How dangerous is this? not gaining weight

tichellady

Wed, May 01 2024, 2:17 pm

I offered formula, pumped milk and nursed whenever she wanted ( all hours of the night). I saw many lactation consultants and they tested her for a bunch of things. We tried acid reflux medication. In retrospect I wish we saw a pedantic gi and that I did some craniosacrial therapy for her since she seemed uncomfortable all the time . But she is fine now. I learned along the way that I can’t make her eat or make her from. 3 oz a week is not ideal but not terrible. Have you seen a lactation consultant? They know a lot more about feeding than many doctors and may have ideas. How is her mood?

tichellady

Wed, May 01 2024, 2:18 pm

amother Oldlace wrote:

There is an easy way to tell.
Freeze a sample and see what proportion is water and what proportion is fat.

No it doesn’t work like that.

amother

Diamond

Wed, May 01 2024, 2:32 pm

amother OP wrote:

no it’s 3 ounces a Week!!!

Sorry, typo. I realized. It still stands, just under half ounce a day is not all that bad. For a nursing baby, half ounce a day is totally fine. How many feedings a day? How often do you feed during the daytime/overnight?

amother

Glitter

Wed, May 01 2024, 2:41 pm

I have a friend whose baby wasn't gaining a lot. The gastro found an issue, he had a short surgery and now he's gaining nicely.

amother

Oatmeal

Wed, May 01 2024, 2:54 pm

It's possible that your milk is fine, and the baby's digestive system is immature, or ch'v has an issue, and the baby therefore isn't able to absorb the calories efficiently. That's where a gastro comes in.
It's also possible that there could be a different medical issue which causes the baby to burn extra calories, and therefore not gain weight (for example, a breathing issue).

mfb

Wed, May 01 2024, 4:02 pm

If you put a pumped bottle into the fridge it usually settles and you’ll see how much is water and how much is fat.

amother

Celeste

Thu, May 02 2024, 1:11 am

Hi OP. I had a similar issue with one of my kids.
I had her checked out by a pediatric dental specialist for tongue tie and lip tie.It turned out that she had a hard to spot tongue tie,and a lip tie too. After we had it fixed, within a few days she started drinking more, gaining weight etc.
Might be worth checking out.

amother

Celeste

Thu, May 02 2024, 1:12 am

Also, how good is her latch? My baby wasnt latching on so well. She seemed to be feeding well but really it wasnt well enough...

amother

Gladiolus

Thu, May 02 2024, 1:24 am

When my infant wasn't gaining it turned out to be a milk allergy. It's not a true allergy, but they can't break down the milk so I either had to go off all dairy or switch to a special formula. Ultimately I switched to formula. But there are often other signs besides weight gain. My baby was crying in pain , and when not in pain was happy so it didn't seem like just regular crabbiness. Also had really stinky diapers which isn't typical for a nursing baby . They tested the still in the diaper for microscopic blood and when it was positive they said milk allergy and sent us of to a GI. All turned out well BH. Good luck

ETA ..it's not an actual allergy. At age 1 their systems develop enough to process the milk and you can reintroduce dairy with no issue

amother

Sun, May 12 2024, 2:41 pm

Thanks everyone
So she has no lip tie tounge tie got her checked out a bunch
today took her back to ped and he listened to her heart and said he hears a murmur so now we have to go get a echo..
Also have a ped gastro appt later on this week…

amother

Cerise

Sun, May 12 2024, 3:33 pm

amother OP wrote:

As soon as I read your op I was thinking check her heart. I know 2 people who had similar with their baby turned out they needed treatment. It was scary at the time. But both kids turned out 100% fine.

I hope you find the source and get it tested easily.

amother

Midnight

Sun, May 12 2024, 3:46 pm

mfb wrote:

If you put a pumped bottle into the fridge it usually settles and you’ll see how much is water and how much is fat.

Not op but wondering how much is supposed to be fat and how much water?

tweety1

Sun, May 12 2024, 4:36 pm

Op, 3 oz a week is not terrible. My baby now is a bit over 1 1/2 years old and is not even 20 lbs. Dc is very petite, running around, doing all the cutest trouble, DC was born 7.2. I've had smaller kids too. Dc is a picky eater but is reaching all milestones. Baby's don't have to be a textbook baby. As long as there is steady consistent gain you don't have to worry.

amother

Sun, May 12 2024, 4:38 pm

tweety1 wrote:

No it’s not consistent she fell three lines on growth curve…

amother

Sun, May 12 2024, 4:39 pm

amother Midnight wrote:

Not op but wondering how much is supposed to be fat and how much water?

Usually a thin layer of cheese will come up after a few hours in fridge
Don’t made your self crazy with that info
Your milk is prob fine

the world's best mom

Sun, May 12 2024, 5:03 pm

My baby gained around 3 oz. a week, and then one week she only gained one oz. and she was hospitalized for 4 days. They checked her heart, her thyroid and her stomach for issues. BH the problem was simply that she's a delicate little girl who was too tired to nurse once she wasn't starving anymore, so she wasn't building up enough of a milk supply. I pumped all her feedings for a few days and then she was totally fine.

She is 16 months old now, and she has weighed 17 lb. since July, but the doctor and I are not concerned. We are getting her evaluated for feeding issues this week- she has trouble chewing and sucking.

amother

Turquoise

Sun, May 12 2024, 5:03 pm

amother OP wrote:

Usually a thin layer of cheese will come up after a few hours in fridge
Don’t made your self crazy with that info
Your milk is prob fine

Actually by me it’s usually between 1/4-1/2 of the bottle is cheesy looking