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We're having trouble getting BabyDot to gain weight. We think we know the reasons behind it, but we're still worried.
BabyDot weighed in at 14 lbs. 5 oz. for her nine-month wellness visit and shots. While she had been at the small end of the charts up until then, she had still weighed in along the expected levels. With this past visit, however, she's fallen off the chart and the pediatrician used the words that scared me quite a bit, "failure to thrive."
We're going to see a nutritionist after the holidays and are currently keeping a diary of everything she eats and how many ounces of breastmilk and juice she consumes. Right now, we're really trying our best to put as much food and milk into her as we can, but she just doesn't seem very interested in eating.
We try to supplement everything she eats, however, mixing in cereal with her baby food, giving her small bits of table food, doing whatever we can. But we're scared that we aren't seeing results for her.
She's a happy baby, very vocal and attentive. She bounces around like a lil madwoman in her jumperoo and is making the first efforts to crawl and stand. She's got good coordination and a growing vocabulary (she actually waved and said "Hi Daddeee!" when I walked in the door Sunday ... made my heart flutter, it did).
BabyDot, however, was born with small nasal passages. On the scale of difficulties infants can be saddled with, this wasn't a really big one, and we know we've been blessed. But it did prevent her from being fed at the breast (my poor wife has had to express milk throughout the last nine months).
Now, since BabyDot has been in daycare, she's constantly had a cold. Combine that with the small nasal passages and I can imagine why she often pushes away the bottle before it is finished. We use cold/cough liquids for her, with physician guidance, but she's also bad for constipation. I feel the constipation is from the lack of liquids, the production of mucus and also a side effect of the drying qualities of the cold medicines.
Ack, what are we to do? We are giving her vitamin drops daily to help, have introduced pedialyte and juices to encourage her to drink.
posted
That, and Ketchup Princess had enough trouble gaining weight that I ended up having to supplement with formula for a few months when she dropped from the 50th to the 25th percentile in weight (she was always at the 75th in height.) Of course, she wouldn't drink formula-- didn't like it. This was my solution-- and it worked wonders. We ended up being able to drop it at 14 months, when she decided that she liked yogurt enough to have it every day (although she wouldn't drink milk.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Please don't worry. My son who is five years old now is still "off the charts" and my doctor never said anything like that to worry. He weighs about 35 pounds and is the smallest in his kindergarten class. He is very smart as well.
He is so skinny and always has been. He is just more interested in everything but eating. Now my husband and I both have relatives that are small even if we aren't, so maybe it has a genetic factor.
I hope your baby does great!
Posts: 29 | Registered: Jan 2005
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(You can also use frozen bananas for part of the bananas. I always mashed them up in the Kitchen Aid when they were really ripe, froze them in ice cube trays, and then kept them in a bag for later mixing with foods I wanted her to eat. I'll bet it would work with other fruits instead, as long as they are soft, strong-flavored, and easy to digest. And non-allergenic, of course.)
As for the nasal passages, you use a humidifier, right? And do you use saline nasal spray as needed? If you clean out the passages before feeding already, you might try a different position. I know when Ems had a cold, she would nurse "kneeling" on my lap, head upright. Perhaps finding a position to eat in that's easier to breathe in will help.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Sopwith, I have no experience or advice to offer, but can I just say "What a cutie!" Those photos are precious, and she sure does look like a happy, healthy little girl!! I'd be scared by the doctor's words as well, but her photos sure seem to show a thriving child.
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Yeah, I gotta say, she looks chubbier than Ems did at that age. She honestly looked almost emaciated last Christmas. Your little one isn't there yet, I wouldn't worry too much. (((hugs)))
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Thanks for the advice and I may be worrying a bit too much (yanno how it is -- when it's your first kid it's always a big deal, no matter how little of a deal it really is).
KQ, I'm going to give that recipe a try. Of course, when I was a kid, my Granddad always told me that Blackstrap molasses would put hair on my chest if I ate it. Hope he was just pulling my leg or my lil girl is going to have some issues...
(P.S. I kinda like the pumpkin hat and sweater her Mama made for her better.. but the watermelon is cute!)
Besides, if I'm anything to judge her future by, the last thing Babydot will need to worry about is being underweight. Posts: 2848 | Registered: Feb 2003
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You know, some kids just don't like bottles. She's old enough to be using a sippy cup, she might like that better. (That just hit me-- Ems rejected a bottle at 2 1/2 months, luckily by 4 she would drink from a sippy cup. At that age, she wanted to hold her own spoon, because it's what big people did.)
And I know how it is to worry more than is normal with your first. This second pregnancy has been, for the most part, a lot easier, and I think that a lot of it is that I know more what to expect this time around. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I don't think she looks underweight. If you're skinny she's bound to be too. If she sleeps well, is on track developmentally, and has no gastric issues, I'd not worry.
FWIW, my 6 year old has never been on the charts.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Just a small suggestion my doctor and my home nurse have given independantly of each other:
No juice until 2 years of age. They said that babies tend to fill up on the juice and not want to drink the calorie and nutrient packed formula or breast milk. Maybe just something to bring up with your doc next time, and see what they think for her? May or may not make a difference with yours.
Also, you may be able to rent a scale for an afforable price, so you can verify every so often that she's making progress.
But aside from that, she looks just about like my little baby cousin who about the same age and weight. (Babydot's way cute by the way! I love the watermelon!) I wouldn't worry too much, personally. Emily is just petite and it looks like Babydot is just that way too. Just keep in close contact with your doctor to make sure she's healthy. Good luck!
Posts: 161 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Sopwith, Have your daughter checked for gluten intolerance (Celiac Sprue). All of her symptoms could be explained by this: her lack of interest in food, her constipation and the fact that her weight dropped off the bottom of the chart at a time when she has started eating more solid foods. Until the past few years, the US medical establishment was maintaining that this disease was quite rare (1/3000) so few doctors checked for the disease. It is now established that approximately 1/250 have this condition. If your doctor hasn't kept on top of this area, he/she might not think to test for it.
If your daughter's problems are caused by gluten intolerance -- it is very important for you to find out. If she has this disease, eating even small amounts of wheat, rye, barley and other related grains will trigger an autoimmune system response that damages the walls of the small intestine preventing her from adsorbing nutrients. Wheat (gluten) is everywhere in american processed foods so it is almost impossible to eliminate with out a major effort.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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