Weight gain worries

[Fimail]

Originally Posted by creative_insomniac

What I'm worried about is the lack of weight gain... from 50th percentile (Matilda was always a small baby) to 20th

Is this with the child health book graphs? or the ones I posted?

What you are saying is true - crossing centile lines is certainly to be looked into, but if the chart you are using is based on formula feeding (often there is overfeeding with formula) then the whole curve it different. Jarrah also dropped, according to the child health charts at that age - but not according to the breastfeeding charts.

I think that in general breastmilk is excellent quality - your body would rather starve you than starve the baby LOL though if you are truly deficient and not eating/metabolising particular foods I guess you could have nothing to give if you know what I mean.

Fiona

[mummygeorgie]

Irene, my DS dropped from 50th to 10th percentile between 2 and 4 months. (He's actually around the same percentile on the new BFing charts as the ones we get in our purple books in WA.)
Luckily I have an excellent CHN who said he looks healthy, alert and happy and not to worry and still advised waiting til 6 mo to try solids, and definitely not to wean!
On the other hand, my mother had 4 slow-gaining babies 20 years ago and had to fight the CHNs over breastfeeding and not supplementing. When I was 4mo and needed a hernia operation, they almost didn't let her take me home from the hospital because I was 'FTT'.
Some babies do gain slowly. If she is generally happy, alert, developing physically, and growing somewhat, even if slowly, oh and wetting plenty of lovely nappies, try not to worry.
(But I worry too, it's easy to dispense advice to others!!)

[mummygeorgie]

Oh and I eat like a horse, lol, so no connection for me there ...

[Susannah]

Irene, you already been given some really good advice, but I just thought I'd mention that as you are quite small, Matilda will also be quite small. She's happy and healthy, and frankly a huge number of MCHN as poorly trained and give gross misinformation. Don't force the solids, she is so young that she really doesn't need them. Just be relaxed and feed her when she wants. That's the best you can do

[Lucretia]

I don't know if I've ever discussed weight gain with someone whose baby *hasn't* moved around on the growth charts. Kaia moved from around the 95% to well under 50% in her first year. It was clear that under 50% was where she was meant to be...

[creative_insomniac]

I'm still trying to move my way around the WHO guidelines for weight, but reading this (and other) threads in Idle Talk tonight, has made it easier, thanks everyone I looked at the WHO main page about nutrition for babies, but is there a specific page I can look at for the charts for breastfed babies? (not quite ready to wean yet despite "mainstream" advice)

I didn't think I had a problem as Matilda *is* alert (very much so), weeing and pooing nappies, and developing normally. That's why I haven't weighted her in eight weeks Oh my CHN is a great lady but yeah she can react to issues a lot (I think that's their job...) It's also very hard to judge when you're a first time mum prone to worrying and stressing anyway!

Georgie, I eat like a horse too, but not "regular"ly

[becboo]

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/chart3.html

This is another link which may help. The big thing, IMHO, is to stop stressing about this as if she is alert, doing her poos and wees etc etc, like you say she is, there is really no cause for concern, and she will pick up on your stress IYKWIM.

Beware of MCHN info - it is their job but I have received blatant misinformation from mine (give the baby phernergen on the plane, time to wean at 6 months etc etc) so I have stopped going and head to the doctors if I am concerned.

6 months is also young for her to be really interested in solids. Try to make it as fun for her as possible with no stress and she will get there. She may be one of those bubs who won't eat much at all until she can 'feed' herself.

Try not to overanalyse things - I know, easier said than done if you are a firsttime mum!

Bec.

[mummygeorgie]

http://www.who.int/childgrowth/stand.../en/index.html

[Katanya]

Hey I know how this feels..Felix gained 20 grams in 2 months and even though I was warned that breastfed babies changed their gaining after 4 months, it stung like anything.

Things didn't have a great path for us, but one thing I would change is to not be so obsessed by weigh ins, I would sneak in every week to check it and freak out when he went back wards etc..
@ 6.5 months he went back wards(lost weight), and so on the recommendation of our GP (and the fact he went from 90% to 15%) we visited a pead, for us there were other factors (Felix had a very unusual breathing style and noises in his chest in places where they shouldn't be..but that is a another story)

If I could have my time over, I would have worried less about the numbers, and taken him less, once a month is perfect is there are concerns(some weeks are good one and others are not), also be aware that you use the same scales (we are taking very small weights here) and @ the same time of day)

Our dietitian banned me form MCH nurses, as she told me all scales will do for a FTT child make you feel worse. She used her scales and that was it.

ANYHOW my advice is that what she has done now is normal for Breastfed babies, but there are some case where it can be a marker for other things, so next weigh in if she goes back wards then maybe a visit to a GOOD pediatrician can't hurt?

and BTW despite all the "fattening up-supplementing advice" I still breastfed Felix (still am ) get your self some support via ABA, I had a wonderful LC in the same hospital who'd verify that my supply wasn't the issue (I knew it wasn't) and we had other things to look @.

anyhow any time you want to chat about it, I know how it made me feel..like a huge failure @ the time!

BTW despite my best efforts Felix didn't really like food till after 12 month anyhow either..well actually I should say @ 2

[TianaKaeSha]

Tara was born on the 50th centile, and is below the 25th on the old charts, and just on them in the WHO charts.

She is happy, healthy, but little. Her dad and I are both short - but her brain is certainly growing (she's gone to the 75th percentile)

She barely looks at food, though loves sucking apple cores. She is getting more and more interested in food, but we are not giving her much as BM is so much better.

*hugs* I know it hurts when they don't do "normal" stuff... but normal is so subjective. I just don't go to the CHN any more - I see my doctor if I need...