Breastfeeding and baby weight loss

[Cathy Weeks]

Hi,
I was nursing Kivi in the mother's room at Babies R Us, and a woman
with a 5-day old infant was there, first changing him, the trying to
nurse him. She told me she had given him his very first bottle that
day because he had lost a pound since birth, and the doctor thought he
should be supplemented so he wouldn't lose any more.

She was so tired, and sad looking. She told me she really, really
wanted to only breastfeed. I felt so sorry for her.

I suggested a LC, and she had already called one, but hadn't been
called back. I told her to go to bed with the baby, and just nurse,
nurse, nurse. I also suggested that if he had to be supplemented, to
use an eye dropper or SNS instead of a bottle.

The baby was a little orange looking, too, and I suspect that jaundice
is making him a bit sleepy, which made him eat less. She told me it
was hard to get him nurse because he was so sleepy.

There was so much I wanted to tell her, like - everytime you give him
a bottle, you make less milk. That is totally setting a new mom up for
failure. The baby is losing too much weight, so you give him a
bottle, which causes you to make LESS milk.

Anyway, my question is this: What amount of weight is actually unsafe
for the baby to lose? This baby had lost a pound, and that seems like
quite a bit. It was enought, that even I was a little concerned. Kivi
lost 10 ounces in the first two days, but had gained it back, and then
some by the time she was 2 weeks old.

Cathy Weeks
Mommy to Kivi Alexis 12/01

[Rob and Laura]

I know here its 10% of their birth weight anything after that they are
usually supplemented here with formula.


--
Laura, TTC #2
Mommy to Izabella **Feb 10th, 2003**
And 2 felines *Ashes(3) & George (5)*
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/i/izabellawelburn/
"Cathy Weeks" > wrote in message
om...
> Hi,
> I was nursing Kivi in the mother's room at Babies R Us, and a woman
> with a 5-day old infant was there, first changing him, the trying to
> nurse him. She told me she had given him his very first bottle that
> day because he had lost a pound since birth, and the doctor thought he
> should be supplemented so he wouldn't lose any more.
>
> She was so tired, and sad looking. She told me she really, really
> wanted to only breastfeed. I felt so sorry for her.
>
> I suggested a LC, and she had already called one, but hadn't been
> called back. I told her to go to bed with the baby, and just nurse,
> nurse, nurse. I also suggested that if he had to be supplemented, to
> use an eye dropper or SNS instead of a bottle.
>
> The baby was a little orange looking, too, and I suspect that jaundice
> is making him a bit sleepy, which made him eat less. She told me it
> was hard to get him nurse because he was so sleepy.
>
> There was so much I wanted to tell her, like - everytime you give him
> a bottle, you make less milk. That is totally setting a new mom up for
> failure. The baby is losing too much weight, so you give him a
> bottle, which causes you to make LESS milk.
>
> Anyway, my question is this: What amount of weight is actually unsafe
> for the baby to lose? This baby had lost a pound, and that seems like
> quite a bit. It was enought, that even I was a little concerned. Kivi
> lost 10 ounces in the first two days, but had gained it back, and then
> some by the time she was 2 weeks old.
>
> Cathy Weeks
> Mommy to Kivi Alexis 12/01

[Beth]

"Rob and Laura" > wrote in message
le.rogers.com...
> I know here its 10% of their birth weight anything after that they are
> usually supplemented here with formula.

My DS lost 12% and everyone was after me to supplement. I resisted, but did
have him in for phototherapy for jaundice when he was 6 days old. He had
lost 14 ounces in 5 days, but then started going back up, reaching his birth
weight in two weeks or so. (now he's a hog and was off the charts in weight
for a while)

I was glad to go back to the hospital because an unusually competent nurse
showed me how to get a *really* good latch with a C hold, and then to
continually rouse him by tickling his cheek and chin.

The pressure to supplement can be relentless, and a new mother can be so
impressionable, especially when the blues hit. I feel sorry for that new
mom in Babies R Us.

Beth

[Ellie]

We were told 10% at the hospital, but our two were getting formula from day
one because they were prem and needed to be maintained until my milk came
in. In fairness to the hospital they were tube fed and I was encouraged to
nurse as often as I could to get my milk in as quick as possible and so they
didn't lose out on colostrum (sp?), so tubes were out by day 3 and purely
nursing from then and we manged to get away with just a 9% drop.

Ellie

"Cathy Weeks" > wrote in message
om...
> Hi,
> I was nursing Kivi in the mother's room at Babies R Us, and a woman
> with a 5-day old infant was there, first changing him, the trying to
> nurse him. She told me she had given him his very first bottle that
> day because he had lost a pound since birth, and the doctor thought he
> should be supplemented so he wouldn't lose any more.
>
> She was so tired, and sad looking. She told me she really, really
> wanted to only breastfeed. I felt so sorry for her.
>
> I suggested a LC, and she had already called one, but hadn't been
> called back. I told her to go to bed with the baby, and just nurse,
> nurse, nurse. I also suggested that if he had to be supplemented, to
> use an eye dropper or SNS instead of a bottle.
>
> The baby was a little orange looking, too, and I suspect that jaundice
> is making him a bit sleepy, which made him eat less. She told me it
> was hard to get him nurse because he was so sleepy.
>
> There was so much I wanted to tell her, like - everytime you give him
> a bottle, you make less milk. That is totally setting a new mom up for
> failure. The baby is losing too much weight, so you give him a
> bottle, which causes you to make LESS milk.
>
> Anyway, my question is this: What amount of weight is actually unsafe
> for the baby to lose? This baby had lost a pound, and that seems like
> quite a bit. It was enought, that even I was a little concerned. Kivi
> lost 10 ounces in the first two days, but had gained it back, and then
> some by the time she was 2 weeks old.
>
> Cathy Weeks
> Mommy to Kivi Alexis 12/01

[Anne Rogers]

a slight aside to this thread, but I think I'll stick my oar in anyway.
You can monitor a babies health in other ways than weight, in the first
few days output is what is important, wet nappies demonstrate the baby is
hydrated and passing meconium and it changing to normal poop demonstrates
the digestive system is working. Given these healthy markers I saw no need
to weigh my newborn and nor did our midwife, he was weighed at 2 weeks
old, by which time he had gained 5oz.

[She's A Goddess]

"Cathy Weeks" > wrote in message
om...

> Anyway, my question is this: What amount of weight is actually unsafe
> for the baby to lose? This baby had lost a pound, and that seems like
> quite a bit. It was enought, that even I was a little concerned. Kivi
> lost 10 ounces in the first two days, but had gained it back, and then
> some by the time she was 2 weeks old.

It really depends on their birthweight and probably their age at birth. I
remember a doctor telling me that my son "could" lose a pound. That was
because he was 9lb. 11oz. and a pound was just a smidgen over ten percent
(15.5 ounces). My nephew was premature and the hospital he was at insisted
that even at a fairly normal birthweight (6lb.5oz) he should lose no more
than 7% (seven ounces) because he didn't have as much brown fat to lose.

Rhiannon