I so want to solely breastfeed. My daughter was 5lbs 12 ozs when she was born. When she was one week she was 5 lbs75 and at her 2 week she was 5 13 oz. Today, at three weeks she was 6 lbs 1 oz. My ped said that she isn't gaining weight fast enough. She wants her to gain an ounce a day since she was so small at birth and because she had jaundice. She wants me to supplement. All the research I've read said that 4 to 7 oz a week is normal, but ther ped thinks that she should gain more weight. I'm a small person; can that have something to do with her slow growth rate? She wants to nurse every hour sometimes. Is this normal or does this mean I'm not producing enough milk for her means? I just think that she has a very fast metabolims. Today after the ped told me that I've been nursing her for almost an hour. An hour later (from when I'm finished) she will want to eat). Is this normal? My ped gave me until Wed and if she hasn't gained the ounces needed I may have to supplement. I don't want to do this. I feel like a disappointment. I didn't get the unmedicated birth I wanteed and ended up with a C section and feel like that the best I can do is exclusively breast feed, but it looks like I can't even do that.

Congratulations on your wee one! Bf'ing is so hard at first, and no matter how far you go - you should be congratulated.

hmmm....I'm not the best to answer this post. I'm not what I would consider a bf'ing expert in any way. I will say that when I supplemented with my first ds I feel like that definitely was the start of ALL my bf'ing probs with him. I regret it immensely. Having said that - I would supplement if I felt it were necessary. I tend to think YOU are the best judge of that though - not a doctor with some weight charts or even well-intentioned mama's like me. ;)

My 2nd ds was an eating fiend. He ate hourly. He did gain weight though - he was a super fat baby and my ped wanted me to nurse him less. :rolleyes: I didn't take her advice, and somehow he's managed to get by being a fat baby, a chunky toddler, and now a stocky preschooler. I think that's just "his" norm. If your child were still in the norm for weight gain (not necessarily actual weight) and you don't think she's literally starving - I'd keep nursing without supplementation. But I tend to think mama's know more than doctors sometimes.

Remember, the more she nurses the more milk you will be making - so logically if she's nursing a lot she should be getting a lot of milk. Maybe if you pumped some milk you would see how much milk is actually in there - and you will either feel better, or else at least know for sure?!? I know when Logan turned 3 weeks he nursed almost constantly - and then had a huge growth spurt.

Hopefully a much wiser mama will respond to your post - I'm not exactly the most knowledgeable mama when it comes to bf'ing having totally screwed up bf'ing my first ds though - I understand your fears completely. I hurt for years because I didn't nurse ds Devin longer - I gave up at 6 weeks truly thinking that I just simply couldn't do it. If I knew then what I know now, and had support then like I do now, I KNOW I could have made it happen.

Good luck to you, and congratulations on your new baby!

NAK, lol...

Big big hugs mama.

Are you in a supported enough situation where you can sit in a comfy chair/bed skin to skin with your babe and just let her sleep/nurse at will? I am talking about all day long. my daughter is 19 mos. and we still sometimes do this when we can.
Her eating every hour is normal and is natures way of telling your body how much milk to make! Are you getting enough water, food, hugs and snuggles and rest?? If not, try to enlist some more help from a friend, partner, parent, doula...

Not to sound like a radical rebel (i am a nurse-midwife) YOU KNOW Y0UR BABY THE BEST, NO ONE ELSE! If your baby is obviously thriving, wetting 6 diapers a day and seems good, you do not need to follow someone elses dictates!

I send lots of love and support, i too ended up with an emergency cesarean and my attachment nursing has helped my daughter and i to heal and bond.

My son was pretty much parked nursing for the first 4 months of his life. He would stop to get diaper changes and for me to go to the bathroom.

He is fine and healthy and its all normal.

Get some sunshine. Find a place in the sun to nurse it will help with the jaundice and will help lift your spirits.

While the health of your child is important you do not have to do anything a doctor tells you. You can always find another doctor. They work for us, we are not required to answer to them. If they are not providing the support you need you can hire someone else. Contact your local La Leche Legue. Someone should be able to help you and help you with your confindence.

goodluck
julie

does your local hospital have a breastfeeding/new mommy support group? I had a friend who was concerned about her childs weight gain and the amount he was getting.. she was able to go to the meeting, talk to people while there, which helped.. but most importantly for her peace of mind, they'd weigh the babies when they arrived, have the mommies nurse them and then re-weigh them immediately after. Since the milk hadn't been digested yet, they could tell by the difference in weight how much the baby had gotten at that feeding... you could probably do the same at home if you've got a baby scale.

I wouldn't be worried.. but I think it's a matter of getting to a point where you feel confident that you know best with your child.. and it took me awhile to get there with my first :heart:

Is she having 4-6 wet and 2-3 poopy diapers a day? If she is, she's getting enough. Her growth sounds normal to me. Some doctors are just too quick to suggest supplementation when there is no problem or when there is a problem that could be fixed. Sadly, many pediatricians are not very knowledgeable about breastfeeding, but will act like they are. I agree with the other posters: relax, nurse your baby as much as she wants, and follow your instinct. Also, three weeks is a common time for a growth spurt, so babies that age tend to want to nurse all the time to up your milk supply. If you let her, she will get plenty. Oh, and by the way, congratulations!

ime, most docs do not like tiny babies and will keep harping on the formula thing until you give in (or find a new doc ;) ).

My twins were each about 5 lbs at birth and just back up to their birth weight when they left the hospital. They came home on a mix of formula and breastmilk. I stopped supplementing after the first few days (it's a lot of work, even if you don't have twins) and nursed exclusively. The ped I was seeing at the time kept pushing formula. I think my small, skinny girls freaked her out. Luckily the home health nurse assigned to us was much more knowledgable and gave me some good advice:

don't supplement unless you want to wean
nurse more often - for us that meant waking sleeping babies round the clock for a few weeks
don't nurse for longer than 20-30 minutes - even a preemie gets the bulk of the milk out in the first 15 min or so and sometimes a tiny baby can wear herself out with the comfort nursing that comes after eating

It worked for my girls, they thrived and are doing great. I found a new doctor who looked at them and told me they were just small and not to worry and keep breastfeeding. They are 3 1/2 now and still very small for their age, so if you are small that could be playing a big role in your dd's size.

One other thing to consider about supplementing - I've been reading some research papers on line that are finding that when we pump tiny babies full of formula and make them gain weight quickly that there are serious health problems later. Obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc.

Good luck, hang in there and trust yourself and your baby!

First, CONGRATULATIONS on your baby! :heart: I looked at your picture album and she is just beautiful!!!

I agree with all of the other mamas who have said you know your baby best. The wet diaper test is a good way to know if she is getting enough also. It sounds like she is gaining weight at a good rate.

I also agree with looking for a local La Leche group - the mamas at them are so supportive and full of experience. A lactation consultant also might be reassuring. They are very supportive of exclusive bfing.

My dd was jaundiced also and the day after she was born the ped said she would need formula supp to help clear it out. I talked to a LC after the ped left and she said that would not be necessary as long as dd was nursing well/having wet diapers, etc. It took a week, but the jaundice cleared out (we had the bili-light blanket too) with lots of nursing.

dd nursed every 45 minutes for the first few weeks round the clock, then every 1.5 hours and even now at 10 months every 2-3 hours. So IME, your dd's nursing frequency is completely normal. Go with your heart mama!

Hope everything is going well for you and your nursing relationship is a long and healthy one!

Thanks Mamasƒor all the advice. I contacted a LC. She said 4 ozs was on the spectrum. I was concerned b/c her doctor is a homeopathic doctor. On Wednesday she weighed what she wanted they expected. They tolf me to come inon Monday though. I refuse to supplement! I know MY child better them them. She has plenty of BMs and wet diapers. In 6 hours she has had at least 4 wet diapers and I think one or two BMs.

Good for you!!!!!!!!!!
I think a lot of people, medical proffessionals included, give a lot more unwanted advice to parents with their first babies than with subsequent ones, as if having only one means you don't know what you're doing,or don't know your child. From one confident first-time mama to another: Way to Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This sounds exactly like my first! C-section, slow weight gain, perfectly healthy baby, fired ped.

Follow your gut. I know it's hard, but really trust your instinct with this one. If your baby is giving plenty of wet and poopy diapers, and looks hydrated, in good health, is progressing, alert, and thriving, then you are doing fine.

One thing I did, that helped with faster weight gain was to feed on one side for a period of a couple of hours, before switching. This ensures your baby will get lots of hindmilk.


Bec