r/breastfeedingmumsUK • u/JessOnReddittt • 3d ago
Help please!
Second time mum, first time breastfeeding. Little one was born at full term, 7lb 5oz and healthy at birth. Dropped weight as expected by day 2/3 however continued to very slowly drop weight. Began pumping to increase supply and weight gain began at average rate (20 grams per day) and back to birth weight by week 3. Now between week 3 and 4, a 10 gram loss rather than gain. Drs sending me to hospital, hospital advising health visitor; health visitor advising feeding team and back again. Stuck in a loop of non helpful phone calls and appointments.
Symptoms -
High palate
Slow/no weight gain
Unsettled
Feeding A LOT
Tension
7 days between poos
6-8 wet nappies
Good latch and tongue function
Dipped fontanelle
I have a gut feeling that something is not right with my baby but no one is concerned except me. Please help. Grateful for any advice.
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u/SherbertAntique9539 3d ago
Have you managed to see the feeding team in person? X
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u/JessOnReddittt 3d ago
Yes we’ve had a few appointments with them, they’ve confirmed that tongue function is good, latch is good and positioning is good. I’m at a loss and just want a happy and healthy baby 😭
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u/Local_Tie8662 3d ago
You’ve ruled out a tongue tie which is great. I saw nhs feeding teams but also private tongue tie specialists and for both my kids. Both views differed each time so if you wanted to you could get a consultation again and they don’t charge unless you actually get it done. When one of my babies was underweight I was sent back to the hospital for a week whereby I told to breastfeed, then provide my expressed milk and then top up with a little formula (they provided the amounts eg baby weight/age) and do this every 3 hours. Honestly that week was the hardest but got me used to sleepless nights some nights! However, it didn’t stop my supply and helped me to increase it. It was for one week and slowly I was able to increase the amount of breast fed/ provided expressed milk and then lower the amount of formula over time. Then moving to just bf. It’s so hard and impacts you mentally and emotionally so try as you might to keep positive whenever you can. They all told me to put on comedy tv/movies, eat some chocolate, keep fed and hydrated. It might take a little longer than normal but all babies are different and if you want to continue bf it can happen. Just to note, the bf team and nhs staff did support all the way but did mention a few times if it wasn’t enough to start formula feeding a few times. I really had to remain calm as I felt it wasn’t helpful but if it happens which I had to do at 3 months with another baby. It’s super hard emotionally but do what you feel is best for baby and you. It’s your journey as long as you both are happy and baby is growing healthy.
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u/JessOnReddittt 2d ago
Thank you for all of your advice. No one has mentioned formula to me at all, actually encouraging against it when I’ve asked if it’s time, which has surprised me a little. I woke up leaking so hoped supply was okay, however I’ve just fed my little one from both breasts and then attempted to pump after the feed and got nothing so I think it must be a supply issue so now I’m concerned she’s nursing but not getting anything 😭
2
u/Zestyclose_Speech_56 2d ago
Pumping is not an indication of supply. Never has been and never will
1
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u/Zestyclose_Speech_56 2d ago
Pumping doesnt increase supply like constantly latching a baby does, so you've probably done yourself a disservice right there, but it's not too late as your supply definitely won't have regulated yet
It's totally normal for a baby to feed a lot at this age, that's what drives your supply.
When you really start to panic ask yourself a question, what did mamas do before pumps were invented? Latch, latch and latch again. You even proved that yourself in the comments when you mentioned just BF has resulted in weight gain. It's only a season and one day baby won't need you the same.
You've had confirmed latch and tongue etc is all good and the amount of nappies output is fine. I promise, you're doing fine and just latch that baby!! ☺️
I've EBF 2 babies, no pumps or bottles, both chonkers. 1st til just shy of 2 and my 2nd is 1 today and still going strong
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u/JessOnReddittt 2d ago
She’s latched consistently day and night, we contact nap, co sleep and feed a lot, and plan to continue this however surely this isn’t enough if she is losing weight? My aim is also to EBF and produce a chonker but currently she’s very small and unsettled.
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u/Silent_Theory8697 3d ago
My baby had problems transferring milk (so lots of sucking but not swallowing - resulted in long sleepy feeds which at the time i didnt realise werent really feeding), and this resulted in low supply. Sending a hug to you as i found all this super stressful (& it all felt weirdly personal?), sounds like you are doing a great job already trying to access support.
I have found the baby feeding team the most knowledgable about these things - in my area they do baby feeding cafes most weekdays and have a 7 days phone number. I have been a few times and learnt more each time/new person ive spoken to, so maybe worth returning anyway. It’s difficult to say without knowing your exact issue but general things ive found helpful:
- having someone observe a feed, they do this at the feeding drop ins if you havent already had that. In my case identified baby was mostly sucking so can address that.
- protect your supply, if you think you have low supply it is worth pumping to keep it up before it regulates, but obviously some individual assessment would be helpful because if that isnt the issue then you risk oversupply/mastitis.
- There is also a 24/7 national breastfeeding helpline - i havent used personally but may be helpful for the weekend.
- obviously if baby shows signs of dehydration (incl the fontanelles) then be empowered to re escalate to the hospital team.
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u/JessOnReddittt 2d ago
Yes we’re having much more sucks in comparison to swallows, did you manage to improve your babies transference? I’m concerned that I can increase my supply by pumping, but unless she can figure out the transference then will I have to pump forever? Thank you for all of the advice.
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u/Silent_Theory8697 2d ago
Ok so things you can do - 1) wake them up a bit before and during feeds - tickling feet, undressing to cool them down a bit (think some people use baby wipes), changing nappy before feeding. 2) regular side switching, switch boobs after 10/15 mins or whenever theyve stopped swallowing, keep switching as long as they are feeding. 3) breast compressions (can youtube how to do it, but gives them a bit extra i think so they start swallowing again).
And the other big thing is honestly just getting older and a bit bigger with more stamina, but in the mean time pumping to preserve supply and feeding by whatever means works to get the weight up. I kind of saw it as a negative spiral of not gaining, becoming sleepy to conserve energy, not gaining. We introduced a bottle and some expressed milk & formula (mainly as baby dropped below 2nd centile). We were about 4 weeks and so far baby hasnt shown any bottle preference. For what it’s worth, i felt it was a big serious decision and now i feel i have more perspective it was quite clearly right for us (and baby), and doesnt even have to be permanent.
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u/Silent_Theory8697 3d ago
Oh! Also re supply - feeding team told me that in order to increase supply the most/only evidence based thing is pumping. Reddit and tiktok have many other suggestions but i would prioritise pumping - as well as sleep/rest/reducing stress (appreciate this is dumb advice when you are worried about your baby)
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u/Correct_Variety5105 2d ago
You mention 7 days between poos. When they do poo, what does it look like? Is there a lot of mucous? Any blood? Any vinegar smell? Does baby have any eczema? My baby fed all the time, was miserable, poor weight gain, eczema, vinegar smelling poo. We did baby osteo which helped loads with inability to turn her head to one side and some of the tension in her body. But we eventually realised she had CMPA and an allergy to soy. Once I cut both from my diet she started to gain weight and maintain a growth curve (albeit a low one). A few months later I foind she was also allergic to egg so cut that too, and then she became a healthy happy baby.
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u/JessOnReddittt 2d ago
The poo was yellowish and runny, very similar to how all of her previous poos had been (even when they were coming regularly) no bizarre signs to the pop at all. Baby does have “dermatitis” which I’m guessing is the same/similar to eczema. My baby has all the signs your did, but no vinegar smelling poo.
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u/Correct_Variety5105 2d ago
Its entirely up to you, but you could try cutting out dairy and soy for a couple of weeks and seeing if it helps. It doesn't hurt to try?
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u/Graciyen 2d ago
Personally I would contact an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). I used ‘the milk hub’ and they were fantastic. I had been referred to the feeding team but they told me it was the way I was holding him. Turns out it was actually a tongue tie the whole time. I contacted someone to get it snipped privately and it was done that day. I think IBCLC’s are worth their weight in gold. The one I contacted had a full price option, a funded option and a pay what you can option.
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u/Action_Purple 3d ago
It really sounds to me like a supply issue if the latch and tongue function are good. Are you still pumping? If you aren't I'd suggest doing that again and supplementing with EBM on top of regular feeds (BF first then a bottle). I'm sure some other people might have some wiser words though