I need some help here. My little boy is a bit over 12 weeks old. He was 6 lb. 10 oz. at birth, 6 lb. 4 oz. at 24 hours and then 7 lbs. at 5 weeks. These weights were all on the midwife's scale, then I switched to the baby scale I got. Last night, he weighed 9 lb. even.
He's fully breastfed -- on demand when he's with me and then I pump for him during the day when he's at the sitter's (he started there only 3 weeks ago). During the day he drinks between 9-12 oz. and he's there generally for 8 hours. I think that he's started to reverse cycle because he will nurse through out the evenings and night, when he had been sleeping 5 hours at night.
Here's the issue: I finally got him in to see the new pediatrician and it wasn't a good experience. The biggest problem is B's low weight gain, and the doc has given me the choice of putting him on formula or doing a bunch of blood tests (liver, thyroid, etc.) and if nothing shows up and he continues to gain poorly, I guess still put him on formula.
I have a BIG problem with this because I have 3 other kids that gained exactly like this. The first was put on formula at 2 months for low weight gain and ended up having serious reflux issues that almost landed her in the hospital. She was 15 lbs. at 1 year, and is now 16, tall and thin and absolutely healthy. The next one was 15 lbs. at 1 year, but fully breastfed, and is now 10, tall and thin and healthy. The third was 16 lb. at 1 year, fully breastfed and is now 3, tall but kind of stocky and healthy.
I have 2 other kids that were put on formula at 5 months and also gained somewhat slowly, but I don't remember how much they weighed at 1 year. I think my oldest was 22 lb. but that was 20 years ago, so the memory is a bit foggy.
Anyway, obviously, being tall and thin runs in my family (I'm 5'6" and normally 115 lbs.). The skinny kids all hit their milestones appropriately and B seems to be following the same pattern. In fact, he has been rolling from his back to his tummy for at least 3 weeks now.
I honestly don't know what to do here and I'm really frustrated. I'm already taking domperidone because B was a sleepy newborn and I think that hurt my supply, plus I had to go out of town a couple of weeks ago and pump the entire time. I have since rented a Medela Symphony and have been pumping during the day while B is at the sitters, plus I often pump in the evening while he nurses on one side.
The doctor is using the old charts and was kind enough to give me a copy of B's. It's so nice to see the list of Ross formulas down the side. I don't know that this doc is even familiar with the WHO charts!
Any thoughts?
(And I apologize if I sound like I'm venting. I guess I am to a certain degree because I feel like I've done this fight about the slow weight gain too many times already. I also feel like this doctor is giving me no options besides giving formula, so it seems as if he's not breastfeeding friendly at all.)
TIA for any help you guys can offer.
He's fully breastfed -- on demand when he's with me and then I pump for him during the day when he's at the sitter's (he started there only 3 weeks ago). During the day he drinks between 9-12 oz. and he's there generally for 8 hours. I think that he's started to reverse cycle because he will nurse through out the evenings and night, when he had been sleeping 5 hours at night.
Here's the issue: I finally got him in to see the new pediatrician and it wasn't a good experience. The biggest problem is B's low weight gain, and the doc has given me the choice of putting him on formula or doing a bunch of blood tests (liver, thyroid, etc.) and if nothing shows up and he continues to gain poorly, I guess still put him on formula.
I have a BIG problem with this because I have 3 other kids that gained exactly like this. The first was put on formula at 2 months for low weight gain and ended up having serious reflux issues that almost landed her in the hospital. She was 15 lbs. at 1 year, and is now 16, tall and thin and absolutely healthy. The next one was 15 lbs. at 1 year, but fully breastfed, and is now 10, tall and thin and healthy. The third was 16 lb. at 1 year, fully breastfed and is now 3, tall but kind of stocky and healthy.
I have 2 other kids that were put on formula at 5 months and also gained somewhat slowly, but I don't remember how much they weighed at 1 year. I think my oldest was 22 lb. but that was 20 years ago, so the memory is a bit foggy.
Anyway, obviously, being tall and thin runs in my family (I'm 5'6" and normally 115 lbs.). The skinny kids all hit their milestones appropriately and B seems to be following the same pattern. In fact, he has been rolling from his back to his tummy for at least 3 weeks now.
I honestly don't know what to do here and I'm really frustrated. I'm already taking domperidone because B was a sleepy newborn and I think that hurt my supply, plus I had to go out of town a couple of weeks ago and pump the entire time. I have since rented a Medela Symphony and have been pumping during the day while B is at the sitters, plus I often pump in the evening while he nurses on one side.
The doctor is using the old charts and was kind enough to give me a copy of B's. It's so nice to see the list of Ross formulas down the side. I don't know that this doc is even familiar with the WHO charts!
Any thoughts?
(And I apologize if I sound like I'm venting. I guess I am to a certain degree because I feel like I've done this fight about the slow weight gain too many times already. I also feel like this doctor is giving me no options besides giving formula, so it seems as if he's not breastfeeding friendly at all.)
TIA for any help you guys can offer.
