my son was 8 lbs. 9 oz. at birth.  It then took him over a month to get back to that weight.  From then on he remained in the 20th percentile.  I breastfed him as well and he never had any formula.  He was perfectly fine.  He was just on the smaller side.  Now at age 2 he is finally up to the 50th percentile.  I would hardly call that being undernourished.  My niece was only in the  5th percentile for years and she was perfectly healthy as a breastfed baby.  Giving your baby formula is not necessarily the best solution because that will reduce YOUR milk.  Hang in there and don't worry.  Your child will let you know if he needs more.  And your body will produce more if he needs it.  You are doing great.

if he isn't crying between feeds than he is getting enough by the time all my 3 children were 4mths i had started them on solids. i took my daughter to get her 18mth needles a few weeks back and she only weighed 8.2kg which i didn't think was much but she is not under feed and she is health i think she is only going to be a little girl. you are his mother and i am sure you know him better than anybody else  my advice to you is us your mothers instinct and i am sure you will be fine

mothers know their children better than anybody else even a doctor

 

I agree with what's been written below. These growth charts are averages which I understand includes formula fed, mixed fed and soley breast fed babies, and all 3 grow very differently, so dont stress.

With my DD1, she was born on 50th % line at 7lbs 3 oz and gained a mere 2oz a week usually, in spite of feeding all day & night! When she fell off the growth chart the Health Visitor referred her, behind our backs (prefer to think over worked not sneaky...) to the paediatrician. We were waiting for an appointment about a bony lump on her head, so we walked in expecting him to be talking about that - big shock!

To his credit, he delt with both issues there and then, commenting that DD1 had a figure like Daddy (she was still on the height chart fine) and was very alert, and in his opinion it was better she was skinny than obese. He said she was clearly using her milk intake to fuel her nosy streak rather than putting on weight. After two more appointments, just to be sure, he signed her off. And I dont see the HV unless I have to!

At (shhhh) 15 weeks I introduced her to solids, she was soooo ready. She became my banana baby, she loved them so much she ate them with everything (yes, even liver!), and ate on average 3 bananas a day, mixed with other purees. I'm pleased to say she's now up at the top of the charts (still taller than she is heavy), about two clothes sizes ahead of her age! Shes been everywhere on that chart between 99% and 0.2%. And I continued breast feeding her until she was 26 months.

Having the Health Visitor undermine your confidence like that is very unfair. Try the NCT Breastfeeding Line 0870 444 8708 - I've found them very supportive.

You can breast feed your baby, if that's what you choose. He will grow the way he is pre-programmed to. You know him best, trust your instincts!

I tried to feed my DD1 more often (I was already demand feeding, which lasted about an hour each feed) and she still only put on 2oz that week! I understand that your body will naturally regulate the calories going into the milk, so if he feeds more, it will just be lower calorie! I've fed my 4 month old baby exactly the same way as her big sister and shes grown much faster, the only similarity being that she's on 75% for height and 25% for weight, or I asume she still is, I dont go to the Clinic very often!!!

Kathryn

Boy oh boy can I relate to this... My daughter just turned 10 months a few days ago and had a pedatrician appointment and she only weighs in at 15pounds and 6ounzes(sorry i do not know the kilo's)however the dr was always worried about her weight when she was born she was 6pounds 11oz, she has been average on the chart and lately has started to slip downwards the past few months.. I agree with what everyone else is saying, they will only eat what they want to,forcing them to eat more will make them sick. If you are worried go ahead with some rice pablum make it very runny at first(runny enough to go through a bottle but feed from a spoon so it doesn't constipate your baby). Our daughter has been on rice pablum since she was 4 weeks we would just gradually make it less and less runny.. Do not stress about this(as i did that will affect your supply). If your baby is not fussy between feedings then I personally wouldn't worry about. If you like to email me on this go ahead as I know exactly where you are coming from.. best of luck.... You are doing a great job.....

Both of my children yoyo'ed their growth. They would be underweight and undersized for their growth chart at one check up, and too big at the next one. It all depended on whether or not they had hit their growth spurt before or after their check.

Keep up the breastfeeding if that is working for you.  Given he's now 4 months old you might want to look into introducing solids (don't panic and rush it, it's one of those '4 to 6 months' things) when you feel bubby is ready for it. That might help add that extra couple of ounces, particularly if he is starting to make you feel like a jersy cow! My boys "couldn't get enough" when they were about to hit growth spurts and made me fell like a haggard old milk maker for a bit. Introducing just one little rice cereal meal a day helped heaps.

Both my boys went through a huge growth spurt and feeding frenzy that lasted about a month when they reached 4 months old. Apparently it's quite common at this age, so be prepared for it - store some extra breastmilk and buy a packet of rice cereal and make sure your baby clothes of the next size up are ready to wear.

My youngest was huge - he was the size of the average 6 month old baby at the age of 6 weeks! Had he stayed on the same growth rate band he would have ended up with serious health issues and if he lived long enough would have ended up 9 feet tall! The growth charts are just guidelines.  If your child is very high on the height chart but very low on the weight chart, or vice versa, you have a problem, but if they are bouncing around the same level with a bit of give and take, a bit of up and down is fine. You will know if your baby isn't looking well, if he's not feeding right, or getting too underweight or overweight.

And next time a health nurse (or anyone else for that matter) comments about your baby's weight in an unnecessary way that makes you worry needlessly, have a good look at them.  Could s/he perhaps afford to loose a few kilos, or gain a few?

these health nurses again hey? making new mums paranoid....i remember that feeling!
Anyway now to answer the question.
Baby will only take what baby wants....there is no point in trying to give baby milk if he doesn't want it, it will only make him sick!
I would suggest though giving him a top up before bed or something...but if he isn't cranky and isn't showing any signs of starvation then i wouldn't be worrying!
Like i said, your child will only drink what his body requires....nothing more!

Well over 9lbs is a big baby but  that doesn't mean he was going to stay big. I mean he is putting on weight but has just slowed down. All breastfed babies will reach a platuae at some stage where there weight gains slow down. If he is showing all the main signs that he is gettign enough milk (some weight gain, lots of pale wet nappies, good skin tone, fairly satisfied after feeds, bright eyes, and alert) then I would not recommend top up feeds.  If you're unsure offer the boob more and then express after feeds to help build up your supply.

As nickysmumum said ring an ABA counsellor they are fantastic for advice and they can help wioth supply issues and any doubts you might have. rest as much as possible if you can. Breast-rest-breast-rest-breast and then if he's still hungry top up with expressed breastmilk. Hope all goes well

The most important thing for you to do is RELAX!!! You're breast milk is sufficient. If you start using formula as top-ups you will decrease your milk supply. If you'd like to be able to continue breast-feeding you don't want to do this. The warmer weather can make bubs sleepy so your baby may've been content with what he was feeding, but could probably do with some extra feeds. Bubs up to 6 months usually have between 8 to 12 feeds in a 24 hr period. Feeds through the night are excellent for increasing milk supply. I myself found that I needed to sleep with my bub for a little while and let him feed whenever. I'd got into the trap of giving formula top-ups and my supply decreased almost to nought before I brought it back dramatically and was able to fully BF.

If you do make a decision to sleep with bub, ensure that no-one smokes or is affected by drugs or alcohol and make sure bub cannot be trapped under bedclothes or doonas. SIDS doesn't recommend it, so you must be very careful but many mums who've successfully slept with their bubs say that it's a beautiful bonding experience.

Sorry to get off the track, just wanted to let you know there are many ways to increase your milk supply and get more of a good thing. Go to the Australian Breastfeeding Forum to get further advice, otherwise you can phone one of their counsellors. They're amazing!!
Hope I was helpful, I just know what you're going through and, as someone who suffers anxiety, know how important it is to RELAX, breathe and refresh to allow the let-down to take effect. Grab a nice warm (or cold) drink and close your eyes, breathe and relax.

Well to me i wouldn't stress  , if your son healthy  and not crying  i wouldn't  worry to much about it. If your concern i see your own GP  and ask him , as some health works can  put add stress on you for no reason .

I hope this put your mind at rest   ,

Well, its really up to you if you feel he is not having enough then you should give him more, but your son knows when he is hungry and if he has drank enough or not. If your health sister is stressing you out to much over the breastmilk , call your local midwife or local baby doctor and see what advice they suggest .Sometimes the health sister dont know what they are taking about (l found that out with the ones l had with no kids).

He will be starting solids soon. I got told once that feeding BF babys bottles can make them lazy suckers as the have to suck hard at the breast and the bottle just a little suck. If it where me I would be getting a second opinion. Good luck