One of the biggest reasons that I know of why women start supplementing with formula in the first couple weeks is because "baby's not gaining enough weight." While a 5 to 7 percent weight loss in the first couple of days after birth is considered totally normal, 10 percent can sometimes result in pediatricians telling the mother she must supplement.
However, recent studies show what many of us have suspected or deemed obvious for years: Babies whose mothers received IV fluids -- either to stabilize blood pressure, before an epidural or c-section, or sometimes just because -- have babies who lose more weight initially.
Why? Well, it's actually pretty simple.
When we're given lots of fluids in labor, those fluids also go into our baby and sometimes even "over-hydrate" them. Therefore, their birth weight is artificially high, meaning baby not only will lose the weight that is normal for newborns, but will lose more weight (water weight) as well. In other words, Junior's 7-pound, 8-ounce "birth weight" might be a few ounces or so higher simply due to that IV drip bag!
So how do you gauge weight gain accurately? Here's a suggestion: Ask your doctor if you can start measuring gain after the baby stops losing weight -- usually at about 3 to 5 days after birth -- and then judge from there. Way different than gauging from the immediate birth weight, huh?
In fact, many researchers are suggesting that no one use birth weight to gauge anything related to weight gain -- especially in breastfed newborns. Sometimes the numbers for babies are just going to be a little different, even when nothing's wrong. Claiming all babies gain weight at the same rate is like saying that because I'm going to pack five pounds on my thighs if I eat a gallon of ice cream, then everyone is.
Here are some other suggestions for how to measure weight gain more accurately: In addition to checking for wet diapers (use cloth if you're trying to gauge, since disposables can totally hide a tiny newborn's pee and make you think they haven't gone) and watching the poo (which is more complicated than it sounds!), doctors also advise to have you bring in baby on an empty tummy, weigh them on a very sensitive scale, then have you breastfeed for a full session, then weigh again. Then you can actually measure how much they've eaten.
Of course, if you have any concerns about whether your baby is gaining enough weight, the best person to talk to is a trained lactation consultant or your local La Leche League Leader (oi, the aliteration!), since according to the Surgeon General, many medical professionals otherwise have don't have lactation training.
Did you receive fluids? Did your baby lose more than 5 to 7 percent of their birth weight initially?
Image via aithom/Flickr
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Comments 87
I received fluids and baby lost 11% of birth weight. A nurse woke me up at 2:30am to inform me of this and insist that baby had to have formula NOW. In my groggy state I managed to postpone formula until doctor came in the morning and insist that they bring a breast pump to supplement with in the meantime.
In the end, baby was never given the bits of colostrum that I pumped and doctor was not concerned about baby's weight loss saying that he just wants to see him be back to birthweight by 2 weeks. My milk came in later that day and baby was back to birthweight within 36 hours.
Interesting. I received fluids, and my son did lose a lot of weight initially, and had trouble getting started breastfeeding. We gave him a "jump start" with a small cup-feeding of formula, and then I began pumping colostrum and still nursing him and by the time we left the hospital he was nursing pretty well and gained back all the weight within a few days. So that little bit of formula actually helped us get over that hump. But now I know why the hump might have happened in the first place.
I had an IV, and I don't remember my son losing much weight at all. In fact, he gained weight pretty fast.
Yes, had fluids both times. My first lost 8oz and was almost back to birthweight by her pedi appointment at 4 days old and 10lbs at 3 weeks old. My second lost a tiny bit (from 8lbs. oz to 8lbs, 4oz, which stayed stable that first week at 8 4 and then was up to 10lbs, 4oz at 28 days old). So, this doesn't work for me, BUT, it's definitely food for thought. I'm going to be having a birth center birth with this baby, so we'll see if I have a weight difference, since my previous two were 8lbs 7oz, both.
I was told to supplement with my 4th child due to his birth weight not going up soon enough- I refused and continued to refuse and after the 3rd refusal I brought him back at 4 weeks and he had packed on 1 whole lb in a week- so needless to say, I wasn't pushed around by a pedi- I knew what I was doing- which is what I informed them! I knew he had enough diapers and was eating plenty. :) Thought I did worry about a mom who didn't already have experience that he may suggest that to because she would probably listen to it.
That makes sense why my oldest who was born in a hospital lost weight after birth and the two who were born at home didn't lose any at all.
I had an IV with LOTS of fluids when I delivered my son. 8lbs even when he was born, and he never even lost an ounce. But I contribute that to the fact that I actually had full fledge lactation going on when he was born. He nursed well and never lost any weight, however his Jaundice levels were through the roof, which I consider to be due to the induction, IV's, epi and lack of colostrum. I think that IV weight has a lot to do with newborn false weight loss, but I don't think it effects every baby the same way. That being said, fighting for your right to refuse supplementation as long as baby is nursing well, is never a bad thing. It's ok to watch weight gain, but like the article said, every baby gains differently, and it can actually take up to a month to regain back to birth weight. As long as baby is having plenty of wet diapers, stooling well, and is NOT loosing weight, then all should be left to nature doing it's deed.
NO Epi, or any fluids and only a weight loss of 2 oz.in the first 24 hrs. A weight gain of 6 oz 48 hrs later!
i had an IV with both my kids due to testing positive for GBS, so they gave me antibiotics. my son was 7.6 & dropped down to 6.10 when we left the hospital. my daughter was 9.2 & dropped to 8.6. my daughter gained the weight back no problem, but my son was very small & not even on the charts [weight wise] until after he was 9 months old. my son refused the breast the entire time we were in the hospital & scared me thinking he was starving, so we supplemented with him. i refused to supplement with my daughter & she is now a BFing champ.