Arrghh these doctors. Unless the baby is dehydrated or not pooping or is severely jaundiced or has some extenuating circumstance, then the first step is a lactation consultant not formula. Doctors are so short sighted when it comes to this.
Babies lose weight (about 7% of their birthweight) after birth. I'm assuming you mean she hasn't gained from her birthweight? If so, your baby has gained from her lowest weight, right? That's a good sign. Babies can lose up to 10% of their birthweight but after that some intervention might be necessary. My dd lost 14% of her birthweight before the ped. demanded I supplement. Supplementing before a newborn baby has lost weight sounds ridiculous to me unless there is dehydration or some other issue.
Pumping 1oz in the first week isn't unusual. You mean from one breast? It can take a while to get used to the pump also, and a manual pump isn't the best choice for a lot of women just starting off. The manual pump didn't work for me at the start. Sounds like your milk may not have come in yet, and an LC should assess that.
A warning about hospital LCs - they're very busy, don't do home visits, are used to dealing with very sick babies. I would have demanded an LC appt. the same day - it's your milk supply they're jeopardizing with a 1w old baby. I appreciated the advice I got from my hospital LC but I still had to hire a private one after I needed more support. If she's not helpful, ask her to recommend a private one in your area. Better still call your local LLL today and ask them to recommend someone.
Good article on what to expect
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html
In the meantime, keep nursing. Don't be discouraged, the first 6 weeks are a learning experience.
Babies lose weight (about 7% of their birthweight) after birth. I'm assuming you mean she hasn't gained from her birthweight? If so, your baby has gained from her lowest weight, right? That's a good sign. Babies can lose up to 10% of their birthweight but after that some intervention might be necessary. My dd lost 14% of her birthweight before the ped. demanded I supplement. Supplementing before a newborn baby has lost weight sounds ridiculous to me unless there is dehydration or some other issue.
Pumping 1oz in the first week isn't unusual. You mean from one breast? It can take a while to get used to the pump also, and a manual pump isn't the best choice for a lot of women just starting off. The manual pump didn't work for me at the start. Sounds like your milk may not have come in yet, and an LC should assess that.
A warning about hospital LCs - they're very busy, don't do home visits, are used to dealing with very sick babies. I would have demanded an LC appt. the same day - it's your milk supply they're jeopardizing with a 1w old baby. I appreciated the advice I got from my hospital LC but I still had to hire a private one after I needed more support. If she's not helpful, ask her to recommend a private one in your area. Better still call your local LLL today and ask them to recommend someone.
Good article on what to expect
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html
In the meantime, keep nursing. Don't be discouraged, the first 6 weeks are a learning experience.
