baby loosing weight...any thoughts?

[mgillard]

Hi. A friend of mine has a 1 mo old and is desperately trying to breastfeed. She was supplementing a bit as he had to return to the hospital due to dehydration. However, she was frustrated and stopped that to exclusively BF. She thought all was going well, but at his checkup they said he'd lost 4 oz. He is otherwise healthy and weighed over 8 lbs at birth. He lost quite a bit at first, but had gained it all back. She's struggling as she wants him to be healthy, but I think she's getting pressure (from dr and family) to supplement. She knows she'll loose her supply even more if she does that. I am trying to help, but I have absolutely no frame of reference. I had the exact opposite--an over abundance (I could probably feed her baby and mine and still have some left over!). Has any one else had this experience (baby loosing weight due to possible lack of supply) and what did you do/are you doing to deal w/it?

Thanks!

[binxyboo]

Has she had a lactation consultant check latch and observe a full feeding?

[wfabby]

I agree with binxyboo.  She needs a lactation consultant quickly.  Because the baby was already dehydrated once and is losing weight it is possible the baby is not latching properly therefore not getting enough milk but getting working just as hard, or her supply needs to be increased.  All that kind of stuff a consultant can help with.

I had a consultant come to my house a couple times and also went on my own to see them after. 

Have her go to http://www.lalecheleague.org or call the hospital where she gave birth to get a consultant who is nearby.

She really needs to do it quick so she can build her supply if necessary and get some weight on her lo.

Good luck

[riuliani]

I had a similar struggle.  My LO did not lose weight.  He just isn't gaining any.  At our 4 months check up we discovered that he had only gained 5 ounces in two months.  Then the challenge was to get more food into him.  There are several things to try to increase the supply on her own.  Have her check out Jack Newman's website.  http://www.drjacknewman.com/  He is a specialist in breastfeeding.  There are several videos on there to help with latch and methods for increasing supply.  Sadly after several weeks of trying Newman's (and others) advice I was still not increasing in my supply.  We had seen a lactation consultant and visited with the public health nurse every week.  I have started to take Motillium (domperidone) to increase my supply.  This did wonders for my supply, however, my LO still isn't gaining weight, so back to the doctor's we go.  I would recommend trying all the options before hitting the medication but it makes a good last resort if needed.

[binxyboo]

Make sure the daiper output is okay....minimum of 6 wet diapers in 24 hours and usually about three poop diapers, although this can vary.I would strongly recommend her getting professional advice asap

[Samuel's mum]

Does she feel he's putting on weight - can she see fat stores etc, hear him swallowing, count the wet nappies as mentioned?
I only ask because there is the not so improbable possibility that scales and people reading them can be wrong and people end up changing lives over a mistake.
However...
Yes, she needs to speak to a professional - an LC or a helpline. With a history of early supplementing it's more likely her supply is taking time to get up to gear and it might well be that there is an underlining problem with latch/suck which is causing the supply problem (this is the most likely thing).
Do encourage her to get help and it's great she has support from a good friend. well done you.

[mgillard]

Thanks. She did see the lactation consultant initially and it seemed to help. She thought things were going well, but was apparently wrong. I told her to go back to the LC, but I will tell her about the website. I think she really wants to try, but also just wants him to start gaining weight. If he wasn't loosing weight, I'd tell her not to worry and just assume she has a little baby. My 1st is still kind of shrimpy. His growth curve looked more like a mountain, peaked at about 6 mo and then began to plummet. He hovered around the 3rd percentile till he was about 3, though he's still on the smaller side. But, he was at least gaining some weight. I honestly just feed badly that she is probably getting pressure to stop trying when I don't know that all the options have been exhausted. Thanks for the help!

[binxyboo]

Lactation consultants can be a mixed bunch at best. It is hard to find someone who has the knowledge and also practical expertise. La Leche League are great because of that, nothing like a successfully nursing Momma! Good luck!

[wfabby]

also, tell your friend not to worry.  She has done a great job so far getting her baby breast milk, tell her not to feel guilty one bit if she decides to go to bottle or if she needs to.

My lo refused to bf at 3 months due to reflux and I pumped for 2 more months.  It felt like I was either pumping or feeding Jake 24 hours a day.  I agonized over the decision on when to quit.  My doctor finally told me plain and simple, the stress I was causing myself over the decision was worse on me than the benifits for my baby.  They have gotten formula so close to breast milk her baby will do fine either way. 

Of course brest milk is best, but I am a formula baby and I have a great immune system and I am a very healthy person! 

[riuliani]

I completely agree with the previous post.  After exhausting her options your friend should never feel guilty about going to the bottle if that is what she chooses.  That being said I struggle with that decision every day but keep trucking on the breastfeeding track.  I guess when you become a mom the guilt-o-meter gets a little whacky sometimes.  I can understand her emotional distress based upon personal experience.  She has to forget about the rest of the world's advice and do what is best for her and baby, physically, emotionally and mentally.  I think we focus so much on the physical factors of health we forget how much an impact our emotional and mental health has on little ones.  Now if only I could take my own advice