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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

BF 7 week old has lost 3ozs in the past week and a half, health visitor recommending formula!

31 replies

MunchiesMama · 23/03/2007 21:18

My baby girl is 7 weeks old when she was born she was 8lb 13oz and now she is only 9lb 12oz, i am worried as she has lost 3oz in he past week and a half and the health visitor is talking about putting her on formula if she does not increase in the next week.

How can i increase my milk supply? I think it maybe low as i have been ill for two weeks with mastitis and then a bad cold....i am guessing sickness can effect milk supply?

Also my baby has been frequently filling her nappy with really watery poos, within the space of a minute (and a few huge farts!)the nappy is overflowing. Is this what baby diarrhoea is like?

OP posts:
margo1974 · 23/03/2007 21:22

I hope Tiktok is here...

Are her poos green and watery? My LO had diarrhoea and it looks different to their normal poo (normally the colour of english mustard)

Original poster
MunchiesMama · 23/03/2007 21:27

Hi Margo1974

No the poos are still orange with bits in, though they seem a bit slimy and you could pour them out of her nappy.

OP posts:
moondog · 23/03/2007 21:32

Munchie,yet another idiot HV putting the downers on women!
Increasing supply is easy.
You simply need to feed more often.
Formula is a very poor substitute for breastmilk.

God,these people want shooting.

margo1974 · 23/03/2007 22:17

DD2s nappy is like a thick liquid which sometimes overflows from the nappy and seeps out everywhere, now if you'd been at Mothercare with me yesterday, you'd understand. My LO is 3 months, it's a sign that your baby is b/f, I think the poos of a b/f are softer than those of a f/f baby

Miriam Stoppard book says "..if your baby has very watery stools, if they are green and smelly, if she refuses food, fas a fever of >38C then you should contact your doctor immediately"

What do you think? Has you babys poo changed considerably?

Also my daughters weight gain has been completely different.

dd1 kept on dropping her percentiles on weight gain whereas dd2 is gaining straight along the average line.

Is there anything that would prevent her b/f properly? e.g. tongue tie? bad latch? Ask your HV to check these before going to the alternative of f/f. AND ask them to compare your DDs weight gain on the WHO chart for b/f babies, you may find that there is nothing to worry about.

Califrau · 23/03/2007 22:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

margo1974 · 23/03/2007 22:22

By the way, don't fret, you're doing a great job. My GP and HV asked me to bring my DD1 to the clinic every fortnight to check her weight gain. They said that she was an alert baby and to carry on b/f. I think Yellowrose found a link to the WHO growth charts it may be worth giving her a shout.

Bucketsofdynomite · 23/03/2007 22:25

Now's the time to join the NCT and talk to a breastfeeding counsellor. they actually have degrees on the subject and can help you more than an HV (esp one that prescribes forumla!)
Your sickness and tiredness may be a factor, are you asking everyone you can for help so you can catch up on sleep and food? This is a great excuse to ask, nobody will turn you down!

LadyOfTheFlowers · 23/03/2007 22:25

formula is the last thing you need.
as said, have a feedathon to boost your supply.

MamaG · 23/03/2007 22:28

munchies - don't do it. I was told to do this with my DS when he was 6 weeks old and naively, I did. It didn't make a blind bit of difference and I was robbed of breastfeeding him [bitter]

I'm still angry about it 3 years on! How I wish I'd had MN then...

MamaG · 23/03/2007 22:29

.......she made me feel like a failure, I remember crying into a tiny sleepsuit as I put the washing away the day she told me - preg hormones all over, I should have told her to fuck off

Kif · 23/03/2007 22:30

how is she in herself? Well? Alert?

Sounds like a weird 'one strike and you're out' attitude - one bad week and they want you to completely change your strstegy. presure tactics.

gr8kids · 23/03/2007 22:31

munchiesmama please DONT give up or let them tell you to give formula. its worth it in the end for the health of your baby girl and yourself, trust me!!! i fed my 1st for 2yrs even thou i couldn't go near her for a week after she was born due to aving pipes in her. it was so tough but i got through it and so can you. let her drink from your sore breasts (it works eventually) also use hot cabbage leaves on your breasts or lay in a hot bath and massage your breasts. to increase you milk and make it yummier for her, try drinking milk stout. think its called mackersons, sorta same as a guiness really. again, trust me its full of iron and good for your milk and your baby. good luck and keep up the good work.

moondog · 23/03/2007 22:31

Mama
That brings a lump to mythroat.

MamaG · 23/03/2007 22:32

sorry moondog! Got a bit carried away, I feel so strongly about it. I've got a lumpin my throat too

moondog · 23/03/2007 22:34

It enrages me to think of the thousands of women who instead of being made to feel like the heroes that they are,are demaned and belittled by idiots who know FUCKALL!!!!!

MamaG · 23/03/2007 22:35

me too - ridiculous that these people, these women, are the ones we are supposed to listen to

MamaG · 23/03/2007 22:36

(usually women IME)

Beachcomber · 23/03/2007 22:44

If you baby is very gassy, is it possible that she isn't getting enough hindmilk? This could maybe slow her weight gain down too.

I had two bouts of mastisis with dd2 and it is horrid, well done for keeping on feeding, I hope you are starting to feel better. My mastisis was caused by incorrect positioning of the baby (you would have thought I'd know what I was doing with my second!) and it also made her very windy, maybe something similar could be happening with you.

Sounds like it might be a good idea to contact a breastfeeding counsellor so that someone who really knows about feeding can help reassure you. I would say that if you want to continue feeding do not let a HV pressurise you into using formula until you have seen a properly trained breastfeeding counsellor who could help you with any possible problems. I would be a little wary of someone who suggests formula without exploring other avenues first.

The best way to ensure supply is to feed, feed, feed. Lots of cuddles and skin contact with your baby helps too. Stay in bed with the baby for a few days and just rest up, cuddle and enjoy.

Good luck and keep us posted.

tiktok · 24/03/2007 15:29

Munchies, good support on here....but you don't need to join NCT to get help from the bf telephone line.

All sorts of things can lead to the scales showing a loss of 3 oz including inaccuarate weighing

You have milk in your breasts - feed more often and you will ensure your baby gets more, and you will make more

Original poster
MunchiesMama · 24/03/2007 17:53

Thanks everyone, we are feeding like crazy and hope to put on lots of weight for Friday!

OP posts:
Califrau · 25/03/2007 19:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
MunchiesMama · 26/03/2007 09:40

Hi Califrau, i think it is going well, my boobs certainly feel fuller! I am going to start expressing before each feed tomorrow to see how much is in there.....

OP posts:
tiktok · 26/03/2007 09:54

Munchies, it's great things are going well. But expressing will not show you how much milk is there - really and truly. Expressing shows how much milk you can get by expressing, that's all.

A baby can sometimes get more, or, if the feeding is not going well, can get less.

What matters is how much milk the baby gets into her tum - you could be producing a litre a time, and it wouldn't matter if the baby could only access 30 ml of it

Coversely, you might express 30 ml, and yet an effectively and efficiently feeding baby might well get four or five times that.

Original poster
MunchiesMama · 26/03/2007 21:06

Thanks for the info tiktok, the HV is expecting me to come back to her on Friday with information on how much i have expressed for each feed but i will bare in mind what you have said. So if there doesn't appear to be that much when i express i won't be pushed into formula straight away.

I saw the doctor today about my baby's diarrhoea, and we are sending a sample to the lab (perhaps until this clears up she would lose weight even on formula!).

Well fingers crossed this will all get sorted soon.

OP posts:
nickiey · 26/03/2007 21:10

Feed often, make sure you empty the breast completley. I had this a few eeks ago with my 5 month old, he didnt loose weight but didnt gain for a few weeks, I took fenugreek to increase my milk, within 24 hours my milk was very strong again.