My Baby’s Pediatrician Said That My Breast Milk Has No Nutritional Value To It…is That Possible?
Posted by Zolly | Under Nutrition Wednesday Sep 30, 2009He was 8lbs 8oz at birth, was nursing constantly and went down to 7lbs 7oz. So I began supplementing where I would nurse and then bottle feed him formula right after. He drinks between 2 to 4oz at a time…usually 4. He is 3 weeks old now and has been supplementing from 2 weeks old. The pediatrician said if he is eating every 3-4 hrs and getting that much formula then he is not getting nutrition from me….just the formula.
Its not that your breastmilk has no nutritional value, its that your baby is probably not getting any breastmilk when he breastfeeds because your baby doesn’t know how to nurse properly.
Your baby probably has “nipple confusion” but really baby isn’t confused at all; baby knows its easier to get milk from a bottle so why bother nursing properly at the breast; particularly for a baby that has trouble nursing because of a poor latch.
Your baby lost slightly more weight that average, which means your baby wasn’t getting milk effectively. But rather than get help you just started giving bottles which taught the baby not to bother nursing, and reduced your supply.
Its not to late to teach your baby how to nurse, and its not too late to build a full supply -IF YOU GET PROPER HELP.
Relactation and Adoptive Breastfeeding: The Basicshttp://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/relact…
“My Baby Just Doesn’t Get It” http://www.normalfed.com/Help/babyget.ht…http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T022400…
Does this mean that bottle-feeding is easier than breastfeeding? Yes, and no. Bottles require less sucking finesse and less effort. However, studies comparing premature infants during bottle-feedings and during breastfeedings have shown that breastfeeding is actually less stressful.
* Babies’ breathing and heart rate are more stable during feedings at the breast.
* Babies have more control over the milk flow and can establish a more regular rhythm of sucking, swallowing, and pausing.
* Feeding at the breast also requires less energy. http://www.kjsl.com/~cee/confuse.htm
The term “nipple confusion” is a bit of a misnomer. The baby who exhibits the behavior often called nipple confusion is really not confused at all! He knows exactly what he wants – the nipple that produced the most milk with the least effort – and, therefore, this behavior should more accurately be called “flow preference”. No matter what it’s called, though, it can be extremely frustrating for the mother-baby dyad who are trying to successfully combine breastfeeding and bottle-feeding (of her expressed breastmilk or artificial baby milk).
It sounds like the pedi is saying that you are giving your son so much formula that most of his nutrition is coming from the formula.
I can’t imagine that any pedi would say that breastmilk has no nutritional value. That is just ridiculous.
It is normal for newborns to lose a little bit of weight before the milk supply is established. You will not get a good milk supply if you continue to supplement as much as you are.
The majority of babies lose weight after birth. Depending on what type of birth you had the baby’s weight at birth is inflated due to fluids from the amniotic sac. Some babies gobble it up on the way out! Your pediatrician has no idea what he/she is talking about. The human species as a whole would not have thrived if breast milk was not nutritious. I recommend you get him back to the breast and stop supplementing as soon as possible. Supplementing is a quick route to early weaning and low supply.
HOPEFULLY he meant that since you’re giving so much formula, it’s likely your son isn’t getting the bulk of his nutrition from you. Some doctors actually do claim breast milk can not be nutritious, which is total crap.
I do have to warn you if you want to keep nursing, cut down that formula supplementation bit by bit until you’re all breast. It’s what he needs.
I had this same problem BUT I exclusively breastfed for a little over a month before I began supplementing. It’s possible that you don’t have enough milk in which case you should stimulate your supply. Three or four oz. seems like a lot for a three week old baby. When my daughter started she drank 1-2 oz. after breastfeeding. My pediatrician said to feed her an oz. Every baby is different though. My daughter drinks 3 oz. after breast feeding.
I don’t think that’s what hes saying. Sounds more like your baby isn’t getting any breast milk therefore is eating so much formula.
You more than likely have an improper latch and should talk to an LC because you’re jeopardizing your supply and putting your son at risk for nipple confusion.
Get a second opinion. Your ped is full of crap, like the first post said millions of babies would die if breast milk has no nutritional value. It’s by far the better thing to feed a baby. That’s why we lactate after birth. Stop supplementing and just nurse. Babies loose weight while their bodies adjust to the outside world.
Losing a whole pound is a sign of not enough calories, not quality. Sometimes the milk is not enough. I would not totally cut out your won milk!! Feed formula and supplement with your own milk. In time you should produce enough milk to rely more on yours.
If there was no nutritional value there would be millions of kids who died because the mothers breast feed..I think you may have misunderstood your doctor.
It may not be that he’s not getting nutrition from you but more along the lines of he’s not getting an adequate supply from you. Breastfeeding is a supply and demand situation and if you aren’t offering or baby isn’t nursing then your body isn’t going to produce and thus when the baby does nurse he/she won’t be receiving as much. It IS normal for babies to lose a bit of weight after birth but as long as he is gaining 1/2 oz to an ounce a day then you’re doing ok (as I was told by my daughter’s pediatrician). My daughter took about a month to regain her birth wt after spending some time in the hospital before coming home and having lost over a pound. However, she managed to have a steady weight gain and that was all her doctor seemed concerned about. Just remember no matter how much breastmilk your child gets from you that some is better than none and ANY amount is good for your baby. Breastmilk is tailored to your baby, for your baby! Do a search on google or check out the la leche league and you’ll find a wealth of information on breastmilk. When in doubt………check it out!
If your milk isn’t providing your baby with enough nutrition, then putting him on formula is the right thing to do.
It must be possible for your milk to not be full of vitamins & iron, or your pediatrician wouldn’t have told you that.
Congratulations on the birth of a healthy baby boy!! He’s already eating you out of house & home, as all boys are wont to do!!
TX Mom