My baby is losing weight

My boys have been eating every 3 hours/5X a day since they were born. Reece ate 8oz and Spencer ate 6.5-7oz every 3 hours. This Monday we thought we would experiment with going every 4hours/4X a day and 1-2 solid feedings. The boys are eating 8oz every feeding. Well on Friday we weighed Spencer and he was 14lb. 1oz. so tonight I weighed him tonight and he is now 13lb. 12oz. Is this normal when adjusting feedings?? I am going to call the pedi tomorrow and see what they say. Also Reece weighed 14lb. 15oz. on Friday and now weighs 15lb. 2oz. so I am not as worried about him.

Should I put them back on every 3 hrs.? Both have been fine making it every 4hours without crying.

I just don't know what to do!

 

Honestly, I'd do whatever they are happy with and not worry about their weight too much on a day to day basis. Weight is something to easily get obsessive about, but if they don't have any weight issues (low birth weight, falling off the chart, etc.), I wouldn't worry about it. Weight can fluctuate slightly from day to day, even in babies. Were their stomachs the same amount of empty or full when you weighed them Friday vs. Wednesday? That could make a difference as well.

One of my children did have weight issues - turns out he's just a skinny kid - but even when we were going in for weight checks, the pedi didn't want to see him more than once a week.

 

At 4 months, I wouldn't worry too much about day to day weighing. Weight can really vary from one day to the next. It could be something as simple as he had just peed or pooped the second time you weighed him but not the first, or maybe they had just eaten the first time, etc. If it really worries you, it can't hurt to talk to the ped but I'm sure he's probably fine. :hug:

 

At 4-5 months old they should still be getting the bulk of their nutrition from formula or breastmilk. Honestly, it's way too early to start dropping bottles in substitution of solid feedings.

I would put them back on 5 bottles a day, and use the solids as "practice". At that age, they don't take enough solid foods in to get the right amt of nutrition.

I'm not saying panic about the slight weight difference, as the others said it can vary from day to day and from bowel movement to bowel movement! But I do think that it's much too early to start taking away bottles.

I didn't start decreasing bottles until they stopped eating them, each bottle they stopped finishing I would substitute a solids meal, and that didn't start until about 7 months old

 

I'm not substituting solids for a bottle, just letting them go an extra 30-45min. between bottles. They get 4 8oz. bottles a day so that is still 32oz. They weren't eating as well on 3hrs. so I decided to try and see if they could last a little longer before feeding. They have done great on the new schedule! We are just doing solids 1-2 times a day, but not to take the place of a bottle feeding.

 

Ahhh okay I understand now, sorry I misunderstood and thought you meant you were substituting already!

I'm jealous, none of my kids has ever gone longer than 3 hrs between feeds, even now

 

No problem. :ibiggrin: