We all know that labor is a test not only for the mother, but first of all for the very child who is stressed when moving from one environment of life - water (in the womb of the mother it was good, there was maintained a constant body temperature, it was well supplied intake of nutrients and vitamins, the baby was protected from mechanical damage, etc.) to another - air (where, when it appears, it experiences a rather sharp temperature drop (it is like stripping and pouring ice water on an adult), where the first one crumbs causes severe pain), and with all this baby has to cope independently. For crumbs, this is a huge stress, and that is why, for the first time after birth, it loses up to 10% of its weight, this is the so-called physiological weight loss. Mainly, it arises from the loss of fluid during breathing and sweating, due to starvation and the release of meconium - as it is also called, the original feces. The factors that are involved in this physiological weight loss are not yet fully understood. And if we begin to feed the child intensively in the first days, then the body weight loss will all be the same.
The maximum weight loss in a newborn is observed on the second fourth day after birth, and is restored, as a rule, by 8-10 days. And only after the first, one of the most difficult, weeks the child begins to grow actively. Normally, the daily increment of a full-term baby is about 25-30 grams, and the monthly (up to 3 months) is 470-680 grams. It should be noted that the increase in weight is not only an indicator of the full nutrition of the child, but in addition, it is also a general indicator of his health, both physical and mental. So why does the baby not gain weight? The reasons can be several:
- Malnutrition, it is relevant in the first month of life of the child, until lactation is established. How to determine if your milk is missing enough or not! Pediatricians recommend conducting a so-called wet diaper test, since the amount of milk drunk is proportional to the number of wet diapers (so if your baby is applied to the breast more than 12 times a day and, accordingly, moistures at least 9 diapers a day, then milk is enough).
- Lack of nutrients in milk. Distinguish the "front" milk (it is liquid, and low in nutrition, accumulates in the chest between the feedings) and "back" milk (it is thicker, fat and full of everything necessary for the baby, it is produced during the period of sucking). More valuable is the "back" milk, the longer it lasts, therefore, doctors recommend feeding the baby on demand and increasing the time of sucking up to 30 minutes or more.
- Incorrect attachment to the breast and feeding. The child should be applied to the breast at least 12 times a day, not excluding night feeding. It is worth noting that if the child is on natural feeding, it does not need to be doped, water, compote, or tea. In fact if during the day the kid drinks 100 ml. water, it will drink exactly the same amount of milk. Without proper application to the breast, stimulation of the production of breast milk will not occur, so the baby will remain hungry. If a baby feeds on demand, then the woman quickly and easily regains lactation and milk is formed without excess or lack as much as your crumb needs.
- Errors in care, also cause a lack of weight gain. So massage does not only have a positive effect - relaxation and strengthening of the muscles, but it also stresses the crumbs, because basically it is a rather painful procedure, and if it is also made by a "stranger", while the baby wants to sleep or there is, and my mother is busy with other things, all this affects the baby in the form of weight loss. In addition, some mothers, on the advice of other enterprising mothers, are trying, from almost the first days, to temper the child and teach him to sport what is not right.
- Dysbacteriosis. As is known, the child is born with a sterile environment in the intestine and if only the nipple of the mother gets into his mouth first, then the intestinal environment is quickly populated with a normal microflora, but if the baby is fed from birth, the intestinal microflora is disturbed, in the mass.
- Disease and treatment of a child. So, as a rule, if a child is sick, he not only does not gain weight, but on the contrary, he can even reduce it. Even adults with illness lose appetite and lose weight. With drug treatment, the situation becomes more complicated.
- Mental state of the child. Not the least role is played by the mental state of your baby, how he sleeps at night, what time of continuous sleep, frequency of spillings, as well as his daily activity and intensity of breast sucking or bottles.
If you can not determine the reason why an infant does not gain a lot of weight, it is better to consult a specialist and, upon his recommendation, start introducing complementary foods, or undergo a course of treatment. Although if your baby is active and feels good, then you should not be banging the bell!