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breastfed, teething, 4.5 mo. old losing weight?

On May 6, i took my dd to the doctor, she weighed 13 lbs. 11oz. Today, I weighed her at home, and she weighed 13lbs. 6 oz. (different scales used for the weighing, but i would have expected her to weigh at least what she did at her doctor visit 2 weeks ago).

lately, she has been upset whenever I feed her, acting like it's painful. she hasn't been eating as well as normal, and my letdown is slowing down(it used to be fast). but she gets so frustrated while she's eating, it worries me, since she is losing weight. i have tried pumping, and i get about 5 oz from each breast, so i don't think its a supply problem if i can get that from pumping. she has about 2 poopy diapers, and 9-10 wet diapers a day. so, i feel i shouldn't worry, because she has good 'out-put', but i can't help think that something else might be wrong. my oldest dd had an internal hemanginoma(mass of blood vessels) on her liver, the doctor said it wasn't genetic, but it worries me that something could be causing this.

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Her Little Gummies Hurt! Poor Thing! She probably gets frustrated when she's eating now because it hurts too much to suckle like she used to. Before she was teething she was fine and dandy and now that the teeth are erupting she wants to expedite the feeding process even faster. It puts pressure on the gums. She probably wants an IMMEDIATE Letdown and doesn't want to try working at it. That's why it has slowed because she probably isn't really trying to suck hard like she used to. Does she squirm around a lot while she's feeding like she's uncomfortable? Does she get even more frustrated when the Letdown is over? I don't think you have too much to worry about, sounds like she's just teething. She might have lost weight because of excess drooling and the ineffective suckling. When you PUMPED 5 oz. that's great! Make sure though that when she is eating from the breast that she doesn't stop prematurely because she's frustrated. It can decrease your milk supply. If she does, Then pump the rest out for her and feed it to her at a later time. You can also opt to just start pumping and feeding her strait from the bottle. The flow will be much faster for her and the pain not so bad because she doesn't really have to try so hard with the bottle like at the breast. Good Luck!

    Source(s): Mommie to a 6 Month Old, Frustrated When He Eats, Teething Boy!
  • 1 decade ago

    You are right all scales weigh differently. Don't worry about oz.s only lbs. your baby could be teething, it starts around 4 months old, but you may not see a tooth until 6 months. my baby's just under 5 months old, and he is doing the same thing. This is normal, so his pediatrician says. My baby's diet increases and decreases daily. Eating 20 oz.'s in one day and then 35 oz.'s in another. As long as your baby is giving you at least one poopy diaper ever 3 days or so, and is urinating often every day you need not worry too much, I know thats easier said then done. I'm a first time mom and worry about every hiccup. my son now weighs 16.5 lbs, taken from a "Jenny Crieg" scale my neighbor has-yet i still worry about his sleep habits and feeding habits, I know how you feel. call your doctor if the weight continues to drop after 1 week thats what our doctor told us. Good Luck.

  • 1 decade ago

    What you are eating has nothing to do with your babies level of fat and calories. Our bodies will make milk even if we do not eat anything!! All those babies in Ethipoia and other third world countries manage to brestfeed their babies while they eat little to nothing each day.

    What the problem could be...she is at that age when the world looks mighty fine and maybe looking around and being active is more fun. Don't worry so much about the numbers on the scale. I know, we all do, I did to the first few months.owever, if your gut is telling you something isn't right... listen to it. It is called Mothers intution for a reason. Do not let the doctor push you away with new mommy syndrome. Look into it! But don't get caught up on 5 ounces, your baby will tell you if something is wrong.

  • 1 decade ago

    Output does sound fine and teething is likely the cause of the problems with feeding. It's likely nothing to worry too much about but If you are concerned it's never a bad idea to consult your pediatrican.

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Does she have teeth? Sounds like she could be teething. Also, if, and only if she starts running a fever it could be the start of an ear infection. Besides that, it could just be a stage, they go through phases of eating a lot and eating a little.

  • 1 decade ago

    sounds normal to me, maybe she's teething.... does she bite during feedings? maybe try switching to just pumping if she seems to like the bottle more.... your breast just may not be fast enough for her anymore so she's getting irritated with you! the bottles faster so she probably prefers it.

  • 1 decade ago

    What are you eating? If your diet is not satisfactory, theirs won't be either. They may not be getting enough fat, calories, or what you're eating/drinking may be making the milk taste funny.

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