Slow to gain wt baby: ?panicky midwife

[mrsbean78]

Hi

My baby son was 4025g (8 14oz) at birth on the 1st of December. At a week old, he was down 3620g (8lbs. He was weighed 36 hours later and had put on 50g (3670g). However, he was found to have dropped down to 3650 (although he was weighed immediately after weeing a huge amount in his nappy).

The other concern was that he wasn't stooling - he hadn't opened his bowels in 5 days by the last weighing. He was having 10 heavy wet nappies a day, though - one for every feed.

The midwife watched me feed and said he was well latched on with a good strong suck. So she was worried about supply. She advised feeding feed two hourly (which I was doing, plus on demand anyway) and to express each breast and feed this in between. I was a bit concerned about this as I didn't really feel there was a major milk supply prob (I've been leaking and engorged as expected) and also I felt we'd all wear ourselves down for no real reason..

So we were sent to the GP who examined him and said he was well hydrated, had good tone/reflexes ("handles beautifully" - like a car ) and bright and alert. The GP also watched him feed and pointed out that he didn't fuss at all at the breast and that she could hear a good strong swallow - she also showed us the muscles he was using to feed and said he was using these efficiently. She examined his oral structure/tummy/anus and said everything was normal. The GP said that breastfeeding was a 'physiologic process' and that there might be peaks and troughs in the early days re: weight gain and that, anyway, because he was a forceps baby it might have been slower as he might not have fed efficiently for the first few days which might have slowed things down. She advised against expressing as she said it was more important to be available to feed on demand given that there was no physical cause for concern and just wait and see what happened over the next few days.

The midwife came back later in the day and she said she felt that he did need 'intervention' and advised I should be syringe feeding after every feed.

I expressed about 2.4 fl oz and fed them over today and yesterday but didn't express at every feed or anything like it - baby just needed me and dh was out at the pub for the baby's head wetting last night.. so I just couldn't manage. Baby has had 3 bowel movements in the last 24 hours. I think it is still a little darker than true milk stools but is more or less mustardly/seedy.

The midwife is coming back today and I don't want them to make a huge fuss if he's lost weight (which I guess he might do if he's now stooling?). I don't think there's any need and I trust the GP, she's a senior partner in our practice and was very moderate and sensible about it all.. Also he is just SO awake and alert and with it, showing no signs at all of distress but not lethargic or anything suggesting weakness..

Also, I was on IV fluids throughout labour and I've read this can artificially increase birthweight?

Any advice on what to say if the midwife panics me again today? I am happy for the m/w to refer me to a lactation consultant but I don't want to be sent off for scans and whatnot and be down at the hospital with my tiny baby open to infection if it's a matter of a few grams and the GP saw no cause for concern?

I think you have apologised, mrsbean and if so, I accept

I was not 'insensitive'. My post was not phrased 'indelicately'. It was straightforward because that's what you asked for: you wanted to avoid 'veiled concern' which you said you found 'more worrying'.

That's, I hope, my last word, though I'll repeat what I said on the other thread that I wish all the best to you and hope you get god help and support.

Oh my I have never seen a more hormonal OP!!!

Oh dear!

Hope all is resolved ref other thread now.

MrsBean you are going to look back at this thread one day and giggle.

oh dear so its not only me that puts my foot in it then

i wisht that i had discovered mumsnet and Tiktok when i had trouble bf i would have been able to bf instead of bottle. It is lovely of her to give her time to help us and her non judgemental approach is

I can understand that you don't want midwives to make a fuss for nothing. But tbh it is better that they are indelicate and insensitive and make a fuss than that they miss something.

I was convinced that there was nothing wrong with my dd and that the midwives had no business to be making such a silly fuss, especially as I had a massive milk supply. O thought it very insensitive of them and considered asking them not to visit, as I had so much milk and knew that dd was latching on well. We ended up in hospital

It turned out the "fault" was not with me but with dd: she has a condition (not diagnosed until many years later) which meant that she could not feed efficiently. Not a dramatically life-threatening condition, but something that means she needs help with things that other children can do naturally.

I am very glad that the midwives did worry me: by the time I accepted that something was wrong, dd was seriously undernourished. Pats on the head simply weren't what I needed. It felt like they were being unkind and not understanding me. But they were doing their best to help me.

Mrs bean your baby sounds perfectly normal to me.Babies nearly always lose weight during the first 10 days.He is clearly well hydrated .
the youngest of my 4 took a month to regain her b/w of 6 lb 3oz .By a year she only weighed about 15lbs and all the healthcare workers said she was fine just 'dainty'.
Youir Gp is talking sense , your MW is I guess just trying to respond to your panic by not dismissing your worries.

cory, out of interest, can you share what your baby's condition was that affected breastfeeding?

Of course please feel free to ignore this question if you don't wish to share!

carrot, she has Ehlers Danlos syndrome III (aka Joint Hypermobility syndrome).

I wholeheartedly agree with Pollyblue.