HV concerned about weight gain in BF baby

[Alarielle]

My son was born at 38+3 weighing 6lb14oz. He was admitted to SCBU due to seizures and didn't have any milk at all for the first 4 days. I expressed all of his feeds and he was slowly introduced to feeding. Due to this it took him nearly 3 weeks to regain his birthweight and he dropped down to the 2nd percentile from the 9th percentile (breastfeeding chart)and has remained there since. He is now 16 weeks old and for the past few week the HV has been concerned about his weight gain.

I had him weighed at 8 weeks and he was 9lb12.5oz. The HV showed concern and wanted to see him in 2 weeks time. I went back when he was 11 weeks old and he was 10lb13oz. It was another HV who saw me as they were rushed off their feet and she said everything was okay. When I got him weighed on Monday at 15 weeks he was 11lb 15oz and I saw the different HV again. This is still within the 2nd percentile but the concern is he is nearing the 0.4th percentile (he has stayed within the middle/higher end of the 2nd percentile since he dropped down to this).She asked me did I want to speak to the main HV regarding him falling down the growth chart and advice to help weight gain or see what he weighs next time. I said I would see what his weight was next time and go from there. I was putting it off because I was scared her advice would be wean early/formula top up and I wasn't feeling brave enough.

He had put on less weight than previous weeks (usually averages about 6 oz a week). I am in two minds about going back as I feel he is a healthy, happy baby and I have no concerns about his weight gain, I am just wondering if I am doing the right thing or should I go back next Monday see what he weighs and speak to the HV? I think I am following all the right advice for good weight gain (alternate breasts, offer the other one when finished on one side, feed on demand and for as long as he wants).

This link shows that the average weight gain at 0-4 months is 5-7oz a week.

So you are absolutely average (that sounds like an insult but it isn't!) but as your DS is now over 4 months his weigh gain may settle down to the usual 4-5oz a week.

Ask your HV at the next weighing exactly how much weight she wants to see put on BEFORE she weighs your baby. If it's more than 7oz a week ask her why she thinks your PERFECTLY fine baby needs to put on weigh at a far faster pace than his peers. It's not healthy for babies to put on excess weight. If you are feeding on demand and not sticking a dummy in at every squeak, not shovelling low cal carrot puree in his mouth, etc, then he is putting weight on at HIS pace.

My DD2 was 7lb 6oz at birth (39wk 5days), 6lb 13oz at her lowest and 11lb 13oz at 17 weeks. On the old charts she was at the 9th percentile at 17 weeks. Are the new boys charts that different that your DS weighs more at 15 weeks yet is on 2 percentiles lower than my DD2 was?????

I think you have done an amazing job dealing with SCBU and pumping and an idiot HV. Keep up the good work and try not to listen if they start burbling on about formula top ups. You don't need to!

I'm much happier and far less stressed now I have stopped going to the clinic every week / fortnight to have dd weighed.

If your baby is happy, lively and feeding well then there is no need to worry about weight, he'll be putting it on at the right pace for him. And if you do have any serious worries ever you're best seeing a doctor anyway.

Thanks for all the replies and helping me to put my mind at ease. And like you said Starlight, I'm not going to be able to resist going back (hehe, I knew what you meant ) I did enjoy going at first. I will see if she says anything and thanks for the more breastmilk suggestion and the link. You are right, I wouldn't have any concerns whatsoever if I wasn't having him weighed. It annoys me how one measurement of a baby's development (weight) is used as the stick to measure everything else against.

I get so annoyed & on my high horse when I hear stories like yours.

I had such a similar situation when my first baby was born. He was almost 4 weeks early and admitted to scbu but shouldn't have been (idiot registrar paniced as my son was a bit sleepy, but I'd had pethadine for gods sake!!), my notes had got mixed up with someone elses and I was told I had an infection so they had to put a drip into my son's arm!!! Yikes! Anyway, they were wrong (not that I ever got an apology!) and my poor little babe had a drip in his arm for 2 days which really hindered bf and we got in a right pickle. He also gained weight v slowly and always followed the 4th centile (bottle fed chart as aparently that's the norm and not bf which really bugged me at the time!) until he dipped badly at about 14 weeks until about 17 weeks, he just stopped putting any weight on at all. The hv was a total tit (sorry, I really wanted to be stronger than that ) and started going on about having to 'intervene' if my son didn't start putting weight on quickly. Anyway, it was a disaster and I was pressured so much re formula and eventually at 6m I relented and felt total guilt from then on.

With my 2nd baby, my daughter, I had no probs but I did get bf support and was given a bf chart to plot on by my local bf group. This clearly showed a different story to the bottle feeding chart in the red book!

God, I'm waffling, sorry. Anyway, at around 14 week my daughter also stopped gaining weight for a few weeks but this time I had the explanation, it was the fact that at that age or thereabouts babies become much more active with their arms & legs so they use up more engergy, hence a slow down in weight gain for a few weeks. Also, bf babies do gain weight much more slowly and irratically & this is totally normal. Why hv don't seem to have training in this is just madness!

Finally, my la leche league leader told me that bf babies should only be weighed every 3-4 weeks anyway due to the fact that they do put on weight more slowly. So, with my daughter this is what I did, in fact I only went every month or so. I could see she was developing normally & was having plenty of wet nappies etc & wasn't worried about her at all.

HTH & well done for getting this far. Hv have a lot to answer for in my opinion

What is this obsession with HVs and weight gain in babies? It used to drive me mad. Also hate the term 'havinf to intervene' if no significant weight gain is achieved, they used this line with me and it made me feel useless.

I threw the red book away and stopped going in the end

OP - you sound as if you are doing an amazing job

Badly trained HVs with out of date information are responsible for much of the stress new mothers experience imo. They should have on-going training, same as everyone else.