bf baby not gaining weight or pooing.

[oodlesofpoodles]

ds is 13 weeks and after several weeks of gaining 5-6oz a week, he has only gained 2oz in the last 3 weeks. He hasn't had a poo for 6 days. He saw the peadiatrician yesterday and she said he didn't feel like he had a full stomach. I got the impression that she didn't believe that he hadn't had a poo. He has 5 feeds a day and doesn't appear to want any more, he is not all that interested in the feeds he gets.

How concerned should I be. Is there any way I can get him to gain more weight?

2oz in 3 weeks is not ideal at this age but it obviously can happen even for a healthy baby. It can also 'happen' because of human error in recording weight or a problem with the scales. I don't think one weigh-in should ever provoke panic if a baby is otherwise alert and healthy. When you say he's not interested in the feeds he gets can you say more? Does he seem to feed well once he's on? Are nappies nice and wet? (about 6 in 24 hours if you are using disposable).
As for the pooing - an ebf baby can often go several days between poos and it indicates absolutely nothing. Once a baby is past about 6 weeks, poo no longer becomes a useful indicator of much as the rate can vary so enormously. I know several bf babies that poo only once every few days or once a week. Jack Newman came across a bf baby who pooed once every 21 days.
The stomach might not feel full as there may be very little in there i.e. breastmilk is being used and absorbed so he's not actually full of poo.

Hi oodles

Firstly, well done of BF so far- you should be proud of that achievement, already far mroe than most babies get.

Firstly don't panic- 2oz is not ideal but it is a gain and is enough to buy you time to rejig things, assuming you wish to ontinue BF.

I think quite a few babies do slow down at this age- i think that's why in the past abies were often weaned about now. Obviosuly we do it differnetly now- and please don't think this is a reason to wean, it's not, the Paed would have told you if so (we were made to wean early so it can happen).

I'd start by keeping a simle diary of feeds; sometimes as life rejigs itself we can space out feeds more than we realised, note which side and how long as well. That might be enough to give you a few clues. Check you're getting plenty opf fluids and you're not anaemic as well.

Also be aware of the signs of dehydration- I'd be amazed if baby were as he is gaining weight but always worth keeping an eye I think.

The kellymom website has lots of ideas to try is a simple look after yourself better and feed mroe often regime doesn't work, but please don't worry too much (I know its hard, have had 4 poor gainers myself!), ensure he is always weighed on same scales and that it's always a digital one, and you might find it just resolves itself.

HTH

Thanks for replying

He has just had a MASSIVE poo.

He was weighed on different scales as he was weighed at the hospital rather than clinic.

I was aneamic when I was pg and he was very anaemic at birth.

He feeds ok for up to about 5 mins then he just looses interest. I will start to write it down because atm I feel that he is hardly feeding.

Its a good point about stomach being empty because he has absorbed everything. I hadn't thought of that.

He does seem happy in himself so I guess he is not doing too bad. I will have him weighed again at the clinic next week. I am a bit precious about him because he was ill when he was born.

It is possible for a baby to get enough in 5 minutes if he is an efficient feeder and your letdown is pretty fast.
The different scales really could be pretty crucial here. I would try not to worry until next week. Respond to his cues and just see where you are.
Peachy is right that babies do slow down now. Wet nappies?

Yep agree with tamba- different scales = irrelevant reading IMVHO

Glad he has poo'd, shows it was there all along, I would imagine he is fine.

Well, its not the scales. He has been weighed on 3 different ones now. He has started losing weight and is just off the bottom of the chart. He seems fine so I'm just going to see what happens over the next few weeks.