In learning about the effects of birth choices on later breastfeeding, I
was surprised to learn how larger amounts of IV fluids given to mothers
can cause edema in her- and in her baby. Baby is born water logged.
These will be the larger babies and will tend to lose more than the 10%
despite good breastfeeding!
Think of what percentage of your mothers are delivered c-section or
epidural with pitocin via drip. This is a great number of the mothers
we are seeing (who had IV fluids for one reason or another and many of
them for a long time in labor).
Explains some of the weight losses seen, especially in the larger birth
weight babies.
Teriann Shell
Big Lake Alaska