is there something wrong with my son?

[vicfahey13]

Hi all bit of a funny title I know!

I have ebf my DS since he was born on 19/07/14 he weighed 6lbs 6oz. When he was born he was diagnosed with 98% tounge tie and was put on the waiting list to have it done at 3 weeks old however the consultant was on holiday he had it done at 6 weeks instead so I perseviered through the nipple blisters and slipping on. After he had the procedure I got in touch with my local bf team and I was informed it would take him a further 12 weeks to re learn how to bf but we carried on so here's where the question about him being normal is...... his normal weight gain at clinic varies between 3-6oz every 2 weeks (I haven't had him weighed since 4 weeks ago due to him, myself and DH being poorly) I can see the health visitors looking at me strangely as his weight is skimming below the bottom centile nothing dramatic just under, Ive asked the correct questions and they say they won't be worried unless his weight gain stalls or plummets and so far it's not BUT we went to the drs for DH yesterday and as we were about to leave the Dr asked if DS was ok and U said yes apart from a virus.....then she asked if he was growingI was rather taken aback and it got me to thinking..... I did say to DH if he was obese like I was I'd be getting lectured about his weight.....I think he's just got a small frame but now I'm paranoid......he's nearly 6 months and 4 weeks ago he weighed 10.9

When I pump I only average an ounce from both breasts and he feeds quite often and does not im not joking sleep for more than 1 hour in 24 hours


Any thoughts?

xx

 

[Glordag]

Hi. I would probably take him to get weighed again and perhaps ask about adding some formula feeds. Best of luck x

 

[Holi]

He does sound a wee dot, but like you said that could just be his frame! But with him sleeping so little (at 5 months I would expect you to be down to only 1-2 feeds a night) it would suggested maybe he's not getting enough from you? Have you tried him on formula? Is he hitting all his milestone like you'd expect??

My little girl was on the small side but it all evened out when she went on to solids and cows milk - she's average weight now at 18m! Xxx

 

[vicfahey13]

He does sound a wee dot, but like you said that could just be his frame! But with him sleeping so little (at 5 months I would expect you to be down to only 1-2 feeds a night) it would suggested maybe he's not getting enough from you? Have you tried him on formula? Is he hitting all his milestone like you'd expect??

My little girl was on the small side but it all evened out when she went on to solids and cows milk - she's average weight now at 18m! Xxx

Thanks for the reply! Hes actually doing really well with his milestones although he's not trying to roll yet I don't know if that's normal? I have tried him on 2 different types of formula SMA&Aptimel and he point blank refuses to drink them He will be weaning shortly though and I don't know if that would make any difference? Xx

 

[vicfahey13]

Hi. I would probably take him to get weighed again and perhaps ask about adding some formula feeds. Best of luck x

Thank you so much for reply due to get him weighed on Monday morning so fx all is still well xx

 

[tinkerbell13]

Firstly, wow, you're doing brilliantly and to have continued on with tongue tie whilst waiting for procedure I take my hat off to you as many would have given up! My lo was born with severe tongue tie and could not latch at all, we were told that it could take 8 weeks for procedure so we went private and got it corrected at 6 days. I had some support from my local breast feeding peer support who came and checked latched etc, she said that it could take a week or so for lo to learn how to feed properly, 12 weeks seems an awful long time. Have you had your latch checked?
I'd say that if the health visitors aren't worried about his weight and he is gaining weight don't worry, every baby is different and puts on weight at different rates. Don't worry about the amount your pumping as this is isn't a true reflection of your milk production. I've probably not been much help sorry. .

 

[vicfahey13]

Firstly, wow, you're doing brilliantly and to have continued on with tongue tie whilst waiting for procedure I take my hat off to you as many would have given up! My lo was born with severe tongue tie and could not latch at all, we were told that it could take 8 weeks for procedure so we went private and got it corrected at 6 days. I had some support from my local breast feeding peer support who came and checked latched etc, she said that it could take a week or so for lo to learn how to feed properly, 12 weeks seems an awful long time. Have you had your latch checked?
I'd say that if the health visitors aren't worried about his weight and he is gaining weight don't worry, every baby is different and puts on weight at different rates. Don't worry about the amount your pumping as this is isn't a true reflection of your milk production. I've probably not been much help sorry. .

No thank you so much for the reply! I don't know if different areas give different advice? A breast feeding support worker came out after I rang them concerned about his latch but they said he latched really well so I don't think its his latch....I half think he uses my nipple for comfort as well as food like a safety blanket because if he crys the only way he will stop is if he suckles! I possibly have created a milky monster xx

 

[tinkerbell13]

Lol I feel like me lo is constantly attached to my nipple too. The average weight for 6 month old is 16.2 apparently but that's only average. If you're worried I'd take her to docs. As she'll be weaning soon I'd assume this'll have an affect on her weight gain.

 

[vicfahey13]

Lol I feel like me lo is constantly attached to my nipple too. The average weight for 6 month old is 16.2 apparently but that's only average. If you're worried I'd take her to docs. As she'll be weaning soon I'd assume this'll have an affect on her weight gain.

No I'm not worried about him he's happy and healthy it's just what the Dr said made me think is he actually very small but I think he's just perfect for him xx

 

[Holi]

He does sound a wee dot, but like you said that could just be his frame! But with him sleeping so little (at 5 months I would expect you to be down to only 1-2 feeds a night) it would suggested maybe he's not getting enough from you? Have you tried him on formula? Is he hitting all his milestone like you'd expect??



My little girl was on the small side but it all evened out when she went on to solids and cows milk - she's average weight now at 18m! Xxx

Thanks for the reply! Hes actually doing really well with his milestones although he's not trying to roll yet I don't know if that's normal? I have tried him on 2 different types of formula SMA&Aptimel and he point blank refuses to drink them He will be weaning shortly though and I don't know if that would make any difference? Xx

My little girl didn't roll til 7m! Actually she hit all her 'mobile' milestones a little on the late side (crawled at 11.5m, walked at 16.5m)

He would be screaming the house down if he wasn't getting enough! So I'm sure he's fine!! Xx

 

[Tootsmaloy]

Mother to a featherweight here. Firstly, don't panic.

DD weighed in at a tiny 2765g (6Llb) at birth although she was right on time. We had issues with bf too and ended up using nipple shields until she no longer needed them at 3 months. We're still breast feeding now at 11 months.

DD is very slight, so am I and hubby. At 6 months she weighed about the same as your DS. The doctor said given genetics it was totally normal and not to worry. She's always been on the lowest percentile for weight and is perfectly healthy in spite of this. As a general rule a baby should about double their birth weight by age 6 months and have tripled it by age 1.

Is he alert and happy? Not lethargic? Is he his normal self? If we weren't thriving you would realise.

We took DD to a naked baby class (PEKIP) and I got so sick of the other mothers with their chubby cherubs asking why my little one was so small in comparison that I stopped going. Every baby is different and judging weight the way they did shouldn't start that young!!

Also, has he started solids yet? DD packed on a few once she did.

If you're really worried then I'd go see your paediatrician

Hope this helps a bit

P.S. I am sure you'll be producing enough milk. Don't trust the amount you pump out, a baby is WAY more efficient at getting the milk out than a pump is.

 

[BunnyN]

You have done amazingly! I agree with Tootsmaloy, keep an eye on it but don't panic. Some babies just are small and that's the way they are suposed to be. Honestly some doctors and MWs make a huge deal about weight gain and its sometimes over the top.

LO had real problems with putting on weight and dropped from the 95th percentile to below the 3rd. We were told that it could affect her brain developement but I later found that was not really based on fact. Research has shown that slow weight gain doesn't affect the brain unless you reach the point of actual severe starvation. We eventually found out her poor weight gain had to do with allergies through breast milk to what I was eating and it improved a lot when I changed my diet and even more when she started eating a lot of solids at about 7/8 months though there were some foods like dairy that we had to avoid until recently. Despite the fact she really was very under weight it never caused her other issues and she was otherwise healthy and she was very active and well developed. We eventually found a specialist in allergies in babies who agreed that the weight gain wasn't ideal but wasn't a huge issue. She had lots of patients with allergies and problems with weight gain so she knew what she was talking about.

 

[vicfahey13]

Mother to a featherweight here. Firstly, don't panic.

DD weighed in at a tiny 2765g (6Llb) at birth although she was right on time. We had issues with bf too and ended up using nipple shields until she no longer needed them at 3 months. We're still breast feeding now at 11 months.

DD is very slight, so am I and hubby. At 6 months she weighed about the same as your DS. The doctor said given genetics it was totally normal and not to worry. She's always been on the lowest percentile for weight and is perfectly healthy in spite of this. As a general rule a baby should about double their birth weight by age 6 months and have tripled it by age 1.

Is he alert and happy? Not lethargic? Is he his normal self? If we weren't thriving you would realise.

We took DD to a naked baby class (PEKIP) and I got so sick of the other mothers with their chubby cherubs asking why my little one was so small in comparison that I stopped going. Every baby is different and judging weight the way they did shouldn't start that young!!

Also, has he started solids yet? DD packed on a few once she did.

If you're really worried then I'd go see your paediatrician

Hope this helps a bit

P.S. I am sure you'll be producing enough milk. Don't trust the amount you pump out, a baby is WAY more efficient at getting the milk out than a pump is.

Thank you so much for the reply! It's always re assuring to hear others opinions He's alert happy a perfectly normal nearly 6 month old Like you said if i were worried I'd notice right away but of course I'm keeping an eye on him.

He will be starting solids within the next week or so, and I'm sure he will gain some weight with that
Thanks again for the reply xx

 

[mel0013]

He does sound a wee dot, but like you said that could just be his frame! But with him sleeping so little (at 5 months I would expect you to be down to only 1-2 feeds a night) it would suggested maybe he's not getting enough from you? Have you tried him on formula? Is he hitting all his milestone like you'd expect??

My little girl was on the small side but it all evened out when she went on to solids and cows milk - she's average weight now at 18m! Xxx

Thanks for the reply! Hes actually doing really well with his milestones although he's not trying to roll yet I don't know if that's normal? I have tried him on 2 different types of formula SMA&Aptimel and he point blank refuses to drink them He will be weaning shortly though and I don't know if that would make any difference? Xx

About not trying to roll: every baby does different things at different times it's all just guidelines he'll do things when he wants to so don't worry my lovely xx