We just recently took our daughter to her 4 mo. check up, found out she only gained 9 oz. since her 2 mo. check up. I'm devastated because she always seems happy and content after a feeding. She's meeting all her milestones and having wet diapers, except when we started her on juice/water mix at the beginning of November she started pooping maybe every three days or so. Although she pooped at her appt. and then pooped yesterday morning. So he told us to start her in rice cereal and some foods and to come back in two weeks for a weight check up. Is this normal for breastfed babies? Did I do something wrong? I really need some advice. At birth she weighed 8 lbs. 11 oz. 21 1/2 inches long. She now weighs 11 lbs. 11 oz. 23 3/4 inches long. And her percentile went down from 50% to 25%. Every time I change her she always has a wet diaper, and she is strictly breast, no bottle unless it's her juice mix which she gets no more than 4 oz. and she is pretty much fed on demand, which is about every 2-3 hours. And she wakes up at night for two feedings.
why do you give her the juice/water mix? that is filling her tummy and keeping her form getting as many nutrients as she needs from your BM
That's what I was thinking. My daughter doesn't get anything but breast milk. She's 4 months and 16 pounds (25 inches long, she's a tall baby). Though I noticed the few times I gave her cereal with a spoon that she wouldn't nurse as much as normal, obviously cuz the cereal filled her up for a little bit. Do you pump? Maybe you could try to either just nurse, or try to give your baby cereal mixed with your own milk.
Quoting LaughterHugs:why do you give her the juice/water mix? that is filling her tummy and keeping her form getting as many nutrients as she needs from your BM
Was there a reason for it? I agree with the other ladies, an infant under 6 months does not need anything other than breastmilk, it has more calories than anything else (including formula an cereal) and its the healthies thing for them.
Personally i would stop giving juice and not start on solids or cereal, let the baby EBF for as long as the baby wants and when the baby wants too.
Quoting contrariant:The pediatrician told us to start at 2 mo. but I waited until she was 3 months.
Throughout the world, there exists a group of women who feel mightily drawn to giving care to women in childbirth. At the same time maternal and independent, responsive to a mother's needs, yet accepting full responsibility as her attendant; such women are natural midwives. Without the presence and acceptance of the midwife, obstetrics becomes aggressive, technical, and inhuman.
Professor G.J. Kloosterman, Chief of OB/GYN, Univ. of
To be honest with you I'm really confused about the whole thing. If breastmilk has more of the calories she needs then why is the ped. suggesting starting her on foods? I don't know what to do and I am really tired of arguing with my husband about. He thinks we should just listen to the doctor.
There was no reason, apparently it was just to introduce it to her.
Quoting Cynthje:Was there a reason for it? I agree with the other ladies, an infant under 6 months does not need anything other than breastmilk, it has more calories than anything else (including formula an cereal) and its the healthies thing for them.
Personally i would stop giving juice and not start on solids or cereal, let the baby EBF for as long as the baby wants and when the baby wants too.
Quoting contrariant:The pediatrician told us to start at 2 mo. but I waited until she was 3 months.
Quoting contrariant:
There was no reason, apparently it was just to introduce it to her.
Quoting Cynthje:
Was there a reason for it? I agree with the other ladies, an infant under 6 months does not need anything other than breastmilk, it has more calories than anything else (including formula an cereal) and its the healthies thing for them.
Personally i would stop giving juice and not start on solids or cereal, let the baby EBF for as long as the baby wants and when the baby wants too.
Quoting contrariant:
The pediatrician told us to start at 2 mo. but I waited until she was 3 months.
I'll be the bitch here. Your ped is wrong-no major medical group would recomend juice over breastmilk. I think your best bet is to go back to JUST breastmilk-feed on demand-and get a new ped.
Because most pediatricians dont know anything about breastfeeding, they use charts for formula fed babies etc. Starting her on foods could actually cause her to gain weight even slower and it can cause issues when you start too early.
the juice thing just doesnt make any sense, i would look for another doctor if mine ever told me to give juice to a 2 month old just to introduce it.
Quoting contrariant:To be honest with you I'm really confused about the whole thing. If breastmilk has more of the calories she needs then why is the ped. suggesting starting her on foods? I don't know what to do and I am really tired of arguing with my husband about. He thinks we should just listen to the doctor.
Throughout the world, there exists a group of women who feel mightily drawn to giving care to women in childbirth. At the same time maternal and independent, responsive to a mother's needs, yet accepting full responsibility as her attendant; such women are natural midwives. Without the presence and acceptance of the midwife, obstetrics becomes aggressive, technical, and inhuman.
Professor G.J. Kloosterman, Chief of OB/GYN, Univ. of
most peds are VERY ignorant on BM
if hubby wants you to listen to doctor advice how 'bout showing him dr sears stuff? he is the PREMIER BF doctor and actually leads/attends the doctors conference on breastfeeding yearly :) i'd say just switch to dr sears as your ped, but i know not everyone is fortunate enough to live in so cali near him, like i do :)
(on a related note though, if you wanna continue BFing baby and giving what's best, i'd switch doctors. i had to switch peds also when my baby was 2 months b/c my old ped said to switch her to formula b/c she was 'too fat' due to my BM. the next ped said she was 'too skinny' due to ym BM. very very few dr's get the info or training they need about BM. the third we tried is my family doctor and leaves me the heck alone :D)
Quoting contrariant:
To be honest with you I'm really confused about the whole thing. If breastmilk has more of the calories she needs then why is the ped. suggesting starting her on foods? I don't know what to do and I am really tired of arguing with my husband about. He thinks we should just listen to the doctor.
My pediatrician told me that if I wanted I could start solids on her, little by little, just to get her used to the spoon, not because she needs it because obviously she's at 90-95% on the chart. She told me it was up to me that I could wait if I wanted but that it would be good to introduce her and get her used to be fed with a spoon kwim?
I don't know but I would eliminate the juice for now and if you want her to get used to spoon feedings, like her doctor said, twice a day, if you can give the cereal with breast milk even better, but at this moment there is no need for it just introduction. Your milk should be enough to support the baby if she's eating on demand, getting enough wet and dirty diapers kwim? Eliminate the juice and bf exclusively for a few weeks to see if there are any changes in weight, I'm pretty sure there will be.
Quoting contrariant:There was no reason, apparently it was just to introduce it to her.
what Dad should know about supporting a breastfeeding wife...
- contrariant
on Nov. 26, 2009 at 12:39 PM