Dear Friends:
    I called the mother this morning, who told me that the baby had gained 3
ounces. 3 ounces in one week. Not good. We discussed using a supplemental
nursing system....she said it sounded too complicated. She told me the
pediatrician said that the weight gain was low, but alright. Baby still has
not pooped. She said baby is refusing bottles so she can't supplement much.
Her plan was only to nurse as much as the baby wanted. I expressed my concern
over a baby who has gained less than 1/2 ounce per day this past week, who is
nursing "all the time", never satisfied and not stooling or passing flatus.
She said the doctor wasn't worried.
    So I called the doctor.
    Lo and behold....the mother who told me that she had been bf every two
hours and once at night since birth, told the doctor that she had been
bottle-feeding since birth. In fact, this baby is listed as a bottle fed baby
on the chart! Mystery solved....there never was milk.
    Mother also told the doctor yesterday that the baby had had 3 poops and 7
wets yesterday. She told me the baby had not stooled or passed gas fo 4 days.
    I had problems with the doctor who kept insisting that the reason the
mother didn't have any milk was because the baby was nursing all the time and
her breasts never had a chance to "fill up." I offered some research, and
said the evidence didn't support that concept. The doctor replied, "In my
experience of thousands of babies....." so I let it go and focused on my
alarm and concern about a mother who is not telling the truth and a baby that
is not gaining enough. The doctor said she would bring the baby in tomorrow
for a weight check, and recommend supplementation. I charted all this in my
notes!
    Now, what about a woman who pays me for a consult, rents a pump, buys a
nipple shield......and doesn't tell me the truth from the very beginning? She
isn't telling her doctor the truth either.
    At least the baby gained some weight....
    Warmly,
Nikki Lee RN, MSN, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CIMI
craniosacral therapy practitioner; childbirth educator
Elkins Park (a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; northeastern USA)
supporter of the WHO Code and the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative

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