https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:07:51 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894349 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 18:30:04 +0000 Mrs. Washi Tape 894349@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also wanted to comment on reflux meds. G was quite the happy spitter but ended up going on reflux meds around four months when his weight gain stalled. Our doc said that the meds would potentially help him gain weight if he truly had reflux. According to her, it uses up quite a lot of a baby's small number of calories repairing acid damage to the esophagus. I can't say for certain that is why, but G definitely started to gain weight again and finally got a little baby fat right after going on Zantac. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894308 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 18:00:46 +0000 Espion 894308@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sarac: I'm not being hassled, but pressuring myself, if that makes sense. I know he's getting *something* because he hasn't lost more weight, but I worry because I never feel as full after the morning. For various reasons, my supply took some knocks in the beginning, and I feel like I'll forever be playing catch-up. Or am I not vigilant enough while he's eating? </p> <p>Thank you for your comment. It is heartening!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894255 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 17:30:22 +0000 sarac 894255@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, I have what is considered an inefficient eater, and she ate exclusively breastmilk. Honestly, I think she just loved to nurse, and transferred milk slowly. She nursed for about 8 hours daily until 6 months. Still nursing her at 21 months. You can do it too! None of those things sound worrying, except maybe the weight issue. Even that sounds ok, if not ideal.</p> <p>You don't sound low supply to me at all. Your boobs shouldn't be hard, since he's nursing well, and you should be able to hand express. Are you getting hassled about feeding formula due to the weight issues? Pulling him off the breast to give formula sounds not optimal by any means. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894199 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:38:57 +0000 Espion 894199@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: I do keep him upright, and it seems like it helps somewhat. (He still spits up most of the time, but if we didn't, it would be guaranteed that he would spit up.) I was a little surprised when the ped recommended I cut out dairy.<br /> I'm hoping that a boost in supply will solve this. :/ I would much rather it be my problem than his! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894194 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:36:48 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 894194@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: unfortunately (as you know) he meds don't help prevent reflux, just the pain that prevents feeding behavior.</p> <p>More data is coming out about babies and reflux meds, and now the standard practice is to not give them unless there are erosions (or symptoms of severe injury) of severe pain or of feeding avoidance. Babies on acid suppressive therapy are more likely to get serious bacterial infections, so we only use them when absolutely needed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894183 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:31:20 +0000 brownie 894183@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Espion: That sounds a lot like mechanical reflux. Which is completely normal. But if he isn't gaining weight, reflux meds may help. My MSPI baby had his reflux symptoms over 1 hour after a feeding. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894182 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:30:55 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 894182@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Espion: do you keep him upright after each feed? Our spitter needed gravity to help her. We just threw her in the woven wrap after feeds and kept her there for 30min to an hour. Of course you are feeding a lot more often than I was!</p> <p>Hopefully it's not mspi. I always tell people to pursue that as a last resort because the diet is so onerous. I always wait until I see blood in the stool. Hopefully this is just a case of happy spitter meets supply issues. </p> <p>And know, mama, that you are so all over this! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894179 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:29:03 +0000 Espion 894179@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: Mostly right after, within 15 to 20 minutes. (At times it seems like it was whatever was in his cheeks, other times it seems like digested milk.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894174 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:27:43 +0000 Espion 894174@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lovelyseeker: I'm SO afraid of this hurting my supply. I'm not very confident in my supply in the first place. :/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894173 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:26:51 +0000 brownie 894173@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Espion: When does he spit up? Immediately after eating or an hour or so later? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894170 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:26:09 +0000 Espion 894170@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: Hmmm, he does unlatch himself sometimes, but he fusses and then immediately roots around. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894166 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:25:15 +0000 Espion 894166@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: I don't know much about MSPI/reflux issues in newborns. Could he be a happy spitter and still have reflux significant enough to delay weight gain? Also, I drank a glass of milk this morning, but he didn't seem more or less fussy. Really, he's a dream baby, it just seems like he wants to stay latched all the time. And then he barfs up what (little?) he eats. I feel like its a "one step forward, two steps back" sort of thing. Thankfully the newborn screens were normal. </p> <p>If I have to do formula supplementation for the long haul, I'm definitely getting the SNS. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894146 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:17:40 +0000 brownie 894146@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Espion: I let him push off. But he would unlatch when he was done. </p> <p>@Mrs. Jacks has some great things to try. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894134 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:08:40 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 894134@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would work with your doc to rule out other causes while continuing to work on feeding issues. Even with a lower supply, he should have hit birthweight by three weeks. Specifically I'm thinking of MSPI issues and reflux (our daughter's issues). But I'd also check with your doc and make sure that both newborn screens came back normal and that there are no other issues.</p> <p>If he's truly a boob guy, no small amount of formula is going to change that. And you can always provide it by an Sns system so that you continue to get the stimulation while he gets additional nutrition.</p> <p>Good luck and keep us posted :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894132 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:07:02 +0000 Mrs. Washi Tape 894132@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We dealt with the same thing. Our little guy had a great birth weight - 7 lb 13 oz. But he lost almost a pound the first week and then just would not gain weight. He was considered failure to thrive. Our pediatrician is also a certified lc and she had to recommend supplementing. I tried to pump as much as I could but ended up having to supplement mostly with formula - he got an ounce after each time he nursed. </p> <p>I definitely think this ended up hurting my supply and we were not ever able to go off of formula after that. But then again, my supply didn't seem to be cutting it to begin with. I was pretty disappointed not to be able to EBF but in the end, he started slowly gaining weight and was back at birth weight at around a month. And honestly, he seemed much more content (not eating constantly) once we supplemented, so I feel like it was the right thing to do for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894130 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:06:37 +0000 Espion 894130@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MusicaV: The supplementing is more me than the pediatrician, actually. I just can't stand the thought of him not eating enough. :/ We're going to use formula until I can pump enough, so I'm going to try and pump more as well. The pediatrician actually thinks its my issue (i.e. supply) because of moving, baby, etc. stressors.<br /> I'm also hoping that once DH is back, I'll be able to get some more rest. I've been soloing it at night, and I've been packing/cleaning as I can during the day (huge move out of state this weekend). So I'm kind of a walking zombie right now. </p> <p>@brownie: I've been trying block feeding. When you did that, did you keep them on for 30 minutes or would they push off when done?<br /> Hmmmm, well, I'll definitely cut out dairy and see if that helps. I'm not sure if there is any correlation, but DH was milk and soy intolerant. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894084 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 15:34:24 +0000 brownie 894084@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Espion: Keep him on the one side longer. I used to make my kid angry at me on purpose. Because they suck for the first amount and then it slows down. So I would pop him off just long enough for him to remember what he is supposed to do and then put him back on the same side. This is also part of just keeping him awake.</p> <p>We never had blood in the stools that the doctors found but it was obvious he was MSPI. For reflux, keeping him vertical after a feeding was very important for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894079 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 15:32:40 +0000 MusicaV 894079@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just curious - did your ped say you have to supplement with formula now or you may have to in the future? (I ask bc peds differ in when/if they recommend supplementing)</p> <p>I've been going to BFing support groups, so I've heard lots of stories of babies that don't gain weight quickly or peds who want moms to supplement. I highly recommend getting in touch with a lactation consultant. I agree with @brownie that pre and post weighing are great so you can see how much your LO is eating. As far as sleepiness and nursing, I blew on DS's nose - hands free! I did that when we stopped sucking and swallowing, until it was pretty obvious that he was done and sleeping for real.</p> <p>I'm sure you already know about making sure you eat, drink and sleep enough. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894076 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 15:30:17 +0000 Espion 894076@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@rahlyrah: I did see one initially, and they diagnosed him with a disorganized suck reflex when he only transferred 9 mL total (which is why I saw a speech pathologist). But by the time we saw the speech therapist, his BF'ing style improved so much that it was virtually pain free and the speech therapist said he looked "textbook". I haven't been able to get back to a LC because we're moving out of state this weekend. Although, I'm not sure how to fix inefficient transfer. :/</p> <p>@Adira: He is actually pretty awake when he latches, almost voracious. I can hear little swallows, but probably not the entire time. He doesn't generally sleep that long at night, but I'm going to start waking him every 2 hours on the dot if he sleeps longer.</p> <p>@brownie: The pediatrician tested his poop for blood, which was negative, but he recommended that I cut out dairy anyway. So there is that. I'll definitely start eating some more healthy fats. I had no idea they could influence milk composition. If I nursed for shorter periods of time (like &lt;15 minutes on one side) and de-latched him, he would root like crazy and then flip out because he's still hungry. :/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894057 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 15:20:10 +0000 Ra 894057@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Did you contact the LC's at your hospital to see how much he is transferring? They will weigh him, you feed, and then they will weigh him again. My little guy lost a ton if weight because he wasn't transferring enough and they've been incredibly helpful for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894032 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 15:08:06 +0000 Adira 894032@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not sure I have a ton of advice, but with Xander, he was a very sleepy newborn and it was hard to keep him awake to feed. He lost a lot of weight initially, so I had to feed him every 2 hours and it was HARD. He was hard to wake up, and then once he was latched, he'd drink for a couple minutes, and fall back asleep. I had to actively work at keeping him awake to eat.</p> <p>I tried to make sure he was awake and eating for 10-15 minutes, then I would switch sides and try to make him eat for 10-15 minutes on that side. He wasn't swallowing the whole time, but if he wasn't at least sucking, I'd do something to make sure he was still awake, like tickle his feet or rub his head or wiggle his arms.</p> <p>He was almost never alert after a feeding, not that young anyway. He was almost always passed out after. But I just tried to keep him awake and active while he was eating to make sure he was eating enough. That's really the only thing I can think of.</p> <p>Good luck to you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894029 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 15:07:14 +0000 brownie 894029@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't have an inefficient nurser, but he did have reflux and MSPI. So those were issues. </p> <p>What about trying a little bit of block feeding to make sure he is getting the fatty milk. You may also want to eat fatty food (good fats, nuts, seeds, cheese, avocado) to help with that. </p> <p>You should be able to express a little after feeding because we should have a readily available amount of milk. But it does sound like he is inefficient. What about nursing more often but for shorter periods of time?</p> <p>Don't be afraid of formula if he needs it. Have you talked to an LC or La Leche League about the lack of weight gain?</p> <p>One thing that calmed my mind was doing the pre and post weighings to make sure he was getting food. But don't get obsessive about it (hard to do). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-not-gaining-weight-adviceexperience#post-894015 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 15:00:00 +0000 Espion 894015@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So my little budgie is 3 weeks old and he still hasn't made it back up to his birth weight (6 lb 14 oz). His discharge weight was 6lb 5 oz. As of the beginning of this week he was 6 lb 10 oz, and we had a recheck today to make sure he is trending in the right direction, but he's 6 lb 9.5 oz today. He's definitely not gaining, but not steadily losing either. </p> <p>I feel like BF'ing has improved significantly (doesn't hurt the vast majority of the time, he latches well, and a speech pathologist commented that he looks good when nursing), but I think he's still really inefficient. He does spit up, but doesn't get fussy or angry. He spends the vast majority of the day latched (every 1.5 - 2 hours according to the Baby Connect app). </p> <p>Could I still have a low supply even if I can still hand express after he nurses? (I'm always soft, but generally feel more "full" in the mornings.) He will eventually fall asleep at the boob rather than push away when done, but this is after marathon nursing sessions. Are all newborns completely awake and alert after most feedings? Anyone have an inefficient eater where it all worked out in the end and you are EBF'ing exclusively?</p> <p>Right now we're likely going to have to supplement him with formula, but it is going to be a battle, because he's definitely a boob man. I'm already taking lactation supplements in case it is supply. I've been able to pump 0.5 - 1 oz fairly consistently, when I could pump. I haven't pumped lately, because there is honestly no time. I'm not sure what to do. I hate the thought of pulling him off to give him a bottle. :( </p>