Please help BF Baby dropped from 95th to 2nd centile - what can I do (don't want to top up)

[womblingalong]

Sorry about this essay, thanks for reading I hope someone can please help, i am exhausted, but don't want to give up BF, what can I do?

DS was 9lb 12oz when born by emergency section, he had been gaining weight fine, between 5-7 oz a week in early days and is exclusively BF with occasional bottle of EBM. Last weigh in was at 8 wks where he was 11lb 15 oz, and had dropped to the 75th centile. I was not worried at the time, but decided not to bother with lots of weigh in's as last time with dd, was harangued into topping up with formula due to low weight gain.

Went to see HV clinic yesterday, at 17/18 wks, and he was only 12lb 7 oz and had dropped to 2nd centile. Have been referred to GP Am now panicking and stressed that there is something wrong with my milk.

He has been really struggling with bad wind/colic, and often struggles on the breast, crying, kicking and arching his back. He often will only feed if I walk around rocking him, which is exhausting - and he won't feed in a sling . When he does feed you can hear lots of gurgling and windy sounds from his tummy. He also doesn?t nurse for long at each breast, and often refuses the breast he fed from last time, if offered first.

I knew his weight gain had slowed as between weeks 9 to 11 he had a sort of breastfeeding strike and was just not interested in the day. This coincided with the start of teething; he is cutting 4 molars at once, much earlier than normal. Started to offer b feeds more often, every half hour at one point, and he is now nursing more, especially at night, where he has gone from one or two feeds to 4-5 a night.

Although he didn't seem to be getting loads bigger he is getting longer, is bright and alert, doesn't sleep loads so isn't conserving calories, very active, kicking and wanting to sit up all the time, has wet nappies etc, so seems fine in himself. Th

I have been eating oats, and taking fenugreek to increase milk supply, together with nursing more often, to build up a store of EBM for when I go back to work, so I should have enough milk shouldn't I?

What else can I do? What could be the cause of the struggling when feeding? What can I say to the GP/HV? Is there anything I should be asking for i.e. something for my milk/for his tummy?

I hope someone can help!

WA

Haven't read all the replies - my DD did something similar. It could be that your milk is coming out too fast. Try feeding lying down. It had about 6 weeks of this and my DD didn't gain as much weight as usual then bounced back.

with regards to the milk coming out to fast this was a prob i had with ds3, it made him unsettled at the breast like your baby and it gave him wind, i would lean back when i fed him, this helped him cope with the flow.

also you say he is feeding more at night? this is good as your milk has more fat in it at night and will stimulate your supply.

also are you feeding lying down, this should also help with a fast flow of milk.

i had to walk around and rock and jiggle ds3 to get him to feed, was a nightmare, i took him to a cranial osteopath and that helped a bit but eventually he grew out of it.

he was 9lb 5oz at birth but now at two and a half is quite a skinny thing, still bfeeding tho

I have to say your post set off my alarm bells as his behaviour during feeding sounds exactly like ds'.

I went through all the same worries about milk supply etc. He was a bit more extreme as he was well off the charts in terms of weight (though also quite long) - he was only on the 50th at birth so probably a similar weight gain to yours.

Five doctors and two hospitals later he was diagnosed with reflux. Was on meds for about 7 weeks and is now close to the 50th percentile again.

Gaviscon did nothing for him but his paed ge did recommend early weaning (under his close supervision) alongside the meds, which we did. He said solids provide ballast for the bm and help with the reflux.

This sounds so similar to my experience, except that my dd didn't lose weight except a lot straight after birth. She arched, screamed, and gurgled for britain. It wasn't until she got black bits in her nappies that anyone mentioned silent reflux (the black bits were from her poor wee bleeding oesophagus!). Do ask about that. Once on Ranitidine, she fed much better. We finally cracked the wind thing once she was 5 months old hen I gave up gluten (I'd already been dairy-free for months). Her wet, mucusy nappies improved immensely too. Hope you get to the bottom of it all!

xx

Update:

Thanks for all your replies. Too Ticky, compote sounds like good idea, ill go shopping for dried fruit at w/end. Am already on iron tablets, so this will help too.

Went to GP today, he reckons silent reflux is a sensible diagnosis,esp due to dd's history of reflux and slow weight gain, even when fully formual fed. Have got prescription for ranitidne and gaviscon.

Gave ds ranitidine, and then fed, he was like a different baby, relaxed and comfortable on the breast. Later on still a bit uncomfortable, but nowhere near as bad as before. Fingers crossed this sorts it. Need to try for 2 weeks and then go back for weigh in and review with GP.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions and advice, really calmed me down.

Great to hear things are getting better!

Fantastic, I really hope this sorts it, I wish I'd had MN and found out about reflux before dd was 6 months old!