3 Month Old Hasn't Gained Weight in a Month, but Is Alert, Happy, and Healthy

My daughter is now a year old, and she had the same problem with gaining weight, and she is still very petite. I have always exclusively breastfed her and have heard many different things on her weight gain. I finally settled on this, if your baby is happy, alert and seems healthy to you then he should be fine. A Mom can normally tell better than any doctor can how her baby is doing. Also, just so you know, the growth charts in doctor's offices are made based on formula fed babies, so try not to let them scare you. Hope this helps.

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I respect your dedication to relactating, kudos to you! You deserve great recognition for doing this, what a feat! Breasfeeding is hard enough from the start and you have managed to do something most can not. You should be very proud of yourself!
Since he isnt losing weight, I probably wouldnt be overly concerned, but relactating might pose supply issues Im not aware of. I think I have heard that relactating might not provide enough, but that might be talking about women who adopt and try to artificially stimulate milk production. Since it hasnt been too long you probably are in the clear. Anyhow, if were me I would try and get a few more feedings in throughout the day. Even if he isnt "asking" for it, have him breastfeed a bit more. It sounds like he is fine if he is happy and active. He may just be adjusting to the change, overly active, leaner person all together etc. I know some people say bf'd babies are leaner, but for me that is not the case. Mine are FAT, FAT, FAT!!! My 18 mo. old bf'd baby is finally slimming down at 27 lbs. Please dont supplement, just let him tell your body how much to produce. Supply and demand, it is an amazing thing. Peace to you.

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See your doctor ASAP.
If you put him back on the bottle you will know exactly what he is getting. Brest is nice, but there is no real proof that bottle isn't OK.
Baby should gain and remember if the baby gets sick, he will lose weight quickly and you don't want him too thin.
Good luck,
B. v.

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I have a friend who's daughter had a heck of a time with breastfeeding and she finally went to bottles and then the baby would only eat 2-3oz at a time (even at 6mo of age!) She (the mom) was constantly paranoid about whether or not her daughter was getting enough nutrients, growing well enough.... (was a very tiny baby - at 5 months was the same weight and height of my one month old!)... BUT the doctor kept telling her to stop worrying! As long as her daughter was HAPPY, PEEING, POOPING, and PLAYING, she was FINE - no matter what her weight or percentiles on the growth chart (something crazy like 70th% height and 10th% weight). I would advise you to keep nursing and give it a little bit of time, if his development, mood, daily habits start to change or he isn't peeing and pooping, then go see the doctor, otherwise just keep doing what you're doing. Growth charts are based on formula fed babies - breastfed babies DO NOT grow the same. You are doing what's right for you and your son, so keep it up! Good job girl!

Dear A.:

You've already gotten great answers. I just wanted to say that breastfed babies are typically leaner. We like to joke that our eleven-year-old son should still be rear-facing in the car since he's so thin! But he's a live wire and a brainiac! Our thirteen-year-old daughter (both kids breast-fed for three years) took FOREVER to gain weight. Both of them were perpetually below the 5th (yes! FIFTH!) percentile and I finally stopped paying attention to that. Both kids are very intelligent and super athletic now...though still tall and lean.

Our formula-fed grandbabies are luscious chubbies, on the other hand, and so were my formula-fed nephews. You just get different results from the different foods.

I can just say that I'm INCREDIBLY proud of you for bravely returning to breastfeeding...WOW! What a devoted mom! I think you will be happy with the results...just don't let the numbers bother you, okay?

Best wishes,

M.
PS: Our pediatrician when the children were little was the La Leche Coordinator for the Inland Empire in Southern California...he totally supported and encouraged 100% on-demand breastfeeding and kindly stopped telling me the percentiles!

aloha,

i just wanted to send you some words of encouragement. i also have a 3 month old and she was born at 7 lbs, 2.3 ounces. she is currently just under 10 pounds. she has only really grown in length. the md says that she is perfectly healthy and she eats quite heartily. she may just have a high metabolism. don't let the numbers scare you. all of the norms (percentile ranks, etc.) can drive a new mom crazy. go with your instinct... good for you for trying again to breastfeed. that is very commendable!

I have 4 children. They were all small babies who gained weight slowly. At age one, my youngest only weighed 17 pounds. My doctor didn't worry because they were happy, healthy, eating, playing and hitting their milestones. They now range in age from 22 to 10, and they're all happy and healthy still, and not any smaller than others their age.

Good for you for relactating! Breastfeeding is not easy, so it's wonderful that you are making such an effort to give your son this gift.

Don't worry about what the scale says if your son is happy and healthy. Your home scale may not be accurate, and if he's hungry he'll let you know. He sounds like he's doing just fine.

I say hold your ground with Dr., it sounds like you're doing great! All the right things. I think formula does react differently and he probably did have excess gain. I would suggest tracking his weight closer on a weekly basis by going to a breast feeding group at the hospital (they always have a scale) and journal his feedings to have specifics to show you're Dr. that you're on top of things. Generally baby will grow at least 1/2oz-1 oz. a day. Also remember that suckling will also stimulate breasts for those growth spurts. My son took more than 2 weeks to get to his birth weight and continued to be in the 10% in weight till 2mo. then 50Th then 90Th% in weight and height. Ultimately work together...we're going into flu season and you want your little one to be nice and 'juicy' in case he gets sick.

Sounds like all is well. My daughter is now 25 months and at 24 lbs. weighs as much as the "average" infant half her age. I know another mom whose 33 month old son weighs just slightly more. Both kids are active, smart and happy. I used to worry a lot about this weight issue, but nothing seems wrong. The kids are probably lucky to have a good metabolism. Best, isc

Great job on breastfeeding!! I would suggest that you see a lactation consultant who can do a pre-feeding and post-feeding weight check. That way you have peace of mind that your baby is getting enough from you. They can measure in ounces how much he gets.
Good luck~

At my daughters 6 month and 9 month appt, she didn't gain an ounce. I think babies just go through growth spurts at different times. She is healthy, active and happy and has grown a whopping 4 pounds in the last 3 months.

wow, what a story. you sound like such a dedicated and devoted mother. it really does sound like he's happy and healthy. i think you just need some reassurance on the choices you've made. before you change what you're doing or decide to supplement, make sure it truly is what you want to do. get all the information you can for both the risks and the benefits of continuing to breastfeed with or without supplementation.

i don't think you'd be happy with yourself if you make a decision selling yourself short of information. and if you can, switch to a pediatrician that is more supportive and knowledgeable about breastfeeding. often it isn't that they don't think that breastfeeding is good enough, it's just that they don't have all the information either. the lack of practice about breastfeeding in this country has really been influenced by formula use.

don't get me wrong, formula can save many lives when medically necessary. but really, how many babies medically need formula compared to all the normal babies.

here are some websites to give you reassurance and may answer some of your questions.

drjacknewman.com
normalfed.com

and some articles

slow weight gain following early good weight gain
http://drjacknewman.com/help/Slow%20Weight%20Gain%20Follo...

understanding sleeping and eating patterns
http://drjaygordon.com/development/ap/sleep.asp

good luck!

He is fine!! As long as he isn't losing weight and is thriving he is good. I would contact the leche league to get some good support and encouragement. I gave up nursing my oldest (now 17) because I listened to other nonbreastfeeding people tell me she wasn't gaining enough weight and out of my three kids she has the weakest immune system. With my second child I had GREAT support from nursing moms who kept encouraging me to keep with the nursing and even though I had people say he wasn't gaining enough quick enough he is now almost 15 and very healthy,strong & athletic he hardly ever gets sick. My youngest also was breastfed none of my kids ever where BIG babies always on the smaller size but very healthy and developed on target. Don't worry you are doing the right thing for your child. Feel free to write me if you need more support.

It sounds like you are doing everything right! I wouldn't worry about the weight gain, I'm sure that he will put on more weight very soon. Most babies go through a growth spurt around the 3 month (my daughter wanted to eat almost every hour during her growth spurt). It sounds like he is thriving and since you are feeding him on cue he should have no problem gaining weight. I think that you are right in thinking that it could be the switch from formula back to breast milk. Also, some babies gain a lot of weight early on and then they don't gain much for awhile-he way be one of those types! Good luck with everything. So glad that you are breastfeeding and co-sleeping. Keep up the good work mama!

Allyson,
I so wouldn't worry about the weight. If you weigh him all the time you're only going to stress yourself out for no reason. All signs show that he is healthy and happy. My daughter was only breast fed and and would go a month without weight gain, and then would gain extra the next month. Also, since you went from formula to breast milk, he's not getting all the extra sugar, and fat which will slow his weight gain.
Best to you and your son,
S. G.

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/galact.asp

This is a good guide to increasing milk supply.

I'm so impressed that you were able to return to breast feeding! What an amazing feat! Your son is very lucky to have you for a mother. Kudos to you.

My first 8 weeks of nursing were SO hard but we made it... now I can't get my 28 month old daughter weaned from her bedtime feeding but that's another story!

Anyways, you should call your hospital or research on the internet for a lactation consultant. They can work miracles! Or at least give you a plan!

Good Luck!