One of the most common concerns for modern moms who are breastfeeding is whether their baby is gaining enough weight. Unfortunately the charts used by the Pediatricians are not based upon babies who are exclusively fed their mother's milk. Breastfed babies do not always follow these charts. Too often a red flag is raised when the baby may be growing well.
There are several things to check before becoming alarmed.
Did you have a long labor?
What was the birth weight of your baby?
In the early days after the birth, did your baby have a lot of dirty diapers?
What was the weight upon discharge from the hospital?
Did you supplement your breastfeeding during the hospital stay, or in the early days between weight checks?
The weight of your baby should never be examined out of context. Once you have a sense of the history, a more accurate analysis can be done.
Babies are literally born full of fluids and "poo" from having practiced swallowing inside of their mother's body. They are usually weighed before they have had a chance to eliminate this extra cargo. Thus, their first recorded weight or "birth weight" is not their "true weight".
Unfortunately, well meaning medical personnel and family members often encourage mothers to give supplements before the end of the first week of life. The mother's milk may not yet be available in significant amounts so a dense, less easily digested commercial formula will be offered during this transition period. This practice of unnecessary supplementation can affect the quality of breastfeeding being done by the baby and can impact the interpretation of weight gain patterns.
The first "weight check" at the Pediatrician's office is now being done much sooner than the traditional 2 week visit. Those babies who have had formula will not have dropped to their lowest or "true weight" before this first visit. If the mother is then encouraged to fully breastfed, her baby may continue to lose even more weight until her own milk supply becomes abundant. Frequent weighing during that first week may document a decline in weight that is merely a function of removing the supplementation and the elimination of all the extra fluids and waste stored from the birth before a full diet of breastfeeding can replenish the calories.
If your baby lost 10-20% of its "birth weight", it has to regain that much to come back to the baseline. This can take 2-3 weeks depending upon how well you have been breastfeeding. Some babies will grower taller before they get plump, no matter what they are being fed. Yet, they are still growing!
Look at baby photos of you and your family members on both sides. Were you or your partner breastfed? You would be surprised at how many babies are thin because of genes, not a lack of food. Growing the brain and limbs takes energy as well, but may correlate with lower weight gain during those growth spurts. Being fat as a baby is not a reliable indicator of good health.
To ensure your baby is getting enough milk, the focus should always be on the quality of the breastfeeding. Frequency will not make up for a bad latch because not as much will be taken in at each feeding. Feeding supplements and taking them away will cause a roller coaster of weight gain and weight loss which will add much stress to the breastfeeding experience.
Babies will steadily grow and gain weight when they get ample milk. "Conscious Breastfeeding" leaves nothing to chance. It is all about the latch and the rhythm of feedings. A baby will always have access to ample amounts of milk when its mom is the coach ensuring that the baby truly eats while at the breast.
Breastfeeding is natural, but it is a learned skill for both the mother and her baby. Visit The Breastfeeding Salon for a free Mini Conscious Breastfeeding Course, blog and additional resources to help you have an optimized breastfeeding experience. Join the conversation and our unique community of mothers at the Conscious Breastfeeding Space.
Máire Clements, RN, IBCLC, the "Conscious Breastfeeding Guru" has been empowering new mothers around their breastfeeding experience for more than 22 years as a lactation consultant, registered nurse and educator in the field of maternal-child health.
Source: www.articlecity.com