1 month old not gaining- bf- any ideas anyone? starting to worry

[PeachyHas4BoysAndLovesIt]

ds4 is a month tomorrow, born weighing 8lbs 3oz, has been 8lbs for 3 weeks.

spoke to nct line they seem to think bf ok, but am still worried.

he seems longer, is alert, settled moastlyn (some screeching which we put down to colic), loads of wet and dirty nappies although about 20% nappies greenish

family history of milk intolerance- me and 2 brothers.

feeds 2 hourly, on both sides. no nipple ain, latch seems ok but he does pull off a few times during feeds.

all the vothers had a bottle introduced by now for growth reasons, on orders of a Paed. desperately dont want that again, am loving the bond of exclusive bf.

dh's family all very thin- and so are 2/3 brothers.

hv happy unless no gain by 6 weeks, but I am starting to worry as my dad had a go at me for harming him by bf

apologies for 1 handed typing

Peachy, I can certainly understand your concern.

It's unusual to have no weight gain and I would deff be trying to think why that was the case.

I'd also be asking about how your baby is weighed - naked on digital scales is the only way to be anything like accurate and even then operator errors and transcribing and translating can mean the wrong details are recorded.

Would you consider removing all dairy from your diet? Just to cover that particular base...

Sometimes, even 2 hrly is just not enough for some babies and some mothers - can you increase the feeds, give 3 or 4 or 5 sides at a time, use breast compression (google or search mn archives) to ensure more milk goes in at each session?

To be honest, if the weights are accurate, then getting more breastmilk in is important, and really, really working at it is the only way to do it.

Hope this helps.

Peachy,

ms ds is just over a month old, and only just reached back to his birth weight. exclusively breastfeedig and hv wanted me to top up on formula at night which was not happy about as last week as he was still below his bw.

I decided not to as he seemed alert, was poohing and weeing ok and getting longer. I uped my breastfeeding and tried all things to keep him on the breast as he liked to nap a lot. He is quite small and lean and will probably be like that anyway as both my dh and me were small and lean when we were babies.

Also the charts they use, I've been told by a number of people, is based on bottle fed babies who tend to be heavier.

Go with your instinct, as Tiktok said you may have to up your feeding or cut out dairy in your diet. I did. 6 weeks seems ok as this is when your baby shoud then get a growth spurt.

You may well have to part /bottle feed in the end but do not feel guilty about it.

Maybe you could look into getting a breast feeding counsellor to come out to you, if you are worried about the bf and non weight gain.
there are various organisations that can help such as La Leche, does your hospital or post natal clinic offer bf support??

Jello, glad you have found a way forward.
But you have it wrong about the charts - the babies they are based on have undifferentiated feeding, and indeed, breastfed babies tend to grow faster at first.

It is a myth that the charts are not for breastfed babies.

The newer charts which will come in soon will not show much difference, until babies are about 5-6 mths old. That's when the difference starts to show between bottle fed and breastfed.

thanks both, good to hear its not just ds4.

tiktok- will follow yor advice. i have enopugh traiing to know latch etc fine, but not for more complex stuff iyswim so expert help really apprecited

had wondered about the dairy but didnt say to dh as the 2 with dairy problems are the asd 2 and i know he would worry.

will try feeding more as well, ta

Google 'Dr Jack Newman' for lots and lots of really great feeding advice (including more details about breast compression).

Also, probably sounds a bit 'way out' but carrying baby in a sling for part/all of the day and co sleeping can help with slow weight gain.

I had simiar problems with my little girl, the worst thing for me was the pressure from health professionals to introduce a bottle. We didnt and she is still going strong at 7 months...following her centile beautifully!!

Peachy, perhaps you should try not be too anxious - it is normal for babies to loose weight in the first week and then spend the next few weeks making that back to reach their birthweight. Both of mine (breastfed too) lost over a pound in the first week and took about 4 weeks to get back up to their birthweight.

In fact, DS1 dropped from 10lb 2oz to 8lb 10oz in the first 5 days, and the MW suggested I used formula (?!) if he didn't start gaining the next day (luckily he had reached a plateau, and gained 3oz overnight, thus relieving the pressure I felt I was under).

I would concentrate on trying to boost your milk supply - www.kellymom.com has some pages on this - suggesting some specific foods, e.g. oatmeal, but eating well and abundantly is important now. Also, make sure you are getting adequate rest - difficult if you have 3 big brothers to look after, but try to do the minimum you can, get your feet up and snuggle up to your new baby. Housework and home cooking can wait - the first few months of breastfeeding are really crucial in establishing your supply, so concentrate on that and sort out the scummy corners of the house next year!!

Let us know how you are doing in a few weeks. Exclusive breastfeeding does work, don't let people scare you away from it. Your body has created a beautiful baby, and is equipped to produce nutritious milk for it for the first 6 months. Good luck

Peachy just wanted to add that if DS nappies are greenish this can be a sign that he is getting too much foremilk and therefore not enough hind milk which might also explain the lack of weight gain. I think that massaging or compression before bf can help with this.

Hope your lo starts gaining weight soon

Take Care