Why wasn't Dr. concerned?

janbrady · July 2009

We took LO to the doctor on Friday when she was 2W3D old. She was only 1/2 an ounce above birthweight. She had jaundice and received formula while under the bililights, otherwise she has only received breastmilk since. Her diapers are fine - lots of poop and pee. She's also really active when she is awake. I do have to wake her to eat a lot. I really think she'd sleep over 5 hours at night if I let her, but I wake her at 4 hours. It's really hard to get her to actively suck at night, but I try. During the day we feed every 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours.

The doctor did not mention supplementation or even that she was concerned. She just said come back in 4 weeks. I am planning to take her to get weighed this week to make sure she's gaining adequately. I'm so paranoid about this. I really wish I knew how much she was taking in each feeding. She was only 6lbs11oz at birth, and wonder if that affects how much she'll gain.

cyndiathma · July 2009

I know it is hard, but try not to worry...you are doing a great job feeding her regularly. She will catch up. My DS was only 1 oz heavier at birth and he was in a similar situation early on, but he still managed to double his birth weight at 4 months which is the goal...it seems like a long ways from where you are at now, but it will go by fast.

I did find that weighing him weekly was reassuring and somewhat daunting. I just really needed to know, so even though it made me crazy at times when he lost weight from one week to the next it was good to know where we were at.

We did go through a 2 week period where I fed ever 2 hours round the clock, but that was a personal choice I made and I would never wish that on anyone. Looking back I would now let him STTN and offer the breast every 2 hours just during the day. GL!

mfc2b4 · July 2009

as long as she was up to her birthweight at 2 weeks, then she is growing fine
my lo looked jaundiced for 1 month, but it wasn't enough to be concerned (and she was ebf, never any bili light or formula)
Keep waking your lo at night and feeding her as much as possible. The first few weeks I had to "tickle" my LO behind her neck, on her toes, and under her arms to get her to stay awake enough to eat well
My local health department has a baby scale that you can use at any time. Maybe you could weight yours there every few days just to reassure yourself.

LMH1209 · July 2009

Your doctor wasn't concerned because your baby is doing fine! Yes, some babies get back to birth weight earlier, but my understanding is that doctors aren't concerned unless the baby loses weight after coming home or isn't back at birth weight around two to three weeks.

My son was also jaundiced in the hospital, spent a full 24 hours under the lights and received some formula to help move things along. He actually did lose a couple of ounces after he came home, and our doctor had us come back every three or four days until he started gaining again. He wasn't back at birth weight at two weeks, but at three weeks, he was seven ounces over his birth weight. He is now three months old and only a half pound short of doubling his birth weight.

Our pediatrician said some babies just take a little longer to start gaining. She also said that she doesn't worry too much about breastfed babies unless they haven't gotten back to birth weight by three weeks.

I think your baby will be just fine, but I do understand the worrying! As pps have said, take her in for an extra weigh in or two, and heck, if it really makes you feel better, check with a local breastfeeding center to see if you can rent a scale for home use. The breastfeeding center in DC rents scales that are sensitive enough that you can weigh your baby before and after a feeding to see how much he's eating. (Scales you can buy for home use, even baby scales, aren't that sensitive.)

Good luck!

katlizabeth · July 2009

Just wanted to ditto the pp. Your baby is doing fine, IMO, that's why the doc wasn't concerned. My ds was jaundiced and didn't get to his birthweight until 3.5 weeks...the "standard" is to get there by 2 weeks. And we did jaundice tests for 5 or 6 weeks (yuck). And my doc wasn't concerned enough to check him back in or give him a billi light or blanket. And ds was 2 oz short of doubling his birthweight at his 4 month apt. It will be okay!!

It's probably a good idea to get her weighed if it will reassure you. Also, if you were concerned at her appointment that she wasn't gaining weight-I would encourage you to bring it up. That way you can talk over your concerns with the doc, and hopefully relieve your mind!

Ciarrai · July 2009

Yup. Just like the pp said, the "goal" is for a baby to be back to their birth weight by 2 weeks. Between the time it takes for your milk to come in, general newborn sleepiness, and just the amount of energy it suddenly takes for a baby to function in the real world, newborns often lose up to 10% of their birth weight. DD#1 lost 13% of her birth weight and was down to 5lbs even at our 3 day visit from 5 lbs 12oz. By 2 weeks, she was back up to 5lbs 13oz and I about cried with joy. Because she lost so much and was so tiny, our pedi had us waking her every two hours during the day and setting an alarm to wake her every three hours at night. It was torture, but totally worth it. He had said that as long as she was back to her birth weight by 2 weeks, we could stop having to wake her and just nurse on demand. (Of course, she was still BF every 2-3 hours anyway, but at least it wasn't on a schedule/clock.)

My point is your LO is doing wonderfully. And you're doing great!

Want a personalized experience?

Why wasn't Dr. concerned?

Re: Why wasn't Dr. concerned?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards