Failure to thrive (long)

I'm having some major feeding issues with my DS. I am very upset and not sure what else to try. DS is just 7 months old. Any one have similiar experience? Here goes..

1. BF exclusively until 4 months. Supplement with formula due to pumping/supply issues. BF 2x a day still.
2. Up until the beginning of October, DS nursed/drank @35 oz a day. He was eating cereal 2x a day and a little fruit or veggies 1x a day. He continued to drink his usual amount.
3. Beginning of October, DS stopped drinking and dropped down to about 15 oz a day. We cut out/cut back solids with no difference.
4. 10/24 6 month check up, DS weighted 15.1, he had a 2 1/4 pd gain in 6 weeks but had dropped down to the 10% from 20%. Ped said need to get him back to 24 oz a day to avoid dehydration.

5. 10/27, Right after 6mth checkup, DS had an ear infection and major congestion and had problems sucking/nursing for about 2 weeks.

6. 11/6 ear infection cleared but both ears were clogged and still very congested. DS weighted 15.9 (gained 8 oz in 12 days.) On average he started to drink about 20 oz. a day.

7. Went back today for a check up and DS lost weight, down to 15.7 Double ear infection is back. PED (different PED in practice)concerned that he is not thriving despite the congestion/ear infection since DS stopped drinking prior to getting sick. DS is going to have blood drawn for allergies (fairly certain he has seasonal), thyroid problems and wants to test his immune system.

8. PED has recommened that we up his solids to 3 meals a day with a snack. She indicated that some babies are just more inclined to solids regardless of the formula requirement. Bottles would follow the solids. Also to introduce yogurt to add calories to his diet. She also indicated that with 3 solid meals a day, he would probably only drink 12 to 16 oz a day. She also

9. Everything being recommended goes against everything I have read about feeding. I know not all babies follow a "guideline" but I am concerned about the lack of formula/BM. At the same time, we can't get him to drink!

10 EDITED to add- He doesn't appear to interested in nursing much longer either. The morning nursing is fine or when he gets up in the middle of the night but when it's the bedtime nursing, he pulls off, whines, looks around, pops back and then off. Perhaps he is ready to wean?

11. He has had two teeth prior to the stopped drinking issue.
Your thoughts please!

Yikes! Get another opinion. This sounds like really poor advice. For one thing, babies NEED to get their primary nutrition from formula or breastmilk in the first year. The range of solids he could tolerate at only seven months will not provide the nutritional balance or caloric intae that breastmilk or formula will. Ask your ped to show you where she has seen this studied and reported as safe-- she almost certainly will not be able to. Also, when you're sick, do you eeat as well as when you're healthy? I sure don't, and neither does my baby. I'd get those ear infections fully dealt with before making too many assumptions or decisions about weight and food. And it's rare for a baby that age to self-wean. The nursing pattern you describe, and the feeding issues in general, sound a lot like reflux to me. You might want to look into that just in case.

Hang in there and trust your instincts! Let us know what happens. I know you must feel so upset.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

Nathan is in the same boat. He weighed 17 lbs. at his 9 month checkup. We were classified as poor growth with a failure to gain weight. We are now in the 10% down from 15% at 6 months.
Nathan drinks on a good day 20-24 oz of formula a day. He eats small amounts of solids, mostly cheerios. Nothing I do will make him eat more.
We did have several tests run on Nathan. He was born with low blood sugar and the tests show that he still has low blood sugar. The thryoid test came back fine.
I have noticed when Nathan starts to cut his teeth he eats less.
We now have weekly weight checks. I hate these as I watch the scale on up only to have it slide back down. The doctor has put Nathan on premature formula which has more calories per ounce. I'm not sure what to do with the nursing. Maybe Rachel will have some ideas.
Nathan has been meeting the developmental milestones so I have decided to hold off on more tests.
Please feel free to email if you have any questions.
HTH

donna,
this is just a thought -- if you are reasonably near an academic center, maybe see a pediatrician there? if it is something unusual or rare, they might pick up on it faster than a community pediatrician. there are probably specialists in FTT (failure to thrive) who may know better how to manage it or can get you in with a pediatric nutritionist or dietician.

hope everything turns out okay! poor little guy!


shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

I would think that if he has an ear infection, it hurts him to suck from the bottle or the breast. If you can get that cleared up, maybe he will drink more.

Have you tried giving him a sippy cup with breastmilk or formula? Use one without the valve so it flows easy, and help him hold it so he doesn't spill it all. If he doesn't have to suck hard, maybe he will drink more. Also try a faster flowing nipple on the bottle.

Here is some advice about how to get a baby to nurse more when they are in a nursing strike (which this certainly sounds like rather than weaning)


http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/...st.html#strike


...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

I know my ped is more relaxed about a lot of things, but I thought you might want to hear my story.

Sara was in the 70 percentile at birth... she dropped to about the 55th by about 2.5 months. Then she gained a little and gained 0 ounces or pounds at all for 5 weeks. At 5 and a half months she was 14 lbs 4 ounces... we've been in since then for a few things. 5 weeks after that she was 14 pounds 14 ounces and 5 weeks after that she is 15 pounds 14 ounces... so she has bounced around from 25th to as low as 10th. She is very finicky about a bottle and I work fulltime, so some days she eats only 4-6 ounces while I am gone. Sometimes she has as much as 16 ounces. you never know.

His advice has been "as long as she is gaining and not losing (consistently), we'll way in once a month and see." He recommends bfing as long as I can because that is better for her than formula. He recommends feeding her in the night whenever she wants to. He recommends feeding her cereal at least 2xs a day... not forcing, just offering. And that's it. She's meeting her milestones, and it looks like her weight is evening out again to the 25 percentile. So we are much more relaxed now.

He also said that if she continues to be a peanut, that's probably just her. When she's about a year old, if she's still really small, then we will add things like butter to her veggies and other high fat solids.

Also on the teeth... Sara always does a nursing strike before her teeth come in. It's really insane. I've found that dosing her with motrin regularly helps eating hurt less, so she'll be more willing to eat more.

When Sara started dropping percentiles, she had been really sick for a while. It's taken her almost 3 months of being "better" to start catching up.

IMO, I would get another ped's opinion, just for peace of mind. Good luck. Email me if you like. I'd be happy to help in any way I can.

Donna,
You must be beside yourself with worry! I just wanted to add that the ear infection and teething rounds we've experienced were enough to make Anna decrease her milk intake. Sometimes the teething lasts forever too. :(

I don't think Nicholas is ready to wean. Anna did the very same popping off/looking around routine thing at his age. I believe she was just curious about everything and having trouble settling down to nurse. For us the AM and nighttime feedings went better too because it was quiet in the house and she was still sleepy (not wound up).

Hang in there Donna. You're doing everything you can for your little man. I hope Nicholas' ears clear up soon and he starts eating.

Cindy and Anna 2/11/03

I don't have any advice,just want to offer you some support and tell you that I totally empathize. DS went in for his 6 months check up yesterday and he was only 13'lbs 11 oz. He's in the 5th percentile. I'm beside myself but I don't know what's left to do. He's just like yours, doesn't want to eat and absolutely refuses the bottle. Good luck with your little guy and keep us posted on how he's doing. Poor kid!

Carina

Hi Donna,

I would definitely get a second opinion. Making the claim "failure to thrive" is a huge thing, and it sounds like your baby is certainly not in this category... just because he's not gaining a ton of weight doesn't mean he can be classified as failing to thrive. Usually this means so much more - and you can see it in their behavior, skin color, nails, hair, eyes, etc...

Certainly, an ear infection and teething can cause alot of pain and discomfort causing a baby to eat less (or more in some cases) and act differently, so try to address this specifically rather than force feed solids which will only make matters worse in such a young baby.

The more formula or breastmilk you can get him to eat and the less solids, the better, esp. for the first year. Solids are much harder to digest and end up passing through rather than get utilized, resulting in a lower caloric intake. Until they're more mature inside, breastmilk or formula is going to give him more usable calories and nutrition that are age-appropriate.

Take care, and let us know how he's doing (and how you're doing too!)

susan

twin girls 7.20.02
charlotte + else

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