Newborn lost twelve percent birth weight

[fuzzywuzzy]

I'm going crazy, i had DD3 last Sunday and she's lost twelve percent of her birth weight at yesterday's weigh in so we're back in hospital.

I've been told to give her formula top ups which I really do not want to.

DD was born much bigger birth weight than my older DC, which in the early days before my milk came in has made it harder to keep her full. My milk has now come in and I'm feeding her regularly and she seems content.

Her colour is fine, she's alert and spends some time looking around her. She produces wet nappies about three a day and dirty nappies once a day. She's not de-hydrated or jaundiced (doctors have checked). She even sleeps well for small stretches.

Is there any way I can increase my milk production? I can't express much and one of the nurses anounced I was not producing enough milk. I am I can feel it and also DD tends to fall asleep with milk pouring out of her mouth, so I've taken to changing her nappy after a first feed then putting her back on to continue feeding once she is awake again.

I've managed to express 20ml of milk at a time but DD just throws it up after I feed it to her after giving her a breast feed.

I feel like I'm force feeding my poor dc.

Any words of advice please make I'm desperate. I'm really worried about her weight loss but also I find it hard to believe she's at risk of malnutrition or anything as she's so calm and happy.

[booellesmum]

Really great news.
Glad you can go home and enjoy family time.

[tiktok]

This is good news, OP!

[2Pinkhydrangea]

Great news OP

[Longdistance]

I had this. The mw's scales were broken 🙄

We weighed a bag of flour to compare.

Glad your dc is putting on weight.

[Umpteenthnamechange]

I'd go home and just feed your baby. Listen to your instincts - if she hadn't been weighed, what would your gut be telling you? She sounds healthy and like she's feeding well. I'd enjoy feeding her over the weekend and get her weighed again mid week and I bet you are astonished.

I'm a fan of not listening to crap advice! It sounds like you've got loads of milk.

This is where internet stranger advice gets really messed up. You are not an expert. You haven't seen the baby. You don't know what the actual situation is. You cannot possibly tell that she "sounds healthy" and neither can you say that HCPs are all giving crap advice. You can offer multiple possibilities but it's dangerous to tell the OP all is fine when you simply do not have adequate information.

[bf1000]

Great news.
I know what you mean about feeling like never done it before. I was still breast feeding first when I had 2nd an still felt clueless about feeding.

[Moomin37]

That's great news Well done you Hope you can relax a bit now and enjoy this precious time. My daughter is breast fed except for two 30ml top ups per day and she also produces 'yogurt' stuff, except in this house we call it cottage cheese! To be fair yogurt is a better description - strangely she usually produces it right before demanding a feed (as if she was making space). Best of luck OP

[fuzzywuzzy]

I know I sound really clueless and stupid I do have two older dc and I managed to breastfeed my younger DD for seven months with no problems.

I feel like I've never done this before.

I do have brilliant news, baby has been weighed and is now 9.3% under her birth weight so we've been allowed to be discharged so long as the midwife team weigh DD tomorrow and she's still improving we can then be discharged back to the normal midwife checks.

I'm going to carry on trying to express and both breastfeed and feed EBM as much as possible.

I'm so unbelievably relieved my baby isn't seriously sick or anything.

And thank you everyone really appreciate the advice and the reassurance.

[tiktok]

Yogurt like sick sounds very normal. It's called posseting. All babies do it.

[fuzzywuzzy]

I'm constantly putting her on for a feed whenever she wakes. She's drinking then ocassibally bringing up bit of yoghurt like sick but I remember my nephew doing that so I think it's normal.

She's still not been weighed, I'm going to let them weigh her however they think is best.

[tiktok]

No to weighted feed. What is the point of that in a baby so young? Test weighing has very little evidence behind it. It's hardly ever done in the UK, and for sound reasons. Babies take different volumes all the time. They do not need and cannot take exactly the same volume every time. OP it sounds like things are looking up. Two poos already today sounds within normal.

[FrenchLetter]

Yes, a weighted feed is a good ide. It's should be 20g per kilo of her weight approximately.

[mamamamamaaa]

Sorry, bit of a cross post. But try the weighing before and after! Totally normal to be so upset, i was in tears for days. It will work out op, just stay open and she will get what she needs.

[mamamamamaaa]

Just a thought, not sure i would top up with expressed breast milk if she is throwing it up because then it is not available to her at the next feed when she is ready for it. We were told the vomiting is usually not because they are too full. For us, it was just the digestion muscles causing a projectile vomit and then dd needed more milk to replace what was lost.

They should be weighing her everyday and offer you a breastfeedeing consultant! We also found the pediatrician to be very helpful when we were ina similar circumstance.

also, can you weigh her before the feed and then after. Then you know exactly how much she has drunk. That is the standard procedure where i live. Do not change the nappy in between.

[fuzzywuzzy]

I've seen the lactation specialist she said babys latch and frequency of feeding is fine. She didn't think baby's frequency of passing stool was low she's had two dirty nappies today and has had a few wet nappies, I don't change wet nappies immediately especially if she's sleeping and the nappy doesn't feel heavy (she has those nappies where the yellow strip turns blue when baby has peed).

I'm still waiting for thebmwife to come and weigh her.

Lactation specialist said to keep expressing and feeding this as top up as the doctors want to see how much she's consuming.

Feeling a bit calmer. I did burst into tears in front of the specialist, I'm so upset about this. My older dc weighed in at 6lb and my youngest out on weight when she had her first weigh in.

Btw to the poster who asked I did have several drips during my labour, it was not a very nice labour experience.

[cheeeekyavocado]

10% weight loss is the high end of normal for breast fed babies so she is clearly over that thresh hold. Hospital is definitely the right place until you find out why she isn't getting back up to birth weight.

I understand you want to breast feed and there's no reason why you can't continue to, but formula really isn't a bad thing and worth a try if topping up with it kick starts her weight gain.

People here aren't in any position to tell you to go home and essentially ignore medical advice. Just keep feeding as much as possible and stay put until a doctor is happy for her to be discharged.

[Oddsocksforeveryone]

I had exactly this problem last summer. Dc3 (dd) lost almost 15%. I gave in and gave her formula as well as breast feeding and I really wish I hadn't.
She was 9lb14oz at birth and it was rediculous. Every midwife we saw said they had no concerns, there was nothing wrong with her but they had to follow guidelines.
Midwife at the hospital said that because I had iv fluids before the birth (had a funny turn when they put cannula in so had to have extra fluids) that could have increased her birth weight as fluids transferred to her. BUT as there's no way to measure it so they can't take it into account.
My milk took a long time to come in with all 3 of mine which meant weight loss in first week but the guidelines were different so it wasn't an issue.
Sorry you are going through this, try and stay calm if you can. Instead of focusing on the weight loss try asking about her general health and if they actually have any concerns. It may just take her a while to get back to birth weight.
Good luck OP x

[glitterglitters]

*drips

[glitterglitters]

Op did you have any fluid drops or IVs in labour? I know that these can make babies weigh a bit heavier when they are born x

[RedheadinCamelFlarge]

If you're managing to express 20ml on top of feeding her, then supply is very unlikely to be the issue. It'd be worth pointing out that giving her topups is making her throw up, ie she sounds full already. Insist that only an IBCLC is the right person to give you breastfeeding advice, and stick to your guns on that! If you are happy to topup for now, then syringes or an SNS should be provided for you, to avoid bottle preference. If the hospital is supposed to be UNICEF Baby Friendly, I'd mention that as well...

[FATEdestiny]

OP it's good you will be able to see a specialist. Weighing today is important so do insist

Absolutely. And there is no point worrying until you have had this weigh-in.

If today's weight shows an increase, just carry on doing the same as you are and maintain the growth.

Keep going and ensuring weight gain until back to birth weight. Then as lobg as baby tracks a centile line, no stress at all.

[FrenchLetter]

What was your birth like? Did you have IV fluids?

Only an infant feeding specialist / IBCLC can diagnose a tt. Ignore the word of everyone else! Does it hurt to feed? What is happy output like?

[tiktok]

I can't think of any setting where a weight loss of 13 per cent would be considered within normal limits. In the UK the upper limit of normal is considered to be 10 per cent.

OP it's good you will be able to see a specialist. Weighing today is important so do insist.

[Moomin37]

Here here BF1000 my private midwife said it is very uncommon for a woman not to produce enough milk, so as you rightly suggest they should be checking more common issues first. In my experience and from talking to others, health professionals are far too quick to suggest top ups without exploring and identifying the root cause (sorry I sound very critical of NHS staff - overall they were very good considering what they are up against in terms of demand pressure, budget cuts etc. and I am very grateful for the care me and my baby received) .

[OnlyEatsToast]

I had something similar happen to me but fortunately had a great midwife who helped me manage. It's quite normal for newborns to drop from birthweight - more so in bf babies, and I thought up to 13% before you should be concerned. (This is why babies are born with brown fat). Sounds like you're milk is in, baby is feeding well, not jaundiced etc so it sounds to me that you are in the best place to ensure baby doesn't become unwell and otherwise it's a case of snuggling and feeding. I think most newborns are back up to their birthweight by 2 weeks. Def he checked out for TT earlier etc. If I were you I'd push back against the top up feeds but of course make that decision yourself based on how you are both getting on.