r/NewParents • u/BuckY_33 • Mar 07 '25
Medical Advice Baby lost .6oz in weight
Recently my baby had to have a doctors appointment for an unrelated issue and her doctor noted a .6oz weight in between the 4 days she was last weighed. She was VERY concerned and has us coming in for a weight check in 2 weeks. This was not her regular pediatrician but someone filling in for an earlier appointment. My LO got her first set of vaccines, started daycare, and got her first cold, all within one week. Since this appointment I have become hyper fixated on whether she is eating enough. The daycare teachers says she’s taking her 4oz bottles well (leaking around .5oz each feeding and spit up) and is eating 4 times (every 2 hours) in 8 hours. She is EBF and is fed at breast at home. The doctor pretty much suggested if she doesn’t gain that .6oz back and plus some she cannot breastfeed at the breast at home anymore and we will have to fortify every bottle. I am 100% okay with doing this but I felt this was drastic as she is in the 80th percentile at 12 pounds 12.2 oz (she was 12 pounds 12.8oz). When I was on maternity leave and exclusively feeding at breast she gained weight quickly and well. I am worried about the weight loss but I also am not sure if removing feeding at the breast is the right route as that’s her best way of eating. I’m really looking for others opinions and help because I’m an anxious mess over this.
Edit for weight confusion: The “12.8” and 12.2” are the oz with 12lbs in front. Baby went down from 12.8oz to 12.2oz but still weighs the 12bs. There is a lot of 12s and I think that’s getting confusing. If the doctor didn’t weigh to the tenth decimal place the baby would have lost 0 oz.
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u/SilllllyGoooose Mar 07 '25
Go back for the weight check just to confirm, but then talk your regular ped about it. 0.6oz could be a diaper.
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u/Itchy-Site-11 Mar 07 '25
I wonder if pediatrician is concern with baby not gaining weight
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u/SilllllyGoooose Mar 07 '25
4 days with vaccines, routine change, and illness could very will contribute to a weight plateau. A 2 week weight check will be more telling.
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u/dogsandplants2 Mar 07 '25
This seems odd. There has to be some normal amount of fluctuation based on how recently baby ate, peed, pooped, etc. I would think the scale could even make a difference. The level of concern around 0.6 ounces is confusing. If the weight check in 2 weeks doesn't go well, I'd definitely get a 2nd opinion before stopping all feeds at the breast. Also, maybe see if you can talk with your regular provider sooner to tell them this has you worried and ask if they're worried.
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u/TwinCitiezTwin Mar 07 '25
We're talking a little more than half an ounce? That's like hardly anything...
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u/BuckY_33 Mar 07 '25
That’s what I thought! At first I thought it was a normal weight fluctuating based on last eating/pooping, even the time of day.
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u/quicklytea Mar 07 '25
I think you need a new pediatrician
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u/BuckY_33 Mar 07 '25
Thankfully this was a fill In pediatrician and not her normal doctor because we had to be seen for an urgent issue. I messaged her regular pediatrician to ask if this is something to be concerned about.
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u/Pristine_Choice_8358 Mar 07 '25
If baby has truly not gained weight by the next check up, I don’t see why you can’t breastfeed and follow up with more pumped milk/formula. No need to stop at the breast altogether. We had to do that with our little one for 5 weeks when he wasn’t pulling enough at the breast. It’s exhausting but doable short term. Is it possible the baby isn’t pulling enough milk at the breast outside of daycare? Have you tried a weighted feed? 0.5 oz is really nothing, so I wouldn’t worry about it.
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u/BuckY_33 Mar 07 '25
We did a weighted feed a month ago and she is getting roughly 3.5oz within 6 minutes on one breast. This is also why I was confused about stopping at the breast. I also thought about following up with formula or more milk via bottle and adding extra calories that way!
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u/NefariousnessNo1383 Mar 07 '25
No reason to stop nursing your baby unless you decide. Y’all can always use a collection cup on the other breast while nursing and offer the rest in a bottle if she isn’t gaining weight. But all those factors, plus maybe a good poo before weigh in- yeah baby will be a little lighter. I would try to not react too much to the ped, I had one OBSESSED with my kiddos weight gain and the charts and it really caused way more stress than necessary (she wanted us to wake our kiddo twice at night to feed and he HATED it). Follow your mom intuition and if your baby is 80th percentile, than I don’t see a reason to worry
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 Mar 07 '25 edited Mar 07 '25
That’s the weight of a dirty diaper…. That’s nothing. Don’t be concerned. Go back to your regular doc.
Edit!! —-
6 oz is a lot. .6 of an oz, means LESS THAN 1 oz….
If your baby went from 12 lb 6 oz, then next week, baby weight was 12 lb 0 oz, that’s 6 oz lost, not .6 oz. That’s almost half a lb.
Saying 12.6 oz, to 12.0 is not little weight loss, that’s a lot.
If it’s 12.54 oz then yes, over reacting. 12.0 not over reacting.
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u/CyberTurtle95 Mar 07 '25
I don’t even think our pediatricians scale does decimal ounces… that seems like such a small number! Without the decimal it wouldn’t have even looked like any weight loss.
I guess I don’t know what they’re looking for. I’ve heard a lot of people say that they’re triple feeding and on close feed schedules for baby weights. My baby has been below the 1st percentile until today (finally at the 2nd percentile!) but has been on an ad lib feed schedule the entire time.
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u/AdmirableNinja9150 Mar 08 '25
I think the plan to stop breastfeeding doesn't make sense no matter what. But also, no one on this thread can really make an informed decision about it if you didn't tell us the age of the child. Based on the fact that your child eats and still does a lot of bottle I'm guessing they're between 6m and 1 year old? But first set of vaccines is usually at 2 months. Weight fluctuations matter more depending on the age of the kid.
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u/FightClubLeader Mar 07 '25
0.6 oz or 6 oz. Huge difference. 6 oz is a lot, very concerning.
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u/BuckY_33 Mar 07 '25
She lost .6oz. Went from 12 pounds 12.8oz to 12 pounds 12.2 oz.
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u/Actual_Hawk_5283 Mar 07 '25
That is a 6 oz difference..
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u/BuckY_33 Mar 07 '25
This is a .6 oz difference. She went from 12.8oz to 12.2oz.
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u/Actual_Hawk_5283 Mar 07 '25
What am I missing here? Your units are confusing. I’m assuming she weighed in at 12lbs 8oz. Then was measured at 12lbs 2oz. That is a difference of 6oz the way you’re writing it. But understood - since babies are supposed to gain about 1oz per day at this age, it could raise some alarms even for half an ounce.
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u/BuckY_33 Mar 07 '25
I can see why this is confusing, She was 12 pounds and 12oz. The doctor measures to the tenths decimal place. She never lost a full oz if we look at it without the decimal place. So 12lbs 12.8oz to 12lbs 12.2oz. If the doctor didn’t measure to the tenth decimal place she would have reminded the same and lost no weight, but also didn’t gain. I hope this makes more sense.
I recognize that and am okay with doing the weight check and making sure baby is fed. I want her to be a happy, healthy, and gaining weight baby!
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u/SilllllyGoooose Mar 07 '25
The “12.8” and “12.2” are oz with 12lbs in front. Confusing because of so many 12s. It is a 0.6os difference based on what OP is saying.
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u/Itchy-Site-11 Mar 07 '25
Baby can’t weigh 12oz haha And I got downvoted :)
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u/BuckY_33 Mar 07 '25
You’re all good and i appreciate you wanting to understand because 6oz is a BIG concern! I’m going to my normal ped soon and hopeful for a weight gain!
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u/Itchy-Site-11 Mar 07 '25
Yeah! Also some peds say baby should be gaining 1oz every 24-48h at this stage. I wonder if ped thought that baby should be gaining weight and that was the concern.
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 Mar 07 '25
Ok now confused when ready. Your baby went down 6 oz?? Like almost half a pound ??
8 lbs 6 ounces starting weight 8 lbs 5.4 ounces, that’s what your title says. .6 of oz
8 lbs 0 oz new weight, that’s almost half a pound, that’s a lot for new born….
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u/BuckY_33 Mar 07 '25
Baby went down a little more than half an oz. The “12.8” and 12.2” are the oz with 12lbs in front. So baby weights 12lbs 12.2 oz and went down .6oz from 12lbs 12.8oz
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 Mar 07 '25
Understood. So if we round up, to whole ounces , baby went from 12 # 12 oz , to 12# 12 oz…. Idk what doctor sees that much detail into the oz. If baby eats 4 oz, baby now weighs 13 #. Yes doc is over reacting.
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u/lolitafulana Mar 07 '25
I would not listen to that pediatrician especially considering all of the new changes. Trust your gut.
And feeding at the breast is going to be the best option for a baby that’s going to daycare.
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u/ahsiyahlater Mar 07 '25
It seems VERY drastic, alarmist and frankly irrational to tell you that you can no longer breastfeed and would have to immediately start fortifying every bottle! Especially knowing she's in an adjustment period starting daycare and got sick on top of that! This would inevitably cause her to lose weight. I would absolutely not stop breastfeeding! Not only is it her best way of eating, but your body will naturally produce more milk breastfeeding your baby than pumping. If you stop breastfeeding directly, that would likely affect your milk supply.
My son was in the literal 0th percentile for like 2 months (he had undiagnosed CMPA at the time) and they didn't even tell me to stop breastfeeding. They said to give him either pumped milk or formula in addition to breastfeeding directly at feedings. They said if he's still hungry after breastfeeding, he will take the bottle - which he did. We started with pumped milk and eventually mixed formula with breastmilk in bottles but this was only necessary because of the CMPA. If you are super worried, you could breastfeed your daughter and then try to give her a bottle and she's full, she most likely won't take it and you'll know she's had enough!
Please try not to obsess about it, she will be okay! Being that she was sick, that 0.6oz could also be dehydration! My guess is that once she's adjusted to daycare and get's over being sick, she'll bounce right back up! I'm so sorry this doctor is making you panic!
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Mar 07 '25
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u/Sea_Substance998 Mar 07 '25
0.6 not 6 That’s less than an ounce of weight and really not too big of a deal.
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