Well, yeterday we went to the doctor for my 4 month old's shots. He has only gained a little over a pound in about 2 months. He hasnt grown much in length either. He is in the 5th percentile now. He was in the 15th at first, then 10th, and now 5th. The doctor is concerned because he keeps dropping on the charts. He is going to run some blood tests in 2 weeks to check his thyroid, etc. Also my son has always had at least 3 bowel movements a day until about 2 weeks ago. The first time he didnt go, it was for 3 days. But when he went, it was normal, not hard. This time, today is the 6th day he hasnt gone. He doesnt seem to be in pain or fussy at all. Just not going. I've tried karo syrup and now we are trying diluted prune juice. And still no luck yet. The doctor is wondering if he's not getting enough to eat because he's not growing and he's not having bowel movements. But I can assure you, that at each feeding, I am full of milk and he is hungry. By the end of the feeding (15-20 min on each side) I am empty and he is sleepily full. He eats 6 times a day: 7:30, 10:30, 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, and 9:30. (I never go more than 3 hours between feedings, but sometimes go 2 1/2 hours between)He sleeps from about 10:30pm until 7:30am each night. The only thing that I have done differently is gone from feeding every 2 1/2 hours to every 3 hours (which he is doing very well with) and eliminating that middle of the night feeding (which he actually did, by beginning to sleep through the night). What should I do? Has this ever happened to you? Should I wake him up in the middle of the night again to feed? I really dont want to supplement formula unless I have to because I know it will cause my milk to decrease. Also when I do pump my milk and give it to him in a bottle, the next feeding when I try to nurse, he gets frustrated because it isnt coming out as fast as the bottle. Btw, I have no problems with let down or production. If I do give him a bottle that I have pumped, I feel my milk let down when it is time to nurse him. Any advice? Please help. I would like to continue nursing until he is at least 6 months old.
Thank you all so much for the advice! Well, yesterday he pooped twice. They were both more watery. Not hard or solid. They were darker than normal so I am assuming that was because of the prune juice. I had given him 2 oz of prune juice with 2 oz of water. Should I continue to give an oz of prune juice w/ an oz of water every day so that he stays regular? I pumped this morning and I got 8 oz. total. So I know the problem isnt quantity. In response to some of the advice, he usually has a wet diaper before each feeding so he is wetting at least 6 times a day. Also, my husband is 5'11 and I am 5'8 so we do not expect him to be too small. I woke him last night and gave him 4 oz of formula and he started to fuss like he was still hungry so I made him another 2 and then he was out like a light! I am going to make sure I am eating more good fats and drinking enough water. I think I may have let that slip over the last month or so. I think I was honstly eating too healthy with not enough fats. I am not worried anymore though. He is an active and alert little boy that is, developmentally doing everything he should be and more! He seems happy and healthy. I am going to go back and weigh him once a week at the doctors office. I weighed myself today and then weighed myself with him and he was over 13 lbs. Maybe he weighs less right before a feeding than after. I guess I was just under the impression that breastfed babies dont get constipated. My doctor even said that he should not be because he is breastfed. But it makes complete sense about there not being as much waste in breastmilk. Thanks again!!!
The same thing happended to my sister in law. He was getting enough milk but they sad her breastmilk was empty nutirents. So pretty much he was starving but being full, if tha tmakes any since. She started formula only and he started to grow quick. I hope everything works out for you!
C.,
This happened to us too!! I have 4 kiddos (all breast fed) and I had this problem. The 1st 2 had trouble gaining weight from birth to 2 months. Our 3rd gained right away and I had no trouble w/ milk supply, but I decided to do Weight Watchers and I ended up decreasing my supply at 4months. So this is what I did: for the 1st 2 I nursed every 2hrs during the day and pumped for 20min and fed the pumped milk. after each feeding. This increased my milk supply and w/in 4 wks they were gaining weight (she was sleeping through the night and was a very happy baby). On our 3rd. she started not gaining at 4 months, the Dr. wanted me to suppliment w/ formula. I decided not to and added a lot of "good" fats (almonds, nuts, peanut butter, yogurts) and protien to my diet. I then took her into the ped. every week to get her weight checked. She was gaining w/ in 2 wks. Then at 51/2 months we started her on protein baby foods. I know this is a lot of info, I hope this helps.
I would be happy to answer any other ?'s.
Good luck,
S.
What do his bowels look like when he does have them?
There could be a number of reasons he is not gaining weight... and it's good to find out now. I could see if he was always smaller and just not gaining quickly, but to really decrease (or gaining weight and length very slowly) is not good- UNLESS... you and your husband are small built people. If so, as long as your son is satisfied and healthy, he should be fine.
Seriously, I would go back to the 2-1/2 hours feedings, if he is sleeping through the night that well. Or you might wake him up a little early then let him take an extra nap in the morning.
My youngest son stopped gaining much weight between 3-4 months, but we found out a month or so later that he also has a genetic disease which can effect digestion (reason for asking about the bowel movements- my sons were very mushy and bulky and often, could easily fill a diaper).
Don't wake him up! Let that baby sleep through the night, he needs his sleep as much as he needs milk. Also, you sound like you've got a great feeding schedule so don't change it either - feeding on demand will just wear you out. Have you tried pumping to see how much milk you are producing? He's not far from starting solids, check with doc to see if it's oK to introduce baby cereal once a day. There are some great suggestions here but since your doc is aware of the issue and working on it, I wouldn't change up too much without at least notifying him/her first. As long as there is no medical issue and the baby is in good spirits, I wouldn't worry too much. Every child is different, good luck and God bless your precious little bundle!
My baby gained weight slowly from 0-4 months, but from 4-6 months he lost 4 oz.
I recommend you go to see a lactation consultant either at your doctor's office or at the hospital. They can do a before/after weighing of your baby to see how many ounces he is taking in one feeding.
I have also heard that there is the possibility of having your milk looked at by a lab to see if it is lacking, so you may ask about that.
Finally, breastfed babies follow a different growth curve than formula fed babies. Make sure your doctor is using the right charts. (Not all doctor's are as "up" on things as they should be, so certainly find a good lactation consultant and talk to someone at the La Leche League.)
Email me if you have any questions or need support.
A.
I would check your own diet first. Sounds like the milk he is getting (made from what you eat) may not have enough fat and other nutrients. Remember you should have a much higher calorie intake when breastfeeding. This is when you really ARE eating for two. Fill your diet with lots of veggies, healthy protein, and a few carbs. Also get plenty of fiber as it will pass to him, even if you have to supplement with benefiber. Also don't forget WATER, WATER, and more WATER! I can tell a big difference in my nursing 6 month old when I loose track of my diet and especially my water intake. Best of luck and kudos to you for being a determined nursing mom.
One thing you could try if your son will take a bottle is to pump every feeding so you can see how much you are actually supplying and then feed it to him in a bottle. Add up all the ounces at the end of the day(his last feeding) and see how many ounces you are supplying for a total day. If you are supplying enough for his size and weight(about 2.5 oz per pound of body weight, I believe), then maybe you could see if a little rice cereal would help boost his total calories per day. One other thing, though, because I have taken care of very small kids in the past...if the baby is happy, sleeping well, seems satisfied, and your doctor can rule out any medical conditions, he might just be a small baby. If you and his father are smaller people or you come from famililies with smaller body size, it could be just genetic and he may end up filling out later in life or just being a skinny kid with a high metabolism. As long as their are no medical conditions that may effect his weight, then he might be completely fine and just a smaller size than most. Good luck to you!
C.,
One of the things that my pediatrician suggested with my 3-month old son early on was to stretch his feedings out more. It sounds like a contrast in what makes sense, but the doctor seemed to think that the baby wasn't really waking up enough to get enough to eat, even though it appeared he was eating. He encouraged us to go 4 hours in between feedings (at 2 weeks old) and to encourage the baby to get really wound up so that he would be alert and awake and enthusiastic and ready to eat. I would suggest going a little longer in between feedings, letting him cry a little, and see how he eats after that.
The person below who says that breastmilk is "empty calories" is VERY mistaken!! Human breastmilk is a PERFECT food and is perfect for your baby!
Babies grow at different rates - as long as he is gaining and is on task with developmental milestones - I wouldn't be overly concerned. They do look at the trend of dropping weight percentages and that does often trigger a concern - but it sounds like he is feeding great. I would say you might need to feed on demand and not on schedule. And YES, I would definitely wake him at night to feed - he is too young and with his poor gain, you shouldn't let him sleep for 10 hours without a feeding. I am aware of the "let sleeping babies sleep" but NOT when they aren't gaining weight well. Breastfed babies should be fed on demand as they go through various growth spurts where they may need to feed more frequently then every 3 hours...
Because breastmilk is highly digestible with very little "residue" some breastfed babies only have a bowel movement 1-2 times weekly! You didn't say how many WET diapers he is having. I would start with adding a night feeding, and also consulting a lactation consultant -though it doesn't seem you have a supply issue.
Don't worry about the infrequent bowel movements! Since breastmilk is the PERFECT food for your baby, it contains very little waste products. It can take longer to build up enough waste in his system to need to have a bowel movement. I had four children, and this was the case with all of them. One of them pooped every 14 days, like clockwork, one did every 10 days. The other two were not quite as predictable, but they were also infrequent. This is not unusual, but it certainly isn't true of all breastfed babies.
When one of mine was not gaining weight as he should, I simply determined to relax and feed him more often & not rush his feedings. I consciously drank more water and as he nursed, I prayed, asking God to nourish him in the way he needed to thrive. I know that may not be practical while you have the other babies, but maybe you could do it when you can! It worked for my son. Also, if you are determined to continue nursing, I would be careful about using bottles since it sounds like he could really begin to prefer them!! Good luch. You sound like a precious little mother! Enjoy this time with your boy--they really are little for such a short time. My youngest is 6'4" and in college far, far away!
