Brief Answer:
Production of breast milk is based on the hunger of the baby

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.

I have gone through the report and it does not seem concerning to me. I understand that you feel that your breast milk is less but still I would discourage formula feeds. Let me emphasize on the fact that breast milk is the best possible milk for a baby and there can be no alternatives for the same. Most formula milks are cow milk based and hence difficult to digest. Moreover they make the child more prone to complications and infections. Mother's breast milk is produced on the demand of the baby. Hungrier the baby, more vigorous is the suck. More is the suck, more is the amount of breast milk produced. Giving formula automatically reduces the demand of the baby and thereby the production of breast milk. All you need to do is to switch back to exclusive breast feeding and the production will increase automatically. All you need to do is to monitor the urine output. If the frequency is more than 6 times in 24 hours, you would know that the amount of feeding is adequate. If the amount of passage of urine is less or if the child is lethargic you would need to take the child to a doctor without delay.

Feel free to write back in case of further queries.

Regards

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Brief Answer:
It is normal. Nothing needs to be done about it.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for writing back.

For a baby of this age, it is normal to pass stool several times a day or even after each feed. Alternatively the child may pass stool once in 10 days and that is normal too. Unless the stool is hard and pellet like, you need not grow concerned. It is also normal to pass green stool or a combination of yellow stool. The green colour occurs due to rapid transit through large intestine where the bile pigments do not get adequate time to convert to the yellow colour of stool. It is normal and not a cause for concern.

The weight does not matter and there is nothing called standard weight. What matters is the plot made on a growth chart by mapping the weights taken at monthly or three monthly intervals. Unless it cuts percentile lines there is nothing to worry. The mentioned weight gain is not bad and the birth weight is expected to double by 5 months of age.

Pee would be pee and it would be smelly. Decreasing the gap between breast feeding will increase his fluid intake and would help in diluting the urine. This will reduce the odor.

It is hard for a baby to digest formula feeds which are essentially cow milk based. This leaves undigested food material in the intestines. This is degraded by intestinal bacteria to produce the acids which change the stool pH. Switching back to exclusive breast feeding should suffice and you would need not bother about the stool pH.

Feel free to write back in case of further queries.

Regards

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Brief Answer:
Questions answered one by one.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for writing back. I am aware of what standard weights are. But that should not concern you. Whatever percentile of weight your child is in, if he stays in the percentile range and his growth follows the tracing line of the percentiles, there is nothing to be concerned about. It is only in case of drop of percentiles that you need to get concerned.

Formula feeds may give a rapid weight gain but it does more harm than good.

You have been misinformed about babies passing stool everyday. They can but they need not. Passing stool once in 4 days is absolutely acceptable. It does not indicate low milk supply. The urine frequency would be your guide to whether the milk supply is adequate. If it is more than 6-8 times in 24 hours it indicates that milk is adequate.

It is not advisable to feed the baby every hour. By doing that you would rather cause harm. The consistency of breast milk is not uniform throughout. The foremilk (thinner) differs from hindmilk (contains more fat and nutrients). By increasing the frequency you are simply decreasing the amount of calorie dense hind milk and giving more of foremilk.

Regards

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