Question about newborn weight loss....please help!

[jessnic]

My DS is six days old today and has gone from weighing 7 lb 14 oz at birth, to 7 lb 8 oz at 4 days old to 7 lbs 3 oz today at six days old. My milk did not come in until two days ago. He is a sleepy baby and doesn't want to nurse every two hours. When he nurses his latch seems good. I know he is getting milk when he nurses. The PA at the pediatricians office is saying if he doesnt gain weight in two days he will need formula. I am waking him up as much as I can to get him to eat, but if I can keep him awake for 2 minutes when he doesn't want to be it's a miracle. I just need some advice and encouragement because I want breastfeeding to work for us.

[palsmama]

Can you get in touch with an LC? Can you pump? I would say that you should have a musing vacation and sit on the couch and nurse nurse nurse! Keep him awake at the breast by rubbing his temples, chin or under his armpit. Undress him. Get him skin to skin! Offer every 2 hrs. Do not let him sleep longer than that until he starts gaining weight. Sounds like a content to starve baby who needs some extra support to get motivated!

[palsmama]

*nursing* ... stupid auto correct! Lol

[aept]

Pump, mama. With a double electric if you can. Feed him the expressed milk however your LC recommends, maybe cup or syringe. I found feeding a little expressed milk first helped perk my ds up to nurse better. Plus, if you have expressed milk on hand, I don't see why they would make you feed formula. Good luck, best wishes for your LO to gain!

[Greenebean214]

Originally Posted by aept Pump, mama. With a double electric if you can. Feed him the expressed milk however your LC recommends, maybe cup or syringe. I found feeding a little expressed milk first helped perk my ds up to nurse better. Plus, if you have expressed milk on hand, I don't see why they would make you feed formula. Good luck, best wishes for your LO to gain!

Ditto. Avoid formula by pumping expressed milk and offering it via syringe, cup, or spoon. Don't give up, Mama!

[nappymaven812]

Wet his face with a damp wash cloth to wake him up and keep him awake. That's what I did.

[jessnic]

I have a pump, and I am pumping after feeding him to try to increase supply so that I can build up a freezer/fridge stash in case we have to supplement. Yesterday ALL he did was nurse. I am really wondering if the amount of IV fluid I had in labor affected his weight making it seem.higher than it should have been. I was so swollen from the fluid it was insane and today both baby and I woke up looking noticably less swollen. Maybe I am just grasping at straws??

[aept]

Originally Posted by jessnic I have a pump, and I am pumping after feeding him to try to increase supply so that I can build up a freezer/fridge stash in case we have to supplement. Yesterday ALL he did was nurse. I am really wondering if the amount of IV fluid I had in labor affected his weight making it seem.higher than it should have been. I was so swollen from the fluid it was insane and today both baby and I woke up looking noticably less swollen. Maybe I am just grasping at straws??

Yay for pumping! I am really happy to hear you have been doing that already.
If all he did yesterday was nurse, but he still went down in wt over the last two days, then he is not efficient yet. He needs some of that great pumped milk you have.
I do believe you are/were swollen. That is very common right after birth. I doubt he was overly swollen. All healthy babies ARE born with excess fluids and fat to help them get through the normal weight loss as the mother's milk comes in.
Both my first and third ds's lost even several more oz than your ds has. I did not have to give them formula, though They were both sleepy and hard to wake for feedings. In fact my third is still not back up to his birth weight but is gaining well now. (he has latch issues). My second ds was not overly sleepy and he gained the best as a newborn.
Once your ds matures more, and gains, he will become less sleepy and then he won't need the supplements of pumped milk anymore. Right now you need to work hard with him to break the cycle. It will be worth it!

[MyPerfectLife]

DS1 was the same. I almost gave up. My pediatrician gave me four cans of formula when I came in for the weigh-in because I was crying so hard. That made me cry harder.
I worked with an LC who hooked me up with an SNS. It was basically like tube feeding WHILE breastfeeding, because DS was sleepy and couldn't get enough just from nursing no matter how hard I tried to wake him. Two weeks on SNS and something just clicked, he got it. He nursed until he was 2.5 . Don't give up! It is so worth it to keep going; your baby WILL gain weight!
DS2 had some trouble initially too. It's so hard with a NB because the numbers all seem so important at first. For example, DS2 was born 10lbs5oz, by the time we left the hospital he was 9lbs8oz. He was not back up to his birthweight until 1.5 months ... the doctors did not like this. However, the LLL that I was working with, and my own motherly intuition, told me he was doing just fine! Watch pees and poops, feed expressed milk as a supplement, and just remember to relax! I believe DS1 struggled longer because I was so stressed, which affected his well-being also.
You can do it mama!

[ChocoMeijin]

Also try blowing very gently on him, that worked for me! There's really no reason to give formula. Good luck and keep us updated!!