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Infant feeding

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

Baby not gaining - but not hungry either

2 replies

wukter · 29/09/2009 19:32

I am at a loss as to how to approach this.

14 week old is exclusively BF, however her weight gain has always been slow. She was 8-15 at birth and at weighing last week was just over 11 lbs. She has never been a hungry baby, her first weeks were spent asleep with me waking her to feed every 2-4 hours (4 hr patch at night), since 6 weeks feeding on demand. This works out at 1.5 hours to a 6 hour patch at night, generally 3 hours. Some cluster evenings also.

Things came to a head over the last 2 weeks. V slow weight gain over a period of weeks eg 1 oz a week. Right I said, I will top up with EBM or formula. She will not take the bottle. Then I tried feeding her every 2 hours. Will not take the breast, only when she wants to IYKWIM. Short feeds but that's her way. Screams and arches her back when I offer the breast, its very distressing. Most evenings sit doing skin to skin, no joy.

I think its a combination of teething and trapped wind and am doing my best to relieve this in her. I don't think it's refulx as she wll lie on her playmat happily. She is wakeful, alert, smiley and chubby. Just not gaining well and not hungry. Has anyone any tips? I always thought you can't go wrong if you feed a baby on demand they will take what they need.

OP posts:
lovelymama · 29/09/2009 21:11

Hello. I think you are a victim of the system, health visitors and books telling you what your baby should be doing. From what you've said your baby seems like a healthy, happy baby and is well fed. A baby is designed to cry when it needs something - the fact that your baby is smiley and feeds when she wants to makes me think that she's completely fine and is just one of those babies that don't gain weight that quickly. Just like I have friends whose babies don't eat a lot but seem to gain weight at unbelievable speed! Our babies are all different.....

As long as she stays happy, has plenty of wet nappies, I would just keep doing what you're doing. The things you have described are lovely routines and the efforts you are making to make her gain weight (EBM, formula etc) are just distressing her. Go with your instinct and ignore the pressure to make her gain weight.

Good luck and keep being the lovely mama that you are!

wukter · 29/09/2009 21:48

Thanks lovelymama, there always seems to be something to doubt, doesn't there...

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