Dropping centiles - should I switch to formula?

[Xxpinkxx]

My ds is 7 weeks old and had a birth weight of 9lb 3oz he initially lost just over 10% of birth weight due to a poor latch which we had help with and he now latches fine.

He was weighed by hv at 4 weeks at 10lb 2oz and weighed yesterday at 11lb 5oz which puts him on the 50th centile when he was 91st at birth and 75th at 4 weeks, the hv didn't seem too concerned as he has lots of wet and dirty nappies (usually one dirty per feed) however I am now worried he is not getting enough milk and will have dropped even further on the next weigh in. I am not sure whether to continue or introduce a ff or an expressed bottle feed to help with weight gain however I am not sure if this would help as he doesn't seem to be hungry when he comes off the breast. It's now reached a point where I am dreading getting him weighed by the hv to be told he hasn't gained 'enough'

Please don't worry. My DS was born on the 91st percentile but as the months passed he slowly dropped until he eventually ended up on the 25th. Neither my HV or GP were worried as he was still gaining and everything else about him was perfect: he was content after feeds and lots of wet and dirty nappies etc.

He then continued on the 25th percentile until he was last weighed earlier this week where he has actually managed to scrabble up to the 50th. He's 13 months

Another one to add to your confidence - my DD1 was born between the 50th and 75th and rapidly made her way to between the 2nd and the 9th. She's now three and on Friday said to me "Please may I watch Frozen?" and when I paused as I tried to up with a reason to refuse, she put her hands on her hips and said "Yes or no?!" Nothing much wrong with that child!
She's still in size 18-24 month clothes, and has little feet but she has an aunt who is 4' 11" and wears size 2 shoes so....

DD2 was one ounce different at birth, so the same percentile, and lost none of her birth weight. She is now just around the 50th (I think - second child, a while she was weighed!) and is 19 months. She shares some clothes with her sister.

With DD1 I used to scream "How do I demand feed a child that doesn't demand to be fed!!" With DD2 I used to roar "Will this child ever get off my boob!"

Thankfully I have one of the four sensible HVs in England who never worried - both DDs developed normally, both pee and poo for Britain. Neither was ever worryingly ill (DD1 had her first temperature at 14 months).

He'll be fine OP - keep up the good work!

XXpinkxx, what you are doing is sensible :)

Don't feel you have to 'test' her appetite with a bottle, though.

It's a poor guide.

Sometimes, babies who like to suck will take extra from a bottle, because it's hard to suck a bottle and not get any milk, because of the 'super stimulus' of the teat on the sucking reflex (this is not the case with the breast - babies can adjust their suck and swallow to take less/more as they wish).

Sorry, you have a ds - so 'his' appetite :)

Another example here of my dc not staying on birth centile. DD was born on 75th centile, as were her older brothers. She dropped through the centiles to end up on the 25th. Both of her brothers were ff and artificially on a higher centile due to that. Eventually they dropped to the 25th.

I had a visit from the regular hv this morning apparently she was 'passing this way' and thought she would call in she re weighed and measured ds as he will be having the 8 week check so late and he has weighed as 12 pounds 8! So not sure if he was weighed incorrectly last week or has had a huge gain in 6 days this puts him back on the 75th and not far off the 91st. Think I should also add that my ds has been weighed around 6 times now since birth and only on the hv set of scales twice with every other time being a different place and scale so I'm wondering if there was never much variation in the first place. Thanks so much for everyone's supportive stories and ideas

Babies do not gain 19 ounces in six days. There has been an error in the scales, an error in recording, an error in converting metric to imperial, an error in the operation of weighing.....all of these things can happen and its a real shame you have been worried about it.

Whatever. Looks like all is well and you need not be concerned!

Thank you she did look a little embarrassed when she said maybe the scales were wrong or he has gained quite a bit so not sure if she was saving face!