MSE Newborn to 1 year Baby Club 1

Aimless

Missbunbury, forget the scales and look at your baby! If they are well covered rather than skinny looking, alert, happy, and not dehydrated looking, I would say they are getting fed.

It is horrible of your doctor to compare babies like that! I have had two, both breastfed. One grew like a rocket, the other is a little dot. The first was as big by 25 weeks as the second is at a year. The smaller one was actually born bigger, he was born on about the 91st centile, at a year he's settled at the 9th for height and around 25th I think for weight? The health visitor thankfully is quite sensible and as he's settled at a line, has concluded he's just going to be a little boy. The point of my ramble is, all babies are different and they don't follow graphs.

If you are concerned they're not getting fed enough, try offering milk more often as a first resort, or a second boob at each meal if you don't already, and go back for another weighing to see if it makes a difference? It's hard to say at this early stage, but look and see if they're settling on a different line. Mine just drifted down the graph till he reached his current one, then settled there.

Aimless

Oh, and I'd consider the breastfeeding group, just to get some real life backup to stop the docs and hv from convincing you you're starving your baby, as you're probably not! A group will have more experience and should be able to offer you reassurance.

It is hard though, I obsessed over my two's weight, the first because they told me he was too heavy.. he's now a skinny six footer! And the second because I kept comparing him to the first and worrying he wasn't gaining weight very fast, till I had a brainwave one day and asked for his length to be measured. He's just not tall!

Aimless

Ooh, the more I read your post, the more cross I am on your behalf! It reminds me of when I had my first, I'd only just come home, and some smug midwife turns up with student in tow, and proceeds to tell me everything I'm doing is wrong. What she didn't bank on was my mum turning up a few minutes later, finding me in floods, and marching straight down the health centre, finding her, student still in tow, and tearing strips off her about treating a brand new mum like that! Of course when my usual midwife turned up next day, she contradicted everything Mrs Smug had told me off for, and was quite horrified about it.

Gillyx

toni_ wrote: »

hey ladies, could someone help me please re. breastfeeding

ive been breastfeeding Maisie but i dont know if im doing something wrong, she feeds for at least 45mins to an hour at a time, when the feed finishes shes normally asleep so thats when i take her off, then i put her on her playmat and shes wide awake again and happy. It puts me off going out with her because i know if she gets hungry ill have to feed her for at least 45mins before going anywhere she feeds every 2 hours but thats from the start of one feed to the start of her next so really an hour between feeds, i just feel like i cant get anything done when she has an expressed bottle of milk she guzzles it so quickly! but when shes breastfeeding she takes ages over it and its always really sleepy sucking.

she doesn't nap during the day, she wakes up by herself at 5 for a feed for 20mins normally then sleeps until 8 when she wakes up, she goes to bed around 10pm with us. Any advice at all i would really appreciate it

I just seen this! How old is baby now? It does seem a lot very frequently. Are you making sure you're keeping hydrated and eating enough? Is she gaining weight ok?

missbunbury wrote: »

Hi all, had our six week check today and it didn't go so well so I've come for a rant...

They checked me and all fine, and no medical dildo like I'd feared! So that was good. Then the HV weighed the baby. She'd only gained 2.5 ounces in a week and the HV plotted this on her graph in the red book and started saying Alice's growth has "plateaued" and she would prefer her to gain 4-5oz per week (the previous weigh-in last week she had only gained .5oz so that's only 3oz in 2 weeks, although it has been a different set of scales each time. HV suggested I attend a Milk Mates group locally, although I haven't been aware of any issues with the feeding and I am pretty clued up in that area I thought. HV then surprised me massively by suggesting I ought to start expressing my milk and giving it in a bottle every other feed so I can tell how much I am giving her. This is something I had been under the impression was not ideal as it could cause her to go off the breast. Anyway, I was a bit freaked to hear HV say baby might not be doing well so I just noded along and then she said doctor would check the baby as standard and I should ask him about the weight.

So off I go to see the doctor, head spinning thinking I had no idea there was a problem, is it even a problem etc. It all got worse from there. The doctor checked her over and said all reflexes etc good but when he looked at her red book and list of weights he said he was concerned she is underweight and not gaining properly and announced he suspects I am not making enough milk. This has really upset me to be honest and I've spent most of the rest of the day in tears. She was 6lb15oz at brith, went down to 6lb8oz and is now 7lb11oz at 6 weeks five days. The HV and the doctor both kept telling me about the previous baby at the clinic today who was born ten pounds and is now 15 pounds at 6 weeks and I just kept thinking but how can you compare two such different babies?

I've been talking myself down all night and have pretty much decided it's too soon to start messing with bottles. I am concerned that bottles could be a hygiene risk even with breastmilk in them (or certainly that risk would be a another thing for me to worry about even if it's not that big a thing) and I am really worried it would put her off the boob which I don't want. I'm going back next week to hve her weighed again but I don't want to get over-obsessed with where she is on a graph, I keep telling myself that she is happy and alert and generally seems fine, she feeds regularly and wets lots of nappies and all this counts for much more than whether she has gained 2.5oz or 4. So I am trying my very best to stay cool and not spin out about this.

Except now every time I feed her I am worrying I'm doing it wrong and every time she cries I'm frightened she might be trying to tell me she is starving slowly I thought low milk supply was very rare, but what if I am the one in a thousand and Alice is suffering because I am too militant about breastfeeding?

Hello, I hate health professionals! A gain is a gain, breast fed babies do not gain as much as formula fed babies, they just don't. I'm glad you seem quite astute though and on the ball,as so many women are bullied into formula and it's frustrating, if they don't want to do it. If you can make sure you're eating and drinking enough it's very unlikely you don't have enough milk, some babies are just slow with gaining.

I have an almost 1 year old who is 18 and a half pounds and he's formula fed.

What I'd say is, if she is wetting and dirty-ing nappies frequently, seems content, and is feeding often I wouldn't be concerned. You don't have to take her to get weighed either, it's entirely up to you what you do.

Expressing is no indication of supply, so even if you do express and get say 4oz or whatever, the pump is less efficient than baby at getting milk from the boob so baby could be getting more out but it's hard to tell.

It is up to you though but I would try not to worry. Will PM you xx

Aimless

True Gilly, I don't think I've ever expressed more than about 2oz at once, and I've fed my dot to a year. He was slow to wean too, so relied a lot on milk.

toni_

Thanks Gillyx, she's 14 weeks now and has gained weight very well, she started off at 7,10 and when I last had her weighed she was 9,15 on the 28th November. I'm going to get her weighed next week. I eat well but I havnt been drinking as much lately, do you think that matters? I mainly drink tea too as i buy bottled water because our tap water comes from a well and it always tastes full of iron so id rather not drink that when feeding her. She's just really slow at sucking all the time I don't know whether to give her a bottle or 2 of formula a day

Sammie_03

sunshine_1988 wrote: »

Lol dizzi! Your smear post did make me laugh!!

Aiden is a wriggler during nappy change too...I always end up giving him my phone or the remote just so he is still.

Sammie we have laminate too, he hasnt hurt himself on it, but now he uses his walker it goes super fast on laminate!!!! X

Is it a push along walker or a sit in walker Aiden has? Noah has both but can't stand up with his push along walker yet!! He is enjoying hitting the buttons at the moment.
X

twigpig

Gillyx wrote: »

I have an almost 1 year old who is 18 and a half pounds and he's formula fed.

My LO had weeks where he'd dip down to the 9th centile and then catch up a week or two later to just under the 25th centile. I think keeping an eye on their weight gain is a good idea to see any severe drops etc, but if your baby was starving, you would know......

Oh, he's just under 19lbs too at almost a year.....

fluffnutter

missbunbury wrote: »

Hi all, had our six week check today and it didn't go so well so I've come for a rant...

They checked me and all fine, and no medical dildo like I'd feared! So that was good. Then the HV weighed the baby. She'd only gained 2.5 ounces in a week and the HV plotted this on her graph in the red book and started saying Alice's growth has "plateaued" and she would prefer her to gain 4-5oz per week (the previous weigh-in last week she had only gained .5oz so that's only 3oz in 2 weeks, although it has been a different set of scales each time. HV suggested I attend a Milk Mates group locally, although I haven't been aware of any issues with the feeding and I am pretty clued up in that area I thought. HV then surprised me massively by suggesting I ought to start expressing my milk and giving it in a bottle every other feed so I can tell how much I am giving her. This is something I had been under the impression was not ideal as it could cause her to go off the breast. Anyway, I was a bit freaked to hear HV say baby might not be doing well so I just noded along and then she said doctor would check the baby as standard and I should ask him about the weight.

So off I go to see the doctor, head spinning thinking I had no idea there was a problem, is it even a problem etc. It all got worse from there. The doctor checked her over and said all reflexes etc good but when he looked at her red book and list of weights he said he was concerned she is underweight and not gaining properly and announced he suspects I am not making enough milk. This has really upset me to be honest and I've spent most of the rest of the day in tears. She was 6lb15oz at brith, went down to 6lb8oz and is now 7lb11oz at 6 weeks five days. The HV and the doctor both kept telling me about the previous baby at the clinic today who was born ten pounds and is now 15 pounds at 6 weeks and I just kept thinking but how can you compare two such different babies?

I've been talking myself down all night and have pretty much decided it's too soon to start messing with bottles. I am concerned that bottles could be a hygiene risk even with breastmilk in them (or certainly that risk would be a another thing for me to worry about even if it's not that big a thing) and I am really worried it would put her off the boob which I don't want. I'm going back next week to hve her weighed again but I don't want to get over-obsessed with where she is on a graph, I keep telling myself that she is happy and alert and generally seems fine, she feeds regularly and wets lots of nappies and all this counts for much more than whether she has gained 2.5oz or 4. So I am trying my very best to stay cool and not spin out about this.

Except now every time I feed her I am worrying I'm doing it wrong and every time she cries I'm frightened she might be trying to tell me she is starving slowly I thought low milk supply was very rare, but what if I am the one in a thousand and Alice is suffering because I am too militant about breastfeeding?

Oh lovey, how horrible. Google lactation consultants and breastfeeding specialists in your area and see if you can find someone to visit, or a group to attend. IMO (and I speak as someone whose brother is a paediatrician) doctors are NOT the best people to advise you on your baby's health. HVs can be a bit hit and miss too. You get some good ones, some not so good.

What you need is someone who knows everything about breastfeeding, is a true specialist in that area and will advise and support you. Your milk is the best for your baby and even in the rare event that you're not producing enough, there are things that can be done about that (expressing to increase supply, domperidone).

Good luck. You're not alone. There are a number of us on here who breastfeed and know how difficult it can be. We will support you.

Aimless

toni_ wrote: »

Thanks Gillyx, she's 14 weeks now and has gained weight very well, she started off at 7,10 and when I last had her weighed she was 9,15 on the 28th November. I'm going to get her weighed next week. I eat well but I havnt been drinking as much lately, do you think that matters? I mainly drink tea too as i buy bottled water because our tap water comes from a well and it always tastes full of iron so id rather not drink that when feeding her. She's just really slow at sucking all the time I don't know whether to give her a bottle or 2 of formula a day

Has she always fed that much, or is it a recent thing? If it's new, it could be a growth spurt of course. I have one who likes a lengthy feed, in the early days I seemed to spend most of my life attached.

Does she have all that feed on one side? If so, have you tried taking her off one side after say half an hour and switching to the other?

It might be worth seeing if you can find a breastfeeding group locally, or trying an advice service? As she's growing well, I don't think you're doing anything wrong, but they may have some suggestions I can't think of?

It is a good idea to drink more, but I know it's hard to remember sometimes! If you're well hydrated, your body has what it needs to make milk.