My sister had her baby 3 weeks ago and when the midwife came to visit her, it was discovered her dd has lost 40g in a week. her dd is a lazy feeder apparantly and the midwife has suggested my sister top her dd up with formula she is only 3 weeks old, isn't she still learning how to latch on properly? and if my sister needs to top her up, can't she just express some milk to give to her dd?? that is what i would do anyway.. Is 40g really that much weight to lose for a baby??
I suggested to my sister she try expressing first and see what happens, I leant her my breat pump and so far so good, but i think she is still topping up with the forumla.
My Dd1 was a very lazy feeder, if she isn't already i'd suggest the following:
1. Strip bub down to a nappy to feed and allow skin to skin
2. Try a cool cloth on bub if she seems to be falling asleep
3. Change her in the middle of the feed, so feed 1 side, change and burp then offer the other.
In regards to 40g when they are younger i think any weight loss is considered an issue, my DD never lost but never gained enough and we were still warned we might need to try formula.
I didn't go the formula route, i offered her the breast whenever she needed it, did the above list of things and tried expressing to increase my supply when she was having off days.
Offering formula is common though and if it helps her DD gain weight and continue to be a happy healthy bub then i don't see an issue with it.
I do believe your right they are still learning attachment, it takes a while to get the knack, so if she can persevere then hopefully it will only get easier.
I would be suggesting that your sister take herself and the baby to bed for a few days and they feed and sleep all day. Hopefully she will have someone who can make her food and bring her drinks, otherwise get some healthy snacks (saladas/cheese/tomotoes/cuecumbers/fruit... whatever takes her fancy) and some drink bottles and have it handy. So she is only concentrating on breakfast and tea.
Yes she can also express and topup with that. As for the weightloss... 40g isn't much depending on how she was weighed (eg different scales, if she had just emptied her bowels etc....)
thanks for your replies, I forgot to mention she also has a 3 year old, so unforutnately she can't feed and sleep all day in bed.. good suggestion though.
I did ask my sister if her dd had just emptied her bowels before the midwife weighed her, but she said no.. but I agree with the example that it could be different scales etc.
Zarava - I will make those suggestions to my sister, thank you.
I guess i was just surprised that the midwife suggested forumla top ups, and that was her only suggestion...
Has she called the ABA or spoken to an LC? It may be that she's very sleepy (as they often are) and not demanding qiute enough milk (or falling asleep before she's finished properly).
I woudlnt' jump straight to formula, it's unlikely it's really necessary. Definitely would be trying to get more breastmilk into her first. So waking to feed more often (if less than 8 feeds in 24 hours) and working to keep her awake if sh'es dozing off. A few days of concerted effort would probably be enough to get her awake and demanding better for herself.
Weight losses at this age are not good, but 40g is not massive, so hopefully she's very close to things falling into place. Get her to give the ABA a call for more advice.
I wonder if the nurse suggested ways to increase the baby's milk intake? (It's generally always lack of intake by the baby rather than the mother not making enough milk, though if not addressed the two issues become the same thing.)
I wonder, how often is your sister's baby feeding in 24hours? Many mothers don't realise that it's not normal for babies to sleep long stints between feeds. Most babies will feed at least 8-12 times in 24 hours. If the baby is too sleepy to demand feeds then waking the baby every 3 hours can be helpful. Does the baby tend to have just one breast or two? Some babies will have a long sleepy feed - falling asleep often, but not really take much milk after the first 5-10 mins. they love it there - warm and cozy, but it's not very productive. Many mums find that taking their baby off the breast, giving her a nappy change and a bit of a burp to allow her to wake up and giving the other breast will help baby get more milk. The other things I'd like to know are....how many wet and dirty nappies is the baby having? Is she back to birthweight? (what was birthweight?) Was she jaundiced?
There is such a lot you can do to increase baby's weight without needing to use formula which will only undermine milk supply. I second the suggestion to ring ABA
does this sound right to you?
she is only 3 weeks old, isn't she still learning how to latch on properly? and if my sister needs to top her up, can't she just express some milk to give to her dd?? that is what i would do anyway.. 
Is 40g really that much weight to lose for a baby??
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