OPINIONS -Serious?? Baby Dropping 10Oz. from 1 Week to 3.-Sorry It's Long

Just a few points:

1) Some people, nurses, doulas, women with experience with many children over many years, may be better and more reliable resources than women who have had a baby who lost some weight in the first weeks of life.

2) Since they are living w/grandma, and grandma knows that mom is a heavy sleeper, I wonder if grandma hears baby if she wakes during the night. Something to ask grandma about next time you visit.

3) Your comment about the mom kind of ducking your questions,
or changing her answers as it suits her, suggests that she may be embarrassed or uncomfortable and/or feel you are judging her.
Maybe she doesn't want to answer to you,
even if you're one of her best friends.

4) If mom has a seizure disorder, I wonder if she's taking medicine
to help with that seizure disorder. And, if so, if baby is getting
this medicine in mom's milk. And thus, perhaps, sleeping longer
than she might otherwise be doing.

My older one was 8.12 at birth and came home at 7.15...I think this is fairly common.

My daughter was born 8 weeks ago. The hospital pediatrician told us not to let her sleep longer than 3 hours because "otherwise she won't gain weight". The baby has to be awake in order to eat regularly...

If the baby is losing weight and sleeping too much, then it's weight loss may probably be due to not getting enough nutrition and hydration. It is risky because the baby is so vulnerable at this age and particularly needs the fluids/food in order to gets iit's kidneys working right.

Sounds like the parents are overwhelmed. Perhaps you, grandma and other relatives can help out with the baby until it exceeds it's birth weight-?

I don't think it's a big deal at all. My kids were 10.12 and 11 punds at birth and dropped a pound and then gained again. as long as they are doing what they are supposed to and the baby is eating and functioning normally, they should be fine. Oh, and NEVER wake a sleeping baby to feed it! From birth my kids slept 12 hours straight. I think you worry to easily. Rest in the fact that it's not your child and the parents are capable of taking care of it. Good luck!

I wouldn't be worried about it. My son was 6 pounds 6 ounces at birth and dropped to 5 pounds 13 ounces before coming home 2 days later. After 2 weeks later, he was still at the same weight. He had not even gained an ounce. I was also working with a lactation consultant that would come to my home. I eventually had to give him formula because I wasn't making enough milk and he wouldn't gain any weight, and I had dried up completly in 5 weeks (even though I was breasfeeding every 2 hours during the day, and once at night. And I was pumping between feedings during the day, so something was going on every hour). But, it is her baby. As long as she is feeding the baby, and the baby is happy and healthy and is growing (even if it's a little bit), then it's fine. Let the dr. talk to her when she takes the baby to the check up IF there is any reason for the dr. to talk to her. Also just because she is 21 doesn't mean she isn't old enough or able to take care of a baby. I was 21 when I got married and 24 when I had my first baby. Just relax and stop telling her how to raise her baby or else she will just get stressed because you won't leave her alone. Just enjoy the baby!

The first month babies weights fluctuate a GREAT deal. If you weighed her 5 times a day... each time would be different. Often by more than half a pound to a pound. (Depending on when they last ate, peed, & pooped). My own son was an "off the scale" eater (avg of 20oz per feeding every 2 hours... so he'd actually have a 2lb+ variance during different times of the day). But it's a big part of why babies aren't usually weighed every day unless they're deathly ill. By being weighed at the set appointments it's more possible to see the actual progression. Also, babies DO actually cycle with weight loss when they start getting more active: typically at a couple weeks (when they start doing a lot of large motor arm and leg waving), a couple months (rolling over), crawling, & walking.

Most babies will also eat whenever food is offered them... but they won't eat nearly as much as they will otherwise. An ounce or two instead of the more normal 4-8oz. If mom is nursing, baby may very well be snarfing quite a LOT (hence the longer sleep times). But the only way to tell is via the super spiffy baby scale that lactation consultants and the NICU use (the kind that measure out to hundredths of grams and are sized for large loads and calibrated to average out the wiggles which can increase or decrease weight depending on the type of motion).

If the baby is in every other way thriving (alert, hydrated, good color, active, etc.) I personally wouldn't be worried.

COULD there be something wrong? Sure. But simply losing some weight (if that's all there is), wouldn't worry me. Lethargy (not doing the arm and leg waving, but being ragdoll limp), glassy eyes, not being alert, bad color, dehydration (few to no wet diapers)... those would be far more "Yikes" to me since she's already started to show a pattern of lose, gain substantially... I would bet that pattern will continue (it's a pretty common one... lose gain substantially, lose, gain substantially). If she'd never gained at all I'd be very concerned.

My personal "when in doubt" however, is to go to the ped.

YES! The seizure problem may cause the mother to sleep so sound she does not hear the child! You didn't say much about her seizures, but my dau had/has them - and you could light t-n-t around her and she would not wake up!

Do you know if the baby cries wanting to be fed?

Well I have had 5 children of my own and the first four grew like weeds. Just recently 2 months ago I had a lil girl. I exclussively bf, she weighted 8lbs 6oz at birth when we left the hospital she was 7lbs 14oz, a week later 8lbs. At her first visit at 2 months she only weight 8lbs 9oz, the doc was very concerned. He wanted me to supplement formula and bf at each feeding. The doc claimed that the baby wasnt getting enough fat calories. And we go back this week for a check up. The doc anticipates the baby to gain at least 1lbs. So it may just be normal or it may be a lack of fat calories as is in my case.