Baby Losing Weight After Birth Breastfeeding

Especially if you re breastfeeding.

Baby losing weight after birth breastfeeding. Weight loss in newborns is expressed as a percentage of the birthweight. Baby weight losses the early days. It is normal for breastfed babies to lose weight for the first 3 days after birth.

A variety of issues from breastfeeding problems to physical illness can cause excessive weight loss in your baby s first days of life. After breastfeeding from both breasts for 20 30 minutes time spent pumping or hand expressing will stimulate the breasts more effectively than continuing to breastfeed for hours at a time with a baby who isn t really drinking and isn t gaining weight. The baby who is healthy and full term will lose an average of seven percent of their birth weight.

Breastfeeding a sleepy baby can be a challenge but it s very important to make sure that your baby is nursing often and getting enough breast milk to gain weight. For a near term baby measures should be taken earlier see infants born 38 weeks gestation or 6 lbs. Whether breastfeeding can actually help you lose weight is still up in the air some studies find that breastfeeding exclusively can help you return to your pre baby weight faster while others.

Late onset of milk production. Starting a diet too soon after giving birth can delay your recovery and make you feel more tired and you need all the energy you can muster to adjust to life with your newborn. Though not equivalent to 10 dehydration a 10 of birth weight loss warrants attention.

It is normal for babies to lose weight after they are born no matter what or how they are fed. Breastfeeding offers many benefits for mothers including the potential to lose weight more quickly after having a baby. For those babies who do lose more than ten percent most health care providers recommend supplementary feedings in addition to breastfeeding.

In fact many women seem to consider this an important perk 1 2. It is normal for term infants to loose up to 7 of their birth weight before regaining it by day 10. If your baby loses more than this there may be cause for concern.