Breastfed baby gone from 50th centile to between 9th and 25th. Advice please.

[GBBO15]

I've been ebf my 12 week old daughter and all seemed to be going well: she's happy and alert, and breastfeeding fairly frequently during the day for up to an hour at a time. At night she can sleep 4-7hours before a feed. I had noticed when I tried to express though, I was getting very little: maybe half an ounce per session which made me wonder how good my supply is. (I gave up trying to express as with her long frequent daytime feeds, it was really making it impossible to ever get out of the house.). Often during the afternoon and evening my breasts feel soft and empty. Yesterday I took her to the local breastfeeding group for a weight check and it turns out she's now between the 9th and 25th centile, having been born on the 50th. Should I be worried about my supply? And if so,,what can I do about it? I really don't want to have to give formula top ups and she really is a happy settled baby. Thanks.

I had two large babies for my size ( both about on the 50th percentile. Both gradually fell to the 9th and 20th by about 12 weeks. Both ebf. I think their good birth weights were just a reflection of my good health in pregnancy and then they just settled down to a weight and size more in line with me and my husband( both shortish and slim)

Thanks Mudandmayhem01. Neither of us are particularly tall, so hopefully that's all that's happening here.

If she does plenty of wet nappies, and she's still gaining, and she's happy and alert I wouldn't top up. She's probably just finding her 'true' line.

Fwiw my DD is 75th centile and I could never express much, and it's normal for your breast to feel less full at this stage; your body has regulated your supply to meet your DD's demand so you won't be overfull.

I always recommend reading The Womanly Art Of Breastfeeding, it's an excellent book and very reassuring.

Thanks TheOriginalwinkly. I had heard good things about that book- will definitely get it now.

My ds was similar & the HV kept telling me to give him formula top ups. I was adamant I wanted to ebf.
I then discovered the charts were based on ff babies & onesfor ebf babies are totally different.
Have a look at this kellymom.com/health/growth/growthcharts/

Hopefully it should put your mind at rest, assuming your lo is alert & with plenty of wet nappies.

So she's feeding is going well?
lots of wet nappies?
she's gaining weight?
Meeting her developmental milestones, things like smiling?
You where happy until you got her weighted right?

If the answer is yes to all the above questions simple answer is don't get her weight.

Expressing is no indication of supply many women can't express but can feed a baby well. it's a totally different learned skill, and sounds like your struggling to even get a letdown while expressing so don't worry about that.
Breasts feeling soft also is not an induction of supply. Most milk is made on demand at the breast while your baby is feeding. When you feel full is when milk production stops, the opersiteof what most women think. If you carry on feeding long term your breast may soffern completely and that full feeling inbetween feeds may go. As your body becomes more in turn with your babie feeding. Agood website for more information to read is kellymom.com.

If your baby seems happy, don't worry. My DD was about 50th centile at birth, then dropped to 9-25th after a few weeks. I EBF her for six months, she's now 15 months and fully weaned and still around 25th centile. I think it's quite usual for a bit of movement between centile when they're very young, she'll setlle soon. If she keeps dropping down then try talking to a BF consultant :)

It is completely normal for your breasts to feel soft once BF is established - it just means your supply is matched to your baby's requirements rather than excess. It sounds like everything is going just fine :)

The weight charts have all changed now they are all based on breastfed babies and have been for about 5 years now.

Don't pay any notice of how much you can express. It is not a good indicator of how much milk your baby is extracting.

Yes to the questions is she happy, filling nappies, gaining weight questions.

Were you induced? There is some evidence that can cause water retention in both baby and Mum, artificially inseminated increasing birth weight.

If you are happy with everything other than the centiles, I'd keep an eye on her weight, maybe weighing every fortnight, and not worry if she continues to gain weight.

Thanks everyone for the reassuring feedback . She is producing plenty of wet nappies and it's true, I was completely happy until she was weighed.
I was induced Deserter- interesting will look into that.

Yep, weight charts in the UK are all from breastfed babies, and in any case formula fed babies grow more or less the same until about six months. Kellymom's info is US, and does not apply here.

Usually, a drop of up to two centile spaces on the chart s is considered normal so from 50th to 9th in an otherwise healthy baby is within normal.

Have a word with your HV and see what she thinks. No need for formula - if your baby needs to grow faster, just breastfeed more often :)

Regarding charts maybe, tiktok, but I found kellymom really helpful with positioning and the mechanics of breastfeeding and establishing supply - that's about breastfeeding mothers in general, not just those in the US.

Expressing is not necessarily a good way of judging supply. My DD went from the 50th percentile to above the 98th EBF but I never managed to express much, I must have been producing loads though. Do you have any other indication that she would like to drink more and there isn't any? I appreciate my DD was a different case but I was quite worried about her weight gain - everything I read suggested that birth weight is a function of the placenta and then babies move up or down to find the curve their genetics put them on. Also anything less than a two curve drop is considered normal. So I wouldn't worry!

Thanks again, everyone.

Booboostwo- no she has always seemed content with what she gets- after a feed she's settled. I did have a healthy pregnancy, but DH and I not big people so hopefully that's all we're seeing here- her finding her natural size.

Kellymom is v. good - I only meant the chart info when I said it applied to US only.

Breasts and breastfeeding work just the same on both sides of the Atlantic :) :)

Tiktok why would the charts be different for American babies? Am I missing something?

Expressing is a crap indication of supply for some people. I'm no use at expressing any milk at all but yet have a big bruiser of a baby to vouch for my supply! Also he's a similar age and I just noticed in the last week or so my breasts are usually soft and empty feeling now. Apparently this is when supply really evens out. I'd say as long as baby is still gaining, at whatever rate and seems happy everything is probably fine. It's hard not to panic though!

The charts are different for US and UK babies because the US ones are based on different data sets. Their data sets come from babies who were predominantly ff. The UK ones are from WHO data sets of babies predominantly bf.

Your situation is creepily the same as mine. I'm lucky to get 1oz when expressing and my dd is 12 weeks and went from 50th centile to 9th. Hv said she isn't concerned as dd is on 25th centile for length (was 50th at birth) and is now following 9th for weight. I still worry though and wonder if tongue tied but she has plenty of wet and poo nappies and is hitting milestones

Sorry to hijack - deserter your comment is interesting re inducement. I wasn't induced per se but needed syntocinon when my labour showed down and needed a drip as I was so dehydrated.

My dd wasn't huge when born but above average weight which surprised everyone as I had lost a lot of weight during pregnancy and was only 1/2 stone heavier that my pre pregnancy weight when I gave birth so had been expecting a below average weight baby.