Expert: Nafeesah - 9/2/2009

Question
I am a concerned about my sister-in-law who just gave birth to a baby girl.  She suffered from anorexia as a teenager and gained no more than 12 pounds during the pregnancy.  I know she is still suffering.  She is attempting to breast feed but the baby has lost 8% of her weight since birth in only the first 5 days.  As a mother of 3 who breastfed I know she is eating enough to sustain a good milk production.  How can I help her?

Answer
She may not be eating enough because it's normal for weight to come off after breastfeeding, but if the baby is losing weight that's serious she may have to go on formula because her mother's milk is not putting weight on her and infants need nutrients during this critical period of development and she may need to talk to a doctor about this because her daughter may have to take formula because anorexia can screw up body chemistry and cause all kinds of long term issues. Talk to an endocrinologist to find out what's going on with her hormone levels to see if this is what is affecting her milk production.