Very low weight baby (under 1%)

jenboston22 · December 2015

Anyone else struggling with their baby's weight gain? My LO has been very low on the WHO weight charts (8 pounds 4 oz at 2 months; 10.4 pounds at 3 months -- although the latter is calculated via home scale, so not necessarily accurate). The former is .1% and the latter is .7%. LO was born at 6 lbs. 5 oz, so 15%.

His pediatrician is having us add formula to his diet, which we were doing previously, but not as much nor as often as we are doing now. We try to get him to take 5-6 oz of formula a day (in addition to breastfeeding, which I do on demand, but I have supply issues).

We're going in for another official weight check next week, so we'll see how he's doing then. Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing a similar issue?

RomanoPartyof4 · December 2015

We are struggling with weight as well. Our girl weighed 6 lbs at birth and was 8lbs 2oz at her two month checkup! She's had a hard time with reflux and is always in pain. It has been a nightmare trying to figure out what is making her hurt and not gain weight. I already removed dairy from my diet for 2 months, tried zantac for reflux, and thickened my breast milk with cereal to help her gain weight with no improvement. She was 8lb 12oz at 11 weeks but still wasn't getting better, so we're seeing a GI specialist now. When we visited the GI, she had lost a couple ounces in the matter of a couple days, which was so discouraging. We tried a new reflux med, Nexium, which helped for a few days, and I was advised to remove dairy from my diet again. She continues to have horrible days, so we just started her on a medication to help relieve her tummy discomfort and gas, and I have decided to also remove wheat from my diet to determine if she has an allergy to that. If we have no improvement soon, I will have to stop breastfeeding and put her on an amino acid formula. I am so desperate for her to be healthy and gaining weight!

I hope your petite boy catches up soon too and that the formula helps!

She's super tiny, but she's come a long way! (she's wearing the exact same newborn-size onesie at 1 month and 3 months ha!)

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/kd/3zqoro1lef8i.jpg

jenboston22 · December 2015

Thanks for the reply @Knottie09641937. Such a cute little girl! Good luck with your LO's weight gain

jwebbbber45678 · December 2015

O

ZebraStripe · December 2015

@jweber4747 not helpful....

@knottie09641937 have you considered a possible soy allergy?

Sorry you ladies are having such a hard time.

caityrose · December 2015

I also have been having problems. Also had supply issues and have been supplementing 4-10 oz of formula a day depending on how hungry she is in a day. We just hit around 11 lbs at 15 weeks. But she actually had an incredible growth spurt from like the 13th and it seems to still be going just not as strong as the first week. I think she gained nearly a pound In two weeks when we were struggling with a pound In a month. Honesty idk what the answer Is. I stopped trying to desperately stick to a schedule and just let her feed on demand which meant only short breaks in between and lots of bottles. She was insatiable. And it seemed to work. I'm gonna keep going by her cues until she settles back down. I'm desperate to get her out of the 5th percentile. She's growing in length and her developments are on target so otherwise she's healthy. I guess the biggest hurdle for me was to stop being sad about my low supply and just give her as many ounces of formula that she wanted. Even if she spit up a lot lol. Once I let go of trying to space out feedings so I could replenish some sort of supply things are looking up. I'm guessing all the constant feeding is also helping my supply too despite also using formula. Good luck and I hope you find a solution that works for you guys.

shelbydd · December 2015

Not me but my best friends LO is almost exactly 3 months older than my LO and 4lbs lighter. He's 6 mnths old and just a tad bit over 13lbs. He's bf and they suppliment with formula. He was in the .5% for weight at his 6 mnth appointment so pede asked her to increase the amount of formula they suppliment and have also had him start solids. He's totally healthy, though. It's sort of funny when our kids are together because my son is short and chunky and hers is slim and tall.

callistosmile · December 2015

Have you guys tried weighted feeds to see how much they're eating? When we did that early on we discovered that my lo wasn't pulling anything from the breast at all, and was spending more calories sucking than he was getting in. We caught it really early and I switched to EPing so I ended up with oversupply. it might be a chicken or the egg situation with you guys: do you have low supply so they aren't getting "enough", or do you have low supply because they never pulled much from the breast, thus telling your body to make more? Sorry if this isn't helpful.

buckleyk · December 2015

We had major weight gain issues early on.(like she gained 2 ounces in 5 days) Turns out she had a lip and tongue tie but even once that was revised it took a while for her to start gaining. Even at her 2 month check up, the pedi wasn't happy with how much she had gained.

We did some weighted feeds to make sure she was getting enough out which was very helpful and reassuring. I also pumped after each feeding and supplemented with BM for a few days. It SUCKED and was a ton of work but great for my supply. I was able to pump enough to use to supplement after each feeding. Sometimes she took it all and sometimes she didn't take any. Just an idea.

jenboston22 · December 2015

@callistosmile I had a weighted feed early on... he was getting about 1.5 ounces total per feeding, but he was almost constantly feeding, so he was still gaining weight (albeit slowly). Since then I've started Fenugreek and he seems to be getting more per feeding, but we still need the formula supplementation.

mwertalik · December 2015

I was going to suggest trying a weighted feed a with a lactation consultant as well. Our LO was gaining slowly and the pedi thought she was using too many calories trying to get enough bm. I ended up breastfeeding for 10 mins each side and then pumping and then feeding her that in a bottle. It was very labor intensive but she did start finally gaining. It also boosted my supply. She's putting on weight now but I still supplement with formula twice per day. I feel for you, its so stressful wondering what is going on.

npierce19 · December 2015

I just wanted to encourage the ladies who are struggLing with low milk supply to talk to a lactation consultant. My advice is look at your diet and water intake, and how frequently you empty each breast. The more frequently you nurse and empty your breasts, the more milk your body makes. The longer you wait between feedings the less you will make. Oatmeal and tea or supplements with fennel seed help increase supply. Power pumping can help too. Eat, eat, eat and drink lots of water. Feed on demand, or every 1.5 -2 hours. These things will tell your body to make more milk. An empty breast makes milk faster than a full one. Don't wait for you breast to fill up, that's not how it works. That tells your body that is making to much. Hope this is helpful! Good luck to you all, I wish you and your loves the best of luck!

KYmama9286 · December 2015

So my oldest son has a genetic growth disorder so I know a LOT about growth and when to be concerned and feeding issues. Has she fallen off her own curve? The percentile is not as big of a concern as compared to a baby that is falling off their own growth curve. One important thing to remember is that all babies are different sizes. Some babies have to be small to make up those smaller percentiles just like some babies will be large to make up the higher percentiles. Adding a scoop of formula to expressed breast milk is a great way to increase calories without increasing volume (don't mix the formula with water, just add it to the breastmilk making it more calorically dense) Let me know if you have other questions and I can maybe help troubleshoot.

KYmama9286 · December 2015

Eta: only add formula to BM if your pedi recommends it. I would only do this under a doctors supervision so they can help manage any other health issues that arise.

HannahD82 · December 2015

At 6 weeks our LO hadn't gained any weight and was around the 3rd percentile down from around the 25th at birth. After a trip to the ER and lots of tests to rule everything else out we think she has a dairy and soy allergy. Since I cut out dairy and soy she's been doing much better. I also supplemented with nutramigen but our pedi recommended using 3 scoops in 5oz of water (or pumped milk) 4 times a day for the first two weeks. She gained almost 2lbs in two weeks. Since then we've continued to suppliment around 14oz a day but will continue to reduce.

squigles28 · December 2015

My LO has reflux and a genetic disorder, which we are still learning more about its effects. My daughter fell off of her chart (was at 3%ile) after she had hernia surgery and tongue tie revision.
She is now getting per her drs orders formula added to pumped milk and rice cereal. We are giving zantac three times a day and prevacid once a day. Unfortunately, she is now not as regular with poopy diapers, so we decided to go to a GI Dr after the new year. No real suggestions, except if you feel like it isn't right, fight for your baby. We just refer ourselves to the specialists. And we get extra things like early intervention to help with feeding issues. PM if you have more questions.

missdaccortezz · December 2015

My little guy had trouble gaining the first month of life. Looking back I think the docs just terrorize you with the "failure to thrive" thing but they pump you and baby with so much fluids and when it's all gone of course it looks like your baby isn't growing or lost too much weight. He "lost" 10oz 2 days after birth. Anywho...turned out my supply was low. Tried everything under the sun & saw a LC 3 times a week. Turns out baby had a "tongue tie" which was affecting supply. Fixed that and now everything is great! He's 14lbs at almost 4 months which is right on target. Also, some babies are just small & petite! Don't let the docs scare you. If you're doing all you can and she's/he's gaining try not to worry (I know it's hard). Best of luck!

Want a personalized experience?

Very low weight baby (under 1%)

Re: Very low weight baby (under 1%)

Choose Another Board

Search Boards