DS2 15 weeks has fallen from the 98th to 50th percentile since 10 weeks - hv and doctor suggesting solids - slow letdown?

[Pollyanna]

I really don't want to give him solids or formula, but I don't want him to be hungry either.
He was born big at 10 2 and I had noticed he was thinning out but I wasn't too concerned as my 4 others are all thin naturally and he seemed happy was fed on demand etc. But the hv said he wouldn't necessarily be asking for more milk if he was used to a [low] level of milk.

Could he still be hungry [he doesn't wake up at night and hasn't since about 9 weeks]?

My letdown also seems quite slow and this frustrates him - is there anything I can do to speed it up/boost supply?

I am trying to feed him more frequently.

also i am aware the charts are for bottlefed babies - is there a link to a bf baby percentiles?

{sorry bad typing - feeding him now!]

Er, what wouldsolidsdo? There are next to no calories in fruit and veg purees. If yuo want him to fatten up and who says he needs to?

If you are bothered, just feedhim more. Yet another example of breastfeeding women being undermined by poorly trained HPs.

pollyanna, if you are happy with him and he seems happy and healthy himself then I wouldn't worry.

has he lost weight or is he just slow gaining?

if you WANT to try and fatten him up a bit, and I am not saying that you need to, then you could always reintroduce a night feed, or try and feed him more frequently in the day.

trust him though, babies know when they're hungry, and he'd let you know if he was

Not entirely sure what solids would actually achieve apart from probably constipating your ds or worse.

Gicven that the food source with the most calories and fat is, er, milk you are doing the right thing trying to feed more, try and boost supply etc.

So he's on the 50th centile? That means he is perfectly average, I don't see the problem. He isn't underweight at all, maybe it's just taken this long to "settle" on his centile.

Also, my DD is 18 weeks and had a massive growth spurt a few weeks ago and is now quite long and not as chubby. Did they measure length?

Sometimes it's normal for babies to cross the centile lines; they don't all follow a line.

As long as he is happy, healthy, has plenty of wet nappies, there's no problem.

Milk, milk and even more milk is what he needs; far more calories and goodness in milk than anything else you'd be giving.

Pollyanna, there is a tendency for large babies to 'regress to the mean' ie to have a period of 'catch down' growth so they end up more average than before

If he needs more calories, it is crazy of your doc and HV to think these should come from anywhere but breastmilk at 15 weeks - you can feed more often, you can feed on 3 or four breasts per session, you can feed at night. All these actions will get more milk into him, and if this is what he needs, he will not be harmed in any way (unlike with early solids).

BTW - charts are not for bottle fed babies. They are for all babies. The feeding of the babies in the data sets was not differentiated. Standard charts are very similar to 'breastfed only' charts until the age of six months or so.

Hope this helps.

Agree with Tiktok about "catch down" growth - my ds was huge newborn but took a month to regain birthweight.

thanks for this everyone, I am trying to feed him more often - as I was aware that he was frequently only half fed (I have 4 other children clamouring for my attention too), but my personal feeling was that he was fine - I assumed he would wake up at night if he was hungry. I do know there are no more calories through food - I bf my last 2 to 6 months with no solids at all, but both hv and doctor were doing a good job of making me feel I was not feeding my baby enough!

It was the hv saying that he may not ask for more milk if he was hungry that threw me.
as I assumed I would know as he would cry/wake up more etc. But I will go with my instincts. (I also read something that has said that large babies often have a period of slower weight gain after 12 weeks which would fit in with him - he hasn't lost weight just slowed down).

oh Tiktok it was another hv who told me (today) that there are special charts/overlays for bf babies that you can put over the standard ones - is this another example of an ill-informed hv?

I have remembered why I avoided health visitors with my other babies now

pollyanna, it is true that laid back babies, often with older siblings, as it happens, can coast along not feeding quite enough...I know of no research that really confirms this, but experienced bf supporters certainly recognise the phenomenon. They are just not the complaining type You have to be pro-active with these babies and waiting for them to cry with hunger and relying on them to do so, can lead to a slight under-feeding (which is what is possibly happening here).

The HV's overlays are, I am assuming, the acetates with 'thrive lines' on them - not really specifically for bf babies, but they show more clearly than standard charts what's going on with an individual baby's growth.

They are not in widespread use, but they have an evidence base. You can google on thrive lines and find out more info.

if he's happy enough, looks pink and alert don't bother. It sounds like if he's like his siblings he's destined to be thin, anyway. So he's just correcting his big birthweight.

My DS2 started on 91st centile and was down to just below 25th by 16w. HV was cool about it - kids in our family are long and skinny and that's it really. He's doing just fine now (still loitering in the vicinity of the 25th centile at 11m)

tiktok, I think it looks as though I have one of those laid back babies that doesn't ask for food! He is extremely laid back by nature, and also likes to suck his thumb - which gives him some comfort when he is hungry I think. I have been offering him milk more often and he hasn't refused! I also fed him in the night when I heard him sucking his thumb!

I will look for thrive lines too.

wulfstan, it sounds like my ds is like yours - I think he is destined to be long and thin too like his siblings and father.

I will not go back to the hv for a while now - I only went to get a referral for a hearing test and came out feeling completely inadequate