Start on solids? Help son lost weight

[celticgypsy]

I last brought my son to the Dr. when he was about 5 months (he's turning 7 months in a few days) and she harped at me for starting on solids and supplementing him with formula (I exclusively bf), even though his weight was on the small end (10%) but ok. She said his head sz was concerning (what?? according to myself and everyone we know he looks perfectly normal.) Needless to say we haven't been back since, and I still haven't found a new Dr. (because we don't vax, it took FOREVER for me to find this dr, but while she's ok with not vaxing, she's cooky with everything else...). I live in MD, btw and apparently there are NO Drs within a 2 hr drive for me that are ok with non vaxing. I did extensive search before. I;m at a loss what to do now.Anyway...to the point, I never did either, and continued to exclusively breast feed. And for once, things were finally going great (from the beginning I had a real difficult time with bfing, and had to supplement with breast milk till he was 4.5-5 months old. I also cut out dairy because I suspected an allergy, which helped a bit but for the most part I think he just started to grow out of the colic. I still haven't added the dairy back in. Anyway, in the past month or so, he was finally just eating from my breast!So I figured I'd wait on solids (did some research and found it's best to wait, plus bfing was finally working and so convenient!) but then these past 2 weeks my son has lost almost 2 pounds! He's now only 14 lbs at almost 7 months. And everyone is getting on me about starting solids. Physically, he looks fine. Though on the small side. Compared to other babies his age, he is tiny. Could the loss be due to the fact he's teething? He just got his first 2 teeth in this past week. PLUS, he's suddenly become more active and is rolling all over the place.But i am still worried. He shouldn't be losing weight! He still eats every 2 hours, but usually no more than 5 minutes or so, and usually fusses after the right breast (is this normal? he prefers the left). Though kellymom DID say that studies have shown that babies born under 6.5 lbs need additional iron after 6 mos....my son was born at 6.2 lbs and I'm worried about going past 7mos without him getting any additional iron. Should I start him on solids? Is this weight loss a real big concern, or could it be due to teething/moving more? If I do start solids (he DOES appear ready -he studies us while we eat and copies our mouth movements, tries to grab our food, and can *almost* sit up unassisted), should I make my own brown rice for him (have people done that?) or what brand is best? (I'm wary of those- even the "organic" ones seem to have funky stuff added. And Earth's Best didn't seem to get good reviews.)Oy. Though I REALLY am enjoying the convenience of bfing. FINALLY. Sigh. But I think he may be needing more...

[jpamama]

I don't really know what advice to give you other than I would start him on solids. A 2 pound weight loss is rather significant when you are only talking 14 pounds so I would try and get some more in him. As for preferring one breast over the other - very normal in my experience. I have had friends who have only breastfed off of one breast because one day one just dried up completely on its own. Good luck!

[Mrsboyko]

How are you weighing him? You said you haven't been to a doc since he was 5 months right? Home scales are notoriously wonky. Solid foods have les calories than BM does so subbing solids for BM is NOT going to help the situation. And if he hasn't had solids yet i don't think he would take enough in addition to his normal BM intake to make much of a difference.

Looking at the bigger picture, he weighed 6 lbs 2 oz at birth, right? So the guideline of doubling his birth weight by 6 months has been hit, right? And "they" say most kids triple their birth weight by a year, so that would be around 18.5 lbs, right? he has 5 months to gain about 4 lbs. Not that hard to do.

If he is truly loosing weight though (especially 2 lbs), I say you need him to see a doc, vacc friendly or not. This would not be a normal "well baby check" anyways, this is for a specific issue. They shouldn't bother you about the vaccines.

ETA: as for the breast preference, have you ever had him at a chiropractor? Some kids have a muscle tension issue on one side of their neck, usually from birth. This causes them to prefer to eat off one side because it is more comfortable for them. A simple adjustment (chiros are very gentle with babies) could fix the issue completely. It is worth a look.

[Mpenny1001]

I don't think starting on solids will help since breastmilk is more calorically dense than solid foods. I think it's normal for weight gain to slow down or taper off somewhat when infants become more active, but a 2 pound weight loss does seem a little extreme, so I'd take him to a doctor just to rule out something else.

Is he having plenty of wet and dirty diapers? Does he seem satisfied after nursing? I have a friend whose baby was diagnosed with failure to thrive at around 9 months old and the ped suggested she add in some supplements and healthy foods to her diet in an effort to "beef up" her breastmilk. I don't know if it actually works that way or not, but I don't think it would hurt to try.

[celticgypsy]

yeah, I was using a homescale...weighing myself first (once a week, at the same time first thing in the morning) then holding him.

I might go back to his old dr...every time he would lecture me about vaccinations, but he was better about other things and never pushed formula. I haven't seen that dr since he was 1.5 months or so, so this would be interesting...and I'm sure to get lectured on lots of things (like not going to regular well baby visits). argh.

I'm just afraid about starting solids and him bfing LESS.

[celticgypsy]

He has plenty of wet diapers, and poops a few times a day (though they are always watery).
He *usually* is satisfied after eating, and looks up at me talking :0)

[indeospero]

I agree with the pp that a weight loss (esp. of 2lbs) is very significant, and needs to be looked into. Is this a naked weight on the same scale?

I disagree that adding solids will not help. Yes, your milk is the most nutrient-dense option, but the idea would be not to *replace* any of his milk intake, but to add to it. You can ensure this by always having a full nursing session before offering solids. I often nurse after solids as well, just to be sure.

I would suggest that you look at the Weston A Price info on starting solids with babies, and stick to highly nutritious foods, like egg yolks, avocados, sweet potatoes, and meats. Grains are not particularly nutritious for babies.

I am a low-supply mama, and have had the experience of seeing both of my babies flourish once on solids, and being able to give up milk supplements. While it is *very important* to continue to nurse as much as ever, and to make certain that your baby continues to take as much of your milk as possible, I think it is sometimes misunderstood in pro-BF circles that some babies *need* the addition of solids to their diets at about the half-year mark.

IMO, the idea in delaying solids is not to wait until any particular week/month, but to watch the baby. Some babies show no interest or readiness until even 12mo or beyond, and that's ok. But your baby, as you have noted, is showing signs of readiness and need, so that's your green light. There is no need to delay just for the sake of delaying. I think your intuition on this matter is right on!

Good luck, mama!

ETA: Just saw your post about the scale. Weighing on an adult scale by subtraction is notoriously inaccurate. I would think it very important to get an accurate weight (naked, on a baby scale) now, and then again in a couple of weeks. This will help you and your doctor to evaluate.

[cathe]

Is there a reason you don't want to start solids? If he's over six months and seems interested in food and has shown other signs of readiness, there's no need to hold off. You will keep breastfeeding for quite a while so he won't lose that nutrition. At meal times you could include your baby -- serve pureed brown rice or fruit or veggies and let him eat with you.

[celticgypsy]

Thanks for the replies. As of this morning he's gained 1.6 lbs in the past week. I also am switching back to his old Dr. I guess.

Tried solids for the first time last night- old fashioned oatmeal mixed w/ my bmilk. Maybe because the pieces of oatmeal were kinda chunky, but he really didn't like it. Pulled a face and kept turning away. He maybe got one tiny piece of oatmeal the entire time and practically spit it back out (he only seemed interested in playing with the food, lol). Is this normal, or is he just not ready and I shouldn't force it on him? But he is 7 months already...and I *thought* he was ready... I guess I'll try again tonight.

Should I add blackstrap molasses in for iron, or just start w/oatmeal, watch for reactions, then next week add that in?

Sorry this is my first baby and my mother is over 500 miles away, and I can't get ahold of her at the moment :0(
Also, she is from the old-school way of thought and started me on rice cereal at 3 months, so I will need other opinions (as much as I love my mom!) :0)

Thanks,
Kristen

[cathe]

You might want to grind the oats in a blender, food processor or coffee grinder before cooking it to get a smoother texture. I wouldn't add molasses yet -- start plain and look for reaction. You could also try banana or avocado, mash with breastmilk and see how that goes.

[veganf]

I would start offering solids from your meals, non-choke hazards & non-allergenic foods of course. But if baby is ready, he'll eat them! No big deal. We've gotten drastically different head circumference measurements at the peds depending on whether it's the doc or nurse practitioner who does the measuring. But what usually raises a red flag is a drop in baby's own personal growth curve, especially of the head, and significant loss in weight. I'd offer to nurse as often as possible AND offer solids, then get re-weighed and measured in a month to be safe.

[californiajenn]

OP - I know you're worried but you really don't know if he's lost any weight nor not as you've weighed him on your home scale. Those are very inaccurate for weighing babies.

It doesn't really sound like there's a problem. He probably hasn't lost wight, he is nursing really well, has plenty of wet and poopy diapers, and is happy and meeting milestones.

If you think he is ready for solids, listen to the other posters. Avocado, egg yolks, and sweet potatoes are great first foods. Avocados are super high in good fat.

[organicmidwestmama]

Originally Posted by Mrsboyko

...
If he is truly loosing weight though (especially 2 lbs), I say you need him to see a doc, vacc friendly or not. This would not be a normal "well baby check" anyways, this is for a specific issue. They shouldn't bother you about the vaccines.

ETA: as for the breast preference, have you ever had him at a chiropractor? Some kids have a muscle tension issue on one side of their neck, usually from birth. This causes them to prefer to eat off one side because it is more comfortable for them. A simple adjustment (chiros are very gentle with babies) could fix the issue completely. It is worth a look.

just wanted to chime in and second the idea of taking baby to a regular MD AND a chiropractic docter. my son super preferred my left side, would fuss and cry when i tried nursing him on the Right side, and after a very gentle chiropractic adjustment he was more comfortable with either side.

also just wanted to second what another poster said about cereal not being a great food for babies. grains are harder to digest. infants have the digestive enzymes to primarily digest fats, protein and some simple fruit sugars. the enzymes for grain digestion dont kick in on their own unitl age 1-2. some good chock full of nutrient foods for a baby are avocado, banana, egg yolk with salt, soft or pureed meat, veggies with either coconut oil or butter, whole milk yogurt.

[calebsmommy25]

I highly recommend avocado, sweet potatoes and bananas. We started with avocado, and it is still a favorite. As for your concern about bf less, in my experience, my little guy still nurses quite often and he eats solids. He is just over a year and still eats 6-7x a day + grazes all day long. Good luck Mama...

[Messac888]

You know, I understand being rather hesitant to start my babies on solids (for me it was harder with the first baby then the others because I felt like I was somehow not 'succeeding' with bfing anymore) but it will happen at some point. I agree with Cathe on grinding the grains first and then cooking it- it makes it much smoother. I also agree with the avocado, bananas and sweet potatoes. In addition, however, if you are concerned (although it honestly sounds like your ds is doing pretty well) about how much he's bfing, you can always increase your consumption of garlic and fats. It always worked for me- the fat made the milk fattier and therefore more satisfying, and the garlic was always enticing to them. As far as possible weight loss is concerned, when my ds learned to walk he suddenly had no time to eat or nurse because there was too much to discover! After a couple weeks of it he suddenly realized that nothing was going anywhere and he began eating well again. Good luck!

[celticgypsy]

The past couple of nights all of a sudden he's been waking up every few hours to eat (he used to wake up about once, sometimes even sleep through the night!) Could this be a growth spurt all of a sudden? oy. So much for ever getting sleep!

[kjbrown92]

Originally Posted by celticgypsy

The past couple of nights all of a sudden he's been waking up every few hours to eat (he used to wake up about once, sometimes even sleep through the night!) Could this be a growth spurt all of a sudden? oy. So much for ever getting sleep!

I'd say it's more likely that he's sensitive to the food you're giving him. Oatmeal contains gluten (via cross contamination) and it's one of the hardest foods to digest. I'd go with very soft veggies first. Some people wait a couple years to introduce grains. Though it could be a growth spurt. I think he'll eat when he's ready if you're offering him foods from your plate.

[crunchy_mama]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

I'd say it's more likely that he's sensitive to the food you're giving him. Oatmeal contains gluten (via cross contamination) and it's one of the hardest foods to digest. I'd go with very soft veggies first. Some people wait a couple years to introduce grains. Though it could be a growth spurt. I think he'll eat when he's ready if you're offering him foods from your plate.

I was thinking the same thing. Sounds like a reaction. Oat is not a good first choice.

[celticgypsy]

Ok. Thanks. I'll try sweet potatoes, squash or carrots then. How long should I wait before grains now? I thought they were supposed to be a "safe" first food?
I think it could be a mix of both...he suddenly looks "chunkier" I think, and longer lengthwise. YAY!