breastfeeding: how i got my baby to gain weight

Let me begin by saying that I am not an expert. I am just a first time mom whose baby had issues gaining weight at the beginning. If that is where you’re at right now, take comfort in the fact that I’ve heard of SO MANY babies who have had the same ‘issue’. It’s not uncommon and it doesn’t mean you’re failing. Let me also say that every baby is different. What worked for us may not work for everyone – and that’s ok. But here is our story of what breastfeeding has been like for us for the past 16 weeks.

quick foreword.

It was always my intention to exclusively breastfeed ever since I found out I was pregnant. The added health benefits for both mom and baby, the intimate environment it creates and the strong bonding opportunity it affords were all qualities that drew me in. What I didn’t know was how challenging it would be. In so many ways. From figuring out a healthy latch and what that even looks like, to the amount of time it takes, to having to give of your body every 2-3 hours all day every day. It’s beautiful to be able to feed your baby from your own body, but boy it’s not easy. It was important to me, though, to push through and, although I would have supplemented with formula if the need arose, I wanted to try everything in my power not to. Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with formula feeding – it was just something I, personally, wanted to try not to do.

In the beginning.

Let me start at the beginning. Fischer was born just over 8 pounds and my milk came in very early. Everything I’d read and heard was that a mother’s supply doesn’t usually come in until about the third day. Well, Fisch was born at 1:18am on a Sunday morning and by Monday evening my breasts were becoming engorged. I tell you that to point out that I don’t think it was my milk supply that was the issue. In fact, I’d get so full that I developed a lump in my right armpit that my doctors said was just backed up milk. Fun fact: you have milk ducts in your pits, lol! I began using the hospital breast pump early on and was able to get a good 4 ounces each time. Looking back, if I hadn’t given him those early bottles, I’m sure we would’ve brought home an even skinnier baby.

As you most likely know, it’s normal for a baby to lose weight in their first few days, but they should just be back at their birth weight by the time they’re two weeks old. That was something we didn’t accomplish.

abnormal weight loss.

At our 2 week appointment, Fischer had dropped from the 50th percentile in weight to the 12^th percentile. To give you an idea, he was born 8.09 pounds, was 7 pounds 11 ounces at his 3 day checkup and then was 7 pounds 5 ounces at 2 weeks. My heart sank as I read the note next to his weight at the doctor’s office: “abnormal weight loss”. Our pediatrician asked me how I felt about formula and I told her I’d rather not, but that I didn’t want to deprive him. With that in mind, she prescribed a regimen of offering him 1-2 extra ounces (of pumped breast milk) in a bottle after at least 4 feedings per day. And wanted to see us back just 4 days to monitor his progress.

Up to that point, I had been feeding him every three hours. But feeding was a struggle in those very early days. He was always SO sleepy and I would spend a good 10-15 mins (no joke) trying to wake him up enough to eat. He would eat for a couple of minutes before falling back to sleep. For this reason, feedings took close to an hour and it was so hard to tell just how much milk he was really getting. Since a brand new baby’s tummy is so small, (and my boobs were always SO full) you can’t rely on how your boobs feel after a feeding to know that he got plenty to eat.

So, we did as the doctor ordered. And we went back at the end of the week. He had gained some weight and was up to 7 pounds 10 ounces. The extra ounces in a bottle seemed to be working, so we were instructed to keep up the regimen and to come back two weeks later. And so it went, every two weeks we were at the doctor until he was 2 months old. That’s when we finally were told we were in the clear. At his two month checkup, Fisch was still in only in the 10^th percentile. However, he was gaining weight so steadily that our pediatrician was satisfied (he’d gained just over two pounds in about a month).

the breastfeeding game changer.

By that time, I was absolutely exhausted. Having a baby with weight gaining issues means you don’t get to let them sleep at night even if they want to. I was feeding him every 3 hours (even when feedings took an hour), even through the night and it was, quite frankly, awful. During the last two weeks before we were cleared, however, was when I was referred to one of these by a friend. And it truly became a game changer. It not only allowed feedings to become shorter, but I was able to tell that he was getting at least ‘x’ amount of food.

I used it every feeding. I’d simply put him on one side and then attach this little silicone pump to the other. It not only caught the letdown milk on the opposite side, but it works as a suction, so it drew out a good amount, too. I would gather 2-3 ounces in that thing without having to do ANYTHING and it was glorious. Once he was finished on one side, I’d pour what the pump had collected into a bottle and give it to him.

Later, it’s what helped me build a freezer stash of milk, too. I timed how long he was on each boob (15 minutes each) and, while he was eating on one side I’d collect milk from the other. It trained my boobs to give a little more than what he actually needed so I was able to collect 2-3 ounces every feeding that I’d then freeze. So handy!

gaining like a champ.

So, with all of this, I pretty much became obsessed with his weight. I bought one of these baby scales and used it every single day. It’s what helped me see just how well he did from month 2 to month 4. As a rule of thumb, I read that a good goal is for babies to gain an ounce a day. Having the scale helped me to see when I needed to add extra to his feedings and when he was doing just fine. I can proudly say he went from 10 pounds at 2 months, to 16 pounds at 4 months. He went from the 10^th percentile to the 60^th!! Now, so many things went into that amount of growth – a couple of growth spurts, better latching, my silicone secret weapon, etc. But it was all a part of our breastfeeding journey.

Now, I can say we’ve finally got this breastfeeding thing figured out. We’re at the point now where he has become so efficient with eating. Plus, he’s visibly so much healthier looking – pretty chunky to be exact! It’s funny, I didn’t stop to really think about how far we’ve come until people began commenting about how much he’s filled out. I’ve even been getting people asking what we did to help him gain so much weight. That’s what inspired this post. I’m really proud of the fact that I was able to right our ship without having to introduce supplements. I hope this helps some of you do the same if that’s really important to you too!

they’ll tell you if they need something.

Please eep in mind that some babies are just meant to be small. If yours is hanging out in the low percentiles, that may just be how the good Lord made them. My friend and I talk about it all the time and we always say the same thing: they’ll tell you if they need something! I can honestly say that between months 1-2, Fisch was not exactly easy going. Looking back now I realize it was probably because he was constantly hungry (hence the gaining issues). But, if your baby is happy, content and pushing your boob away after 20 mins – they are probably fine even if they’re small! You’ve got this, mama. You’re doing a GREAT job.

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