baby isn't gaining weight..what to do...?

Baby428 · November 2009

I had LO weighed on Sat and she was 5lbs 12.9 oz. and just had her weighed again today and she is only 5 lbs 13 oz. She was 6 lbs 6 oz at birth. I'm really worried. I am breastfeeding and try and wake her up every 2hours to feed but she just ends up falling asleep at the breast. Any ideas on what I can do? I realy don't want to use formula.

mybabylove2009 · November 2009

I would not worry. DS was 7.4 at birth, 6.2 at 4 days, at 2 weeks was only 6.9, it took 3 weeks to get him to 7.9 lbs

we EBF, and NEVER supplimented

Kristen Harvey · November 2009

You may have to supplement with formula, just so she can gain weight. They will be worried about dehydration. This happened with us. We had to use formula and breastfeed.

Soap1 · November 2009

Some take a little longer to gain than others. If she is having plenty of pee diapers, not losing weight, and not jaundiced, I would not worry about it yet.

livinreality · November 2009

DS was born 6 11, dropped to 5 15 and has slowly gained since then... we ended up supplementing with formula in addition to breastfeeding, it is not the end of the world and it does not have to be forever

You could try pumping and feeding so you can tell the pedi that he has had XX ounces every XX hours... ?

At 6.5 weeks he was 7 10... ?

At about 5 weeks he was diagnosed with reflux and we are now waiting to see a GI specialist to see if there are any other problems that contribute to the slow weight gain (protein intolerance, etc)

Is your pedi concerned?

ladyalmalthea · November 2009

The sleepiness could be a sign. I used to have to flap DS's arm to keep him awake when trying to feed him in the hospital- a wet wipe would lso wake them up.

Supplimenting isn't the worst- you would breastfeed on both sides if possible the give a couple of ounces. If your baby is a little dehydrated, the formula will help them out. Good Start digests quicker than other formulas, I was told.

thetwistedwillow · November 2009

Keep trying to wake her up. Undressing her, changing her diaper, burping her, playing with her feet, etc. are ways to help wake her up. They want them to be back to their birth weight by 2-3 weeks old. She's heading in that direction.

TessaTru · November 2009

I wouldn't be too worried until her 2 week weigh in, in which she should be back at her birth weight....she only has 9 more oz to go. My DD lost more than 10% of her birth weight at her 4 day check up, so I had to supplement with formula over the weekend, 3 times a day. I just made sure to pump or let her nurse for 5 min. when I supplemented. She had latch issues, so we used a nipple shield the first 2 weeks also. She gained all her weight back at her 2 week app. so she was doing good and we were able to continue BFing. If she is not having enough dirty/wet diapers, then you might want to call the Dr. to see if you should supplement, otherwise she is probably doing fine. You might try skin to skin contack while BFing and just try to keep her awake. My DD was a lazy nurser and still is to this day!! Somehow she knows how to snooze and eat all at once, LOL!

MrsBatty · November 2009

I would not be concerned unless your pedi was concerned ... and if your pedi was concerned it seems like they would have given you suggestions about what to do.

tebaa8 · November 2009

I had the same problem. My pedi recommended that we try and supplement with formula 1oz after each feeding just to get my LO over the hump. We only had to do this for 2 days and she started being less sleepy and more alert when feeding. We haven't had any problems since. Sometimes they just need a little help to get them over the hump. I was not wanting to use formula, but I am happy now that I did. The important thing is that your baby is thriving.

cranguard · November 2009

My LO stills falls asleep while nursing. I tickle her feet and tummy, talk to her, and jiggle her a little to try to keep her awake. Maybe she's just a slow gainer. Keep trying and supplementing with formula isn't the end of the world. It means you get to sleep while someone else has to feed her a bottle!!

metta1313 · November 2009

My pediatrician told me that babies should be back to their birth weight by 2 weeks.

kristin7701 · November 2009

Our ped wants baby to re-gain birth weight by 10 days. We are going to be close, based on our appointment yesterday. I have a sleepy baby too, and his latch isn't great due to the shape of his mouth and his short tongue. I met with an LC and she said that if I really can't wake baby to eat, I need to start pumping. One way to keep baby eating is to do breast compressions while nursing.

Here are some tips on waking a sleepy baby: https://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/html/waking_a_sleepy_baby.shtml

Good luck to you. I know how hard it is!