Slowed weight gain in ebf baby and i'm panicking!

[YouMaySayImADreamer]

Hi, my ds is now 16 weeks old and was a big baby when born at 9lb 13oz. He has been gaining weight well following the 75th percentile, up until his last weigh in. When i last got him weighed he had only gained 2 ounces in 3 weeks. The midwife told me not to worry as weight gain can slow around this time and because he hasnt even dropped a centile. But of course i am googling and panicking like mad, especially when i read on kellymom that weight gain around this time should be 4-5oz week, when he hasnt even gained a ounce a week. There are a couple of factors that i am wondering might have had an effect:

Up until a week previous to when he had been weighed, i had been pumping a lot for a few weeks in order to obtain a supply for an event i was going to. At the event, i had a break from bf for around 24 hours whilst ds had expressed bottles. In this time i pumped only twice just to relieve pain. Could i have affected my supply either by having the 24 break, or by suddenly stopping pumping once the event had finished?

Another factor is that for the 2-3 weeks prior to the weighing, ds had been sleeping through the night. He just did this by himself with absolutely no encouragement - i was happy to feed him as many times as he wanted through the night and had been doing two night feeds at approx 12.30 and 3.30am. The 12.30am feed suddenly isappeared and the 3.30am feed stretched out to 4am, 5.30am and then anywhere between 6-7am until he was sleeping from about 9pm to this time. His day feeds didnt have a drastic increase , he just switched from going approx 3.5hours, to 3 hours between feeds, and feeding for what felt like a little bit longer. As i feed on demand though, i just took his lead even though i probably would have expected a more marked increase in day feeds.

I am worryimg quite a lot now as i have just got to the stage where im really enjoying bf and for the first time can really see myself reaching my target to ebf until 6months...thanks.

It sounds like you're both doing really well. Sleeping through the night, result! It is normal for weight gain to fluctuate, which is why it's a good idea not to weigh very often unless there's cause for concern as it can cause unnecessary worry. If the midwife is happy and he's alert, weeing, pooing etc then it sounds like he's fine. Just keep feeding on demand and he'll let you know how much he needs

OP, nothing in your post indicates a need for concern.

Nothing.

Not a thing.

There is no need for weighing frequently at this age - check your red book. Weighing monthly is the maximum frequency that's of any use, in a healthy baby (though some mothers want to weigh more often than this for interest).

Weight is only one small part of a health assessment and in a baby of 16 weeks, who is growing and thriving, it's a very minor part. His weight, in any case, is fine. It is normal. There is nothing wrong with a gain of 2 oz in three weeks, especially not at this age.

Step away from the Google :) :)

Thank you both so much, you have massively reassured me!! I did notice in the redbook that it said a month maximum, but the hv said shed like me to get him weighed every 2-3 weeks (this was prior to his last weighing), not sure why since he has been gaining weight well up until now. Ive also been sticking to this because seeing him put on weight spurs me, and i sort of see it as a little reward getting him weighed (sounds silly i know), but on this occasion it looks like its backfired and ive ended up worrying unnecessarily from what you say!

They do ask usually about wet and dirty napies - he has lots of wet nappies but only dirty normally about once a week when he has a bit of an explosion (sorry tmi) and perhaps occasionally a smaller dirty nappy inbetween but not always. Does this sound normal for bf baby?

Totally normal.

No idea why your HV wants to do her own thing with the weighing.

No good ever comes from over-weighing a healthy baby, IMO and experience :)

Your 'reward' is your healthy, happy,bouncing baby....not a number on a scale :)

I know you know this is true!

Trouble is that in some cases, the HV notes a weight gain and nods and smiles 'ooh another X ounces!' as if she is doling out approval for mothering.

She is not.

She should stop.

It does more harm than good!

Thanks tiktok, ive seen a few of your posts in the past and you really seem to know what youre talking about so it reassures me greatly!

Oh god no, that sounds awful now, of course my "reward" is my gorgeous happy and healthy baby...perhaps reward was the wrong word as i dont need a reward for feeding my baby!! It just reassures me that im doing ok with feeding, especially when its been a bit tough with growth spurts or whatever!

Thanks again

I know what you meant by 'reward' :) :)

I think you really meant you felt 'affirmation' from the weighings - sort of a boost in confidence, yes?

Yes, thats exactly what i meant. Thanks

Hi, just wanted to resurect this thread because had ds weighed today (3 weeks after the last weigh in on the advice of the midwife) and he still hasnt put any more weight on at all since the last weigh in.

So that is now only a 2 ounce weight gain in 6 weeks.....is this still normal? I have now been referred to my hv and just had the local breastfeeding consultant round who has advised me to start waking him for night feeds (obviously reluctant to do this!). Thanks

Same here my LO is 11 weeks and isn't really gaining much she weighs 10 4. I'm not worried as she is alert, has plenty of wet and dirty nappies. She does sleep through the night as has done since 6 weeks , there is no way I want to start waking her in the night as she won't go back down again.

Hi there
My lo is 16 weeks and we've been fighting to stay ebf for about 8 weeks as his weight gain is slow. At last weigh in he'd dropped to the bottom centile so hv said we need to go to Gp to see if any issues with absorbtion or any other reason why he's not putting on the allocated oz a week. He is alert with great wet and dirty nappies so really fighting advice to supplement with formula (as dh has allergies and skin issues that we're trying to avoid with ebf). I've been for weekly weigh ins and with dh having weighed wet and dirty nappies we've concluded they are very affected by whether he's due a poo or just had one! Anyway fingers crossed GP says no other issues, then hope to keep breastfeeding. A long story to say please don't worry, health professionals should be there to help and support, I would say if someone recommends a course of action you don't agree with ask someone else, if they all concur consider that path but if you think your baby is healthy just relax and see what happens over the next few weeks. We're feeding every two hours in the day and I had some advice from lactation consultant which has seemed to up the milk my lo gets. Thinking of you, hope it goes well.

Thanks very much for your replies - its good to hear from people experiencing the same things. The midwife did say she was loathed to suggest topping up with formula since he is very alert, healthy and happy, so that reassured me a bit. I really dont want to go down the formula route yet as i am edging so much closer to reaching the ebf for 6 month mark, and my gut says he is ok. But on the other hand, this is what formula is there for, and i need to think about his wellbeing if the bf isnt helping him thrive. The problem is, every professional i speak to seems to tell me something different! Thanks hugahuddy, will keep my fingers crossed that all goes well for you too

Listen to tiktok, she's an NCT BF counsellor i believe (?) with lots of experience.

By all means speak to a HCP if you are worried about something but tiny tiny blips in weight mean nothing if baby is happy otherwise. Quite soon you'll be brimming with BF confidence; been there myself (we all have) but now at 10 mo, can't remember the last time I got DD weighed :)

Thanks Noway, appreciate your post was just beginning to feel a bit like i had nailed it until this! Definately value tiktoks advice, just wanted to check it was still ok another 3 weeks down the line...

Apologies, didn't see the date delay. What did the BF counsellor say other than night feeds; anything about breast compressions?

It is hard as they start sleeping longer at that age (well mine did temporarily!) and get more distracted for day feeds but aren't yet taking solids. I understand your concern; I would try offering every 2 hours in the day in a quiet room/lying down to avoid distractions. I found if I was out and about she wouldn't feed as much.

Not anti-FF btw. Sometimes I think if we weren't getting them weighed we wouldn't even know. Have you been advised another weigh in in a couple of weeks? Just feed feed feed until then :)

No worries. Yeah the breastfeeding counsellor gave me some info on breast compressions...wasnt sure what this was for, is it so that the baby takes in more of the hind milk when feeding has slowed down? Or is it to remind him to keep when he is getting distracted?

As well as advising me to wake ds or at least wake to pump during the night to increase prolactin levels (might have misquoted her there as im not too clued up on the technicalities), she also advised me to pump between feeds. Im just a bit confused about this though because she said she didnt think there was anything wrong with my supply...any both of these things are done to increase supply arent they?

He feeds every 3 hours almost like clockwork and i will feed sooner if i see the signs, and he also feeds for up to 40mins every time. He generally doesnt stop to look around whilst feeding so i couldnt say that he is distracted particularly. He seems satisfied when he has finished and very happy and alert in between. I have also had a couple of things i need milk for over recent weeks, so i have been pumping more than usual which i would have thought would be good for my supply. I just cant understand where i would have been going wrong...

Well you haven't been going wrong for a start!

It's annoying when people say this as you just want a definitive answer but I should add I'm not a doctor or BF counsellor. Yes, the advice is to help build supply, although doesn't seem to be a supply issue per se.

My opinion for what its worth, is that your baby is textbook, absolutely textbook and is doing exactly what my DD did at that age; 3 hourly feeds, decent feeds with active sucking and transfer of milk, with some night feeds. Baby seems happy and content, ie. not demanding more milk and showing all the usual good signs in the nappy department. If you want to continue EBF and can bear to wait another couple of weeks for a weigh in I would. LO isn't exactly dropping off the scale and only 9th centile or anything.

GL with whatever you decide and hope LO is a little chubster at the next weigh in :)