# My baby only gained 2 oz. in 2 months!



## mama2be11 (Mar 31, 2008)

NAK







:
I just got back from my ds 4 month wbv and he only weighs 11#7oz. At his 2 month checkup he was 11#5oz. which was pretty low but I thought he would have a growth spurt and catch up. This is really tearing me apart and I don't know what to do. My ped. is really great and is very pro-breastfeeding and offered a few different approaches. He said the most common reason for slow weight gain is not getting enough calories. That makes sense. So the approach he recommended was to pump and give him bottles of EBM for one day to measure how much he is getting. He said another option would be to count how many times you feed him in a day and then go into the clinic one day and have him weighed before and after a feeding to see how much he takes in. I think I will take the pumping route first and see how that goes. I am racking my brain trying to think of what this could be. My babe is a slow eater but he eats often and on demand. He's kind of a grazer. Also, he seems content after a feeding even though he has really long feedings and kind of likes to camp out at the breast. He often times just falls asleep while feeding as he has done right now. I should probably mention that I use a nipple shield and have since shortly after he was born. (That's a whole nother thread).







: But I think this may be contributing to the problem. I have talked to LC over the phone and none of them seemed too concerned and said as long as it wasn't affecting my supply, yada yada it is fine that I am using it. It never really sat well with me though and everything seemed like it has been going fine using it until now. What is even worse about this whole situation is that my sister had a baby 2 months after mine and her ds has already surpassed my ds by 2 lbs.! I know some babies just grow faster and I am glad that her babe is gaining but I can't help but be worried. I need to pull out all the stops! I'll do anything.....except formula feed.







Please give me any advice you have.


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## Twinklefae (Dec 13, 2006)

I don't have a lot of advice, but couldn't read and not post. It sucks that the LC's you contacted don't sound concerned. I would venture to guess that the nipple shield is causing supply issues. (The firmer kind are apparently more likely to do that). The best way to tell that will be to do the weight the baby before and after a nursing. (You can apparently rent a scale to have athome.) I really don't know what else to tell you, other than the basics, like eating oatmeal and Mother's milk tea.

I would suggest calling around the LC's and telling them your story. Hopefully one will be able to help you.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Instead of pumping and bottle feeding (could start a NASTY cycle) how about renting a scale and weighing before and after feeding instead?

I would also start supply increasing methods and work hard on getting off the nipple shield.

good luck!

-Angela


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## baileyann3 (May 12, 2008)

is he having lots of wet diapers a day? how many?

here is an article from lll:

http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVJunJul00p39.html


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## chpiper (Jul 2, 2007)

I definitely agree that trying to get off the nipple shield may be a big help. I do have a few other thoughts, too...

Have you tried nursing on one side for one feeding, then the next side for the next feeding? Sometimes this can help them get more fatty milk...

I have known a few babies who gained really, really well for the first few months, then literally did not gain anything for a few months (2 of my babies did this...one stopped at 11 pounds, the other at 14 pounds...) then all of the sudden start gaining really well...Just because there isn't a weight gain within a certain time frame does not always indicate a problem...

If you need to increase your supply, there are lots of ideas that may help you...you can pump for a few minutes after feeding to send message to your body to kick it up a notch...there are lots of great supplements that can be helpful, even small things like eating oatmeal have been known to increase a mother's supply...

I would definitely take other factors into consideration...

Does your baby seem content after a feeding? Wet and poopy diapers normal (lots of them and yellow poops)? Do your breasts seem fuller before feeding/softer after feeding? And do you have a general feeling of 'wellness' about your baby? I give lots of credit to a mother's intuition...

I hope that your little one starts gaining soon...


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Pumping can be really really misleading as to how much you're producing. A friend of mine would express like 1oz in 20 minutes of pumping, then squirt milk.


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## brietta (Jun 23, 2008)

I had a little one who only gained 2oz in his first 6 weeks. Here are some things that helped us:

1. Nursing on one side only at each nursing session to make sure he was getting the hind milk, too.
2. Taking "Blessed Thistle" which helps increase the protein content of your milk.
3. Nursing a LOT at night.

I, too, agree that the nipple shield may be causing some problems.

I really hope you can find some resolutions. Try not to stress, as that WILL affect your supply. Remember that your body was made for this. Not to mention, your little one obviously was growing okay before, so maybe there are just a few kinks to get worked out of the system! I'm so glad your doc is so on-board with breastfeeding and didn't immediately tell you to start supplementing.

Good luck.


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## mkmb129 (Apr 7, 2007)

I had a very similar experience with my son. He was 12lbs 2oz at 8 weeks, and 12lbs 3oz at 4mos. He was growing in length and head circ, was peeing and pooping fine, was alert, active, reaching milestones. He had blood draws, urine & poop samples taken to fine out what was "wrong with him". Nothing was found







We had weekly weight checks for months. It was so stressful for me, being told it was my milk & I'd cause him damage. Now he did start gaining more, but it wasn't what they wanted. Formula was pushed hard, it was just a mess. He's fine, btw, and is just a small person. The LC we saw didn't see any cause for concern based on how he looked and behaved & that he was peeing and pooping well. So trust your instincts, perhaps seek out a good LC for some advice. Doing a pre-feeding and post-feeding weight I think sounds like a good idea to get an idea of how much he's getting.

Also, I'm not a good pumper. Could never get more then an ounce total from both breasts, usually more like half an ounce.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

I'll disagree w/ whoever said nurse as long as possible at one side, ideally yes, but if he's falling asleep often and not wanting to nurse (not sure if this is the case) switching sides often will keep him more stimulated. Just switch back and forth till you can't get him to nurse anymore. We switched back and forth endless times w/ Ilana just to keep her nursing, she was never a big fan of nursing.









My dd was 9#13oz at her 4 mos appt, she wasn't on the charts at all, slept all the time, and never asked to be fed much.







I knew something was wrong, but it took my ped to confirm it at her 4 mos appt. We did supplement right away and she gained a # in a week. My biggest suggestion is to keep him nursing, but then pump after every nursing session you can and then feed him that, w/ a syringe or however you choose, we did a bottle since she had a weak suck that needed help as well. We did herbs and pumping etc, but nothing really helped. I've read a lot on MOBI this time and I'm hoping for a better milk supply this time as I've had problems every time now. Big hugs, I know it's hard and it's still possible there's NOT a problem, but most kind who don't gain weight just don't get enough.


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## smanore (Sep 14, 2007)

Checking the baby's weight both before and after a feeding is going to be the most accurate way of seeing how much your baby is getting at breast. One time will give you an idea, but ideally, if you would use a scale for at least 24 hours for weights before and after, it will give you a truer picture of the overall daily intake. Also, weighing once a day an hour or more after the baby has fed, and doing this daily weight (with no clothes or diaper on) at around the same time each day, will give you a picture of the overall daily weight.

One thing to look for, with nursing as much and as often as baby will let you, you need to make sure this isn't tiring the baby out and actually requiring more calories than baby gets at breast. Weighing will give you a good idea of that. A better picture sometimes, is watching the baby's reaction. Is baby really tuckering out quickly on breast and just doing non-nutritive (and therefor nonproductive -as far as getting milk into his body) sucking at breast? While your breasts need about 2-3 minutes of non-nutritive sucking at each breast toward the end of the feeding, doing it for much or most of the feeding might actually cause him to be much less effective at the breast. Calories in, means he can put out the energy required of him to milk the breasts really well. This is where pumping can be helpful in further stimulating the breasts to make more milk. More importantly than that would be supplementing the baby, if the scales show he isn't transferring the milk well. Some moms choose to use bottles after the baby has been at breast. That would get more calories into the baby and would be almost solely relying on the pump to effectively empty and stimulate the breast milk production. If you opt for that method, using a really good quality pump is essential. A hospital grade pump available for rental would be ideal. Some moms still do hand expression after until they've gotten all the milk out. A supplementer at breast, such as a lact-aid or an SNS, would help encourage your little one to more vigorously suckle at breast. Just the use of a supplementer at breast would allow your little one to get more of your milk directly from the breast. The theory is that when a baby takes in a full mouthful of milk (in this case both directly from the breast, and also from the supplementer at the same time), they automatically swallow appropriately. After an automatic swallow, they automatically suckle appropriately. So it reinforces effective suckling at the breast. This would stimulate the breast to produce more milk.
There are some moms that even after all the frequent nursing, pumping, supplementing at breast, and herbs/medications, find they don't produce all the milk to meet their baby's requirements. It's something to be aware of and to take into consideration. Before doing that, or even in spite of that possibility, you can most definitely work now to maximize your supply. Last, but certainly not least...please take gentle care of yourself. Keep yourself well rested and well fed. Also, please be gentle with yourself by not beating yourself up emotionally about this. You've been with your baby everyday. So you would be less likely to notice a slow weight gain, more than a person who hasn't seen the baby for a month or so. Also, remind yourself that no one loves your baby more than you. Moms would walk through fire for their babies. You've been doing a great job.


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## mama2be11 (Mar 31, 2008)

Thank you all very much for the support so far. I knew I could count on you other mamas.







After reading the posts I think I will do the pre and post nursing weights. When I pump I usually can get 2-4 oz., depending on the time of day, but my ds won't take a bottle from me and my dh is gone all weekend. Besides I think this way will be more accurate for us concerning the circumstances. We only live 3-5minutes from the clinic so I don't think it will be a problem if I need to have him routinely weighed. I am also looking into renting a scale for at home. As for wet/dirty diapers, he does have a lot of wet diapers although my ped. said that cannot always be an accurate indicator.







He rattled something off which sounded legitimate but I dunno. He only has a bm once per week and I have been told that this is normal. (That was another thread). He always nurses on one side and we have always done it this way. I usually offer the second side and sometimes he takes it but usually ends up conking out. My ds sleeps with us and nurses frequently throughout the night and at around 7 am we go downstairs and make a nest in the recliner and pretty much nurse all morning. 3-5 days a week I have oatmeal for breakfast and I occasionally drink Mother's Milk tea, although I think I will start drinking it more often and adding blessed thistle to the mix. Thank you all so much for the suggestions! I do think there is a lot to a "mother's intuition" but I think I second guess myself a lot. I am also going to contact an IBCLC to try and wean off the nipple shield. I have tried weaning him from it before but just on my own so maybe we can do it with the help of a LC. I am so thankful that I can turn to you mamas for help and also for my doctor for being pro-breastfeeding and not pushing supplements.


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## PatioGardener (Aug 11, 2007)

Wow - you can pump lots! That's awesome! Perhaps the issue is a transfer of milk thing rather than a supply thing. Has baby been checked for a tongue-tie by someone who really knows what to look for? (Just an idea) If you do decide to supplement for a bit, supplementing at the breast with a tube (SNS, Lact-aid, or feeding tube) baby will get your pumped milk as an added extra to encourage good sucking and swallowing, your milk supply will get the stimulation, and baby will continue to breastfeed. Now, I have no idea how to supplement at the breast with a nipple shield! Definitely one to ask the IBCLC!







Best of luck to you!


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

As for falling asleep, the first few days with Lina, we'd rub her arms and shoulders to get her to start sucking again when she'd fall asleep at the breast. I even bent down and licked her ear or fingers a few times when I was alone and didn't have a free hand.


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