Page 2 | Newborn lost 12% body weight in 3 days - very stressed!

Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 24/02/2025 19:45

Maxorias · 23/02/2025 18:05

Hello OP,

It could be several things - insufficient supply or ineffective latch. However :

This is not your fault
Babies are expected to lose up to 10% of their birth weight in the first days, especially if bf. So yours went a bit below that but only a little. This is why they have these checks.
Your baby will almost definitely be fine now that she's receiving what she needs.
Again, this is not your fault.

Get her checked for tongue tie, weigh her regularly, express your milk and see whether you have adequate supplies. If/when you go back to bf offer formula top ups at the end of a feed to be sure she ate her fill.

It sounds like this was caught in time and there's no reason to believe that she won't be fine.

With getting her weighed regularly is this just something we ask the midwives to do? We have another appointment to get her weighed tomorrow so I really hope her weight has gone up.

My DH and another friend I confided in tried to console me in same way saying it’s not my fault and wouldn’t have done any lasting damage but it’s hard to just accept that, although I am feeling better as the days go on.

Its really awkward when family/friends ask standard questions like is she feeding and growing well and because I don’t want to get into it, I just say yes all good…

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Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 24/02/2025 19:53

mellyinthenorth · 23/02/2025 18:06

My twins were born very healthy weights (each 7lb12+ at 40+3) and we had similarly stressful early days. I had planned to exclusively bf and opted to stay in hospital an extra day just to make sure I had all the necessary support on hand to get feeding established. There wasn't really any support though, I was just told how amazing we were doing breastfeeding twins. However, when the midwife visited us at home on day 3 for a weigh-in, one had lost 14% and the other about 11%. They were readmitted for 3nights for intensive feeding support with nursing staff taking over some of the feeding completely. I felt terrible and never gained the confidence to exclusively bf but we did mix feed for 6months and 13months. However, they are now 15yrs, over 6 foot tall and totally fab and those days are a distant memory.

With the mixed feeding, how did you do this without losing your supply (if you remember, as I appreciate it was 15 years ago!) Glad they are both doing well!

I’m not sure why I am putting so much pressure on myself to bf but I just really want to

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Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 24/02/2025 19:54

TryingToStayAwake88 · 23/02/2025 18:30

I had that after giving birth too. I was kept in for my "prem" baby- 7lbs and needed no support. And constantly got different advice. Find someone competent and listen to them. Last leche also do meetings across the meeting and you can go monthly to chat about breastfeeding and support each other. It's a brilliant group. Hunt out advice to get what you want

Show quote history

Thank you, I will look for some more support

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Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 24/02/2025 19:56

YouveGotAFastCar · 23/02/2025 19:46

We had this. 13% drop at 3 days, 16% by day 5. We were also advised to top up with formula after every feed, but then that hindered breastfeeding. He was never assessed for a tongue tie as it was during Covid, and by the time anyone really listened, he was beyond 4 weeks old and they wouldn’t assess it anymore.

He's 3 now and 14kg, and happily on the 55th percentile. It was an ordeal, but we got here. He breastfed til 2.5!

Ah wow - how did you manage to not give into formula?

I just feel so concerned that she’s not getting enough at the breast when I try. Earlier she had 40 minutes at the breast but still the same amount of top up milk so that is confusing

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DragonFly98 · 24/02/2025 19:56

The more formula feeds you give the less milk you will make. Topping up is outdated advice.

WinterSun20 · 24/02/2025 19:56

Congratulations on your baby! I had a similar experience with my dd. She lost 11% by day 3. I was so upset, she was my second and I'd successfully breastfed my first and so I wasn't anticipating a problem. I went on a breastfeeding binge and didn't let her go more than 2 hours between feeds and her weight increased. It did leave me very anxious and worried though so I really sympathise with how you're feeling. My dd is now 4 and I can confirm that no long term issues occurred as a result of the initial drop and we actually managed to successfully breastfeed into toddlerhood, so it didn't derail our breastfeeding journey either. It was a huge knock to my confidence though and it did leave me obsessing over her weight for quite some time. I ended up buying some baby weighing scales so I could track her weight myself. Looking back, I'm not sure if that fed my anxiety or helped relieve it, but I felt like it helped at the time! For me the turning point was a few months in. When they get to 3 to 4 months, they bulk up and no longer look like tiny, delicate newborns and that put me at ease. Best of luck with things, you sound like a fab mum already!

SnakebitesandSambucas · 24/02/2025 19:57

Hey @Newbiemum25 if you don't mind saying a rough area you are in. There is normally plenty of services to help. If it helps both my babies lost about 10% body weight. And slowly slowly gained ebf. But I had mine by C-section if you were topped up with fluids this can lead to baby seeming to lose weight. Drink lots of water, eat and rest. Some babies and mum's need extra help and that's ok. Main thing is your both safe and sound. I could never pump personally despite trying. But it's not an indication of supply. The Breastfeeding network, la la leche both have helpines you can ring. Also if you go into FB. Breastfeeding younger babies is a good group, and could sign post you to a local lactation consultant. If baby does have tounge tie (various types) getting it sorted is worth it. 🙂

Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 24/02/2025 19:58

Everlore · 23/02/2025 20:20

Congratulations on your lovely new arrival. Our perfect baby is six weeks old now. I was in hospital with her for over a week due to my health issues, baby, thank god, was fine. I was trying to breast-feed her for the first couple of days with midwife support. However, on day two, one of the midwives noted that she was jittery and strongly advised that we begin feeding her formula which we did. We started cup-feeding her but it soon became clear that she was getting insufficient milk this way so we quickly switched to bottles. On her five day weigh-in she had lost 8% of her weight, which is below the 10% concern threshhold but high enough for the midwives to advise continuing to formula feed her.
Unfortunately, despite having excellent daily support from the infant feeding team while in hospital and when I returned home, I was unable to increase my milk supply from more than a few ml, even with regular pumping and hand-expressing, so it was soon clear that she would need to be mostly formula-fed.
I continued to latch her on to my breasts for a while, which she seemed to find comforting even if she wasn't getting much milk from them, unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago, she completely lost interest and began screaming every time I tried her on the breast so I stopped doing it as it seemed to be distressing her.
I felt terrible about not being able to breast-feed our baby, however, she seems to enjoy the formula, has an excellent appetite and continues to gain weight steadily. I'm sure your baby will thrive, I just wanted to say don't feel guilty if you need to partially formula-feed, you're only doing what's best for your baby and making sure they get enough sustinance, one way or another.

Thank you! It’s all so stressful and I feel that feeding challenges aren’t talked about enough in advance until we are in the trenches experiencing the stress re weight loss

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Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 24/02/2025 19:59

caffelattetogo · 23/02/2025 21:24

Tongue tie is not routinely checked in the NHS but you can ask for it to be looked at if you have a midwife or health visitor appointment soon. We have had multiple DC with it and getting it snipped is a 5-minute procedure without anaesthesia that made the world of difference for us. It was about £250 but I figured we saved that by not having to buy formula. Good luck - don't worry, you're doing a great job.

I have an appointment with a NHS lactation consultant tomorrow so I will ask but if not, I agree that it’s worth looking into privately

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Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 24/02/2025 20:00

Autumn1990 · 23/02/2025 21:29

Mine both did this. Turned out they had cmpa. I bf on demand then topped up exactly 30 ml every three hours with my first. Second gained weight as soon I stopped eating dairy.
The top up lasted a few weeks and then I bf first for 3 years and second for 4 years. Expressing wasn’t really recommended as baby can get more out. Paediatric consultant drew up the feeding plan.

Ah I haven’t heard of CMPA.

Yeh I feel that expressing is a temporary solution until I can get the latch sorted and also just more concerned about getting her weight up atm rather than trying and failing at bf :(

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Pyjamatimenow · 24/02/2025 20:01

My dd lost a lot of weight. Can’t recall the exact number now but we got sent straight back to hospital and put on a strict feeding plan. She’s now 11 and the tallest by a foot in her class. I wouldn’t worry about the long term. I remember feeling guilty myself. For me I had a supply issue and the poor thing was latching like a champ and getting next to nothing. I felt awful

Babycatsarenice · 24/02/2025 20:02

Honestly this is quite common as you can see from the responses already. Does your local area have a breastfeeding support group? It's a group run by volunteers you can drop into that help you with latch, position etc. There is probably a local drop in for weigh ins, ours was at a local family center. You won't have harmed your baby, and if you want to you can probably get back to EBF. You will probably feel a bit upset about this all for the first few months of your baby's life then you'll get out into the wild and realise this happens to a lot of women and you won't feel bad anymore - that's my experience

Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 24/02/2025 20:02

safira · 23/02/2025 22:02

My experience (after 3 babies) is that the infant feeding support (which was poor to begin with) has deteriorated massively post Covid. All 3 of mine have had 90%+ posterior tongue ties which made breastfeeding extremely difficult. All 3 had them snipped on the NHS, but baby number 3 they massively pushed back and said they don't tend to snip anymore. She was a different baby after she'd had it done.

With baby number 1, my milk didn't even come in until day 5, so please don't stress about enduring impact of a slow start. Don't forget that the stats are done on a population level and that breastfeeding rates are very low here even in the early days. My health visitor and breastfeeding support both said that losses of 10%+ are very common amongst EBF babies.

My main advice would be try not to worry. Breastfeeding at the start can be brutal - sometimes it can take a while for baby to "get it" and that's OK. Whether you manage to figure it out or not, as long as baby is getting the nutrition she needs and you are happy and relaxed, it really doesn't matter.

Yh it’s very annoying that the support is so terrible!

Thank you for this message and reassurance and I agree, I think it will be less stressful when I accept pursuing one route or the other rather than trying to triple feed

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Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 24/02/2025 20:05

oharibo · 23/02/2025 22:17

Sorry don't have any good advice only keep going!

My DS was born at 37 weeks, jaundiced and really didn't want to feed. Lost 13% weight. We topped up with formula for about 3 weeks but tbh he didn't really want to drink that either.

Eventually he did gain weight but it was hard work initially. After about 3/4 weeks it a was like he suddenly realised how to feed and I then breastfed for 1year.

He's still skinny and now a teenager.

Keep going keep feeding, skin to skin can help

Did your LO have a low birth weight? I don’t know if this is more common for babies with a lower birth weight as they are more weaker?

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Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 24/02/2025 20:06

ThankGodForDancingFruit · 23/02/2025 22:21

Congratulations on your new baby!

My little one lost almost 15% of birth weight in the first three days. We were sent back into hospital, and baby had signs of dehydration which showed in blood tests.

Initially I was told to put baby to breast every 3 hrs, then give pumped milk and a specific amount of formula (started on 43ml!). Settle baby then pump for next feed. This took an hour, so I had a 2 hr gap until it started again - during which I had to walk to the steriliser in the ward. It was exhausting but so worth it.

We were discharged after a few days, and baby was back at birth weight by their 2 week weigh in. By this point, baby was feeding and taking a bit of pumped milk, but was satisfied, gaining well with lots of wet and dirty nappies, and didn’t need formula.

I slowly stopped pumping (did struggle with oversupply and engorgement). The aim was to still pump a little, to share feeds, but I found it exhausting and breastfeeding was so much easier.

Still feeding now, 17 months later!

In our case, the weight loss was likely due to a very late diagnosed tongue tie - I was told repeatedly that baby didn’t have one, only do get a private opinion months later and he does indeed have a posterior tie (would have needed general anaesthetic).

Also, my midwife pointed out I had a lot of fluid during my c section, and said this can transfer to baby. Some countries don’t take birth weight until baby is 24 hours old, for this reason.

I hope you find this reassuring, it was tough and exhausting but we got there in the end!

Wow this does sound intense, glad it all worked out for you.

I guess it is about perseverance, but there are times when I do just want to give up trying to bf, especially when she’s screaming whilst I’m trying to get her to latch.

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Babycatsarenice · 24/02/2025 20:07

There is also an NCT BF support line that I found helpful.

Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 24/02/2025 20:10

Singleaftermarriage · 23/02/2025 22:24

I lost so much blood after birth (4 litres) that my milk never really appeared. I was in hospital for a week. I was trying to breastfeed. Day 4 they said she was jaundiced due to lack of nutrition. I then started formula feeding. I had no choice at this stage. She was starving. And as I never really got milk, it was the right decision.
She is now a 5ft 10 12 year old in top sets at school so those first few days seem to have had no lasting issues.

Sorry to hear about your experience - glad she is doing well, that is reassuring to know and I feel like all these messages have helped to reassure me and drag me out of the pit of overthinking

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Maxorias · 24/02/2025 20:16

Newbiemum25 · 24/02/2025 19:45

With getting her weighed regularly is this just something we ask the midwives to do? We have another appointment to get her weighed tomorrow so I really hope her weight has gone up.

My DH and another friend I confided in tried to console me in same way saying it’s not my fault and wouldn’t have done any lasting damage but it’s hard to just accept that, although I am feeling better as the days go on.

Its really awkward when family/friends ask standard questions like is she feeding and growing well and because I don’t want to get into it, I just say yes all good…

Show quote history

She should get weighed anytime she gets seen by the doctor, and she should get seen regularly until she's on a good growth curve.

Or if you're really worried and want to rest easy you can buy your own baby scales (I've seen some on amazon for under 50 pounds).

I know it's hard not to play the blame game - I've been there, believe me. Just try to remember that it's counter productive to do that, and that you're trying your hardest. And if you ask the doctor next time you see them I'm sure they'll also reassure you that your baby won't be harmed in the long run.

Your baby was a bit on the smaller side so 12% is actually only 336g. And only 50g more than you'd expect any baby to lose in the first place (10% of 2kg800 is 280g).

A quick google led me to this study :

"Among this sample, 108 907 newborns had weights recorded while exclusively breastfeeding with 83 433 delivered vaginally and 25 474 delivered by cesarean. Differential weight loss by delivery mode was evident 6 hours after delivery and persisted over time. Almost 5% of vaginally delivered newborns and >10% of those delivered by cesarean had lost ≥10% of their birth weight 48 hours after delivery. By 72 hours, >25% of newborns delivered by cesarean had lost ≥10% of their birth weight."

publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/135/1/e16/52890/Early-Weight-Loss-Nomograms-for-Exclusively?redirectedFrom=fulltext

So as you can see you're not far off the norm and your baby is on the right trajectory now.

Think of it this way : if losing this amount of weight led to many health complications, they would check it and intervene after a 5% weight loss, not a 10% loss. They carry out extra checks below a 10% loss because that's when it becomes concerning but before it actually causes harm.

GloriousBlue · 24/02/2025 20:43

My wee girl was only 6lbs when born, lost 15% of her weight, and only got back to her birth weight at 5 weeks old.
She couldn't latch and struggled to feed and then got RSV and had to be hospitalised. They restricted her feeds to take pressure off her lungs.

Anyway... she's now 15 months and happy, healthy, and chunky! I think she's 75th centile or so.

It did her absolutely no harm.
Lots of babies have slow starts OP. If she's gaining now and doing well, there nothing to worry about.

Butterflysunshine01 · 24/02/2025 21:00

try not to feel bad or put pressure on yourself, and just keep baby at the boob as soon as she stirs or at the hint of fussiness, it will help to increase your milk supply (I used to think that my baby screaming when he was hungry was helping the milk flow to increase too but not sure there’s truth in that but made me feel better aha) do as much skin to skin as possible. In a very naive and perhaps blasé way, I never thought my body wouldn’t make enough milk to feed my baby. I used to have him on the boob literally every 30 mins or more when cluster feeding the first few weeks, and it used to hurt but I knew he needed to be on the boob. Your milk may not have even properly come in yet, the colostrum your body produces is so rich in nutrition the baby only needs tiny amounts. Definitely try to get as much real life support if you can. Above all, if you mentally and emotionally need to , and your baby seems ultimately happier , use formula and don’t feel guilty about it.

mellyinthenorth · 24/02/2025 21:41

@Newbiemum25
"With the mixed feeding, how did you do this without losing your supply (if you remember, as I appreciate it was 15 years ago!) Glad they are both doing well!

I’m not sure why I am putting so much pressure on myself to bf but I just really want to"

I know the pressure - I did it to myself too and though it really doesn't matter in the long run, it really does in the moment.

While readmitted the hospital wanted me to bf first then top up but I refused as they were measuring everything and I was paranoid and just wanted to go home with my babies so the fastest way out was to agree to bottle feed. As PP said though, my milk didn't even come in until day 5 so with hindsight it was always going to be tricky but I was totally clueless since they were my first. Once home I just bf whenever they whimpered then offered bottle after. One twin was confused and also less interested in bf once he'd had bottles (instant gratification even now!) and I was never one for routine, but it all worked out.

I've since had 2 bottle-refusing singletons who were bf far longer than socially acceptable . After intial weigh-in none of ours were ever weighed and we just went by enough wet nappies & healthy looking babies.

Minibea · 24/02/2025 21:52

Your post brought back so many memories from those early days with my DD OP. Just wanted to weigh in and say that my teeny, small for gestational age baby who latched badly and ended up loosing 13.8% of her birth weight by day 3 and was readmitted due to being hyperglycaemic and dehydrated, is now a strong, healthy, clever and sassy almost 8year old. FWIW, we switched to formula about 4 weeks in and never looked back but if you want to persevere with BF then ask LOUDLY for help and don’t be fobbed off, it is there but you might have to push for it. I’m sure you’re doing great, be kind to yourself.

xWren · 24/02/2025 22:00

Newbiemum25 · 23/02/2025 13:52

Hi All,

Sorry for the long post.

But basically in summary, my LO lost 12% of her body weight on day 3 (if you count the birth date as day 0), which I think was from trying to exclusively breastfeed but looking back, it was obviously not working (I could express so looking back definitely more of a latch issue rather than supply). So then we have now put her on a regimented routine of formula/expressed milk to get her weight up and it’s gone up to 9% loss on day 7.

We did start topping up with formula on day 2 due to midwife visiting and seeing LO lethargic at the breast.

I’m just concerned that for those first days (Saturday (her birth date as she was born 2am in morning) Sunday &
Monday morning) before the midwife visited on Monday midday, that she was getting nothing. I feel awful and from reading online, I’m worried about the long term effects this could have caused and I’m struggling to move on past those days even though she is now gaining weight and it’s really just affecting me it’s really getting me down from enjoying having a new LO so I’m just wondering what you guys think and if I’m overthinking/how to get over this and move forward.

I’ve put the full detail below for background.

—————-

I’m a first time mum, and I had my LO the Saturday just gone. She weighed about 2.7kg.

My idea had always been to breastfeed, so straight after birth on the Saturday morning, she latched on (at least I think she did), and then throughout the day in hospital I put her to the breast and I would call the midwives and they would help by trying to stuff breast into her mouth/get the latch right but they didn’t explain anything or say anything so looking back, it wasn’t very helpful as I didn’t know what was going on, and so I gave her expressed colostrum (that I expressed there), it was small quantities like 0.5ml-1.5ml every few hours after trying breastfeeding and not being successful and then in the evening i put her on the breast for feeds.

Sunday morning we took her home, and I tried breastfeeding regularly but looking back I don’t think the latch was right so unclear whether she was getting anything at all.

That night through to Monday she was screaming all night and then midwife came for a visit around midday and watched my breastfeeding technique but LO was so sleepy so she suggested formula and LO gulped it down (which was quite a shock as made me realise she must have been starving).

On Tuesday we took her in because she looked slightly jaundiced and that’s when doctor said she had lost 12% of her body weight and to give her bottle every few hours and get her weight up so we have been doing that.

I still would like to breastfeed but more concerned about her weight so been expressing in the meantime to keep supply up and had a lactation consultant come visit and that helped her latch yesterday but difficult to do when it’s just myself. Have another appointment on Tuesday with a consultant so will see how that goes but in the meantime making sure she gets enough from expressed/formula

This was me!

I was a first time Mum and was given some horrendous breastfeeding advice from midwives saying “she’ll feed when she’s hungry” so I left her thinking “she’ll cry when she wants feeding”… she did not. I then tried feeding through the night. She became too lethargic to actually feed.
Day 2/3 I was back in hospital for my Anti-D injection and they noticed she was already jaundiced.
I was sent down to paediatrics to be treated like a neglectful mother who had done harm to her newborn. I was devastated.
They reluctantly sent me home with a strict feeding schedule of 1oz formula topped up by breastfeeding.

I got DD’s weight up so fast. Fast forward to 3 weeks old and she was exclusively breastfeeding (I couldn’t express for love nor money).
She was a super happy chunky baby within a matter of months.
She’s turning 8 years-old this year and our bond is strong, the guilt has gone and I’m pregnant with DD2 and plan to mix-feed again for the first few weeks at least.

You’ve got this ❤️

Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 26/02/2025 12:12

WinterSun20 · 24/02/2025 19:56

Congratulations on your baby! I had a similar experience with my dd. She lost 11% by day 3. I was so upset, she was my second and I'd successfully breastfed my first and so I wasn't anticipating a problem. I went on a breastfeeding binge and didn't let her go more than 2 hours between feeds and her weight increased. It did leave me very anxious and worried though so I really sympathise with how you're feeling. My dd is now 4 and I can confirm that no long term issues occurred as a result of the initial drop and we actually managed to successfully breastfeed into toddlerhood, so it didn't derail our breastfeeding journey either. It was a huge knock to my confidence though and it did leave me obsessing over her weight for quite some time. I ended up buying some baby weighing scales so I could track her weight myself. Looking back, I'm not sure if that fed my anxiety or helped relieve it, but I felt like it helped at the time! For me the turning point was a few months in. When they get to 3 to 4 months, they bulk up and no longer look like tiny, delicate newborns and that put me at ease. Best of luck with things, you sound like a fab mum already!

Thank you.

I think because we are concerned about her weight, we do want to carry on the top ups whether that’s EBM or formula, until at least she’s gained back her birth weight.

shes put on another 100g over last two days, although I think they round the scales so she’s getting closer to her birth weight.

The only thing is even if she has a long session on the breast and topped up with EBM she still seems restless. She’ll only settle with formula, so it’s difficult.

Yeh I was considering buying some scales but then I think I will become quite obsessive. But if they don’t weigh her as often as I like, maybe I will consider.

Sometimes I do want to just give up bf, but I do know as you say that I should persevere and it gets easier

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Original poster

Newbiemum25 · 26/02/2025 12:15

SnakebitesandSambucas · 24/02/2025 19:57

Hey @Newbiemum25 if you don't mind saying a rough area you are in. There is normally plenty of services to help. If it helps both my babies lost about 10% body weight. And slowly slowly gained ebf. But I had mine by C-section if you were topped up with fluids this can lead to baby seeming to lose weight. Drink lots of water, eat and rest. Some babies and mum's need extra help and that's ok. Main thing is your both safe and sound. I could never pump personally despite trying. But it's not an indication of supply. The Breastfeeding network, la la leche both have helpines you can ring. Also if you go into FB. Breastfeeding younger babies is a good group, and could sign post you to a local lactation consultant. If baby does have tounge tie (various types) getting it sorted is worth it. 🙂

I’m in west London - the NHS consultant yday was quite helpful but it seems she latches there and then when I get home, I can’t do it and she’s just screaming but the nipple shields have been a great help, but then I don’t know how long I should keep her on them before weaning off the shields.

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