BF ADVICE -Tiktok? Timing feeds

[squizita]

I have been offering my breast more frequently - about every hour or hour and a half - rather than every 2-3 hours, to my 9 week dd to encourage her to grow (she is only putting on 3 1/2 oz per week and is currently 9 lb 9 oz or so... a little diddy thing).
I am now wondering whether this is a false economy causing her to eat less at each feed (I do notice that she only takes 1 side often now, before it was always two - and I know that's no good for supply).

Even waiting 2 hours she is never crying with hunger- when I offer more frequently it's pre emptive iyswim.

Should I continue like this or wait for hunger cues?

Have you thought about seeking help for this, squizita? A troubled gynae/obs/medical history can lead to exactly the sort of anxiety you are experiencing now. It's exahausting, and interferes with the joy and delight and confidence-growing that should emerge over the first weeks and months.

There are a zillion sources of anxiety for you, just being a parent, and they don't stop....ever. The key is not letting these anxieties 'win' and become so big they overwhelm the good stuff.

Counselling, or therapy, CBT...all can help.

I had some help when pregnant (you can imagine how anxious I was) but they signed me off as ok when dd was 4 weeks old. I think with the nhs as it is someone fretting mildly isn't a concern.

I used to pay for yoga and hypnotherapy - might look into that again.

She's feeding hourly today... already produced a "healthy" stinky old gooey nappy since she got up.

Squizita I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so worried. My DD is a few weeks older than yours (she's 16 weeks) and she started out on the 25th centile, and then dropped to just above 9th at 6 weeks or so. When she dropped, I panicked, but since that point she's tracked fairly consistently just above that 9th centile line. So the drop was probably just her finding her own place. I know it can be unnerving, especially as I have a friend with a baby 3 days younger, who is on the 91st centile and is just so much bigger than DD! But really you have nothing to worry about - her wet and dirty nappies sound great and so I think you (and me, too!) have to get less hung up on the numbers.

Like you, I got into a panic, but I kept weighing her at home which just made me obsess about it and didn't help! (DH and I used a luggage scale attached to the Moses basket!) I honestly think the best thing is to forget about the numbers and think about her as a whole. It sounds like your HVs have just made you more anxious than necessary. I have to say, I felt very relieved when mine told me that she had no worries about DD, and I calmed down from that point.

Good luck for your appointment today

Very reassuring: they looked her over and said she is in proportion and very healthy and nourished looking. The overwhelming likelihood is that she is genetically small (especially as both parents are short). They could tell she was getting nutrition from her face, behaviour and nappies.