underweight baby help with BF please

[Scarlett175]

sorry if this is a long post-

my DD is 7 weeks old, and was born at 8.3 ounces and visibly cute and chubby. She lost 10% of birthweight at her first weigh in (normal I know) but then took 4 weeks to regain her birthweight- with weekly pressure from midwife to top up with formula OR express feeds. This made me really anxious as a first time mum who adamantly wants to BF.

I didn't do either. I am feeding her on demand and frequently- every 2-3 hours at least, she is bright and healthy looking but is petite compared to other babies her age. She has 4-5 pooey nappies plus wet so seems healthy.

To start involving DH since sat I have started to express so he can do bed/bath routine but the expressing part is making me anxious. I seem only express at most 2 ounces (from both sided so total) and am unsure when is best time of day to do this. I keep worrying I am taking her milk that she wants to drink from me by expressing IYSWIM?? and my supply does not seem to have increased. I am expressing twice a day, while she is feeding on one side, usually in morning.

She has her 6 week check up thursday, and I am really worried she won't have gained enough weight, we were on 25th percentile previously. At a get together over the weekend, friends kept saying "shes so delicate, tiny" etc which makes it worse. With these concerns around her weight is it the wrong time to start expressing. I am really worried she is not getting enough either way...

Hi! Do not have loads of time so marking my place here to come back, but do a search for a thread in this section called "from little acorns grow mighty oaks" or something along these line - masses of helpful advice.

Main advice I can give briefly is IGNORE comments, IGNORE pressure to FF. Get RL help straight away from BfN or NCT (not saying you need help, but they will support you and keep you motivated to keep BF, also check if your latch is correct etc. Local BfN support group really saved my life and sanity when I was in this situation).

I personally wouldn't bother expressing, dad can get involved in lots of ways feeding doesn't need to be one of them.

My DD was 5lbs 15 oz, dropped off the centile charts etc etc. Now a VERY hale and hearty 2.5yr old, we're still feeding, and I mentally stick two fingers up at those bloody midwives every time I pass them in the street!!

You'll be fine, just feed feed feed and speak to BfN or NCT, or find a BabyCafe near you.

Horrible to feel anxious about this, Scarlett, and I second the suggestion to talk it over in real life with someone who really listens.

I can't see a good reason for expressing on what you say here - it's anxiety making and when she has the ebm you are in effect missing a feed and having a gap between bfs, which is not good for your supply. Dads do not need to feed to be involved, honestly

If there is any concern at all about her intake, it's easier to increase it by feeding at least both breasts each session and fitting in more sessions...but chances are she is just fine anyway

I completely agree with the above posters about not expressing and replacing a feed.
But, if you want to keep expressing you could try the following (sorry if you already know this!)

• Try breast compression while expressing - may not get more out but seems to hurry the process if you are impatient like me!
• Once the milk flow has stopped, don't stop expressing - keep going for another minute or so as you may have another let down. I often get the same amount out again at the second letdown.

I express during the night or early morning - which is tiring but I always get more than I would during the day. Hope this helps.

Hiya

Just wanted to say thanks for the responses to my post which really reassured me- I have stopped expressing for now, it really felt like a unnecessary stress and DD seems happier with the boob anyway, and DH was happy for me to be happy supply seems back to normal and I have decided unless I need to express this is easier for us as a family...

Her weight jumped from 8.6 to 9.3 in 9 days so all seems to be heading in the right direction, she is still on the 25th percentile but to be honest I have stopped stressing about it, and am enjoying feeding my baby...

x x

Can I just say that there is a lot of twaddle written about bf.

I'm a mum of 4 and bf all of them.

My last 2 babies were nearly 10lb at birth and as I'm only 8st and had very hungry babies, I found I was happy bfing all day and then giving them a bottle of formula once in the evening when my milk supply was lowest, then slept with them until they were 6 months old so they could bf without me having to get up!

After 6 months, I did not feed them anymore at night.

I continued bfing for over a year and this system worked well for us. They're now very strong and healthy dc aged 11, 10, 8 and 4.

I learnt from experience from my 1st who would have fed continuously on demand so much so my boobs never had the chance to 'refill'.

Eventually though, I was able to get the balance right. So well done you!

Scarlett - congratulations on your baby.

I too went through something similar.

You are best feeding, and do not express - I did that too and found I was too tired and could not express enough and it meant, as has already been noted, that I did reduce my supply.

Plus espressing means sterilising, and so on.

I wouldn't worry about weight etc too much. My DS was born at the top end of the scale - 4.7kg (10lb 2oz)! At his last weight check (9 weeks) his weight was about 5.6kg (12lb 3oz) and he had dropped to dead on the 50th percentile, while his height remains at the top end of the scale. The paediatrician told me it was just his weight levelling off and not to be concerned. As long as your baby is eating well, and having wet nappies I wouldn't worry. I think far too much emphasis is put on these height/weight charts.