kittens not gaining weight

Question
Hi Marie..

My kittens are now 9 days old, but it seems that they are not gainig weight since 3 days ago.. whenever the queen starts to nurse them, the 2 babies seem to fight over one particular nipple!! I'm not sure why but it would take them a while until they take position to nurse.. they would just fight over one nipple and the winner nurses for like 5 mins until the other takes over for another five mins. Is that normal? The mother seems confused when she nurses them and would look at me and meow as if she is trying to say something..
One of them is around 6.5 ounces and the other is 7.7 ounces which has been steady for 3 days now without any gain or loss.
I started tube feeding them kitty glop today but I'm not sure how much to give since they are also nursing from their mother.
What do you think about this? Is the mother lacking milk? if so, how can I help stimulate milk production?
any advice would help

Thanks

Answer
Hi Moe, You can apply warm compresses ( warm moist wash cloths) to moms nipples.  I bet she is ok and the kittens are just being little devils!  Yes, I would supplement them every 3 hours with the glop mixture.  Don't worry, sounds like you are doing a good job!

BEST wishes

Marie Peppers LPN MA