10 days old weight loss 10%

[Pip52976]

Just had midwife check up and lg has now lost 10% of body weight. I thought everything had been going really well, we were getting into a routine with bfing and giving 1 ebm in the night. Now been told to bf then top up with ebm at every feed. Not sure I can produce enough bm to keep that up, pulse all I'm going to be doing is either feeding or linked up to breast pump. Feel really down and like I have no idea what I'm doing anymore! Xx

 

[Phoenix85]

Hi. What did she weigh at birth, has she been weighed between birth and now, and if so what was that?

Several things, first, scales can be calibrated wrong making them 'out'. Even if they are only off by a couple of ounces it can make a big difference to the baby's weight.
Second, all babies lose some weight and it is not expected that they will be back at birth weight until around 2 weeks old.
Third, wet and dirty nappies should be a better indication that the baby is getting enough. If she is weeing and pooing well she is feeding. She may just be slow to regain her birth weight.

Last of all, rather than trying to top up every feed I would urge you to contact a BFing supporter or Lactation Consultant who can observe a feed and make sure she is feeding effectively.
It could be as simple as a slight change to her positioning which will enable her to take more milk with less effort and maximise weight gain.


Good luck x

 

[Pip52976]

Hi thank you for your response. She was 7lbs14 at birth on day 5 had lost 7.2% then day 10 it went up to 10%. She has plenty of wet bad dirty nappies, mw said she's Defo not dehydrated and thinks she is doing well; then in the next breath starts going on about topping up every feed. Will Defo see bf consultant and get their advice. X

 

[flexilexi394]

I am afraid I don't have any advice, Phoenix is pretty clued up on this stuff though!

I just want to express an opinion that I dislike the fact that there isn't a lot of knowledge or support within the midwife or health visiting community for people, I personally think it should be a much bigger topic of theirs when they train to be these roles, I haven't ever heard of a baby NOT losing weight after birth! I think that you need to find a lactation consultant too, someone that actually has a clue what they are talking about.

Half the reason people don't bother with breastfeeding is lack of knowledge, but my goodness it pays off in the longrun if you breastfeed.

I hope you can find the support you need and get the right information given to you, and you can continue to breast feed happily - especially if you feeding is getting into a good routine, that is brilliant as that can be a struggle for some people.

I breastfed my daughter for 1 year and absolutely loved it and was very good at it too, I didn't get enough support, my ex mother in law was the best person in the world for me at the time and she supported me so much. If I hadn't have had her I don't know what I would have done because the health visitor wasn't supportive at all she was just worried about charts and growth and weight all the time! xx

 

[Phoenix85]

Definitely agree Lexi. When I was a BFing supporter we had so many mums coming to the group who'd been told to top up because their baby had lost weight or not gained enough, and some even had MWs who'd told them the baby was feeding well - and then at the group when we observed a feed the baby's position was not ideal, like with their head turned to the side or something, or a shallow latch, or sucking air etc.

Midwives mean well but most really don't know what they are looking for when it comes to breastfeeding so instead they just tell you to top up, which only makes the problem worse if poor weight gain is due to the baby not latching well or feeding effectively.

If she's not looking dehydrated that's a good sign... so by her loss I get that to equate to her being 7lb 1 or 2oz now?

Do see someone asap and as long as you're getting wet and dirty nappies see what her weight is like in 5 days. With any luck it will have increased x

 

[Pip52976]

I'd need to check my notes for exact weight, but that sounds about right. After giving her 3 bottles in the last 24 hours it's like she's forgetting how to latch. My partner doesn't get that the midwife might not have given best advice. I guess he's worried about her. I slept through my alarm at 3.30 ( first night of setting alarms to wake her up to feed thanks to mw) and she had her feed an hour late and he looked really annoyed at me. I almost feel like giving up, I really don't want to though. X

 

[BunnyN]

I also think that the 'norm' on weight loss is largely based on bottle fed babies. And health care professionals have more experience with bottle fed babies. BF babies in general do loose more weight and take a little longer to put it on again which can be perfectly normal. A heath care professional with more breastfeeding experience wont generally be scared by a 10% weight loss and wont worry too much as long as baby starts gaining well by about 2 weeks. You don't want to see much more than a 10% loss but as long as she has wet nappies, looks otherwise okay there is no emergency. Waiting a few more days wont hurt. I don't know what support you have in your area but is a good idea to get her latch etc checked and try and rule out any other issues that might cause poor weight gain like tongue tie.

DD did infact have real problems with weight. She didn't get her birth weight back until 6 weeks. She dropped from 95% to under 3% on the chart. It was really worrying. In the end we decided not to do top ups even then. She obviously had digestive issues and seemed to be getting enough milk just wasn't didesting it well so I wasnt convinced top ups were going to help. In the end we were really glad we hadn't given her formula because her problem was with cows milk. When I cut dairy out of my diet things improved a lot. Its a different situation from yours but what I did learn is that weight isn't as huge a deal as its made out to be. Otherwise she was healthy and months ahead with most of her developmental mile stones. It didn't cause her brain damage which is what many doctors worry about. Through research online I found out that lack of weight gain will only effect brain development in very extreme famine type situations. We also found dozens of anecdotal experiences of parents in a similar situation to us and none of their babies had long term development issues. In the end we found a good doctor who specialises in pediatric allergies and she also said her weight although not ideal wasn't something to worry that much about and was fairly normal in a baby with food allergies. Now she is a smart, energetic 3 year old and big for her age.

 

[Pip52976]

Thanks for the advice and support ladies, I don't know what I'd do without this forum sometimes. Have made the decision not top up, other half understands. I am going to go to la leche legue drop on group tomorrow afternoon and have left message with bf support worker to call back. My instinct is that she's fine, we just need some fine tuning on latching. Xxx

 

[BunnyN]

It sounds like a good plan. If you get to the point you feel like top ups are the right choice don't feel bad about it just don't feel pressured into it in a hurry when your instinct is telling you she is okay.

 

[flexilexi394]

I think you'll pull through this Good luck and yeah this forum is a godsend sometimes, keep up the good work and you'll both get the hang of this! xxx

 

[Pip52976]

Saw the hv yesterday and she's put on 40grams yay!!! Also saw bf advisor turns out she wasn't latching properly so got that sorted too. Feeling much better about everything today. Thank you ladies for all your help and advice x

 

[BunnyN]

Thats good news!

 

[Phoenix85]

So pleased to read that.

Hope all continues to go well x

 

[flexilexi394]

Well done love! See you can do it xx