newborn losing too much weight - help please

[shelley72]

So dd is 5 days old, has just been weighed and has lost 9% of birth weight. I need to get her weight up or she will be admitted to hospital tomorrow. What will they do to her?

I am trying to get her to feed as much as poss but she just falls asleep. I tickle her feet, blow on her but she's just sleepy. All ok in every other way. Have been shown how to hand express to get extra milk for her today.
Am so upset. Am training to be a peer supporter so am gutted to be having problems, even more so at the thought of giving formula.

Any one been in this position? Did it right itself? Am getting myself in a pickle about it, already have baby blues and this is last straw

Just to echo that 9% may be a trigger amount to ensure your baby is closely monitored but it doesn't necessarily mean your baby isn't thriving. My 16 day old girl lost 12% at her 5 day weigh in. Currently toppingup with expressed breast milk - got a hand pump. She is gaining weight but slowly.
What has really helped is support on getting a good latch - look up the biological nurturing position where you a're quite laid back and baby almost positions themself.
Support is key, midwives here are pretty good but I have recognised if I can't up my milk in a couple of days I willdo a few formula topups to give her the energy for more breastfeeding.

Completely agree with those saying don't beat yourself up about formula - I did too, but I'm combi-feeding DS who lost a big amount of weight and he is thriving. We've reduced the amount of formula needed but I still couldn't ebf at the moment.

We had the same thing about falling asleep and losing weight. After a hospital admission and plenty of support from the hospital breastfeeding counsellor I managed to turn things round by syringe feeding expressed breast milk, then feeding from the breast. It was a punishing regime, but I really did want to continue breastfeeding and thought there was some temporary problem to do with my technique or something. It righted itself in the sense that she eventually started gaining weight and I was able to carry on breastfeeding until she lost interest at nearly a year old.

With ds I did a combo of breast and formula and it never caused any problems with my supply, though I know it is not recommended.

It was only many years afterwards that I found out that their problems were due to a genetic condition which made their sucking weak, so nothing to do with my feeding at all.

Just a quick update, she has just been weighed and has put on 6oz . Have been feeding every couple of hours, hand expressing and topping her up and it seems to be working. I'm shattered but at least we are not in hospital tonight!

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. MN really is fantastic.

Oh well done! It really is hard work having a sleepy baby (completely the opposite of what you might think!)

Fingers crossed things will continue to improve and she will wake up a bit soon!

Really pleased to see your update

Congrats, I read your thread with interest as my DD lost 12% by day 3 - dropping from 50th to 25th percentile.
We weren't taken back into hospital - but I did buy a pump to express with and was syringe feeding her 5ml an hour (!!) as well as B feeding as often as she'd tolerate.
Our issue was that my milk didn't come in until day 5 (EMCS) but since then we've been all good!
In fact from 12w she's gone from 50th to 75th percentile with EBF on demand!
Here's hoping your DD follows!

That's great!