Baby Not Gaining Enough Weight

Quick question S., how big was your daughter when she was born??? That makes a big difference when asking a question on weight gain. My daughter was born at only 5lb 7oz (not pre-term, just a petite little girl), but she was 12 lbs at 4 months. Her doctor did not seem concerned and neither was I, since she doubled her birth weight in 4 months. So I guess the big question is has she doubled her birth weight???

The best methods for increasing your milk supply are:
1) Drink lots and lots of water
2) Get rest and try to relax before feeding (stress can prevent let-down)
3) Increase the number of her feedings on you or pump extra milk (more demand = more supply) - just make sure you drink extra water to keep up.
4) I'm not sure why this works, but someone recommended to me that I eat honey. Maybe it's because I usually put it in decaf tea and it helped me relax but it really seemed to help with the let-down.
5) Increase your own intake of healthy foods, especially protein and iron rich foods (meat, spinach, leafy vegetables) - I think you need about 500 more calories while nursing than you did when you were pregnant.

How much did your little girl weigh when she was born? Was she born early? Is she gaining enough weight proportionately? My son weighed 8 lbs 1 oz. when he was born and was 14 lbs at his 4 month check-up. He was considered small. He was always small until after a year, when all of a sudden he went through a couple of growth spurts and ate a lot. Now he is starting to get up into the average percentile at 16 months / 24 lbs. So, as long as she is getting enough nutrition or there isn't an underlying health problem, do not worry too much about how much weight she gains. She'll probably eventually go through some growth spurts and catch up to her predestined weight/height.

One other thing, even though I was nursing, my pediatrician recommended I start my son on rice cereal around 4 months instead of the now recommended 6 months because 1) he acted interested in food 2) she thought he probably needed more iron intake and 3) his stools were always really loose and watery. If your daughter appears interested in food, it probably wouldn't hurt to try a little rice cereal once a day with pumped breast milk or water.

Hope this helps!

S.,

I myself had an itty bitty baby (5 lbs 8 oz at birth) she was under 11 pounds by 4 months and now at 8 she is only about 45 lbs! She is just small! She has always eaten well and is super athletic! The first two Mothers are right...as long as she is hitting the mile stones for her age and seems to be satisfied after feedings the SHE IS JUST FINE! :0) I was the same way you are I have to admit. I didn't think I was making enough milk simply because she wasn’t a "chubby little baby" like the other babies I saw. So I drank TONS of water ate veggies, lean meats, and fruits ONLY and pumped after every feeding. I ended up with enough milk to feed quadruplets! IT WAS PAINFUL! LOL! The pumping was beneficial because I was able to freeze my milk which made going back to work much easier. It also helped, when I forced too wean her at 6 months. It is so true that stress is a big cause of milk deficiency! Your body is going through so much, stress just adds to it...try and relax, enjoy the time you get to spend with your little ones...everything will be just fine.

Peace~Love~Light
V.

Hi S., I would start her on rice cereal and baby furits and vegetables. How much did she weight at birth? J.

If your baby ACTS fine and is generally healthy, she is fine. Some babies are just littler than others, and I think the whole percentile thing is an awful way to compare babies to one another and that it doesn't take into account heredity and other factors that may make a baby little, which results in parents stressing unnecessarily about something they can't control. Does she act satisfied after she eats? Is she perky and alert when she's awake? Does she have regular wet and dirty diapers (remember, "regular" poops for a breast fed baby can be every day or every few days, possibly more). Feel free to express your fears to your doctor, but doctors are seldom any help. And in almost all cases, switching to formula makes absolutely no difference at all, so unless you have real issues with your supply (like, she's obviously not satisfied after eatting) I wouldn't switch, because especially with a smaller than average baby you want them to have as many immunities as possible which she can ONLY get from you. Just keep feeding and enjoying your baby, and don't worry so much unless she starts to show other symptoms.

Hi Saimi,

What does the doctor say about her size and her health?

What you have to remember is if the doctor says she is okay, she is okay. Is she happy after feedings? If she is, and the doctor says she is okay . . . it generally then would be okay.

Increasing your breast milk supply is drinking more water and if yuo have a pump, pump the milk between feedings to get it going more.