Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

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

Flip

Original poster

Ds 8 weeks b/f and losing weight - worried

16 replies

AnnaK · 02/05/2004 18:21

I am b/f and that part is going fine. The problem is that after every feed ds seems to bring up enormous amounts of milk during burping. I have tried different positions for winding and reducing his time on the breast. I have now got to the stage where I feed him for 10 mins, wind for 5 and then feed again for 15 mins. I then wind him for upto half an hour but even then he rarely keeps a feed down. I wouldn't mind but he is now losing weight. Any advice ...?

OP posts:

hercules · 02/05/2004 18:22

Speak to a bf counsellor asap. Nct have a help line you can find on their site. You'll get good advice here too.

musica · 02/05/2004 18:29

You could talk to the GP - there is a condition that can cause this (Pyloric stenosis I think) - I would see the doctor just to rule this out (if it is that, it is totally treatable - a friend's baby had it and it was treated very easily).

Hope things improve.

tiktok · 02/05/2004 19:01

Pyloric stenosis is normally projectile vomiting, but I agree, GP (or HV) needs to be seen. It's definitely a sign of something needing sorting when a baby is losing weight.. ...also, yes, do call one of the bf lines.

Not sure why you feel you have to wind him for half an hour - seems a long time!! What happens if you just let him sort out his own wind without any intervention from you. Winding really has nothing to do with whether or not a baby keeps his feed down....and clearly, it really isn't working for you and your baby, so it would be worth thinking about not bothering, truly

Lisa78 · 02/05/2004 19:16

Hi AnnaK, my DS also lost weight at this age. He started off high on the percentiles and although he gained weight, he gradually dropped from the top percentile to the bottom, then began to lose weight. Major panics all round
And what was wrong with him? Sod all, he just did that. He's now 6m and making up for it, he is practically going up those lines vertically!
HTH

Lisa78 · 02/05/2004 19:22

mythread

The above is the thread I started on the same subject anna, might be of some help

Assuming my link works....

Lisa78 · 02/05/2004 19:23

yippee! Am getting so good at this link thing!

Marita · 03/05/2004 05:47

My first and second ds did this, used to drive me crazy, thinking all the wonderful breastmilk I was producing was getting all wasted...well, I talked to a lactation consultant. Here's what she said:
Keep your ds nursing on the same breast as much as you can, until it is completely drained. Also, burp him really well, keep him on your shoulder (or however you burp him) for longer than 5 minutes if need be. Plus, if you have a lot of milk, the letdown might be too fast for him and it may be gagging him. Try expressing a little before you first feed him.

This advice worked for me, hope it works for you! Helped me have some clean shirts....

Ghosty · 03/05/2004 07:25

I am sorry you are having a bad time Annak.
My DS had Pyloric Stenosis and the vomiting was after every feed and was projectile ... he would chunder the whole lot and it would literally hit the wall!
Usually it manifests itself by 6 weeks old ... DS's was discovered quite young at 4 weeks ... and it needs a simple surgical procedure to fix it.
Is your baby happy Annak? Does he seem bothered by his vomiting? Apparently PS babies have a worried look (DS did) ...
DS was clearly poorly by the time he had his op ... Does your baby seem poorly Anna (apart from losing weight?)
I agree with everyone that you need to see your GP or HV about this ...
It could be bad reflux and they could give him Infant Gaviscon which thickens the milk to hold it down in his tummy ...
Good luck ... hope you sort it out soon ...
I agree with everyone els

tiktok · 03/05/2004 09:24

Marita, the advice the lactation person gave you may not be appropriate for Anna's baby, who is losing weight. You had what's known as 'over supply' - I don't think this applies to Anna. Glad it worked for you though

Original poster

AnnaK · 03/05/2004 17:27

Lisa78 - very interesting to read your thread, I didn,t know the charts were for formula fed babies! Having said that, my ds has grown 3.5cm in 4 weeks and lost 2 oz over the last week.
With regards burping, ds has developed colic and a long time winding is the only thing we seem to be able to do. Not winding him results in hours worth of screaming...
I have my post natal check with the GP this week. Maybe they can shed some light on it. Maybe it isn't such a problem after all, as ds is very alert, sleeps well at night and is a bit grumpy with colic during the day.
Thanks for all the advice - this website is fantastic!

OP posts:

eddm · 03/05/2004 18:09

Annak, sorry you are worried. My ds went through a stage of having what I can only describe as really bad indigesion which sounds a bit like yours ? but he didn't lose any weight so this may be different. Do see your GP. If my experience is any use, we ended up spending more than 20 mins winding him after a feed but often if we then put him on his back he'd posset. While asleep he'd fart (loudly), groan, make all sorts of awful noises and writhe in apparent agony. Really frightening. Slept through it all though so in retrospect can't have been bothering him as much as it bothered me.
We put him on Infacol, which seemed to help, and tried Gripe Water, which again helped a bit. He just grew out of it eventually but it was very worrying while it lasted. Hope your ds does the same, soon, or that GP can help.

bluebear · 03/05/2004 19:11

AnnaK - could he have reflux...crying is caused by 'indigestion' and the milk comes up all the time - search for it on here..My ds had it.forgive poor typing am feeding at the moment.

tiktok · 03/05/2004 19:58

Just to clarify something - the charts are not 'for' bottle fed babies. The data for the charts is based on data sets from (I think) seven studies (it's actually referenced in the parent held child health record book) and while it is likely that most of those babies will have had formula feeds (because we know that's the norm in the UK) there will have been some breastfed babies in there, too.

In fact, the 'breastfed from birth' charts differ only very slightly from the regular charts. They are controversial, and (last I heard) had not been endorsed by the Royal College of Child Health (paediatricians' body).

The problem with charts is not that they are applied to the wrong babies. The problem is that they are used diagnostically, when they are really more of a screening tool. So a baby 'slipping' on the charts is held to have a problem because of that, whereas a better response would be to investigate health and growth further, looking at the wider picture.

Hope you find help, AnnaK

frogs · 03/05/2004 20:12

Hi Anna, my dd2 has been very sicky and has dropped down several centiles. One thing that really helped her keep the milk down was for me to feed her in a slightly more upright position (her in an upright position, not me!) Doing this I found I could hear bubbles of air coming up during the feed, and much less milk seemed to come up afterwards.

hth

Lisa78 · 03/05/2004 20:16

hi Anna, glad we could help

Let us know how you get on at your check up - if your DS turns out anything like mine (highly likely) then in a few short months, you will be posting on here to someone else, along the lines of "oh my DS lost weight too, but he gained it all back and is still happily and healthily breastfeeding"

Original poster

AnnaK · 12/05/2004 16:19

At the checkup the doctor said to keep a close eye on his weight. Ds then only gained an oz in the week and the HV siad to feed him every 2 hours! I was in tears when I got home: every two hours meant I would feed to 25 mins and wind for at least 20. Then I would have to start again in just over an hour...
I often had to wake ds and because of the amount he was taking in (and also bringing up) he started waking twice in the night again, when he had been waking only once for about 2 weeks! After a weekend of hell, I went to the doctor again on Monday and have been given infant Gaviscon. Ds now keeps the majority of his feed down - amazing stuff. The poor little thing seems quite skinny and I can see his ribs but he seems quite contented in himself. Maybe I just have a lanky baby. I am hoping he will have gained some weight by Friday as I am not keen on supplementing with formula if I don't have to.

OP posts:

Flip

Swipe left for the next trending thread