Ann
You ask <<My question is how much could a newborn loss in the first 24 hours 
of  life?
Since they are not looking for much intake at that time (average  intake of
newborn in first 24 hours is 30 ml), they are taking very little in  
calories.
Lately I have had some issues with babies being weighed incorrectly and
marking down weight losses of anywhere from 10-17% in the first 24 hours of 
life
(or even less than 24 hours old).  >>

I go by these guidelines: well, term newborns lose about 5-6% and regain 
this loss once mom's milk comes in, so they are gaining by around day 3 or 
4, provided they are truly being bf and in almost continuous contact with 
mother (i.e. frequently and with milk transfer and STS).  I consider 7-8% wt 
loss to be cause for concern and I consider 10% to be serious. Taking 2 wks 
to regain b. weight is abnormal, IMO. Therefore, after the first 24 hrs, a 
well term baby might lose around 2-3%. If the child has been NPO, briefly on 
oxygen, delayed initiation, separation, etc. or if the child is preterm (36 
wks is preterm!) then this is not a normal term newborn situation and you 
will have aberrations. I have also seen quite a few weights written down 
incorrectly and also seen large wt gains which were also errors. A well, 
term newborn losing 10-17% in 24 hrs or less is something I don't think I've 
ever seen in 20-something years.

I believe there is a citation for the 5-6% wt loss, I've seen Barbara 
Wilson-Clay mention this and so this might be in her BF ATlas book, which I 
don't have here at home, or it may be in a JHL article.


Laurie Wheeler, IBCLC, MN, RN
s.e. USA

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