introducing solids, weight gain, delays...

[~bookcase~]

i got some good tips from past threads, but would love to hear your tales of introducing solids for moral support.

my ds has taken to them with great joy, but dd is pushing out with her tongue, gagging on anything more than teeny tiny tastes. they are both tiny; 11 and 13lbs at 8 months after birth (6 corrected)......just wondering when i'll find out if dd has 'issues' or if she is simply enjoying being exclusively on mummy milk

(and, yeah, i've got a hunch it's issues )

thank you mamas

[susienjay]

My twins were 32w3d too. My son gagged on food for a long time. I had him evaluated by early intervention when he was 12 months old. After 2 evaluations they told me he was age appropriate and he pretty much grew out of it. I always thought it might be related to the 3 weeks he spent with a NG tube but he eats pretty normal now.

My twins will be 5 next week and are pretty much right on track for their age. My dd is still on the 10th percentile for weight but I don't think that's too bad since she wasn't even on the chart at all until she was almost 2.

[~bookcase~]

ooo, thank you for that - dd had an NG tube for weeeeeeks and seems to take an age to get the hang of things (b'feeding, grasping objects, etc now food!)....but of course we worry it's a problem when they're our babies

overall i'm hoping she just has 'global developmental delay', but i also don't want to miss something that can be helped earlier rather than later.

[sbrinton]

We have Zephan eating solids now too. It's funny, even though he was our earliest baby (Asher was at 38 weeks and Micah was at 35), he's been our best solid food eater. He just loves it. Our oldest hatted the texture of baby food and didn't really eat solids until he was old enough to do finger foods. Our middle son did a lot of gagging until he was a little older, and then he did like baby foods.

I don't think I'd be worried about gagging or spitting out food at 6 months. Just keep letting him try, play with his spoon, maybe try feeding him with a finger dipped in purees, and be patient. I'm guessing you've tried different textures of things as well as different spoons?

Is he sitting without support and does he have teeth? Our pediatrician said some kids aren't ready for solids until they are at that point.

If you are still having trouble by 9-12 months (adjusted), I would look into having an evaluation with an OT who specializes in feeding and sensory stuff.

[~bookcase~]

sara, it's my girl who is struggling. she has none of the signs of readiness but the pediatrician has said we have to introduce to help with weight gain. it totally goes against everything i know, but i'm trying to accept that sometimes that's the case with preemies, and i want to avoid formula - that's my biggest fear that she falls off the charts (actually she has already but they've not seen her since then ) and they insist on high calorie formula or something.

she's doing fine in every other respect. just the weight gain. as her mummy i'm worried is there an underlying issue or is she just small but perfectly formed

there's all the wisdom of hindsight to look forward to, but i want to make the best decisions NOW!!!

[sbrinton]

Hmm...I don't understand pediatricians sometimes!

Could someone please explain to me how babies are going to grow better on solids that have maybe 5-10 calories per ounce than breastmilk that has 20-30 calories per ounce???

How is your milk supply? Are you sure she is getting what she needs that way? Does she seem happy and content? Is she otherwise healthy?

If you do keep working on solids, I would at least try for some foods that have a lot of calories per baby bite. We just introduced coconut cream (the thick part of coconut milk) to zephan. This is a common first food in many asian/tropical countries. He loved it. Avocados are good too.

We have some good friends who have a baby who has some medical issues. Her pediatrician wanted them to introduce food early (at 4 months) to help with weight gain. At 6 months, when the baby girl was totally loving her baby food, the pediatrician told them that it was not "normal" for a baby to "love" food so much.

Our middle son, Micah, was way below the charts from about 9 months to age 2. He's now caught up a little and is cruising along the 3rd percentile for weight. Our pediatrician was worried at first, but when she met me and my husband - we're both thin and small boned - she agreed that this was probably normal for M.

[OGirlieMama]

Have to agree, I don't get why a ped would suggest solids to bulk up a baby, when most babies start to slim down when they start eating more solids! And I wouldn't be remotely worried about not being "into" solids and gagging on them at 6 months adjusted or even throwing around words like "developmental delay." I mean, sure, it's always a possibility, more so in a preemie. But I know so many FT babies who weren't particularly interested in food at that age, either.

I don't think mine gagged on solids, but they really didn't eat more than a bite or two for months. I was stunned when I found out how much some babies eat, when mine would barely go through a little jar of veggies between the two of them at 9-10 months. They are very good eaters now, with a wide variety of foods that they love.

Basically, I'd seriously question the ped's advice, and I'd postpone concern about her solids readiness. And I'd hang in there.

[Cinder]

Janelle was born at around 35weeks and 5 1/2lbs...she didn't start tasting solids till 9 months, and that was maybe one baby spoon sized bite a week, she didn't start eating every day till she was 15 months old, and she didn't start eating twice a day till 2... She was small, 12lbs 6 ounces at 6 months old and 15lbs at 18 months old, I don't remember other weights anymore...she's still small though, 34lbs and will be 7 in September, but she is an awesome eater, and she out eats me and has since she weaned at 4.

Travis was born at 38 weeks, so perfectly normal gestation, and 6lbs 14ounces, so perfectly normal size, and ate no solids till 9 months, and didn't start eating every day till 15 months (when he weaned, due to pregnancy I'm sure). He is also tiny, he was 12lbs at 6 months, 14lbs 14ounces at 1, and 16lbs 14ounces at 18 months...he is 20lbs now at 21 months. He's also and awesome eater who out eats me on a regular basis now.

My first son, Kincaid, was born at 39 weeks, 7lbs 7ounces, started solids at 4 months cause he was STARVING and lunging for our food...he ate like 5 meals a day by 6 months old...he was 17lbs at 4 months old!!! Anyway, he is NOT a good eater, and the amount/variety he eats now is only after years of intense feeding therapy.... (ohh, in case it matters, he weaned at 23 months old). He's actually average sized now at 5, 40lbs (which is about 25th%) and 46"(about 75th%), so he didn't stay huge forever.

So, all that to say, I don't think how well they eat/what they eat as babies has much to do with eating issues later in life.

ETA: super baby food suggests that babies usually won't want solids before they weigh a certain amount, I'm pretty sure that amount is 15lbs, and that was very close to true for all 3 of my older kids...

ETAA: solids did not help any of my kids gain weight, Janelle and Travis have been off the charts for weight their whole lives (well, Travis since about 6 months old since he slowly dropped off them from birth). Janelle got on the growth charts for height at 3 1/2, and keeps moving up them, she's around the 15th% now and almost 7...but like I said, not even close to being on it for weight. Travis is 3 plot points below the 3rd% for height and 2 plot points below the 3rd% for weight right now at 21 months....in fact, when starting solids in earnest all 3 of my kids lost weight, cause breast milk has so much more fat and calories. Even Kincaid, who weighed 17lbs on just breastmilk at 4 months old when he started solids only weighed 19lbs at 1...so he gained 2lbs in 8 months.

[Earth Momma]

I whole heartedly agree with sbrinton - its basic math, breast milk has more calories and nutrients. the coconut water from the inside of a fresh coconut is great, all my kids first solids were avocados, I've also added flax seed oil (buy if from the refridgerated section), add breast milk to everything, I'm NOT a fan of formula but you could add powdered to anything (my friend did apple sauce, powdered formula and wheat germ). I would also use probiotics. I'll try to think of more

good luck!

[~bookcase~]

thanks for replies - i love the theory that babies reach a certain weight before showing readiness. that would be very interesting to study alongside teeth, sitting up etc...

anyway, our update is that dd is now almost 11 months from birth and we give her little mouthfulls, but still constipation is ongoing, but better.

if i were to do it all over again i'd tell the peds i'm not introducing until i see she's ready. last appntmnt i told her Dr that i'm not going to force feed her and give laxatives to compensate just because of pressure that she was preemie and happens to be naturally small.......and he said 'alright'
....and i wished i'd said it like that before!!!