Hello. Thanks for posting on HCM. A normal baby loses weight for initial 7 - 10 days and then starts gaining weight to regain
birth weight by D10 -D14. A premature baby might take longer time to regain birth weight. So at the outset, i would say that if the baby is gaining weight daily by about 20-30 gms and all other activities are normal, there might not be actually anything to worry about. Just, continue the supplements(MCT, hovite 3 drops, calcimax P) and feeds.
However, if the baby is not gaining weight as mentioned above, then the baby needs to be investigated. Overall, the common causes of not gaining weight are infections and cardiorespiratory diseases. So, we would approach with the following steps :
a). Monitor daily weight (without clothes) on a digital weigh scale to record daily weight gain/ loss. Also you can test the baby weight before and after taking breast feeds to assess the adequacy of the feeds (weight gain upto 25-30 gms is good enough).
b). Get a complete work up for infection, espp blood cultures, urine Routine examination, urine culture and urine for fungal hyphae. Get
Liver and renal functions tested.
c). Complete cardiorespiratory evaluation (important if the baby gets tired while taking feeds and there is sweating while feeding).
d). Continue feeds, MCT, Hovite 3, calcimax P.
I hope to hear from you soon. Best of health.