3 month old...starving???

[abc123xyz]

Our son was 9lbs. 8oz. 20.5in. when he was born...he was not weighed at discharge from the hospital for whatever reason but when he was 3 days old, he weighed 8lbs. 6oz. and at his 2 week appointment he weighed 8lbs. 14oz. To me, he was a big baby with much to spare. Well, at his 3 month appointment yesterday, he weighed only 10lbs. 10oz. 23.5in. He urinates a ton every day. He poops sporatically but he's not constipated, he just goes on his schedule.

Well, our pediatrician wants us back next month to weight check and said he should gain at least 2lbs. by then. I just don't think this is feasible. Developmentally, he is ahead. He holds his head up, rolls over, smiles all the time, giggles, coos, chatters, he is alert and always taking in everything...He is great other than his weight!

We breastfeed exclusively and continually!!! During the day, he nurses about every 2 1/2-3hours. I don't time him or schedule him out but that's pretty normal for him. At night, he nurses all the time. I sleep through it mostly because otherwise I would be exhausted. I have a very terrible time pumping depsite having done so since he was 5 weeks old. No matter if he has just eaten or not I can only pump 1-1 1/2 ounces. I am already taking fenugreek and marshmallow root. I eat a balanced diet and drink tons of water. My husband is very lean and I am not overweight, although I am carrying weight from my pregnancy that breastfeeding isn't helping with. :

We were told by the ped. to start him on a supplement, not necessarily formula but some supplement to breastmilk. I did find one but I am just not comfortable with it at all! I don't want to lose my breastfeeding relationship with my baby. He's only 3 months old and I planned on this for at least a year!!!

Can someone help me??? Should I be worried and supplement or just go with it??? Am I starving my baby like everyone says??

And ideas would be great and super helpful!
Kristina
www.totsites.com/tot/3seawell

[bri276]

I would insist from now on that he's weighed on the same, exact scale.

Normally I do NOT worry about weight if development is right on track and baby seems happy. It's a little bit on the low side when you take his birthweight into consideration, and peds don't like to see babies not stay on their original growth curve I'll try to find you the link for breastfed babies' growth charts. I don't think it's freak out time- like you said, he's developing well, he's peeing and pooping so I definitely do NOT think this is a low supply issue. Do you have any food allergies in your family? Before considering the supplement, I would try cutting out dairy, soy, and/or gluten for at least 2 months and see if that helps any. Sometimes food allergies can hinder us from gaining weight.

It doesn't make sense to me to supplement because your breastmilk has plenty of fat, calories, and nutrition. There is nothing "wrong" with your milk, and if he's not growing from it, it's not because it needs more calories in it- his pee isn't coming from nowhere. When you say pees a ton, you mean at least six wet diapers per day, right?

eta, here is the link

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/chart2.html

I disagree that he should gain at least 2 lbs in one month, one lb per month would be good.

[thixle]

:
I have a perfectly healthy slow gainer as well.
One pound a month is totally normal. And there has been some discussion here about adding oils to diet.

[tammyswanson]

What is it with peds and them trying to force supplements? Mine gave me a script for iron for a 3 week old baby! Grr...

This might help you with the 'growth' factor... it's a great site for checking about BF'ing and all sorts of stuff. My DS was on the light side of weight (6 lbs, 2 oz). BF babies gain differently than formula fed babies. Supplementing could affect your milk supply negatively as well.

[thepeach80]

Your baby is about a # under where he should be. You're looking about about 4ozs a week gain, so baby should be about 11.5# by now. Did they say anything about his weight when you left? He lost just over 10% of his brithweight, that's not normal and something that should've been noted and told you to follow up on. 8ozs in the next 2 wks was great though and it looked like you were on the right track there. It's possible you're having supply issues now, or even just milk transfer issues. We had both w/ Ilana. I had a very low supply and she had a very weak suck and just wasn't getting out what she needed. She was 7#2oz at birth and 9#13oz at 4 mos. Our ped wanted me to try supplementing to see if she'd take it. She took it alright and gained a # in the next week! She just simply wasn't eating enough, but wasn't complaining about it either.

I would let baby bf, then pump, and feed whatever you get to baby right away and then do that every time you feed (as much as feasible, obviously you can't do this if you've NIP while out). This will help if you're just dealing w/ a milk transfer issues. This may help increase your supply as well if you pump a good 10 mins w/ a good electric (preferrably hospital grade) pump every time you pump. You could also look into supplements for yourself like fenugreek and blessed thistle and last I would look into adding formula.

[PatioGardener]

It doesn't sound like your ped is breastfeeding supportive. Have you thought about calling in a support team? LLL is great - and so are lactation consultants. Why not see if there is an IBCLC in your area who could evaluate a feeding, look for milk transfer, and see if there are ways to encourage your baby to take more breastmilk each feed.

For example, breast compressions are good to help with milk transfer: http://www.kellymom.com/newman/15bre...mpression.html

[straighthaircurly]

My son was 9 lbs 10.5 oz. at birth. He dropped like all babies and then once he had regained his birth weight he gained about 1 lb. per month (and at 1 year he was 19lbs 6 oz.). That did mean that he dropped in the percentage rankings for babies (he dropped to as low as 5%...but of course those charts include formula fed babies) but he was healthy and thriving like your child. My ped kept an eye on the big picture and never recommended any supplements but I know a lot of peds put pressure on moms to supplement and get them all in a panic, when only very rarely is it truly needed.

You need to trust yourself on this issue because unfortunately peds (as well as other docs) often just try to cover all bases without a good reason for it. If you think he is developing fine, then hold off on doing anything additional. But if worries are creating stress for you then follow the ped recommendation.

[MaryJaneLouise]

Please look at the stickie at the top of the forum for additional milk supply hints. I agree, breast compressions can be very helpful for weight gain issues.