BF Baby - Reflux and Poor Weight Gain

[MrsRecycle]

My ds is 12 weeks old and BF. After initial problems with thrush caused by one poor latch-on we are successfully bf. However, he has only put on 5oz in 4 weeks and the HV wants us to see our Doctor which we are doing this Friday. He was a small baby anyway and does not have any lee-way with the growth charts so has fallen right off it.
I know the growth charts are based on bottlefed babies and am not unduly worried as he is happy, sleeping well and has wet nappies (although he only poos once every 3 days). I have increased my calorie intake and have added oats and protein to my diet. I also drink a litre of water a day.
However, he does have an awful lot of reflux. I tried to give him both breats this morning but he threw the 2nd one up. He also always throws the afternoon feed up. Other bf mums have seen it and have questioned the large amount of it. As dd2 is lactose intollerant I thought the amount of reflux was normal but I'm just not sure.
In my mind I think it is that he has a small stomach and can't cope with it and I'm hoping that the Doctor will confirm this. Does anyone else have experience of reflux and poor weight gain?

Hi - I can see why the HV might be a bit concerned, but it sounds like the only thing that's a real concern is lack of calories, which can be fixed with extra breastfeeding

No, the UK charts are not based on bottle fed babies - they are based on a mix of babies whose feeding is not differentiated. At the stage - 12 weeks - there is not really much difference between the UK charts and the bf-only charts. So on any chart your baby would appear in the same place.

Sometimes, placid babies don't feed often enough for their own good, and they benefit from being offered lots more breastfeeds. This will get more milk into him than any changes you make to your diet.

It sounds as if his throwing up could be managed better by having feeds 'little and often' - maybe feed him twice as often instead of trying to give him two breasts if he really can't manage the second one.

On the other hand, he may be physiologically small, and that's ok! The doc might be able to check this for you. Offering extra feeds will not harm your ds at all, so it can be worth doing.

Obviously tiktok is the expert on here, but I just wanted to offer my support/empathy. My DS1 was small and the charts stressed me out. Extra feeds ARE the way forward. My DS didn't ask for feeding much and I had to offer boobies a lot!

He's a bouncing three year old now.He's still small but you should see the ammount of food he can put away.

Get as much support as you can from Dr,Hv,MN etc.

Good luck!

Thanks tiktok - I didn't know that about the charts. He was quite unsettled a few weeks ago so I read a thread on mumsnet that recommended offering both boobs and it really settled him. Also, the HV recommended both boobs. I've just woken him up and given him a short feed (thats all he wanted). I'll try the little and often approach (I must admit thats how I eat so he may have my genes). Also I am quite small and so is dh. Also someone mentioned they don't wind their bf baby - do you think the winding might be unduly causing the reflux?

Spina - I loooove bouncing babies and can't wait for ds to be one. I'll offer extra feeds then and see what happens. Thanks for your support.

We are a bit obsessed with winding in this country - I suspect a lot of babies don't need it and for a few, it's disturbing to them.

Okay have just fed him and not winded him and so far so good.

Just thought I would add that I stopped winding DD because it only made her posset. Not a full blown vomit but couldn't bare seeing all the precious milk come out of her! She wasn't bothered in the slightest. Think (but correct me if I'm wrong Tiktok) that bottlefeeding is more likely to make a child windy.

Oops I spoke too soon and 4pm feed (feeding every hour at the moment) has just spewed all over the keyboard!