baby not gaining weight - any insight/suggestions?
DS will be 3 weeks on Wednesday. When he was born, he weighed 7lbs. 13oz. He was at 7lbs. 5 oz. when we left the hospital, and he hasn't gained anything since then. Our pediatrician said not to worry about it when we went for our two week appt. last week, but DH and I wanted to make sure he is getting enough to eat, so we took him to a nursing store today that allows you to weigh your baby for free. And he still weighed 7lbs. 5oz! I made an appt. w/a lactation consultant for tomorrow to see if we can figure out what's going on, but I honestly thought everything was going great. He seems to have a good latch, and I can hear him swallowing. The one thing I've been concerned about is that it does take him at least an hour to finish eating, sometimes over an hour. At first I thought it was normal, but now I'm wondering if that's a sign he's not getting enough. Anyone else have a problem like this? If so, what did you or what are you doing? We went ahead and gave him some formula a few minutes ago after I fed him because I didn't have any breastmilk pumped. I just pumped and got a couple of oz., so I am going to continue to do that and top him off after each feeding to make sure he's getting enough. Should I be doing anything else? I'm really hoping the LC has some insight into what's going on!
Re: baby not gaining weight - any insight/suggestions?
How often is he feeding? I would make sure he has at the breast every 2-3 hours.
Also, how many wet/dirty diapers do you have in a day?
He's usually eating at least every two hours. He sometimes goes every three hours at night, but during the day it's definitely every two. As for wet diapers, we have at least 6 a day, usually 7 or 8. As for dirty, we generally have between 2-4. I thought the wet and dirty diapers were a good indicator that he should be ganing weight, but he hasn't.
Are you getting enough fat in your diet? Make sure you are eating plenty.
Keep in mind that different scales can be off by several ounces. I honestly wouldn't put too much stock in the weight if it was on a different scale. Whether or not he had just eaten, peed, or pooped can also affect weight.
It's normal for a newborn to eat for an hour. I'd suggest meeting with an LC who can weigh him before and after eating to see how much he is getting per session.
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I really wouldn't "top him off" with formula. That's just setting yourself up for problems. If you don't feed him everything he eats, your body will stop making enough to feed him. I'd talk to his doctor before you supplement. Definitely meet with a LC who can tell you how much he's getting at each feeding.
It's totally normal for him to take an hour to eat!