BF moms with a slow weight gain for you DC? PLEASE HELP!

So my DD was born at 7lbs 2oz. She had jaundice and in the beginning my milk took a few days to come in, ( so the day after we left the hospital for her 1st Pediatrician appt she dropped to 6lbs 4 oz.). Then she went back up to 7lbs in a week. IT has been 3 weeks since then ( the 7lb visit) and she now weighs 7lbs 10oz.

I am BF and give her two bottles a day daily too. So I do not know exactly how much milk she is getting. However, my pediatrician was FINE with her weight gain and said continue what I am doing. Which is about 5/6 feedings on the breast and then two bottles of breast milk before night and when she wakes up in the morning. ( totaling 9 oz in bottle). She has about 8/9 wet diapers a day and same with poop.

I am comfortable with this since my pediatrician said she is fine. She is just a small baby at 7lb 10 oz at a month.


However, everyone is constantly complaining and criticizing! They think she is TOO small that I am not giving her enough milk. That I am not feeding her enough, I should just always give her a bottle and not the breast, THAT EVERYTIME SHE CRIES she is HUNGRY ( which is usually never the case)!! It just goes on and on and on.

HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSE TO BE MOTIVATED TO CONTINUE BREASTFEEDING WHEN ALL YOU HEAR ARE THESE COMMENTS. How about trying to support me BF and actually say what a great job I am doing not just NEGATIVE after Negative.

Sorry....I guess I am looking for both ADVICE AND TO VENT!

I hate that I am even questioning mysself right now b/c of their comments.

IF you got this far....Thank you for reading this!!!!

Message edited 1/25/2011 1:32:54 PM.

Re: Those who had small newborns with a slow weight gain? PLEASE HELP!

I know it's hard; when you're BFing, you have no idea how much your baby is getting. Output is the only way to tell... so poop becomes a very exciting thing, lol. If she has 8-9 dirty diapers a day, she's getting plenty of milk. And her weight gain doesn't seem slow to me. There's a chart on Kellymom.com that'll tell you what the average weight gain is for BFing babies. Sounds like you're doing a great job, mama! Tell your ILs to stuff it.

Re: Those who had small newborns with a slow weight gain? PLEASE HELP!

Posted by TheDivineMrsM

I know it's hard; when you're BFing, you have no idea how much your baby is getting. Output is the only way to tell... so poop becomes a very exciting thing, lol. If she has 8-9 dirty diapers a day, she's getting plenty of milk. And her weight gain doesn't seem slow to me. There's a chart on Kellymom.com that'll tell you what the average weight gain is for BFing babies. Sounds like you're doing a great job, mama! Tell your ILs to stuff it.

Re: Those who had small newborns with a slow weight gain? PLEASE HELP!

bump

Re: BF moms with a slow weight gain for you DC? PLEASE HELP!

bump

Re: BF moms with a slow weight gain for you DC? PLEASE HELP!

That really stinks that they aren't supportive! I would just tell them that your pediatrician is very happy with where you DD is at. My pediatrician actually said to me that you know your LO is at a healthy weight if her grandparents tell you she needs to gain some weight!.

I'd keep doing what your doing. She's getting plenty of food if she's having that many wet diapers and BMs. Do you want to give her bottles?

Re: BF moms with a slow weight gain for you DC? PLEASE HELP!

Tell you IL's to shove it. Maybe not in those words exactly, but if you ped is ok with her weight gain then that is the important thing.
Many of our parents generation are not supportive/do not understand breast feeding because it was uncommon then.
Tell them the dr. has no issues with her weight gain, and that she not hungry every time she cries.
My babies were always small, they gained about a pound a month for the first year, and I breastfed them for 15 months.
They are happy and healthy 2 year olds now, still on the small side. Some kids are just small.

Re: BF moms with a slow weight gain for you DC? PLEASE HELP!

listen...how many poops a day?

#1 had a lot..but like little wet farts...a lot of dirty diapers, but poop volume was sort of low.

#2...holy sh!t...about 6-9 DIRTY diapers a day.
she was EBF and not gaining even though I fed her all the time.

dr pushed for formula.
at a month, i cut out milk and soy.

bam...gaining since then and poops 1-2 times a day.

play around with your diet. i know it is frustrating.
give up milk for a week and see what happens with her poop

Re: BF moms with a slow weight gain for you DC? PLEASE HELP!

Re: BF moms with a slow weight gain for you DC? PLEASE HELP!

Screw them. Ignore what they say, when my inlaws spoke about anything all I heard was blah blah blah blah I'm ridiculous blah blah blah.

BF babies grow at a much slower pace. And she sounds like she is gaining just fine. All that matters is what the pediatrician says and in your gut how you feel. Do you feel she is fine? Then she is fine.

My DD gained 4oz one month. And gained 1lb 3oz over 3months. I have friends babies who were gaining that each MONTH. My DD is fine, is healthy and is average for her weight (50th percentile).

Re: BF moms with a slow weight gain for you DC? PLEASE HELP!

Posted by TheDivineMrsM

I know it's hard; when you're BFing, you have no idea how much your baby is getting. Output is the only way to tell... so poop becomes a very exciting thing, lol. If she has 8-9 dirty diapers a day, she's getting plenty of milk. And her weight gain doesn't seem slow to me. There's a chart on Kellymom.com that'll tell you what the average weight gain is for BFing babies. Sounds like you're doing a great job, mama! Tell your ILs to stuff it.

Re: BF moms with a slow weight gain for you DC? PLEASE HELP!

I can totally relate. My DS has been a slow weight gainer too, but the ped is OK with his weight. And he has wet diapers every couple of hours and at least one poopy diaper a day (usually 2) so the ped said it is fine, he is on his own growth schedule. I nurse him and supplement with formula, and since 4.5 months he's been eating cereal/stage 1 foods as well. I would say just go with what your dr. says. Like a PP said, breastfed babies tend to gain weight at a slower rate.

I can also relate to the pushy family members. My ILs were unbearable at the beginning. I know they didn't mean to be, but they were driving me crazy with all of their criticism, "advice", and constant questioning of absolutely everything I did. It got to the point where DH had to tell them to stop coming over, and I screened my calls and just did not pick up the phone when I didn't feel like dealing with them. They eventually got the message and are much better now (although they still like to criticize every time they see us, they are seeing us a lot less ).

Some things I did to make BF more successful: fenugreek supplements, allowing DS to nurse for VERY long stretches of time -- when I was home alone with him I'd put him on the breast and turn on the TV and let him nurse for however long he wanted. Also supplementing with formula does make BF easier -- those times when the baby is hungry and you are tired or feel like you are out of milk, or when you want to go out to run errands and have DH or another family member watch the baby... it doesn't have to be EBF or nothing. Once I realized this my stress level went way down and BF actually became easier.

Good luck!

Re: BF moms with a slow weight gain for you DC? PLEASE HELP!

We just got back from the one month check up and I can totally relate to this.

DD was born at 7lbs 9oz and left the hosptial at 6lbs 13 oz. at her two week weigh in she was only up to 6lbs 15 oz. I couldn't understand why since she wasd doing everything else on track - plenty of wet and poopy diapers, eating like a champ (EBF), content, etc. Pedi wasnt concerned since everything else looked good.

at the one month visit today she was back up to 7lbs 10oz - which put her in the 10th percentile. I am happy that she finally gained some and again pedi said she is doing fine.

Thankfully I havent had any comments from family about her weight, but I can imagine how much tougher that makes it!

Re: BF moms with a slow weight gain for you DC? PLEASE HELP!

My DS was 7 lbs, 7oz at birth. He was in the NICU for 8 days and was down to 6 lbs 10 oz. After he was home for 5 days (and I was nursing nonstop) he dropped even more to 6 lbs 8 oz. He was only in the 10th % for weight and I felt like I was failing at BFing.

I woke him every 3 hours to eat during the day but let him sleep at night as long as he wanted to.

I also supplemented a LITTLE with formula... maybe 1 feeding every 2 days or so.

He started gaining slowly.

Well, 4.5 months later, my little man is 20 LBS and in the 97% for weight!!!

Sometimes they are slow to start with the weight gain... and I know it's hard to believe, but as long as they are peeing and pooping, you are doing FINE! keep up the good work!!!!