Help please,12 week old still not gaining weight well

Lisa - posted on 04/04/2011

i always offer the breast before offering the bottle and she only has 2oz when given a bottle and if she is still hungry i reoffer the breat

Karolyn - posted on 04/04/2011

she is fine it would be a problem if she wasnt gaining at all...you say she is awake durning the day she is burning it off...active with all the things ur doing she just has a fast metoblosim she might just also be favoring the bottle milk over the brest...

Lisa - posted on 04/04/2011

thank you that pic was taken 3 days ago :)

Carmel - posted on 04/04/2011

She certainly looks nice and healthy in that picture. :)

Lisa - posted on 04/04/2011

Hi Carmel, thank you she hasn't gained much since she was born. She was 8lb 2.5oz at bith, then went down to 7lb 11oz and now weighs 9lb 8oz. She is very alert and has about 8 wet nappies a day.
thank you

Carmel - posted on 04/04/2011

Hi, Lisa. My first baby girl was fully breastfed till 5 months of age and that is when she started on solids. Between 3 and 6 months she gained only 1 pound in weight. The clinic sister told me I should consider weaning her onto cow's milk because she was in the 3rd percentile for weight and the 10th for height. She was small but during this time, was alert, wet plenty of nappies, and I have photos of her looking even a little plump.

As long as your baby is wetting nappies regularly, is alert and happy, she is most probably okay. Breastfed babies usually gain a lot of weight in the 1st 3 months of life and then the weight gain slows right down.

Bottlefed babies, on the other hand, tend to continue to gain weight steadily, but some gain too much weight.

Lisa - posted on 04/03/2011

Thank you everyone, the drs aren't overly concerned as she is having plenty of wet nappies everyday, she is happy and alert and she fits her skin, that is what the dr said.
I had an overactive thyroid when i was 16weeks pregnant with her but that sorted itself out and i was retested agan 2 weeks before she was born and it was ok, should i get tested again?

thank you to everyone again

Rebecca - posted on 04/02/2011

See a pediatrician . Sometimes if a baby is not gaining weight they are diagnosed with failure to thrive. I don't know the specifics of the diagnosis but one of my twins was watched closely for this. Turned out my girl is just a baby supermodel as the neonatologist put it. Keep getting her weighed and keep feeding her your breastmilk. Even if she isn't getting fat and chubby doesn't mean she isn't healthy.

Jennifer - posted on 04/02/2011

First of all, congratulations on your perseverance! I have experienced the exact same situation with my first, and ironically, I too have a 12 week old who weighs nearly the same is yours. What I would say is if your baby is active, alert, having 5-6 wet nappies and is healthy, just keep up the breast feeding. I was pushed to supplement with my son by the health visitor, and did, but found that it didn't make a huge amount of difference with him, and I just felt guilty all of the time that I was doing something wrong. With my daughter, I am content that she is healthy, and have not supplemented at all. I've compared the weight gain of both babies, and found that it is almost identical despite supplementing for my son.
Obviously work with your doctor to ensure that your baby is healthy, but in my opinion, the best thing that you can do is feed on demand, relax, and love that baby!
One other point... I was told that the hungry baby formulas are not actually very good for your baby as they just make them feel full? Maybe ask your doctor about that as well. I never looked into it myself as I chose not to use it, but might be worth looking into.
Best of luck to you both!

Stephanie - posted on 04/02/2011

You might discuss her thyroid and yours. If your thyroid isn't functioning properly it can affect your milk, You might also ask about a protein allergy. They have a harder time absorbing and can't gain weight. Hope things get better soon!

Sarah - posted on 04/02/2011

Have you seen a lactation consultant? How are her nappies? I would say if the Drs are not concerned then I would monitor it but not be too concerned but there is always an outside chance of an intolerance which could be preventing her processing the milk properly and a soy based top up might be better? I would ask you Dr about that alternative? Please don't give cereal to a 12 weeks old without Drs advice either :)

Juliana - posted on 04/02/2011

What are the Drs saying? I know its not really recommended at this age especially when breast feeding but maybe starting rice cereal? Its a good way to help with weight gain. My 5 month old didnt gain much weight between months 3-4 and thats what was recommended. She seems to be growing ok and if shes eating when hungry, maybe shes just going to be petite.