> Subject: Weight loss in newborns
> Date: Fri, 14 Nov 1997 21:08:12 -0500
> From: A and R Bacon <[log in to unmask]>
>
> I remember hearing Michel Odent speaking about this.
> He said that his homebirthed, unmedicated babes
> seldom if ever lost weight after birth. Don't remember if
> he ever published on this topic but maybe some of the
> midwives on Lactnet would know.

Here in the Netherlands 30-40 % of the deliveries is at home. We do not use
painkillers routineously. Most deliveries -the hospital deliveries too- are
without any medication. We also have a c-section are of 8% (what is still
considered too high by some professionals).

Still, it is considered normal that babies loose weigth during the first
days. Partly this is due to strict bf managment in the hospitals and at home
(everyone gets a nurse at home 8 days after delivery): schedules and time
restriction are encouraged :(

But still a certain weigth loss seems to be 'normal'. The Dutch bf
organization does consider so.

I had three homebirths. The first and the second on a birth chair, during
the third I was lying in bed. My first son had problems with latching on and
lost some weigth. At day 10 he had gained 125 above birth weigth. (he was
4490 grammes at birth). My second son immediately latched on rigth and
didn't loose any weigth (I think, we didn't measured it). My third son had
the same prblem as my first: problems with latching on. He came out while he
was sucking on his underlip, and that habit kept being a problem during the
first days. This added with my sore nipples (partly due to thrush) that
caused problems with let down reflex, made him losing weigth. At day 2 and 3
he was very hungry. At day 4 he had lost 10% of his birth weigth (4190
grammes). From day 4 things were improving, and at day 8 he was over his
birth weigth. I nursed on demand (I actually had him latched on almost all
day,  to dismay of the nurse).

I think that even under 'perfect' delivery circumstances, babies do lost
weigth sometimes. Even then some babies have latch on problems, and do some
mothers need to learn about positioning, etc.

--
Annelies Bon               http://www.flnet.nl/~0bon01/bfbronnen.html
mother of Dirk 6yo, Tom 5yo, Pieter 20mo
mailto:[log in to unmask]
bf counsellor in training of the Dutch bf org "Borstvoeding Natuurlijk"