Newborn Not Getting Back up to Birth Weight

One of my daughters was born at 5lbs 11oz., I don't remember how low her weight fell or when she went back up to her birth weight but I know it's always been a struggle to keep her gaining. She'll always be petite. I do remember as soon as I was discharged they talked to me about supplementing with formula after breastfeeding. She was always so sleepy too so we would have to wake her to eat and try to keep her awake (basically make her uncomfortable). She was born at 36 weeks.

If you aren't waking baby to eat, you really need to do that. If baby won't wake up, use a wash cloth on the head to help her along.

Don't worry about it, just make sure you are nursing every 2 hours during the day, and that's two hours from then start of the last feed. So yes, you will be nursing nonstop. Buy yourself some books :-)

My son was born at 6 pounds 6 ounces. When we left the hospital he was 5 pounds 10 ounces. At his 2 week check up he was STILL at 5 pounds 10 ounces. I had been working with a lactation consultant in my home since he was 3 days old. I do not produce milk. I had this problem with my daughter who is 2 years older than him also. I ended up having to supplement which helped, but by the time he was 5 weeks old, I was completly bone dry, even with pumping and bfing every hour and twice at night. Nothing I can do about it. If you need to supplement with formula, there is nothing wrong with that. Some mom's just don't make milk. I am one of the unlucky ones

V.,

This happened to me with my daughter. I was a brand new mom at 36 and had been on bed rest since I was six weeks along. I was a complete basket case because I was weak from the complicated pregnancy I had and now my baby wasn't gaining weight as fast as she should. Since I was exclusively breast feeding, I thought it was all my fault.

My daughter would call asleep while nursing. My pediatrician was concerned about her weight and made me wake her up every 3 hours to eat. It would take her an hour and a half to eat. It was the hardest time of her babyhood. She did finally gain back but a little later than the pediatrician wanted. It is very hard not to get worked up or take it personally. I want you to know your baby is doing great and gaining each time. Don't let the doctor's expectations cause you angst. Watching for wet/dirty diapers are your best marker. We finally got the hang of nursing and she did great on all her other well checks. I do attribute her sleeping pattern to having to wake her every 3 hours. If your baby is falling asleep while nursing, the one thing that worked well for us was to have a damp wash cloth near by. If she started to sleep instead of nurse I would wipe her face with it to wake her up and keep her going.

I know it's hard but hang in there. In 3 months or less you'll wonder why you ever worried about it.

Blessings!
L.

A long time ago I was working as a parttime nanny. One of the families had a boy with this issue. At 2 weeks old he was still 1/2 pound less than birth weight. They had them come in again at 4 weeks. Still under. So they started watching how he ate and trying to increase it by a little bit at a time. The mom worked with a lactation consultant to make sure he was latched on right and feeding enough. He reached his birth weight around 2 months. But then he just shot up. I think he weighed 25 or 30 pounds at 11 months when I stopped working with them. The mom really beat herself up about it because she was bfing and blamed herself.

How often are you nursing? A good rule of thumb is you start 2 hours after you started nursing before. Some babies nurse quickly and are done, and some take a long time. When they're taking a long time, it feels like all you do is nurse.

The other thing is that if she falls asleep on you without nursing much, she's only getting that front milk that doesn't hold her tummy. She needs to nurse longer in order to get the hind milk that is thicker. Nursing from one breast in one setting and then from the other breast in the next setting might help with that.

Making baby a little uncomfortable while nursing will help her stay awake. Undress her so that it's skin against skin. Use a cool washcloth on her head and feet to keep her awake. She won't like it, but she'll eat better.

Good luck.

Been there... the breastfeeding just wasn't cutting it. My Doctor gave her a bottle right there in the office and then told me to start supplementing with formula. She was putting the pounds -or ounces- on quick after that. I still kept up with both for a little while (breast and formula) just so as not to completely give up the nursing. But I eventually switched over to formula completely after a few months.

Nothing wrong with formula if the nursing is not working for whatever reason. Bottom line, baby needs nutrition.

Is she gaining weight on a steady curve, even if she's not back to her birth weight? Is she having enough dirty diapers a day? You had an epidural which probably means you had IV fluids. That can cause an inflated birth weight as baby retains fluid just like mama does. It can make it harder to achieve that birth weight. Do you feed on demand or are you forcing a schedule on her of any kind?
My favorite site for help with breastfeeding and all manner of concerns, even baby weight gain, is kellymom.com
Take a look at what you are doing and see if there is anything you can improve on to increase your baby's intake if needed. Look into a lactation consultant. They can help you identify any problems you may be having.
I don't think your doctor setting an arbitrary date to be a certain weight without looking at the overall health is a good thing, but I know it's not uncommon for doctors to do. Failure to thrive is an over used diagnosis IMO.

I assume you are exclusively breastfeeding? if the baby doesn't start to gain.. you will have to supplement with formula. this is Ok.. baby will be ok.. but it is super important that she gets enough milk so she can grow.

the peds will advice you. some moms refuse to supplement because they think formula is bad for their baby.. no.. failure to gain weight is bad for the baby.. generally you nurse first.. then offer an ounce of formula after each feeding or after a few feedings a day..

you can also take fenugreek capsules. they increase milk production. they are safe.. I took them and they really helped.

This happened to me, it turned out he was not latching well and my milk had not fully come in as a result. We started supplementing with formula and his weight came right up. I would breast feed for 15 mins each side to get my milk to fully come in, and then let him top off with a bottle. This was what my doctor recommended, but yours has gained back most of the weight so you may not need to go this route.

Congratulations on your little one!
Have you or the pediatrician checked her palate? My daughter was born with a high "bubble" palate, which we didn't know at first (it's not a defect; just a higher palate than other people have). What this meant for feeding was that, although she was latched on correctly and would suck and suck, my breast tissue wasn't getting compressed enough by the roof of her mouth and her tongue to result in milk being expressed. We determined through the lactation consultant that, after 40 minutes of nursing, she would often be getting less than an ounce of milk - not good. I ended up pumping and bottle feeding her breast milk for six weeks, and then moving on to formula. Once we moved to bottle feeding, she quickly recovered and gained weight. You might want to check that out - especially if she still seems hungry after a feeding.
Best of luck!

You don't mention what her feeding schedule is like.

I wouldn't fret over 2 oz, but would keep track of it.

If you are breastfeeding, it is possible that you need to adjust your diet to help produce more for her. If you are using formula, you may need to feed a bit closer together. If she is currently feeding at 3-4 hours, I might increase that to every 2-3 hours for a few weeks.

I assume you're breastfeeding? If so, have you talked to a lactation consultant?

I know many have mentioned a lactation consultant if you are breast feeding and I would completely agree. I am still in touch with one and my 3rd daughter is almost 8 months. She has recommended More Milk Plus capsules to increase my milk supply. They are available through Amazon and in Whole Foods if you have one close. They are a little pricey but less expensive than formula. I have actually switched to taking Domperidone to increase my supply as I was too low for the MMP. I can't recommend a consultant enough, nursing to me seems counterintuitive so her voice of reason has been a huge help! The hospital you delivered at should be able to put you in touch with one or your peds office. Good luck and congratulations on your new precious baby!