9 mo falling in charts

[Jayray]

Just had our 9 mo WBV and DS has dropped from about the 50th percentile in height and weight to 30 in weight and 40 in height. My ped is encouraging me to nurse his more (and she dropped the formula supplementing hint).

I just took him to 4 feedings/day about a month ago and he's been fine on it. He also nurses several times a night, but probably only the equivalent to one whole feeding per night. He is a little more distracted during feeding, but we go into my bedroom and lay down to nurse so that distractions are at a minimum. I feel like he nurses well this way.

I also just started my period on Saturday.

So if I just start nursing more often, will my supply increase? Should I just ignore my peds worries?? DS is chubby and happy and developmentally right on track.

[CookAMH]

From what you said, I would ignore it. My 10mo DS went from 95% to 25% and is doing fine. They can't keep up the same rate of weight gain all of infancy as they did early on. They grow, move a lot more, are distracted. The main thing to look at instead of % is if they are meeting milestones and learning new abilities as the weeks go by.

This page with the age related developmental milestones helped me a lot when I worried about DS's slower weight gain a couple months ago. I realized that though he wasn't crawling, he was doing a ton of things that showed he was learning and growing and doing just fine. He's just now doing an army crawl which he only started last week.

P.S. Also, that is FAR from falling off the charts. Don't worry.

[maptome]

Not all babies will be in the 50th percentile. Also, did your ped use the breastfed chart?

[TiredX2]

Can I ask why you are dropping feedings (it sounds purposeful on your part). IMO, your baby would be much better served by unlimited amounts of bmilk. Not all babies can get that in 4 nursings daily.

In general, the weight leveling out at 9 months would not be a concern with me but for a baby of that age I would be expecting them to nurse more often.

[Jayray]

I went to four feedings a day because that's what the babe seemed to want. He does nurse a lot at night as well. I am nursing "on demand," but DS doesn't "demand" a lot. Even with four feedings I'm usually feeding him before he "asks" to eat.

But it is my plan to just offer to nurse more often to try to get him to take more.

Thanks for the encouragment!

[Catherine12]

I just looked at the CDC growth chart, which is mostly based on ff infants and is probably what your ped used, and compared it to the WHO growth charts, which are based on bfed infants (you can find the chart on kellymom).

According to the WHO chart, a bfed 9 month old at the 50th percentile would weigh about 19.5 lbs. On the CDC chart, a 19.5 lb 9 mo would be at the 25th percentile.

So in other words, your baby has probably not "fallen" at all, at least in weight (I can't find data on height, but in any case 50 to 40 is a pretty small drop). I would bring this up with your ped at your next visit and see if you can get her to use the WHO charts for her bf clients - or at least be more educated about the issue.

[PatioGardener]

Here is the WHO growth chart: http://www.who.int/childgrowth/stand...boys_p_0_2.pdf

I agree with the PP - this is likely more a chart issue than a feeding issue! I would still suggest nursing before any solids until at least a year, and definitely offering more often. They get so distracted at that age!

[Jayray]

Argh! So annoying! On the breastfed WHO chart he is still at 50%. You would think peds would know these things before they stress out parents.

Sheesh.

[thepeach80]

As long as you are offering and baby is eating to their want, things are probably fine. My dd was born at 75%. She's down to 5% now at almost 13 mos. The ped is not really concerned, especially since my 5yo is petite. My dd nurses a LOT, all day if there's nothing else going on and all night.

[Ellien C]

This happened to use around the same age, but we went from 90th percentile down to 50th. I asked my ped if she was concerned and she looked at DH and she looked at me and she said..................






"No, I think she's just reaching her genetic potential!"





Which is really funny. DH and I are both small. I'm very petite. At 7 our girl is the third shortest in her class of 24. She was a big baby at 8lbs 9 oz and 21.5 inches. It was inevitable that she'd "reach her genetic potential." I'm 5'2" and DH is 5'7". So how big are you guys?

[cheryllynn]

I'm just watching my dd go through the same thing sort of. She's been 27" since December and hasn't grown any taller.

Her weight & height were 80%, then 70, 60, 50, 40 and now 30%.

Thanks for posting this.

eta: I wouldn't have been so worried if the ped didn't initially tell me that my baby would stay on that 80% curve. Also, I suspected there was a difference between formula and bf babies. But why in height?

[lkmiscnet]

My 8 mo old DS weighed 15 lbs 12 oz and was only in the 10-15th percentile for height and wasn't even on the chart for weight. My ped said that he looked good and had a belly on him, so she wasn't concerned. My DH is tall and lean. I was also nursing on demand (actually, before he signaled me) every 2-2.5 hours. He had just started some purees about a month earlier.

So long as your LO is healthy (and given that you and your DH are both petite) sounds like you need not worry.