Probably a really dumb question..

..but it is me asking it after all!!

DD3 is quite slow to gain weight. Last week was no gain, this week (I weigh her on a saturday night cos i don't see a MCHN) is 100g. She is exclusively breast fed, feeds on average every 2 hours during the day, but has been going for 2.5 or 3 hours between feeds the last few days.

She also goes without a feed most nights. Last night i fed her at 6.50pm and then she woke at 6.30 for a feed, so basically 12 hours without a feed. I try to feed her when I go to bed, but she just won't wake up enough to latch on. Even if I shove my nipple in her mouth..lol

Occasionally she will wake up around 1 or 3am for a feed, but its more usual for her to sleep through till around 5am (last feed around 6.30-7pm)

So my question - is there a way to make my milk more high in calories or something so she is getting the best possible milk? I have a pretty ok diet, probably a bit too much chocolate and coffee - but I eat two serves of meat a week, and the rest vegetarian meals. We eat a lot of meals with vegetables anyway.

So is the answer to get her to gain more weight just feed more often? Because if it is I don't know how to fit in an extra feed at night if she won't wake up for it - its like she's a zombie or something.

She's 10 weeks old now, and just cracked 5kg. She was born weighing 3.5kg. Is that enough over 10 weeks?

Some advice would be good, and if you have none - thanks for reading my insecure dribble anyway... lol

I have heard that fish oil can make your breastmilk have a higher fat content. Don't quote me on it though.

Btw totally jealous of bub sleeping through the night.

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Ha! Don't be jealous, I have 3 others that don't sleep through the night ;)

I think the weight gain over the 10weeks is fine... she'd be averaging 150g if my math is correct
Remember it is best to look at the whole picture instead of just a snapshot. All the usuals - wet and dirty nappies, happy, content, sleeping well, alert...

well i have no idea but jazzy is 7 months and just over 7kg born at just under 4kg does that help?

Summer was 3.45kg born & didn't hit the 5kg mark til she was 10 weeks. She averaged 100gms a week all that time.
Now she's about 8.5kgs at nearly 8 months old. I dunno where that sits on the scales, but from the double chin I'd say she's doing well :lol:

I think give it a bit more time personally. Long as she's steady on the graph & no sudden losses she should be ok :)

basically what everyone else said. im sure your mummy instincts would tell you if there was something too wrong, if shes happy and your not too worried then im sure shes fine. dd1 was so little, dd2 is like the michelin man. if i had them the other way around id be so worried cause dd1 just didnt grow, but shes fine :)

Mel, you're doing a great job hun.

She sound like she's doing really really well.

When I was feeding DD I was taking flaxseed oil and that seemed to make a difference to the quality of the milk. So does lean protein I believe.

You are doing a fantastic job Mel. It is great to hear that breastfeeding is going so well.

As the other posters have said, the gains averaged out sound fine. Weight gains generally slow down around the 3 month mark, so she might have just slowed down a bit early. A general rule of thumb is that on average babies double their birth weight in about 6 months. Your milk will be just right for your DD, no matter what your diet - your diet is more important to make sure you have the right nutrients as your little one will get first pick of the good stuff that you eat. Recent research has shown that the fat content of breastmilk (and also the live cell content) is highest about 30 minutes after a feed, so if you are concerned about her gains, offering a top up on the same breast that you last fed from could be a good way to increase her fat intake.

Wow at her being 10 weeks already too!!