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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Do I need to feed more often?

12 replies

dds · 15/07/2006 20:54

dd2 is 11 weeks and, after a shaky start, is still exclusively BF. In the last 2 weeks she has seemed much happier and sometimes goes 3/4 hours between feeds in the day and 5 at night. But in those 2 weeks she has only gained 4oz and has dropped to near the 9th centile. I'm confused about what to do. Does the slow weight gain mean that she is sleeping too long and I should wake her to feed more often, or do the long sleeps mean she's content and I should trust her to let me know when she needs to feed?

OP posts:
Adorabelle · 15/07/2006 21:50

just bumping this for you, as have no answer to your question, but sure you have nothing to worry
about.

Hope Moondog, tik-tok picks your question up

Hollyboo · 15/07/2006 23:00

Bumping for you, not sure what you need to do. DD had to be woken every three hours for the first four weeks but at 11 weeks, I'm not sure.

JennT · 15/07/2006 23:16

Hi there, we started on 25th moved down to 9th very quickly and recently moved up to 25th again. DD is 26 weeks. It was a breastfeeding network meeting, where they talked about positioning and attachment that she turned a corner. I had one of those stupid sliding nursing chairs that are completely inappropriate for breast feeding. I hadn't had any problems feeding, but just changed how I held her VERY SLIGHTLY and suddenly she was piling on weight. If you can go to a La Leche of Breastfeeding network meeting or similar then I am sure you will get something from it. I only started going to get encouragement to not give a bottle of formula in the evening, as I was being pressurised to do. 6 months in and I have been to my last meeting as I am going back to work, but it was SO worth it!

JennT · 15/07/2006 23:19

Forgot to say, feeding more frequently will increase your milk supply, but are you feeding for long enough on the one breast. If you don't feed long enough, then baby will only receive watery stuff rather than fatty nutritious stuff. Please excuse spelling mistakes, but do get in contact with one of the groups that might give you some tips (even if you don't think you need them).

Adorabelle · 15/07/2006 23:41

dds, have you got a B.feeding support group
near you?

Like you my dd & I had a very shaky start to b.feeding, but once we found our local support
group we went from strenghth to strenghth.

Dd was 2 over 2weeks ago now & we're still happily breast feeding

Hang on in there & just feed when she wants it or you think she needs it.

hunkermunker · 15/07/2006 23:44

JennT, Tiktok will explain better than I can, but the thing about having to feed long enough to "get to" the hindmilk's not right.

dds, try offering her an extra feed - some babies are just very content to watch the world and don't let you know till they're really hungry. DS1 had a weight gain pattern like you describe because this was about the age he started to get interested in playing with toys and discovered there was a world beyond the boob.

DS2 bfeeds more often and is bigger than his brother was at the same age, but even so, now he's older, some days he can go hours without a feed - and that's with me offering - because he wants to see what's going on. He makes up for these gaps at night...!

moondog · 15/07/2006 23:45

Tiktok and Mears are the real experts but to repeat what they say,if there are plenty of wet nappies and bay seems alert and well,there shouldn't be a problem.
I never paid any attention to charts (and even if you do,by definition some children will be at all the centil points,whether they be the 9th or the 99th!!)but just went by instinct.
Sometimnes.if I 'felt' that my baby hadn't taken enough in a day,I would urge him/her to have more.

JennT · 15/07/2006 23:59

Am no expert. Positioning thing worked for me but then my dd was much older than yours so prob dif. Speak to the experts.

JennT · 15/07/2006 23:59

Am no expert. Positioning thing worked for me but then my dd was much older than yours so prob dif. Speak to the experts.

moondog · 16/07/2006 00:01

Jenn,I think in situations like this,all advice is gratefully received.

hunkermunker · 16/07/2006 00:31

Sorry if I sounded snippy, JennT - didn't mean to at all. It's just that the foremilk/hindmilk split thing's often quoted and it doesn't work like a "line" where if you feed for five minutes your baby only gets foremilk and anything after that is hindmilk - and it's different for every woman.

Didn't mean to be rude. Agree re slight positional change though - I have found I've had to alter things slightly as my babies have grown as they tend to feed with their chins tucked in which makes them "chew" [eek]

Original poster
dds · 16/07/2006 21:22

thanks for all the replies. dd crying for a feed now so no time to write more...

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