Ds has officially fallen off the growth chart for weight

NewFamily09

DS was born at 7 lbs 14 oz (50 something %) and has slowly fallen off. At 6 months he was down to 5%.   Today, at his 9 mo check up, he was way below the curve.  He only ways 15 lbs 6 oz.  It looks like my BFing days are going to be wrapping up.  The pedi says I can BF DS in the morning and before bed, but I have to do formula during the day.  But the good news is that I made it 9 months and apparently that's longer than average, so that makes me feel better about it.  Has anyone else here had to stop or reduce BFing in favor of formula to get their LO to gain weight? 

TobleroneBar

So, you haven't supplimented LO at all?

NewFamily09

TobleroneBar:

So, you haven't supplimented LO at all?

Only when he was first born and had trouble latching on.  But once he got over that hump, the pedi said he was fine and I didn't need to.  He said he was just slowing down his growth and it was normal.  But now, he is saying he is slowing down too much and I do need to start giving bottles during the day.  It is a little weird because last appointment, he said there was no need to supplement, and now all of a sudden he wants me to make sure he gets at least 12 oz of formula every day. 

Natalie_may

Have you asked the doctor about fortifying your breastmilk?  If you still want to BF this might be an option, sure you would have to give him pumped milk during the day but it would keep your supply up.  You can fortify with any formula you choose and the doctor can instruct you as to how much formula to add to make 22, 24, or 26 calorie breastmilk.  It just doesn't really make sense to me to switch out 20 calorie BM for 20 calorie formula as far as weight gain.  

Obviously ask your pedi before trying anything like this, but it might be worth a try. 

TobleroneBar

NewFamily09:

TobleroneBar:

So, you haven't supplimented LO at all?

Only when he was first born and had trouble latching on.  But once he got over that hump, the pedi said he was fine and I didn't need to.  He said he was just slowing down his growth and it was normal.  But now, he is saying he is slowing down too much and I do need to start giving bottles during the day.  It is a little weird because last appointment, he said there was no need to supplement, and now all of a sudden he wants me to make sure he gets at least 12 oz of formula every day. 

did he have to do a blood test to make sure LO was getting all the nutrients he needs? 

oandmplus1

Have you done weighted feedings at all to see how much he is taking at a feeding? Like pp said, maybe you could fortify your breastmilk. We had to do this for a while when DD wasn't gaining well.

Also - couldn't you also breastfeed first, and then offer a bottle of formula after. Like pp said, they are both about 20 kcal/oz.

I just think the pedi jumped the gun a little in saying you HAD to just stop BF during the day and give formula. Why can't you do both? In my opinion, if his weight was starting to drop below his growth curve at his last appointment, they should have at least set up a follow-up appointment to check his weight.

NewFamily09

They've never checked his blood to make sure he's getting nutrients.  I never even thought about asking them to do this.  And I've never heard of fortifying breastmilk.   Does that mean putting BM in a bottle and mixing in some formula powder?  The pedi seemed to think that formula would fatten him up more than BM.  His theory is that DS hasn't been BFing well and isn't taking enough in.  He's been eating enough to not satisfy his hunger so he doesn't cry or root for more, but not getting enough to grow well.  Maybe I will call and ask about this.  I'm not heartbroken about having to bottle feed him.  Months ago I would have been, but I made it 9 months, so I think I did well.  I surpassed my goal of 6 months.  It would be nice to keep breastfeeding for other reasons- maybe it'll help to keep giving him those antibodies through cold season.  Also, I have to admit I kind of like not having AF around.  And I hear pumping,, just like BFing, will do that.  But that's a totally selfish reason.

Natalie_may

NewFamily09:

They've never checked his blood to make sure he's getting nutrients.  I never even thought about asking them to do this.  And I've never heard of fortifying breastmilk.   Does that mean putting BM in a bottle and mixing in some formula powder?  The pedi seemed to think that formula would fatten him up more than BM.  His theory is that DS hasn't been BFing well and isn't taking enough in.  He's been eating enough to not satisfy his hunger so he doesn't cry or root for more, but not getting enough to grow well.  Maybe I will call and ask about this.  I'm not heartbroken about having to bottle feed him.  Months ago I would have been, but I made it 9 months, so I think I did well.  I surpassed my goal of 6 months.  It would be nice to keep breastfeeding for other reasons- maybe it'll help to keep giving him those antibodies through cold season.  Also, I have to admit I kind of like not having AF around.  And I hear pumping,, just like BFing, will do that.  But that's a totally selfish reason.

Yep you mix the powder in with the BM and then bottle feed. Your dr will be able to tell you exactly how much formula to get the calorie count you need.

SecondTimeinMSU

Your peditrician sounds a little random. Why are just those two feedings allowed, it seems like your milk supply would just keep dwindling then? You could also suppliment after each feeding or fortify your milk if he thought you needed more calories (both of which I did in the beginning). Also did he make a follow up appointment for a weight check? We were going every week in the beginning until DS finally started to gain appropriately. In our case diagonosing his reflux and treating it made a huge difference in him eating more and gaining weight so their could be an underlying medical issue you need to deal with beyond just switching to formula. Just from what you've said about your peditrician I might consider switching to another peditrician who is a little more proactive in figuring out the exact problem and finding a solution rather than just guessing you need to do a few bottles a day.

RoninSirPuppyPup

Wait, he wants you to(basically) COMPLETELY stop BFing? Is this based on a BF baby chart or a formula baby chart? Does LO have lots of wet diapers? Are you and H below average size? What else have you tried?

What about trying to get your supply up? What about only supplementing a little when needed?

I don't like the sound of this advice so far.

have you seen this? it puts your LO at about the 20%, definitely not off the charts

oops eta link https://kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/chart2.html

Also, is your LO still hitting milestones?

ETA again. Another thing, if your LO recently started crawling or something he may have temporarily stopped gaining weight while you milk supply catches up with his need for extra calories. My LO actually lost a little tiny bit of weight when he started crawling. 

RoninSirPuppyPup

Ok I'm going to stop editing because I keep thinking of things to add haha.

I think you should head over to the breastfeeding board and get some more advice.  

Honestly, to me it doesn't sound like you need to supplement. You might need to get your supply up a bit but even that might not be necessary.

Another question, is LO getting water ever? That might also be having an effect. 

candigril77

My pedi advised me to stoop BFing at 3 months when my son had gained less then 2 pounds since birth. I never even thought about fortifying. I wish I had because BFing was an amzing experience for me and I did not want to give all formula. My supply dried up in about a week of formula feeding so there was no going back after that.

NewFamily09

RoninSirPuppyPup:

Ok I'm going to stop editing because I keep thinking of things to add haha.

I think you should head over to the breastfeeding board and get some more advice.  

Honestly, to me it doesn't sound like you need to supplement. You might need to get your supply up a bit but even that might not be necessary.

Another question, is LO getting water ever? That might also be having an effect. 

Wow, your advice and everyone else's has really got me thinking and questioning his advice.  I posted a picture above so people could see what he looks like.  Everyone i know thinks he looks healthy.  He's petite, but not skinny.  He has thick thighs, but no real rolls to speak of anywhere else. I forget what other questions you wrote, but yes, DH and I are a little on the small side.  He's maybe 5'9" and I'm 5'1".  He's hitting most of his milestones on time.  He's a little behind on some things.  He just started army crawling a week or two ago.  And probably in the last week or so, he's been able to sit for a few minutes without falling over.  He just started babbling "gagababa" the other day.  So I think he's a little late, but within normal range probably.  He never gets water.  Never had it in his life. 

So far, the bottle feeding isn't really going that well either.  I'm a little skeptical if it's going to work because he seems to only want about 3 oz per feeding.  More than that and he keep pushing away the bottle and closing his mouth.

RoninSirPuppyPup

NewFamily09:

RoninSirPuppyPup:

Ok I'm going to stop editing because I keep thinking of things to add haha.

I think you should head over to the breastfeeding board and get some more advice.  

Honestly, to me it doesn't sound like you need to supplement. You might need to get your supply up a bit but even that might not be necessary.

Another question, is LO getting water ever? That might also be having an effect. 

Wow, your advice and everyone else's has really got me thinking and questioning his advice.  I posted a picture above so people could see what he looks like.  Everyone i know thinks he looks healthy.  He's petite, but not skinny.  He has thick thighs, but no real rolls to speak of anywhere else. I forget what other questions you wrote, but yes, DH and I are a little on the small side.  He's maybe 5'9" and I'm 5'1".  He's hitting most of his milestones on time.  He's a little behind on some things.  He just started army crawling a week or two ago.  And probably in the last week or so, he's been able to sit for a few minutes without falling over.  He just started babbling "gagababa" the other day.  So I think he's a little late, but within normal range probably.  He never gets water.  Never had it in his life. 

So far, the bottle feeding isn't really going that well either.  I'm a little skeptical if it's going to work because he seems to only want about 3 oz per feeding.  More than that and he keep pushing away the bottle and closing his mouth.

Ok I think you should keep feeding him normally for now, but schedule an appointment with an IBCLC asap. It will be about 100$ probably but worth it if there is an issue, and for your piece of mind.