try in March. April is a long way away yet.