not getting the ltting down feeling. worried about baby's growh

[Stephano]

i have been bf for 4 and a half weeks now but do not feel the let down. am concerned that my dd is not gaining weight. in 4 weeks she is only 1 oz heavier than her birth weight. do you have to let down to get the hind milk? she feeds an awful lot and sleeps well but just isn't gaining. she sucks her hands too which makes me think she's still hungry. can anyone help?

some people never feel let down - for others it's excruciating - it just depends on your body and is nothing to do with the milk.

I can't advise on the weight agin as I'm not an expert but hopefully soemone clever will be along to advise soon.

Is she your firstborn (i.e. have you BF'd before)? Some people don;t get a let-down sensation, so unless you have experienced it with a previous baby, maybe you're in the no-let-down-sensation camp.

I'm not sure about the weight thing though....Did she lose a lot initially? I'm sure someone wise will be along soon!

x-posts with TYV

Stephano, not feeling the let down is not a concern - plenty of mothers never feel it. Sucking hands is what babies do and is not a sign of hunger.

Also, being one ounce above birthweight is not an issue in itself - plenty of healthy babies do gain slowly, but this is very slowly, so it would be important to look at the bigger picture, such as the effectiveness of the feeds. How often does she feed in 24 hours? Is she responding well and normally for a 4 week old? What about poos and wees? What does your HV say?

Thanks guys. Good to know that I may not ever feel the letting down sensation. She is my first child. She feeds constantly but perhaps I need to get the feeding checked so I'll do that thanks. She pees ad poos really well and often. I've not spoken to the hv but will do on Tuesday. Thanks again

My DS is nearly 4 weeks old, and I've not felt a let down yet.At least I don't think so, as I'm not sure what it feels like

I only ever feel let down in the breast I am not feeding from. It then squirts milk everywhere.

If she is having lots of wet and dirty yellow, soft nappies and is content within herself then you know that the milk is going through. Don't get caught up with the fore/hind milk thing either, it's a bit of a red herring.