Sometimes, a breastfed baby will gain weight more slowly than he or she should. 这可能是因为母亲没有产生足够的乳汁, 婴儿不能从乳房里吸到足够的奶, 或者孩子有健康问题. Your baby's healthcare provider should evaluate any instance of poor weight gain. 通常，有认证的哺乳顾问可以提供帮助. Below are some general tips for addressing poor weight gain in a breastfed baby.

检查日程安排 

• Watch for signs from your baby that he or she wants to feed. Your baby should wake and "cue" to breastfeed about 8 to 12 times in 24 hours by rooting, 做舔或吸吮的动作, bobbing his or her head or bringing his or her hand to the face or mouth. It is important for you to recognize these feeding cues and put your baby to your breast when he or she cues. 不要等着你的孩子哭. 哭闹是喂食晚了的信号. Usually a baby latches and breastfeeds better if he or she does not have to wait until he or she is crying, 沮丧, 或者太累了不想吃东西. Putting a baby off to try to get the baby to go longer between feedings and frequently offering a pacifier instead of the breast when a baby demonstrates feeding cues are often linked to poor weight gain.

• Many mothers find milk production increases and babies' weight gains improve if they and their babies let chores and activities go for 2 or 3 days, 所以他们可以母乳喂养, 或多或少, 昼夜不停. 当婴儿没有母乳喂养时, 母亲把他或她的皮肤贴在胸前, which often helps her become more sensitive to the baby's feeding cues.

• If your baby is a "sleepy" baby who does not cue to feed at least 8 times in 24 hours, you will have to wake the baby to feed frequently--about every 2 hours during the daytime and evening hours and at least every 3 to 4 hours at night until weight gain improves.

• 当你的宝宝吃奶时，把它写下来会有帮助, 在哪一边?, 整整24小时要待多久, 如果不是更长. Take this record to your healthcare provider or lactation consultant to help find and fix the problem. 

锁存与定位

• 确保你的宝宝在母乳喂养期间主要是裸露的. A baby that is bundled papoose-style may get much too warm and comfy, and he or she is more likely to doze off too quickly during feedings. If there is a chill in the air, drape a sheet or light blanket over you and the baby, as needed.

• If your baby falls asleep within minutes of latching on, massage your breast as he or she nurses. 这可以使乳汁爆发，并重新触发吸吮. You can do this by stroking downward and inward on the breast.

• 确保你的宝宝正确地抓住东西. 门闩应该让你感到舒服. Your baby's lips should be flanged outward like "fish lips.“舌头应该在乳房下面. A large amount of your breast tissue should be in the baby's mouth. 

• 一般来说，避免“切换护理”." That is, breastfeeding at one breast for a few minutes, then the other, and then back again. This may interfere with your baby getting enough of the calorie-rich hindmilk, which your baby gets more of as a feeding continues on one breast. 然而, the "switch" strategy sometimes stimulates the "sleepy" baby so he or she wakes up and starts sucking again.

如果您的医疗保健提供者建议补充

• Use your own expressed milk first for any alternative feedings.

• Use an alternative feeding method if it is recommended by your healthcare provider or a certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). 有许多可供选择的喂养方式, so let them know if a recommendation does not "feel right" for you. 可供选择的喂养方法包括:

  • 杯子喂食

  • A tube system with a special feeding tube taped to the breast or a finger (Supplemental Nursing System, 或SNS)

  • 注射器喂

  • 一个吸管

  • 喂喂

  • 奶瓶喂养

• 有几种方法需要专业人员的帮助, such as a certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) so you can use them correctly. Depending on your baby and the cause of the problem, some methods may work better than others. Also, discuss bottle nipple type with the IBCLC if you bottle-feed any supplement. Some types of bottle nipples are less likely to interfere with breastfeeding than others.

维持或增加你的奶量

• Pump your breasts after as many daily breastfeedings as possible, especially if you are uncertain whether your baby is effectively removing milk during breastfeeding. Many women find that trying for 8 times per day is manageable and helpful for their milk supply. 

• Pumping will remove milk effectively, so your breasts will know to make more milk. 泵送也会为饲料快递补充奶. Milk can be removed from the breast by manual hand expression, 手动泵, 一个电池驱动的泵, 或者电动吸奶器. 如果频繁和长时间泵送, 一个hospital-grade, 电动泵可以很有帮助. 

检查婴儿体重

• Your baby should be weighed on a frequent and regular basis until he or she is gaining weight at a satisfactory rate. Digital scales are available that allow a healthcare provider or a certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) to get precise pre- and post-feeding weights to measure how much milk a baby takes in during a particular breastfeeding. 虽然这是有帮助的, babies take in different amounts at different feedings throughout a 24-hour period. 因此, a professional may recommend that parents rent this type of scale so a baby can be weighed before and after different feedings. They also may suggest recording only a daily or weekly weight, depending on the situation.

打电话给宝宝的医疗保健提供者

If your baby ever shows signs of dehydration, call your baby's healthcare provider right away. 婴儿脱水的一些迹象包括:

• 大便和湿尿布比平时少

• 干燥的嘴唇

• 囟门凹陷(软点)

• 黑眼圈

• 看起来比平时更累

如果母乳喂养管理得当, 然而，婴儿仍然没有增加足够的体重, it is likely that some other factor is affecting milk production or the baby's ability to breastfeed effectively. Always consult your own, and your baby's healthcare provider.