My daughter was born on Thursday at 38 weeks and she weighed 6lbs 7oz, which I know is on the lower side but still in the normal range.
She is less than 48 hours old now and has lost 8 oz (7% of her birth weight). I have read that it’s normal for babies to lose 5-10% of the birth weight in the first week.
I’m exclusively breast feeding her but it took until last night at 9pm for her to actually breast feed properly (for 45 mins). The first day and most of yesterday she was latching on but falling asleep within 5 mins. It was like she just wanted a warm body to fall asleep.
The nurse just came in and asked if I want to start supplementing her milk because according to her she has lost too much weight. Should I be worried?! Baby Z has been having normal dirty diapers and she fed again for almost 1 hour 15 mins at 2AM mashAllah. So she has now had two proper feedings in a row (alH).
I want to see what happens with her weight in the next day or two as she continues to feed properly. Is that dangerous to wait or should I really be worried and start supplementing now?? I really don’t want to give her anything but breast milk.
Any advice from the experienced moms here??? So worried…
Re: How much weight loss is ok in newborn
I can share my experience…my daughter was 3.3 pounds when she was born so the doctors put tube in her mouth for feeding her milk. The reason for putting tube was that when babies do suck for drinking milk they burn their calories and loose weight and she was already so underweight that she couldnt afford to loose any more weight. So this is the reason why babies loose weight after they are born because then they are at their own and use their energy to drink etc.
My daughter was taking formula from day one and when I took her home I was told to give pre mature formula. It’s true that formula milk helps to gain weight. I couldn’t breastfeed her and alone on formula milk she was a baby with normal weight within 3 months Alhamdolillah !
I remember when she was born she lost some 300-400 grams of weight but after a few days she was gaining approx 300 grams weight daily masha allah !
If you need to put her on formula milk then do so. Please don’t listen to such stuff that only mothers feed is good and blah blah …some people will really make u feel that u r doing a gunnah but that doesnt really matters what matters is your baby remains healthy with good weight & all. She will need to have a healthy body with a proper weight to have a good immune system and fight diseases.
and yes many many congrats to you 
May Allah bless ur little one ameen
Re: How much weight loss is ok in newborn
first of all ask your paed!
secondly babies lose weight(water weight) in first 7-10 days of their lives so its pretty normal…they start gaining again after this time period…
thirdly! i exclusively breastfed my baby and his weight was mashaAllah perfect at 2months checkup…
take good care of your own diet too if you want to breastfeed only…
Re: How much weight loss is ok in newborn
My daughter was born at 6lbs. She lost a few ounces the first week but went up to 8lbs in 2 weeks!! So don’t worry!
As long as she’s eating as she’s suppose to I’m sure she’s fine. Her Dr will know whats normal..
Diamond, don’t want to offend you…but your situation is different cos your baby was premature. Full-term babies and premies have different needs. If a premie isn’t latching/feeding properly, or gaining weight…it’s dangerous, other methods of nutrition are crucial. Weight-loss in full-term babies is normal for the first week. My son was 7lbs 5oz and left the hospital at an even 7lbs. 4 days later he was 7lbs 6.8 oz.
Dont worry, as long as your baby is latching well and feeding every 1.5-2 hrs, ur fine. Babies have a tiny stomach at such a young age (ur baby is only 2 days old!), it fills up fast. I read somewhere that a tablespoon of colustrum (first milk/clear fluid with loads of goodies for baby) fills up a newborns stomach. My son is now mA 2.5 months old and when i had him he was the same way…he’d latch, feed for 3-4 mins and then fall asleep. All i did was a light tap under his chin/chest to stimulate him and he’d wake up and continue feeding. He did this for a few days, a week i’d say…pretty much till my milk properly came in (usually takes a few days). It’s normal for babies to be “lazy” as newborns, once you both get the hang of breastfeeding, it’ll be a breeze.
If you’re still worried, consult the pediatrician. Keep monitoring your baby (dirty diapers, signs of hunger etc). Dont take any steps before consulting your pediatrician.
Re: How much weight loss is ok in newborn
baby lose a bit of weight in 1st wk , do u have a doctor?
Re: How much weight loss is ok in newborn
I think u should consult ur paed ..mothers milk is the best for baby initially babies shed some weight after birth but gradually they put 0n,babies never stay hungry,if they do they will cry and wen u feed then they will drink till their tummy is filled,tc of ur diet take liquids,milk etc the more you feed the baby the more milk will come,my mother used to give me ghondh(halwa with nuts n all ) with Luke warm milk it really good for mothers who feed their kids breast milk:) congrats n may Allah bless you n ur baby!
Re: How much weight loss is ok in newborn
As long as she doesn’t have green colored stools, she is not malnourished. Your baby will gain weight within 2-3 weeks and be back to her birth weight. Weight at 1 month is usually 1-2 lbs more than what they are at birth.
Don’t worry too much as that’ll affect your milk production and you don’t want that to happen. And remember to feed every 2-3 hours.
Re: How much weight loss is ok in newborn
Yes, dont worry, our ped stressed us so much that I started giving him 2 ounces at night, this also led the family think that my milk was not notorious enough or not enough in quantity. On top of it my baby was cluster feeding which basically meant I need to feed him whenever the baby is hungry. It was extremely frustrating as I was a new mom, had no clue what to expect and did not get appropriate help that I needed. One thing I learned is don’t go with the books. If your baby doesn’t gain weight in 2 weeks then you should be worried. Also, feed her as frequently as you can, this means you will be sitting and just feeding her for long hours.
Lusi—