10 day old losing weight

[Yellowdaff25]

Hi everyone,

My 10 day old lost almost 10% of his body weight on day 3 and we were advised to start topping up with 30mls formula every feed which I had been doing. At the next visit he had gained 60g and then the following day another 40g so was feeling much happier.

We have also had lots of wet nappies and 1-2 poos a day. These poos have changed from dark brown to mustard/orangey colour and seedy looking which I took as a good sign baby was getting plenty of breast milk.

Our last midwife visit was 2 days ago. midwife came today and weight has now dropped back down sharply and he is back to being 10% below birth weight. (6lb 11 at birth so not big at all).

I am absolutely heartbroken and feel terrible. I’m also shocked that he could have dropped weight so quickly. The advice is now to keep breastfeeding but top up 60ml after every feed. I feel so upset and like an absolute failure. This is my last baby and I didn’t manage to breastfeed my first due to similar issues but this time I am constantly offering the breast, baby is on me all the time and I’m also pumping to try and increase supply but nothing seems to be working.

My milk has come in (delayed due to c section) but there does not seem to be much of it. My breasts feel bigger but I don’t leak or feel that they go hard or engorged which makes me question how much milk is there. When I pump I hardly get anything, like 5-10 mls in 20 mins at most. My pump is second hand so maybe just isn’t very good…

Feeling really upset that I’m struggling again to feed my baby and wondering if I should just make the swap to formula so my baby isn’t hungry😭

Im sorry you’re going through this OP, it’s really upsetting when weight loss occurs in newborns when a mum really wants to breastfeed.

Get yourself some specialist support before making any final decisions.

https://lcgb.org/find-an-ibclc/

Id stop pumping and just put baby to breast as much as possible.
I fed my second for 15 months, but never managed to pump anything. Your body will respond to your baby's demand much more. Lots of skin to skin cuddles too.

I’d stop the pumping.
My firstborn did this and we offered the formula every 3 hours and breast whenever they wanted. But the formula was every 3 hours whether they were awake or asleep. She stopped needing the formula at 3 weeks once she’d fully established her latch.

Has anyone suggested getting LO checked for Tongue Tie @Yellowdaff25. That can often be the cause of slow weight gain in newborns.

Has the MW/HV also put you in touch with the Infant Feeding Team?

It may not be you OP, some women have a perfectly good supply and can’t pump much. There are no favourable hormones in breast pump unlike your baby. Unless it’s painful, keep putting baby to the breast as much as possible and also lots of skin to skin which should boost milk production. Breast first and then top ups.

Is baby dribbling a lot or are there lots of clicking noises? Have you had the latch checked? Try and get some in person support from midwives for a local baby cafe. Maybe a call to one of the helplines too.

good luck

Also agree that how much you can pump is no reflection at all on how much you are producing.

It does sound as though you need sone RL support though, either through a Lactation Consultant, a BFC on one of the helplines or the Infant Feeding Team.

Did you get a chance to read the link I posted about Tongue Tie too and did any of the symptoms sound familiar?

Hi, thanks everyone for posting. There are no signs of tounge tie and no clicks or dribbling. There is no pain when feeding at all and I feel latch is good. Honestly, the midwives haven’t seen interested in seeing me feed/checking latch and just seem to want to introduce formula straight away which is frustrating.

I am going to look into the private route for a lactation consultant as I think it’s the only way I will receive any real support.

I can understand how upsetting all of this is. It turned out my DS had TT. No pain, no dribbling and no clicking. You really need a Tongue Tie Practitioner to assess him properly.

If you’re looking for a Lactation Consultant, maybe look for one who can also assess for Tongue Tie and divide if necessary?

I didn’t produce much milk at all. Baby kept having little feeds as I just wasn’t producing enough. I was so hooked on not formula feeding because “breast is best”. He slept for no longer than 1.5hrs. I look back now and wish I’d changed to formula much earlier. Would have prevented an awful first 6 months.
im not saying you’re not producing enough. But if that is the case, then you’re not a failure. Don’t let the “breast is best” consume you like it did me.