Has anyone heard of this?!

[mamarootoo]

My SIL gave birth on the 13th. Baby was 11lbs 8oz, 22.5 in. She was tested for GD several times during pregnancy, but always tested slightly less than borderline.

Baby lost about 16oz (less than 10% body weight) in the hospital, then gained back about 4oz by today (the 17th) at a Drs appointment.

The pediatrician suggested limiting feedings to once every 3 hours during the day, and 4 hours at night, and not feeding more than 30min at each feeding.

SIL told me that the LC she had in the hospital warned her about that specific ped being almost anti-breastfeeding, and to "just ignore his advice when it comes to anything nursing related."

I went through all my books (preparing to sit for the IBLCE exam, so I have most of the book in their recommended library for LCs) and did research online but I wasn't able to find *any* research to back up a decision to limit breastfeeding, even for macrosomia.

Has anyone encountered this before?
I find it odd that I wasn't able to find ANYTHING on this!

Please understand I'm looking for experiences with this specific situation, and that I understand that breast is best, and nursing on demand is ideal, etc.

Thank goodness SIL is following her instincts and continuing to nurse on demand!

[CrunchyChristianMama]

It's probably nothing he/she ever learned in a classroom. It's just old "put baby on a schedule" for food ideas that are proliferated by that generation. I would guess that the advice is given to every mom regardless of baby's size. If he/she has a reputation of being anti-breastfeeding, this would make sense. Mom puts baby on schedule, baby stops gaining, drops supply, needs to be supplemented, everything goes downhill from there.

[Peony]

Another fellow MDCer who is sitting this month for the exam as well! In my studying and work experience, I have not seen any documentation about limiting feeds, current research anyway. We all know that it used to be common practice to instruct moms about very scheduled breastfeeding sessions. Is he just that out of date? We have a doc that like in my town, she is utterly clueless about bfing as well.

[Panda Momma]

My Daughter's doctor actually encouraged me to nurse on demand. He also had 6 daughters that to my knowledge were all breastfed though.

[ameliabedelia]

I would RUN, not walk, RUN away from that pediatrician. It sounds like she wants to put a 5-day old baby on a DIET..maybe she's influenced by all the recent worries about childhood obesity.

That's a great way to sabatoge breastfeeding, especially so early in life.

Just because the baby was big (maybe unhealthily so if the mom did have GD) at birth, doesn't mean he can't regulate his own breastmilk intake (after all the baby in utero just gets autmoatic contstant nutrition through the umbilical cord, he doesn't "do" anything to get nurition), while a born baby (if allowed to) will regulate his own milk intake.

[Nazsmum]

The Dr is flat out wrong. Please tell your SIL not to listen to this DR.

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by Nazsmum

The Dr is flat out wrong. Please tell your SIL not to listen to this DR.

nak

[2xy]

Originally Posted by Evie's Mama

It's probably nothing he/she ever learned in a classroom. It's just old "put baby on a schedule" for food ideas that are proliferated by that generation.

"That generation"....? What generation would that be? I don't see any mention of the doctor's age.

[Ninetales]

My daughter was born in February weighing 13.5 lbs. No one ever once suggested I restrict her feeding or anything like that. I was encouraged by the hospital staff and my family doctor to nurse on demand and let her eat as much and as often as she wants.

Now at almost five months old, she is almost 18 lbs. So only a 4.5 lb gain in five months. She is gaining at a slow but normal rate, which the doctor was confident would happen. He's seen some big ones before and says they regulate themselves just fine (provided there are no medical issues or anything).

Tell your sister-in-law she will be just fine and find a new doctor. And squeeze that big sweet baby!

[annettemarie]

Please keep in mind that namecalling, no matter how deserved, is not permitted.

[wills_mom]

My son was born a month ago weighing 10lbs 15oz. I did not have GD (did great on the GTT test, and watched my diet just in case. I just have big babies). He was also 22.5 inches. When we had his 2 week check up, the Ped. was impressed he had gained his birth weight back (was 10lbs 2 ounces when we left the hospital) and then some as he was 11lbs 3 ounces. She encouraged me to continue what I was doing as he was thriving. She was sympathetic to me as DS was waking every hour to eat at night, but scheduled feeding or feeding him less was never mentioned. Your SIL would be smart to consider another Ped. There are some things my kids Ped. and I disagree on and I can let slide (she has suggested slight CIO when my older son wasn't STTN at 18 months, etc) but when it comes to something as essential as eating? Not a chance.

[cat2223]

A ped. also told me this. My son didn't lose any weight in the hospital, and she told me i was feeding him too much (on demand). I refused to feed him every 3 hours if he is hungry sooner. I kept it my way, and he is now 20 pounds at 3 moths lol ( he was 6 lds 7 oz when born)

[Tiana]

I had a macrosomia baby. My daughter was 11lbs, 3 oz and 21.5 inches at birth. I did not have GD.

I was never ever told to limit her feedings in any way. In fact, because of her jaundice, I was told just the opposite; to feed her as often as she would and for as long as she wanted (unrelated to question at hand, I know). Even after her jaundice resolved, I was never told to put her on any schedule, and that I should continue to nurse on demand. Watch the baby, not the clock, and all that jazz.

I find this advice to be very suspect. Regardless of baby's birth weight, s/he's going to be hungry, and I can see no reason to feed him/her less often than s/he wants. If it's concern about childhood obesity, a week old seems a bit early to be worried about that. Also, not all big babies stay big; my daughter put on only about 10 lbs her first year.