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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Newborn lost more than 10% birth weight

22 replies

MoshiMoshi · 26/04/2009 12:48

The midwife finally came to visit my newborn (4 day old) and on weighing her declared she had lost more than 10% of her birth weight (11%) and said I have to (1) take her to paeds A&E and (2) top her up with EBM by bottle.

I am not keen on bottle feeding but realize I need to get her well fed. Her feeding has been affected by serious engorgement making it tricky to latch on (milk came early on day 2) and a bit of jaundicesking her sleepy. I am annoyed I have to disrupt getting the feeding settled by going to hospital where they could admit her overnight. I thought the midwife was meant to come for the first ten days or at least the day you came home for an accurate gauge of progress and feel as if the guidelines have been applied without properly gauging things. More than anything I would rather not bottle feed if possible and want to get breastfeeding established as I fed my other three DCs and am keen to avoid them getting the asthma I suffer from.

I am so down about this. I think because the baby blues has just hit me, plus I only got 3 hours sleep last night which has made me feel more rubbish about the fact I have to go back to the horrible hospital I told my DDs mummy didn't have to to back to now baby has come!

Any advice? Should I try topping her up with EBM before heading back to hospital? She is having plenty of wet and poo-filled (meconium) nappies still which is why I was not concerned. Of course I now feel like a Bad Mummy!

OP posts:

ruddynorah · 26/04/2009 12:56

i think the aim is that a newborn regains her birthweight within 10 days of birth, there is an expectation of weightloss as feeding is established.

tbh i would just offer more bf first before doing any intervention. how often are you feeding now? it should be fairly constant at this stage.

georg1a · 26/04/2009 13:01

Sounds like you are a great mummy, and you have a new baby and other children, amazing to all of us with one baby and unable to manage anything else!

my baby lost too much weight too, and i know what you mean about feeling like a bad mummy - i had thought everything was ok, BF, but DS was dangerously dehydrated and lost 15%, was still doing meconium poos at 6 days. I gave the formula and now pump breast milk and do top ups with Aptamil which baby seems to love, but its your choice! Just do whatever feels right and have confidence in yourself. weight will pick up really fast once the baby gets into the swing of feeding however you do it!

Take care of yourself too, you had a baby only 4 days ago!

bellabelly · 26/04/2009 13:06

This happened to us with our twins - had to be re-admitted to hospital. TBH, I know it's maybe not what you want to hear but I would definitely go to A&E and get her checked out. They can treat the jaundice if necessary and check her for dehydration. Imagine how you'd feel if you didn't take her in and then the situation worsened. Not worth the risk, imo.

LackaDAISYcal · 26/04/2009 13:19

bumping for one of the BFCs for you. sounds like she has caught you at a really vulnerable moment. Sounds like you are doing a great with your milk in already, but the 3-4 days hormonal wall is a killer, especially when added to the sleep deprivation.

Some weight loss is to be expected but as long as she has gained her birthweight by day there usually isn't any need to worry. And although she has lost more than 10%, were the scales different to the ones she was weighed on initially?

a few questions though.....

how frequently is she feeding? and is she feeding well? latching well and transferring milk? and is she alert and happy? (as alert and happy as a newborn can be iyswim)

there is some advice on kellymom about what to expect re poos and wet nappies etc in the early days which might help you gauge whether there is a need to be worried, but in the first instance can you call one of the Breastfeeding charities and talk to a counsellor or see a RL breastfeeding expert (MWs aren't always the best people to advise on BFing matters)

The protocol here is to not weigh until around day 8 and I think that's because weighing too soon is counterproductive.

Also, I don't think you need to top up with EBM....better to offer more breastfeeds unless there is an obvious problem with milk transfer. If she is sleepy from the jaundice, certainly not letting her go more than three hours from one feed to the next is beneficial.

ilovemydogandMrObama · 26/04/2009 13:27

Wow- that's a massive over reaction from your midwife.

Was she really low birth weight which may be causing her to panic?

You really need some practical help. Did your midwife give you any advice re: latch?

tiktok · 26/04/2009 13:36

Moshi, I am a bfc with NCT.

The point of weighing is to see before there are problems if there is an issue with milk transfer, and weighing can a useful part of this assessment - early engorgement, difficulties with the birth, poor postnatal support in hospital etc etc can all contribute to the baby not really getting what he needs, and weighing can spot this early on.

The midwife should have quizzed you closely about what's already happened, how often you are feeding, whether you routinely offer both sides (which you should do) and observe a feed from start to finish, and I hope she did this.

It may well be your baby needs more milk inside her; often, this just happens as the baby perks up. I would not be confident A&E were able to help you with bf, but if the midwife thinks your baby needs a doctor's assessment, then no one here should tell you not to follow what she has advised.

She needs to explain why EBM would be better at the moment than simply feeding more often - there may be a reason for this. Some babies really are having difficulty staying awake to get sufficient milk in, and she may think your baby falls into this category.

Whatever - you should understand why she is giving this advice and not other advice.
Hope things get better today.

By now, BTW, a good sign to watch for is green-yellow poo and by tomorrow the poo should be copious and yellow, and she should be producing several heavy nappies every day by now.

Hope this helps.

Juwesm · 26/04/2009 13:50

Moshi - just wanted to offer my support having just been through exactly the same situation. DS had lost 16% birth weight on day 4 and my midwife also advised either formula top-ups, or EBM if I could produce enough, given as cup feeds. DS was otherwise very well, lively, pink, not dehydrated, pooing and weeing well etc. Both myself and the midwife were pretty confident that the drop in weight was due to a difficult first 48 hours after a traumatic birth - we really struggled with feeding at first, so I suppose the loss was inevitable. But I was panicked and quite about giving top-ups.

I didn't give any top-ups, but really pushed the feeding. I figured that if DS was in a position to receive a cup feed, he might just as well have a breast feed. He wasn't latching easily, but we were able to get there each time with persistence. After some great advice from the people here re: offering both breasts, maximising frequency of feeds etc , I felt much more confident. We didn't let him go for >3 hrs without a feed and 2 days later he was back on the up and putting weight back on.

Wishing you the very best with the feeding. Trust your instincts as Mum. Try and get real-life help with the latch . Fingers crossed for you.

ilovemydogandMrObama · 26/04/2009 14:01

Agree with Tick -- if the midwife believes that your DD needs to be checked out, then please do this. If nothing else, to ensure that there isn't anything wrong.

None of us have the information that she does, and think I was wrong to suggest that she was over reacting.

If it's just a breastfeeding issue, then hope you will be able to get RL support.

Original poster

MoshiMoshi · 26/04/2009 14:50

Thanks for your invaluable messages and support. Am about to head into A&E having made arrangements for my other DCs...

OP posts:

doulalc · 26/04/2009 15:02

Have baby checked out, and also make a visit with a lactation counsellor or consultant. Even though she may be wetting a fair amount, would be wise to have someone assess latch and sucking pattern given you are still seeing meconium and dealing with jaundice.

ilovemydogandMrObama · 26/04/2009 17:10

Let us know how it went, if you are able....

Original poster

MoshiMoshi · 26/04/2009 19:03

At hospital and being admitted for overnight monitoring with feeding plan as DD is dehydrated with low blood sugars. I have to express the feeds to ensure she gets enough so her condition doesn't get serious. Feel terrible she is so unwell and I didn't anticipate this. Also baby blues making everything seem 100 x worse! Thanks for your advice mums.

OP posts:

LackaDAISYcal · 26/04/2009 19:32

Moshimoshi, I'm sorry to hear about your DD, but she is in the right place. Please try not to feel guilty, you say she was having lots of wet nappies so how could you know she was dehydrated based on that evidence.

I hope that she makes a speedy recovery and that you can keep breastfeeding on track. Ask to speak to the hospital's infant feeding co-ordinator or a local breastfeeding counsellor for the best breastfeeding advice.

LackaDAISYcal · 26/04/2009 19:37

some information on hypoglycaemia from kellymom and babycentre for you

ilovemydogandMrObama · 26/04/2009 19:42

Sorry that she's in hospital

Are you able to use the hospital pumps? Be sure and ask as they infinitely better/more efficient. If you are going to be expressing, are you able to take one home with you on a loan basis? It's worth asking

Is there anyone you can speak to tomorrow about strategies for keeping her weight on target? Hopefully you will have a chance to get the help you need...

georg1a · 27/04/2009 02:23

Sorry to hear that, hope you will be sorted and back home together in no time. My DS was also dehydrated and his recovery was amazing - if only as adults we could be so resilient. Take care!

mrsbaldwin · 27/04/2009 09:20

MoshiMoshi

Exactly the same scenario happened to me (even down to the late midwife visit ... hospital lost my paperwork and forgot I existed!).

I did EBM top-ups for 10 days, now mixed feeding (Aptamil for the top-ups). DS (at 6 weeks) is doing great. Hopefully your DC will be the same!

(And - you may be pleased to know at a later date when you have more time to think - I am now busy following your very helpful advice, given a couple of months back, re pushchair running, so many thanks for that!)

MrsB

Original poster

MoshiMoshi · 27/04/2009 13:33

Update: after a night of EBM every 3 hours the hospital are happy to discharge my DD. Currently waiting in the NHS black hole that houses waiting-to-be-discharged patients. The registrar said that if left it probably would have resolved itself as it wasn't serious but her blood sugar level was at the bottom of the acceptable range. Big thanks for the fantastic links which made me feel much better and less like a carp mummy. I am going to breastfeed now and then top up with EBM or some Aptamil if none but she is still rooting. She takes a bottle beautifully :-0 of course...

Your support has been invaluable. Thanks everyone.

OP posts:

ilovemydogandMrObama · 27/04/2009 13:39

I think sometimes the hardest thing about being a mom is asking for help. There is absolutely no shame in taking your DD to get her checked out. You haven't failed. You needed help to get her better, so well done. It's really hard taking young babies to hospital as the overwhelming feeling is that you should be able to do it yourself.

Hope your midwife is able to arrange for you to be some support or refer you for b/fing help.

ForeverOptimistic · 27/04/2009 13:43

This happened with ds he lost more than 10% of his body weight and he was tiny to begin with. I was advised to top up with EBM but I just couldn't express enough bm, the maximum I expressed was 5ml. I gave formula which ds also took beautifully . He just wasn't interested in bfing at all. I increased the amount of formula that I gave him, I knew that this would most likely lead to the end of breastfeeding but I just couldn't cope with the worry of his weightloss and once I gave him formula his complexion changed and he became more alert.

Good luck. I hope your dd is home with you soon.

LackaDAISYcal · 27/04/2009 23:17

I'm glad things have resolved for your DD.

I was put under pressure to either express or give formula when my DS1 was a few hours old because of blood sugar issues, so I can appreciate how scary it is. Thankfully his resolved naturally as his feeding was going well.

I hope you can get some local Bfing support and that you go from strength to strength with the BFing. You could always try syringe or cup feeding if you want to avoid bottles and possible nipple confusion..

Concordia · 27/04/2009 23:29

Moshi, pleased things are going better for your DD.
Don't blame yourself, it happnts to lots of us (me too, DS was on a drip in hospital 4 or 5 days old) and is now a thriving 2 year old
But i managed to get breastfeeding established and fed him for 14 months.
So if you want to continue i'm sure you can if you get good support.
My DS didn't like the taste of formula which helped

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