My 11 Week Old Hasnt Gained Weight for 3 Weeks! Need Advice Please

I don't need to read the other responses or add anything else because BeckyW's answer was SPOT ON. Excellent info. EXCELLENT!!! :)

Mama, she's not going to gain a ton of weight every week. She will gain fast and then stop, gain fast and then stop. She's 11wks old, I guarantee you will hit a HUGE growth spurt in the next few days or week. She will nurse non stop and wake at night to feed more. Its not your milk, its her in a growth spurt, so nurse nurse nurse when she needs it.

Relax! As long as she's wetting/pooping, alert and playing, sleeping and is content she's fine! No need to switch to formula and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Breastfeeding is so unsupported in the USA. Your daughter is fine, by your description she's not lethargic or suffering at all, and she's not losing, she's meeting milestones... she's fine! Doctors can be overzealous.

Prepare for a growth spurt and tons of nursing from her, and don't think for a second that your milk isn't good or she's not getting enough, she will hit growth spurts over the next year that wll cause her to want to nurse a ton and wake at night. its normal. Jsut continue what you are doing, she sounds like she's doing great!

Oh and what you pump is no indication of what your supply is. You can pump an ounce and your baby can nurse out 4. Don't gauge yoru supply on what you pump, ever.

I really wouldn't worry! My daughter was average size at birth, 7lbs 15oz, but now at 9mos she is very petite! I have her 9mo visit next week, but she also didn't gain much weight at that age either. It wasn't until about 5-6mos that she really started gaining. My dr. wasn't concerned at all. She said as long as my daughter was happy & seemed like she was eating enough, then that was fine. I also started giving her 1 bottle of infant formula each night to make sure she was eating enough at bedtime, and also to see if the formula would help boost her weight gain. It helped a little, but that method doesn't work for everyone! If you are open to supplementing with formula then it doesn't hurt to try, or if you'd prefer 100% breastmilk, then maybe try pumping & offering her that bottle. That way you see exactly how much she is taking in!
But, like I said, don't worry about it! Each baby grows at their own pace! At 6mos, my baby girl was in the 10-25 percentile for everything!

can you pump your milk and bottle feed her so you KNOW how much she is eating/feeding? and then go from there as to what to really do about it

If she's eating and soiling her diapers normally, I wouldn't worry at all.
Kids go through patches of growth, and right around 12 weeks is usually a big growth spurt. For both of my kids, they've each gone into a "holding pattern" before spurts, where they stopped eating and growing for a week or two, and then took off.
Don't be concerned. She's taking her time!

I would say pump some more milk this will do two things: 1 increase your milk supply and 2 give you some extra milk to top her off after you breast feed her. The more you breastfeed/pump the more milk you will produce. I think that breastfeeding is the best but, it won't hurt to have your hubby top her off with a bottle of breast milk when she is done breastfeeding. You might want to wake her up for an extra feeding at night, I know it sounds crazy but, my daughter was had a problem gaining weight and her doc asked us to wake her up to feed her in the night to help with weight gain. Some kids are just made to be petite. My girl is 6 now she is still the smallest in her class. Her three year old brother is almost the same weight and height as she is. She is short and skinny he is tall and skinny. My girl was 18 lbs at 18 months old. She has gone between the 5-8th percent forever.

I wouldnt worry at all. Babies go through stages with weight gain and it could be a variety of reasons. She is liekly going to hit a growth spurt in the next week or two and will probably eat all day and pack on some pounds. As long as she is not acting lethargic or changing habits drastically Im sure all is just fine.

babies go through stages of physical growth and stages of emotnial / mental growth. When they are in a physical growth mode they will grow, gain weight, sleep alot to fuel their growth. Then the physical growth phase may pause while their processing skills develop, or their emotional skills sharpen. As soon as you get used to one phase they change! It's almost maddening. But at this age the developmental phases are brief - a couple/few weeks.

If she doesn't begin to put weight on in another couple of weeks consult your pediatrician - but for now I wouldn't get too crazy. As long as you're taking in enough fluids and baby is peeing & pooping you know she's getting enough breastmilk.

My daughter is 14 weeks and is in the 25th percentile as well. She only eats 3 oz every 3 to 4 hours. I was concerned b/c it was only 3 oz. I called my ped yesterday and he said as long as she isn't showing signs of hunger then she is fine. My daughter just seems content with the 3 oz. I wouldn't put too much stress on it, but if it will give you peace of mind put a call into the ped and see what they have to say.

Keep nursing! (I would NOT supplement as that will only DECREASE your milk supply.)

NURSE ON DEMAND. Your milk will increase the more she nurses. As long as she is having a few wet diapers a day, there is NO NEED TO WORRY!

Has she shortened the length of each feeding at all? Sometimes, if a baby is breastfeeding and stops before 10 minutes or so are up on one breast, then she doesn't get to the "hind milk" yet. That milk has a lot more fat content. So, try keeping her on one boob for 20 mins and see if that helps. Also, what is your diet like? If you are not eating enough calories, then you will not be making enough milk. You can't go on a diet at this point, or forget to eat. Just take the amount you would normally eat, and add on about 500 more calories a day, at least. You must, must eat well, and drink lots of water, as if you were still pregnant pretty much, if you want to keep your milk up. Good luck on this!

You could try pumping after feeding to stimulate your supply. Fenugreek works for some moms. Definately drink lots of water.
I have supply issues so I offer a bottle of formula after I breastfeed each time. Sometimes my son takes half an ounce and sometimes he takes 4 oz.
Also, make sure you don't go more than 3 hours between feedings - your supply may go down if you do. Wake her at the 3 hour mark if you have to!

Good luck!

Becky is right.
Do not take her off the breast! if doc says you should, then get a second doc's opinion First!
and i'm glad you seem to know better than to judge your breast by what you pump, because your baby is better at mikling you than a pump.

If you want to build supply, drink more water, or try fenugreek, or have a "nursing day, where you just spend allot of time topless, skin to skin with baby, it will both inspire her to nurse more and u to produce more.

but seriously, at 3 months (ish) she will be having a growth spurt and you will feel like you are nursing every five minutes!!!
as long as you are getting those dirty diapers you will be fine. dont let an overzealous doc, frighten u into formula.

Don't worry. As long as your kid looks healthy and happy she's fine. My boy grew quickly and the stopped for a while at 9 weeks. I never weigh him. I am his mom and I see that he is well, so I don't care what the scale says. There are no clear rules to all of this, so don't let internet sites or doctors make you crazy.

Was she weighed on the same scale each time? If not those weights don’t matter. Scales can be off by quite a bit. When weighing baby make sure same scale and no diaper.

As long as she is getting 5-6 wet diapers a day there is not a supply problem.
Take a look at this article: http://drjaygordon.com/pediatricks/newborns/scales.html

Also why getting enough liquid is important make sure you don’t overdo it as that will cause supply problems. Look at getting the 64oz recommended. Your diet will not affect your milk. Starving women can breastfeed a baby. It’s an amazing body we have.

A lot of women can’t pump so don’t look at that as an indicator. The average amount a women can pump is only .5 to 2oz a session.

Another nice thing to know is that only 3% of women have a true supply problem.
Now there are things that could cause your milk supply to get low.

Are you taking hormonal birth control with Estrogen? (known supply killer, in some women even the mini-pill CAN cause supply problems)

Are you taking any decongestants?

Could you be pregnant? (Only thing listed that can cause milk supply that can’t be solved)

If you want to try to raise your milk supply you can eat real oatmeal, take fenugreek, there is Motherlove More Milk Plus.

I’m taking classes to become a Lactation Consultant. So if you have any questions feel free to ask. I also suggest you go to Cafemom.com and join this group: http://www.cafemom.com/group/325/
Tabi_cat1023 and Gdiamante really know their stuff.