weight loss or poor weight gain -- anyone else? (xp)
kat81
member
Our baby lost 13% of his birth weight at the hospital, probably because we didn't know what we were doing with feeding. We got lots of info, changed our ways, and ended up with a baby who gained 5oz over a 3 day period of going to the doctor each day starting right after coming back from the hospital. We felt better.
Fast forward to out 2 wk (12 day) check-in. We kept up all of the same habits. Baby lost 2 oz. He is still 8 oz below his birth weight. We were so surprised.
This is what I don't get. We have had 8 feedings minimum a day, usually 10. He has never had fewer than 6 wet diapers, usually 9ish. He has never had fewer than 4 poop diapers, usually 6ish. Anyone else hit all of the stats but has a weight gain problem? What did the doctors say? They told us to supplement breast with bottle (expressed milk--I have extra due to pumping and leaking). We'll see if that works. What did you hear? I am especially curious about the fact that the diapers fit guidelines.
One thing we know is bad about his eating is that he is super slow/tired/lazy. So feedings take a while. But that doesn't explain the wet & poop diapers.
Re: weight loss or poor weight gain -- anyone else? (xp)
possibly not the same exact scale, but at least the same kind. They were surprised as well so they tried a few scales at the 12 day appt with the same result. Also the difference between where he is and where he should be is way too big to be a rounding error (8 oz!)
We have gotten tons of advice from various LCs and will just have to talk to them more. We still have lots of questions as they come up.
I did have an IV. don't even remember what all they put in it, other than the strep B antibiotics, but I feel like there was other stuff.
I realize that the 5oz could have been a spurt. It was just disappointing that in the next 8 days he lost 2 oz.
I appreciate the long reply/response.
All of the weigh-ins were around the same time of day, and with the same "clothes" (clean diaper). The recency of the feedings were different, but it really doesn't matter; he was supposed to have gained 7 or so ounces, and he lost 2. None of my feedings are 8 oz so that swing could not have been a rounding noise or due to some error of the scale or timing. They even re-tested on a different scale because it was so surprising.
Yes, a few LCs. They give different advice but most of it is useful and not contradictory. Latches are now very good, but the baby is extremely sluggish. No jaundice. I used to have sore nipples but not any more and not since the initial weight gain that was promising. We haven't considered the tongue tied issue, but it sounds like that would not cause his particular difficulty with feeding.
Yeah...this is where the advice, combined with some other things you've mentioned below, doesn't work for us. We are pushing a schedule of 2-3 hours without exception, and waking our baby each time when needed. The problem is it takes an hour to get 20 "good" minutes on one side. So if we're supposed to do 20 minutes on each side, then it's time for the next feeding. That means no sleep for baby or mom, and that doesn't even include diaper changes, etc. This is the type of advice that I've gotten from LCs that makes no sense to me, because I worry that by not letting LO sleep at ALL then we are exhausting him further, making him even less efficient for feedings. Relatedly, we can't give him the supplemental milk through non-bottle means. We've tried and it takes 30 minutes to get an ounce to him. Again, that slows down his ability to get in future feedings. All of the doctors, LCs, etc we've spoken to think that the bottle is ok to use. I am reluctant as well due to nipple confusion, but I will take their word for it.
Extremely useful; thanks. I have heard nothing about how much milk LO is supposed to have in a day. Just this nebulous "20 minutes" (which is a figure that changes depending on whom you talk to) and that makes no sense to me given how inefficient LO is. Knowing the real amount helps. It is still impossible to know without a scale how much he is getting from the breast, but at least a ballpark of what he should be getting helps. I know how much I get from my breast when I pump, so that can help me understand. I also know how much the opposite side leaks when he feeds, and I can pretty much assume he's getting at least that amount (hopefully much more) per feeding.
Yeah, as I said before, these methods are way too slow. Part of the reason we are doing the supplement is to get him the milk quickly so that he can still have a short break between feedings. We can't supplement without a bottle.
Yes, I am pumping and using that milk as the supplement. I have to say I'm wary of increasing my supply too much, though, because that will really mess up the foremilk/hindmilk ratio. In fact, I think that ratio might best explain why our baby has so many wet and poop diapers but doesn't gain weight. I think that when I wasn't being vigilant about giving supplements, he was getting just foremilk because my supply is ahead of his demand right now.
Yup, that is the plan according to the doctors, and we're on board with it -- get his weight up first, then take away the supplements.
You have NO Idea of the torture we put this baby through at every feeding in order to keep him awake. We've done all of those techniques and more. They always work for three sucks and then he stops again. Also, he always feeds naked (with diaper). I'd never get anywhere if he were feeding swaddled.