Yesterday he weighed in at 15lbs 11oz. This is off the charts below the 5th%ile. His growth curve has really leveled off instead of curving up. He had gained about 1&1/4lbs since his last check-up. So, it was good that he had gained, but it was not as much as he should have. When I got home, I found a paper I got from his pulmonologist appointment 2 months ago. His weight at that appointment was 15lbs 4oz. I realize that this was a different scale, but it concerns me even a little more because that means in the last 2 months, he barely gained anything. He's going back to the pulmonologist in a couple weeks, so I will compare his weight there again.
His length measured in at 28 and something inches. He is following his 50%ile growth curve perfectly in length and head circumference is also growing as it should around the 50%ile.
We have pretty much exhausted all possibilities of chronic diseases that might cause this failure of growth. His heart is fine. His lungs are healthy. He eats and poops plenty. One thing it MIGHT be is his reflux. He still throws up occasionally. (Last night he threw up a TON). My instincts say that it's a combination of genetics and reflux. My family is genetically skinny. Both my dad and brother are extremely skinny.
The doctor suggests that we go talk to a dietitian. Ha. I say, 'I am a dietitian. BUT, I would be willing to go talk with another dietitian to see if we can come up with some more ideas concerning his diet and weight gain.' More to come on how this consultation goes. It's a little embarrassing that I have to go talk with a dietitian. I am supposed to be the expert in this area, but I realize that I don't know everything about baby weight gain and it might be beneficial to talk to another expert.
I am considering formula feeding. He has started taking a bottle this week, so this is now an option. I just get really sad to think that it might be my milk causing him to not gain enough weight. From the medical stand-point, all breast milk should have the same amount of calories as formula, so as long as I'm producing enough milk, he should be fine. However, I keep thinking in the back of my head, maybe my milk is different. Maybe my milk isn't giving him the nutrients that he needs.
-Emily
8 comments:
Awww, Sammy is wonderful and there is nothing wrong with your milk or what you're doing. I found the following 'answer' to the same question on a Yahoo site. I liked what the commenter had to say. Personally, I would encourage some higher fat finger foods like cheese cubes and perhaps home made healthful (oatmeal and crunched nuts, etc.) cookies that he can chew on. Supplementing with formula is a good idea too. I love you and you're doing great. Sam is adorable! I want to scoop him up right now!!!
Here's the comment that's not mine.
You could try very very soft finger foods such as steamed carrots, baked sweet potato wedges, baked or grilled chicken breast cut into bite size pieces, soft cooked green beans, cheese cubes, etc. Many babies that are your baby's age are learning how to do things themselves and do not want to be fed from a spoon because they want to "do it themselves". I would also question whether or not he really truly needs to gain weight. So many parents these days think that big babies are healthy babies and think that their baby needs to be in the 95th percentile on the growth charts. Big babies can be healthy, but so can small babies. Just like some adults are short and some are tall, some babies are just going to be naturally larger than other babies. A lot has to do with genetics. Never force your baby to eat when he is not hungry. He will let you know when he is hungry and when he has had enough. So many parents overfeed their babies because they want them to be "big and healthy". This can lead to obesity later in life. Just continue to feed your baby 24 to 30 ounces of formula a day along with healthy foods and he will grow as he should and be fine. My daughter is 6 1/2 months old and only 12 lbs 8 oz. Her pediatrician says she is very healthy and growing just fine. She has never been sick. She is just going to be petite!
What was I thinking... CRUNCHED nuts? I meant finely chopped I think. ha!
I just posted a comment??? where did it go.
Anyway I was just saying that Sam is a small dude, but we are going to do everything possible to see if he can gain some more weigh.
Does he like peanut butter? That's a good one too. :) Sheesh, I can teach him what to eat to gain weight, no problem! haha
Go figure, it's me again...but I have to say Sam is definitely happy. He is truly the HAPPIEST baby I've ever seen. Seriously. The happiest.
Emma, I know he is a very happy baby, anyone can see that!
I try not to worry so much about his weight because Luke is also on the small side. Love you.
He is so cute!! I love him!
Tough stuff! Don't beat yourself up about any of it (your milk, seeing a dietitian), etc. I've realized that when I'm the patient in the hospital bed or my baby is on the exam table, I don't think like a nurse at all! I never tell my doctors that I'm a nurse, because I never want them to assume I know something in a field like obstetrics or pediatrics that I didn't specialize in. You're doing GREAT; he looks happy, healthy and handsome to me! = )
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