Dr Said I'm Not Feeding Newborn Enough?

5oz! OMG there is no way a newborn can eat that much in one sitting regardless of weight. Newborns tummies are not big enough to hold that much food at once. It sounds like to me that your baby is fine and that you should find a new doctor.

It's normal for babies to lose a little weight after birth. It sounds to me like you're nursing for enough time. As long as you're nursing when she's acting hungry and not on a schedule, I'd say you're doing fine mama! Oh holy Moses! 10lbs???

I think Laura said it best. If she is content, and having enough wet diapers, you are doing just fine. Sometimes you just have to use your own judgement. You know your baby better than anyone.

My daughter was 10lbs9oz at birth. She lost almost 2 pounds the first week. She refused to nurse so I was pumping and feeding her and trying desperately to get her on the breast. I was at the lactation specialist almost every day and at her pediatrician every other. It was SO STRESSFUL because the doc was telling me the same thing. I was crying all the time.
Then, an angel. I was at the lactation specialist AGAIN and she told me that I had birthed a HUGE baby. It was okay that she had lost a bit of weight, she was down to normal baby size. She was eating what I was giving her, she was sleeping, she was happy. She was not lethargic, she was peeing, pooping. She looked fine. We really were still struggling with getting her to nurse, but she was getting plenty of food.
I say, as a mom..not a doctor, that if your daughter is eating, happy, peeing, pooping, sleeping, then you are doing okay. If you feel the need to see how much she is eating you could always pump and give her that, then you will know exactly how much she is getting. I will say, when we were trying to get my daughter up they wanted her eating about 5oz a sitting as well. But you are nursing 30-45 minutes! She may be getting that much and you just don't know it. It might be nice to pump for a few days and see if that's how much she's eating. You do not need to give her formula if she is eating well.
L.

No offense, but the baby should probably be nursing at night, not having pumped milk. The nighttime nursing is really important to building your milk supply and its when the baby gets a lot of the milk she needs. Get a cosleeper, and just nurse her as needed, and it won't interrupt her sleep too much.

I would go with night nursing, not pumped, and instead, have your DH give her bottles during the day while you nap. Yes, I know it's probably a lot harder on you in terms of sleep, but it's only for a short time. And seriously, I'm not making this up--it has been studied.

And I agree with the idea to either find another doctor who is better educated about breastfeeding, or to help educate your doctor yourself. Contact your local La Leche League group for support and information.

Also, this article might help you:
http://drjaygordon.com/pediatricks/newborns/scales.html

Make sure YOU are drinking enough water and resting enough. Congrats on the baby! Now, did the doc make a follow up appointment in two weeks? Keep nursing only for two weeks and go back for another weigh in. If you would feel better, you can also talk to a lactation consultant about the feedings or a dietitian. Take care of yourself so you are relaxed and get maximum feeding benefit when you are feeding. Good luck!

I would just keep nursing your baby on demand. Doctors don't know everything, they go by "the book". And no, a baby won't quietly starve, if she's content she's not hungry, if she's hungry that's what crying is for!

I haven't read your other responses, so I apologize if I'm repeating anything. I wouldn't listen to your ped, it sounds like you like her a lot, and I'm sure she's good in other ways, but breastfeeding isn't always a doctor's specialty, even a pediatrician, and more often they really don't know much at all except for the basics. Get to a lactation consultant, or better yet have one come to your home. She can observe a feeding, weigh her before and after, and let you know exactly how much milk she is getting and whether or not it's enough. Lactation consultants have loads more experience and information and helpful advice than your ped ever could, unless of course she is one herself. Before you start second guessing yourself and supplementing when you don't want to, find a lactation consultant to help you sort through your options. I'm sure you are doing just fine and your baby sounds healthy to me! Good luck and congrats on the new little one!

I would nurse her on demand. Eat more nutritious foods and drink lots of water and rest. I know easier said than done with an older child. The child is only 2 weeks old and they do drop weight but how many diapers is she wetting and soiling? That should tell you something. Rremember the two of you are getting together on this nursing routine so it is still being refined.

Get your own scale and weigh baby if you need to know how much she is consuming. I bet she gets more than you think. The ped may only have knowlegde with formula feed babies. Does your milk have cream on the top when in the bottle or is it a pale whitish blue color? You might have to up your milk or cheese intake to help her get what she really needs.

Go with your gut feeling and things should be fine.

The other S.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enough-milk.html

An infant of 2 weeks should NOT be fed 5 oz. of anything. Period. Anything greater than 3 oz at this age is overfeeding and their tiny stomachs cannot handle more.

First things first, it sounds to me that your ped, whom you claim to "love" is not a supporter of breastfeeding. With that said, and it sounds like you are not willing to change doctors, you really need to seek help from a certified lactation consultant. When baby is not gaining weight or not gaining enough, there is likely an issue with HOW baby is taking milk from you. How much or how little milk baby takes will create a situation where baby does not gain well, your body will begin making less milk, and you will ultimately lose your milk supply. I know what I'm talking about because I've experienced this not once but twice with two of my 4 children. With my third child, I waited too long to get help and I lost my milk supply. It was devastating for me. Now I have a 9 month old and I had encountered problems early on but this time around I got help from a certified lactation consultant right away and I'm still breast feeding! I didn't lose my milk supply this time and my baby is gaining weight. EVERY baby is different and there are parameters to consider (parents are thin, previous baby was smaller/gained weight slow, etc.) but ALL babies MUST gain weight and show signs of thriving (adequate wet/soiled diapers, growing in length, head growth, etc.). Babies at 2 weeks old should be gaining at least 1/2 oz a day. Your baby could be a slow grower BUT you should seek the advice of a lactation consultant who can not only watch your baby nurse and check for obvious things like improper latch, idle sucking, tongue issues (tongue tie) but also weigh your baby before and after a feed. My lactation consultant with my current baby weighed her before and after a feed when she was 3 1/2 weeks old and it was determined then that my baby was not adequately taking enough milk from me. It wasn't because I didn't have the milk. I was still engorged but it was my baby's suck that was the problem. Women often confuse how much time baby is at the breast (latched on) with how much sucking the baby is actually doing. My baby could stay latched on all day if I let her BUT that doesn't mean she's sucking continuously so you say she's "nursing" for 15-20 minutes. Is that 15-20 minutes of active sucking or a suck/nibble pattern? There is a difference, as I learned with my baby. She was latched, looked like she was sucking but she was not sucking consistently or actively for the whole time. Hence, my baby wasn't gaining enough weight.

I see you may be in Orlando. If you were closer to Miami, I would recommend the lactation consultant I used in Miami but I'm sure any hospital in your area will have lactation services. It's worth the time on your part to get help now before you lose your milk supply. Since you are giving your baby 2 oz of expressed milk, I should assume you are actively pumping. This is good! You should pump after every nursing session so that you signal your body to make more milk. I was initially advised to pump after every nursing session for at least 5-8 minutes but I decided that 20 minutes optimized my milk output and like I said, I still have milk.

At two weeks old my twin girls were drinking 3-4 oz of pumped breastmilk every three hours, and they were about half the size of your daughter. So yeah... I can imagine that you could up that 2 oz bottle a bit. It does sound like she's nursing just fine and is happy, so I wouldn't worry about that.

There's no need to supplement with formula if she seems content and is gaining weight. One of the best things I bought when my girls were tiny was this scale: http://www.amazon.com/Salter-Electronic-Baby-Toddler-Scal...

I could track their weight gain every day and was easily able to see that they were gaining and I didn't need to worry. Plus, it converts to a toddler scale when they're big enough. We still use it all the time (mostly to weigh babydolls now) and they're almost five.

I have never fed a newborn from a bottle but I would think that 5 ounces at one time is a lot for a little belly. How often is she eating? IMO a 2 week old who is almost 10 lbs is a good size baby. I would definitely not supplement with formula, but maybe try to feed more often, especially at night. Perhaps direct nursing at night for now would do the trick.

If you're really concerned, I would talk to your local LLL and get their opinion for some reassurance.

I had such a problem once I introduced formula at 2 days old because of the nurse pushing it because she was a little jaundiced. We never recovered fully and finally had to quit at 2 months. It was very hard. Don't let them push you. I would try to pump more if possible. Best of luck.

Your breast milk is plenty. She is 2 wks old. I'm shocked that your pediatrician is telling you to supplement w/formula.
A newborns stomach is super tiny. I can't imagine where 5 oz would even fit?! Go w/your gut.
Plenty of women have 10 lb baby's & bf them just fine.
And congratulations on your baby girl!!

If she's pooping and peeing fine, I wouldn't worry much. She's getting what she needs. I think you are right on track with breastfeeding. I can't tell from your post whether your baby eats during the night. Newborns are so sleepy in the beginning that I would wake a baby at least every 3 or 4 hours at night to feed until they were back to their birth weight if they weren't waking on their own. Once they were, then I would just keep feeding on demand like you're doing and let everybody sleep. Nursing at night, especially in the beginning will help build your supply and help them get some weight on them.

I've heard that when mom is on an IV during labor that sometimes the baby also retains fluid and might seem like they weigh a little more than they actually do. So when that fluid goes away it seems like they lost more weight than they really did. Yet another reason I wouldn't sweat the fact that she's not up to birth weight yet. She's happy and gaining--sounds like you're doing a great job!

Congrats on your little girl!!! :)

I think i was lucky when my kids would take 4 ounces at a feeding at like 4 mos. They were snackers they ate more often but would usually only take in about 2-3 ounces per feeding. They also didnt like the bottle so they wouldnt eat as much out of it it as they would on the breast. Dont worry about what the dr thinks, stress can decrease your supply and i was also told that when a baby nurses they can actually get more milk if they have a forceful suck so maybe when your baby is nursing she gets more. There is no way to know how much a BF baby is getting fed. Just do what your doing momma everything will be fine.

My baby weighed 7pounds 1oz when she was born. At 6m old she was 13 pounds, exclusively breastfed. In the 3rd percentile. My Ped very pro breastfeeding said, "Well, someone has to be in the 3rd percentile!" She nursed a lot like your baby for a very long time. To much going on in the world for her to nurse longer than about 15m on each side. She was chunky and bright eyed and crawling, so my Ped said not to worry. She had a good output as well.

Its hard to have an exact amount, every baby is different. As long as she is gaining from this point on and not losing weight, Im sure she is fine. You mentioned that your hubby gives her 2 oz every other night? What do u give her on the other nights? 2 oz. for a night does not seem like enough. I would nurse her yourself until she is full! And I agree with another mom to make sure you are getting enough rest and drinking plenty of water. Being properly hydrated makes all the difference when nursing! But you definatley need to be nursing a 2 week old during the night. At maybe 6 or 7 weeks they get old enough to make it 6-8 hours w/out needing fed. At least mine did. But 10lbs is healthy weight and can definately eat more than 2 oz in my opinion. Maybe 5 oz is to much....Momma you have the best intuition...so trust yourself. You know your baby better than anyone. Don't let them pressure you to use formula unless she was still losing weight. Just keep your next appt. and see where her weight is at that appt. and as long as she is gaining, she'll be fine! Sounds like your doing a great job! God Bless!

Talk to a lactation consultant as well - get a referral from the hospital or someone who's had a good experience. I really don't believe that many docs have experience dealing with weight gain of babies whose mothers breastfeed. Formula feeding is more prevalent and they just don't have the same growth curves.

If you go to babycenter.com or parentcenter.com you can check there. Lots of time they have a nutritionist answer questions like this.

I would research how much is normal for this age child then see how that works for yours. If it is way less than I would say that's a clue to feed more, if you are doing okay then perhaps add a bit more when you can.

I think that as long as she is content, she is doing fine. If you were looking at months and not weeks, I would be concerned. But for 2 weeks, I think the PED is just telling you what she has to, it doesn't make it correct for every child! ALL children are different. As a mom, people are going to tell you things about your child that are a matter of opinion, you have to do for your child what you feel is best. Even doctors are going by a "normal" chart. I'm sorry, but what is normal anyway? I had two, in my opinion, very abnormal children. I say abnormal because all children are different. My son hated everything food wise until he was 12!!! My daughter ate everything under the sun. They are both healthy tweenagers now. Be strong for them as their mom who knows them best. Good Luck! I forgot to tell you that my sons's doctors tell me he doesn't weight enough at the age of 11. My sister's son weigh the exact same and is the same height and is the same age and we have them both on 2 completely different diets. Family genes!!!

It's normal to drop in weight some and I would keep track of her weight from now on and just be sure she's gaining from now on. I'd also maybe get a new doctor. My last one didn't gain and I had to take her in all the time for checks but I didn't supplement with formula and she seemed happy and content, no crying, etc. Of course a baby can starve and not cry. Just be sure you are eating and drinking enough, nurse every 2 hours or so, and check her weight weekly. I think 5 oz. is quite a bit to give at 2 weeks old. I never had a baby that big though but still the stomach is not huge because weight is more. Most importantly don't let this worry you or stress could cause you to have issues with milk, etc.

Her output tells you about her input. My DD was always a fast nurser and nursed one side only. I also had overactive letdown so the kid was drinking from a firehose, basically. What she got in 15 minutes was well enough. Do you have OALD? IMO, Five ounces is ridiculous. I would find a pro-breastfeeding pediatrician. That one may be going by formula amounts. My DD only took 5 ounces of pumped milk, ever, when she was going through her 6 mo. growth spurt. If you are nursing her on demand and she seems satisfied, not dehydrated and is making plenty of diapers, then keep nursing the way you are. Your milk will adjust to your daughter's needs vs an ever-increasing amount. If you think she needs more, then try waking her a little earlier (more toward 2 hours than 2.5) and see if she'll nurse then, or dream feed, but 2 hours is expected for a little one. Even a big little one.

kellymom.com has good info on amounts for a breastfed baby who also bottle feeds and how to tell if baby is getting enough.

My cousin was lead down the garden path and told to wean and use formula and now has her DD on pediasure and the kid is just small. Formula feeding didn't help an iota. She was just over 5lbs at birth and has continued to be tiny. She's growing well on her curve. But the doc is all hung up on numbers and isn't seeing that her DD is average - for HER. Sometimes momma really is right.

this was something I struggled with too with my son. He was 6 pounds 6 ounces at birth. He dropped down to 5 pounds 12 ounces when we left the hospital. At his 2 week check up he was still at 5 pounds 12 ounces. I had been working with a lactation consultant since he was 3 days old. First he had a bad latch. We fixed that. Then he would fall asleep as soon as he latched on. Then my milk never fully came in (also had that problem with my daughter/ first born). So, I used a supplementer system thing where he is latched on but I have a small tube thing that would also give him some formula at the same time when I was breastfeeding him. I also had to feed him, pump with my $300 pump, and take fenugreek and then REPEAT after an hour break. So I was feeding him every 2 hours. During the night I fed him as many times as he woke up hungry (around every 3 hours) and I had to pump 2 times at night as well. Honestly, it was exausting. I could only keep this up for 6 weeks before I completly dried up and gave into formula. My lactation consultant even said that sometimes our bodies just don't make enough for our babies and we HAVE to supplement for their health. She knew that I did everything I could and did everything she and the dr. said to do. I am just one of the few who just don't produce milk. It totally sucks and I was depressed about it for a long time and sometimes I wish I could have another baby just to try it again. But, my kids are now almost 7 and 4 and they are perfect and healthy (my son is on the smaller side though), but at least they got a good first month of breast milk.

I have to say - my son was 9 lbs 7 oz when he was born. He lost weight and hadn't gained it back at that appointment. It turned out he actually is kind of a little kid. He's been in the 5-15% for height and weight since about four months. He was big at birth because he was almost 42 weeks... and a little over cooked :)

I'd keep feeding on demand. If she seems content, has wet diapers, and happy/healthy I think you are fine. She was a big girl at birth - were you overdue? Did you have gestational diabetes?

I agree that you can do a weight check after feeding too. My pediactrican was a lactation consultant so we did that with my kids. They were eating about 3-4 oz. at that two week appointment, and she thought that was fine.

J.

Well I really tried to do a better job at breast feeding with my 4th baby. I had severe pain issues with my previous babies. I prayed about it and God took all the pain away. I thought things were going well. But she grew so slowly the first 6 weeks. I finally had to give up for her sake. She needed formula.

If you are only supplementing and she is contented, then it won't hurt her. But contented or not, if she isn't growing then you need to make a change.

Each baby is different. My son was 7lb 15.5 oz at birth but at two weeks he weighed 9 lb 13 oz and had increased to 8 oz every but regressed back to every 2 hours and wanted more. He obviously needed more so our doctor had me start him on cereal. My daughter was 6lb 11 oz at birth and at 2 weeks was not even 8 lbs but was taking about 3oz every 2-3 hours. She was fine. My son gained quickly (19 lbs at 3 months, then 20 at 6 months, 22 at 8 months) then he leveled off...was still 22 lbs at 1 year (but was very active and eating well, he was just burning calories with all his walking and scooting). My girl never looked as big but was about 21 lbs at 1 year. Point being that they both ated and gained differently and it averaged out in the end.

I must say that with such a large baby, she probably does need more to sustain her. Follow your doctor's lead...nurse her more or supplement.

She's already gained back that much weight after only two weeks? Your baby sounds like a champ to me. Your baby sounds perfectly normal and on target to me and NOT in need of supplementing with formula, especially if she's peeing and pooping normally and seems like a very happy baby. She's also eating often but typically, and that's great.

It sounds like she's typical, you have a great supply, and she's growing really well. I don't think 5 oz per feeding would even fit in her stomach right now. As long as you feed her when she's hungry aka on demand, I see no reason to change anything.

What I would do is call your hospital for your local La Leche League for breastfeeding support. Pediatricians are notorious for not being educated enough about BF'ing and giving advice that sabotages BF'ing and supports formula feeding without realizing it. I was lucky and had pedi's that weren't like that. But what you need is to be able to get immediate advice from LLL so that during appointments with your pedi you can go in and feel confident being armed with information.

You should also check out kellymom.com. They're FABULOUS there for accurate breastfeeding education literature.

Remember that you have no idea how much she is getting when she nurses. She is MUCH more efficient than any pump and might be getting that much when nursing. Call LLL or a Lactation Consultant. I would otherwise completely agree with Laura.

PS My son was almost 10 lbs and nursed exclusively.