« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Supplement or add solids?  (Read 1467 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline First Time Mom

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 91
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 4043
  • Milena and Graydon
    • Location: Toronto (Canada)
Supplement or add solids?
« on: March 16, 2006, 03:01:19 am »
Hey ladies I need advice (and to vent a little)!

Went to the doc's today and dd weighs 11 pounds and is 4 months so doc is now concerned as she is now under the "10%" in the charts. She has always been at the 10% though not sure what her exact birthweight was (hospital made error, weighed her with 5 or so blankets).

Doc has advised me to start cereal :o AND switch an evening bf with a bottle of formula :o as she thinks my supply may be low.

I don't think my dd is ready for cereal- can't sit up, when given her vitamin D drops she pushes out the dropper w/ her tongue, does not cry for hunger- she's bf 6 times in a 24 hour period and this includes one night wake. She has great A time (up for 2 hours), and great naps and sleeps very well and until now, I thought she fed well at each feed. As for the formula- this will decrease my supply, yes? So I don't think this is the solution for her to gain extra weight.

Should I be concerned with her feeds and weight? Should I follow the doc's advice? My gut tells me no, she's become a very happy baby (thanks to BW from week 5 on) and I don't see a problem, she's not crying for more feeds. If yes, how can I get her to take more bf's or is there a way to increase the cals in my bmilk?

Oh yeah, and for a chuckle- the doc gave me a huge can of powdered formula to start asap- I brought it home and looked under the can because I read everything- it has an expiry date of Nov 2005! Switching docs is not much of an option- live in a big city yet no one takes new patients!
Logged
<img src="http://lilypie.com/pic/2009/11/12/ijf3.jpg" width="64" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie - Personal picture" /><img src="http://lb1f.lilypie.com/RVjWm5.png" width="400" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie First Birthday tickers" />[url=http://lilypie.com/]<img src="http://lilypie.com/pic/2009/11/12/ijf3.jpg" width="64" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie - Personal picture" /><img src="http://lb1

Offline deenz

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 50
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 1314
    • Location:
Re: Supplement or add solids?
« Reply #1 on: March 16, 2006, 07:14:32 am »
How much under the 10% is she on the chart?  I presume it is a standard chart which includes children who are ff (they tend to be heavier/put on weight at a different rate).  This makes it difficult to compare with exlusively bf infants.  Have a look at http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/weight-gain.html.  There is also a link there to growth charts for exlusively breastfed infants.

Is your dd having plenty of wet nappies/diapers?  Was she weighed on the same scales all along (apart from birth obviously!)?  Different scales can measure soooo differently (I know from experience!).

To me, with what you've said, it doesn't sound as though there's a problem with a happy, sleeping-well baby, but I can't say completely for sure.  I mean you've made it four months bf'ing her with no probs, so what has changed?

My dd's both were on the light side, and I know there is pressure for them to be 'heavier'! 
Logged

Offline JacobMarksMummy

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 38
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 607
  • Jacob Mark From Lincolnshire, UK
    • Location: Lincolnshire,United Kingdom
Re: Supplement or add solids?
« Reply #2 on: March 16, 2006, 12:13:51 pm »
I think if your DD is happy and has plenty of wet nappies then you have nothing to be concerned about. As Denise rightly points out these charts that they measure our babies with are taken from average weights, heights etc of formula fed babies. Formula is alot more difficult to digest than BM which explains the slower rate of digestion of it and the fact that babies absorb more calories from it.  >:( at your doctor, sometimes they just dont have a clue  ::) If you start suplementing then of course as you well know your supply will decrease as demand =supply and then you would have a real problem on your hands. And dont get me started on the problems early weaning can cause! Babies vital organs just arnt ready for the difficukt task of digesting solids and it can leave them open to all sorts of risks in later life including a much increased chance of obiestity.  Some babies are just naturally lighter then others the same as some adults are fat and others are thin. You sound pretty clued up to me and I know I dont need to be telling you all this, follow your insticnts, you know best your her mummy  :)
Logged
Nome, Mummy to :-
Jacob Mark - 26/04/05
Beatrice Anita 31/10/06

Offline Samuel's mum

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 764
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 10636
  • Emma in London, UK
    • Location: London, UK
Re: Supplement or add solids?
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2006, 13:12:17 pm »
A sad tale of a doctor who is not knowledgeable about the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding and has not chosen to keep up to date with current recommendations re:starting solids. The charts are out-of-date and not something to base enormous decisions on. Giving you a can of out-of-date powdered milk is frankly scary and could have endangered your baby.
I totally agree with the previous posters. It sounds as though you know yourself what the right thing to do is. If you can't change doctors perhaps you can educate this one on AAP/WHO recommendations!
Logged
<img src="http://b5.lilypie.com/vpkWp1.png" alt="Lilypie 5th Birthday Ticker" border="0"  />
<img src="http://b1.lilypie.com/iPGj0.png" alt="Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker" border="0"  />

Offline First Time Mom

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 91
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 4043
  • Milena and Graydon
    • Location: Toronto (Canada)
Re: Supplement or add solids?
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2006, 14:13:40 pm »
Thank you for the replies ladies. I'm just going to continue as is though last night I managed to get in a df and she did take some (her df is by bfing so sometimes she's just too sleepy). She's not much off the chart- I'd say she'd be a "6%" if there was a 6% range. Denise, thanks for the link- interesting info on here and according to this chart, dd is on it! I'm going to print it out and bring it to my doc next time. Both my dh and I are tall but small boned and lighter in weight so I'm not terribly surprised with dd so far.
Logged
<img src="http://lilypie.com/pic/2009/11/12/ijf3.jpg" width="64" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie - Personal picture" /><img src="http://lb1f.lilypie.com/RVjWm5.png" width="400" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie First Birthday tickers" />[url=http://lilypie.com/]<img src="http://lilypie.com/pic/2009/11/12/ijf3.jpg" width="64" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie - Personal picture" /><img src="http://lb1

Offline deenz

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 50
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 1314
    • Location:
Re: Supplement or add solids?
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2006, 01:00:50 am »
Glad that link was helpful.  I too have printed out the growth chart, and it sounds like our daughters may be around the same size!  Did you read the paragraph below the growth charts - it sounds almost exactly like your original post!
Logged

Offline First Time Mom

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 91
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 4043
  • Milena and Graydon
    • Location: Toronto (Canada)
Re: Supplement or add solids?
« Reply #6 on: March 17, 2006, 01:38:17 am »
Deenz, wow, missed the bottom, had to go back and read it. I'm SO going to bring this to my doctor with the chart (and her stupid can of expired formula)!

Stacy, if you don't mind my asking, what was the difference with your son for your doctor to suggest formula, was it that he started waking extra and wouldn't bf'd (you mention that he didn't seem all that hungry)? There has been no difference in my dd's behaviour or sleep (has one night wake feed, still does and always has since week 8).

To be honest, I'm even now questioning the accuracy of the scale, it wasn't zero'd and it's not digital- meaning you have to manually tap the reader over, how does one even get an accurate read from a baby waving her arms and legs on this old style scale?!
Logged
<img src="http://lilypie.com/pic/2009/11/12/ijf3.jpg" width="64" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie - Personal picture" /><img src="http://lb1f.lilypie.com/RVjWm5.png" width="400" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie First Birthday tickers" />[url=http://lilypie.com/]<img src="http://lilypie.com/pic/2009/11/12/ijf3.jpg" width="64" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie - Personal picture" /><img src="http://lb1

Offline Samuel's mum

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 764
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 10636
  • Emma in London, UK
    • Location: London, UK
Re: Supplement or add solids?
« Reply #7 on: March 17, 2006, 13:23:35 pm »
I agree that the scale you describe sounds dodgy. Good Luck when you speak to the doctor. You will be on very strong ground. She may well be quite nervous/defensive when she sees the expired can but hopefully will be open to hearing what you have to say.
One night waking is something I was no where near at 4 months!
Logged
<img src="http://b5.lilypie.com/vpkWp1.png" alt="Lilypie 5th Birthday Ticker" border="0"  />
<img src="http://b1.lilypie.com/iPGj0.png" alt="Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker" border="0"  />

Offline deenz

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 50
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 1314
    • Location:
Re: Supplement or add solids?
« Reply #8 on: March 17, 2006, 20:16:05 pm »
Just a thought about feeding with a bottle - a lot of babies will 'guzzle' a bottle even if they aren't hungry - something to do with how the milk comes out of the teat, they don't know how to stop it flowing or something.  So it's not necessarily a reliable indicator of how much milk they need.
Logged

Offline deenz

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 50
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 1314
    • Location:
Re: Supplement or add solids?
« Reply #9 on: March 17, 2006, 23:50:57 pm »
That's great that your ds is sleeping through again Stacy!  My dd2 also does not use the breast for comfort, only food!  And she has refused the few attempts I've made at the bottle, so I don't have any direct experience with that.
« Last Edit: March 17, 2006, 23:52:39 pm by deenz »
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »