There are many reasons responsible for the failure to gain weight in babies. Apart from moms inability to produce a substantial amount of breast milk flow, there are other causes on the part of the babies as well.
It is simply a normal phenomenon for babies who get regular breastfeeding to gain weight within a short period of time.
In as much as your baby latch on quite well and their breastfeeding pattern is consistent, the above is expected.
However, on some rare occasions, you realized that your little one is not gaining much weight as expected. Sometimes, it could be that she is responding to weight gain at a very slow pace.
A possible cause might be that your child is not getting enough breast milk as much as you thought.
Nevertheless, in such a situation when you feel your child is gaining weight slowly or not responding at all, below are things to check out for, if they really are in order.
Understanding the Concept of Weight Gain in Babies
Ideally, every little baby could lose about 10% of their initial birth weight in the first week. By the time your child gets to two weeks old, he is expected to start regaining the lost weight.
Right after this, if feeding is consistent, babies gain a lot of weight for the next three month and continuously.
Meanwhile, every newborn is not the same. Some babies naturally grow a bit slower than others.
If everything is right in place; talking about consistent breastfeeding and without delay, then you wouldn’t have to worry about your baby not growing weight fast.
How do you know when your baby weight becomes a problem?
When your child gets enough breast milk as expected, the best confirmation is clearly weight gain.
In the same course, when you relaxed your baby is not getting much weight, or probably on a slow level, it is best to say she is not getting enough breast milk.
Conclusively, your child’s inability to gain back weight in 2-3 weeks after birth might be a result of inadequate breastfeeding which in turns, prevents her from getting plenty of breast milk.
Other possible causes that may prevent your baby from gaining weight fast
1. Inappropriate latching during breastfeeding.
Your newborn is not latching on well. A good latch allows your child to remove the breast milk from your breast without getting tired out and frustrated. If your baby is not latching on correctly, or latching on to just your nipple, she won’t be able to remove the breast milk very well.
2. Your baby is not getting enough breastfeeding.
For the first few weeks after birth, it is recommended that you breastfeed your baby every two to three hours ( day and night). But since babies are different, yours might want to get more on a daily basis.
3. Your baby is not breastfeeding long enough.
Experts say that a child is to breastfeed for a minimum of 10 minutes on each breast at every interval. One of the crucial reasons your child may be lacking weight gain is because you are not breastfeeding him for long on each attempt.
This wouldn’t have to stay forever, as your child would adjust to a lesser time as time goes on. You just need to keep him active on sucking for the first few weeks as long as they can.
4. Your baby is going through some pains.
Your baby may feel uncomfortable as a result of an infection in a mouth, or probably from birth injuries. These may prevent her from not breastfeeding adequately, thereby leading to gaining weight slowly. Find out what is responsible for your baby’s cause so as to address in time.
5. You naturally have a low breast milk supply.
Your child may be deprived of getting an adequate amount of milk if your body has a low milk supply. There are quite a number of medical issues that can cause a low supply of breast milk. Meanwhile, having a low milk supply can be recovered as easy as checking this post.
Understanding the above listed possible causes should give you a hint regarding why your baby is having a slow weight gain. This would possibly help in getting a lasting and responsive solution.
Now, your turn. What are other reasons your baby may not be gaining weight, and what are the possible solutions to them? We like to read your contributions in the comments below.
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My desire is for Yahweh bless with cute children when I got married