Help!

[InTheWilderness55]

Hi All,

My daughter is 16 days old and struggling to put weight on. She had hospital stay initially then reflux at home. Things were starting to settle over the weekend then were had midwife appointment.

On weighing, she said she hadn't gained as expected and would like to see us again in a week, ideally with a 400g weight gain.
My LO is EBF but I'm going to top her up with 2oz of formula in the evening.

I wanted advice on 2 things, i asked midwife about thickened formulas as she brings up milk frequently and she said they do not digest properly and advised to use normal milk. I wanted to hear other peoples people's experiences.

Secondly, it's 400g realistic weight to gain in 7 days? I really have no clue.

I feel my daughter is healthy and well generally.

Thank you in advance

I'm really not sure where your HV is getting her information from. According to Kellymom the average is 170 g. Does that sound more like what's happening?

I've just done a bit of maths and 400 g is 14 ounces.

If she carried on at that rate she'd be 26 pounds (nearly 12 kilos) at 6 months. That would be a heck of a weight gain . The WHO growth chart only goes up to 10 kilos by 6 months

I would also call one of the BFing Helplines before starting the top ups. I'm just some random on the internet but the BFCs who man the phone lines are all fully trained and up-to date.

Have you got the helpline numbers?

Thank you for your replies, i really did think that 400g was too much over a week! Jilted, can you please share the numbers? I'll ring them tomorrow

Has she regained birthweight yet?

Why just 2 oz top up once a day?

What are the reflux indicators here? Has your latch etc been checked?

What's nappy output like?

And is MW getting confused here? the only thing that has worked for friends' DTs has been CMPA formula, thickened with carobel.

@JiltedJohnsJulie

To be fair, my EBF chunky DS did gain about 400g a week for a couple of months then slowed right down but was well over 9kg at 6 mo!

can you please share the numbers? I'll ring them tomorrow. Of course I can, they're here although you'll probably have to scroll down towards the bottom of the page.

Have you managed to get to a BFing support group to? Have a look here to see if there are any in your area

The midwife is right about not using reflux milk in the first instance, I'm assuming for the pp who knows twins who are on it that it is being used under medical direction. If you think your baby has reflux OP it's worth discussing it with your GP.

Has the midwife discussed a feeding plan? Done a full breastfeeding assessment? Usually a feeding plan would start with expressing after feeds and giving EBM top ups before considering using formula. But it depends on weight loss. 400g seems like a lot to expect in a week though.

I would definitely use the National Breastfeeding Helpline or La Leche League helpline for support

This article on "spitting up" might be useful too