Skinny Babies Tribe - Page 5

[kylie1]

My DD1 always hovered around the 5th-10th percentile on weight charts when she was a baby. At 7, she's around the 15th-25th (and 25th-35th height percentile). I'd say it's a combination of genetics, being a micro-preemie, and having a balanced translocation. DD2 was a more normal baby, though.

Though DD2's becoming quite tall (75th height percentile) and hasn't yet caught up in weight (30th weight percentile)...not much worrying yet, but she does have a slightly below average head circumfurence (45th head percentile) while DD1's is a bit above average (55th head percentile). The differences are minor, but they're both a bit small.

[JamieCatheryn]

I've got a 2 year old that's been around 2-3 percentile for a long while. He was born above average size like his big brother. He always nursed and ate just fine and though he's slow to say new words he's developing well ahead of most other milestones. Quite strong, coordinated, and great physical endurance too. His height's been about 15th percentile or so. I offer lots of a variety of foods. We don't do well child doctor visits so we haven't been hassled. My older son is about average weight and almost average height. DH (their dad) is 5'8 and heavy since his teen years, I'm average sized.

[flatrock42]

Just read your post and I am going through the same thing... Did you nurse your daughter? My son will be lucky to weigh 14lbs at 6 months. I am praying it happens!

[Adaline'sMama]

Flatrock, Im not sure who you are asking about this, but I am the OP so Ill answer.

Yes, I nursed DD. Pretty much exclusively until 6 months and then she ate some solids and nursed on demand until she weaned herself at 17 months (Im pregnant and ran out of milk). She is still in the <5 percentile, but she is totally healthy and and on track. At 20 months, she weighs 22 lbs. She is skinny, but she has plenty of energy and she eats a ton.


JamieCathryn, I know you said you dont do well child visits, but I just wanted to let you know that I see Dr. Laura White in Shelbyville and I have never once been hassled by her. DD has consistently been in the <5 percentile since she was 6 months old and Dr. White has never worried about it.

[charlottemommy4]

I have a skinny baby too.  He was 6 lbs. 8 oz. at birth (a week late) and we are going to his 1 year check up tomorrow.  I would be shocked if he even hit 18 lbs.  He's very healthy and active so no one including the ped. is concerned.  He is constantly moving and walking everywhere.  He was EBF until about 5 1/2 months and we still nurse in the mornings only.  He eats fantastic and eats a lot.  He doesn't get junk food so whatever he does get is good for him :)  At 9 months he was in the 50th percentile for height and the 90th for head, but wasn't even on the chart for weight.  Pants are a major issue as waist wise he can still fit in pants he's been wearing for 6 months, however, they are getting really short on him.  If I buy ones to fit his length, they drop right down to his ankles.  He a lot more active than the other babies around us.  Not sure if that's because he's skinny and can get around :) or if it's just the way he is. 

[livacreature]

I have a skinny babe!  She was 6 pounds, 2 ounces at birth, dipped to 5 pounds and 6 ounces before my milk came in.  At 6 weeks, she finally hit 7 pounds, (I believe for height and weight she was around 3%) her two month check up is next week.  She is still in newborn clothes and diapers.  She was in preemie for both for a few weeks, despite being a 40 weeker.  I've noticed she is getting taller, but she is still skinny.  She eats a lot, she's a good nurser.  She does sleep through the night, but I was unsuccessful in getting her to wake up to nurse, and my ped gave me the green light to stop.  I have had one person ask me what was wrong with her because she is so little.  They almost got pummeled due to mama bear hormones.  

Were your skinny babies extra agile?  Mine rolled belly to back at 10 days and back to belly at 6 weeks.  She has crazy head strength and can propel herself from one side of the bed to the other now.  She's also started to use her forearms to prop herself up to look around.  It seems like it would be easier for my maybe seven and a half pound two month old to use her muscles to move than it would be for a heavier babe of the same age.  I dunno...

[Loves2bGreen]

For any of you mamas out there that are worried, don't be. My son was a skinny baby , but is now almost 34 inches and 25.5 lbs. He has definitely caught up. But also remember that recent analysis says that something like 30% of our infants are overweight! If your lo is happy, healthy, active, and eating then they are on the right track!

[Loves2bGreen]

livacreature, I think you are on to something because our little guy has had some issues with strength once his weight caught up with his height.

[Kindermama]

I had/have a tiny baby...she's now 5y4m and 34lbs. We got the "oh, she's so tiny" comments for years. She was born at 39 weeks weighing 6lbs 15ounces. She had such cute baby chub as an infant but she was still tiny even then. By a year, she was only 16/17lbs (her sister weighed that much at 4 months old!). She was always the smallest in playgroups and such. Here's the kicker. She crawled before anyone...at 6 months, walked at 8 months and was running by 10 months old. To this day, she never stops moving...seriously she really doesn't! She does full on cart-wheels and somersaults all over the house. She bounces and bounces. She is a very bright girl. We did hold her back from starting K this year because her school felt she was quiet/shy for her age and they actually said that "She is just this little thing! We didn't even realize she was supposed to go to K next year!". I'm so glad we did because in the last couple of months, she has blossomed in so many ways at school!  

Anyway, there is nothing wrong with my DD at all. She is tiny like her father was! String-bean legs and no butt....it's in the genes! 

[livacreature]

Went to the doctor yesterday, she's only gained five ounces this month, and dropped off her curve from 3rd percentile to not on at all.  They said they usually see an ounce a day atthis age.  She's getting enough milk, per lc.  However, they said it might just not have enough calories, so to offer a couple ounces of formula afterwards.  We've been doing some supplementing anyway because I can't seem to pump more than a couple ounces at a go and have no stash for work.  Her height and headsize are still on track at 5th percentile and 3rd.

[Megan73]

Originally Posted by livacreature 

Went to the doctor yesterday, she's only gained five ounces this month, and dropped off her curve from 3rd percentile to not on at all.  They said they usually see an ounce a day atthis age.  She's getting enough milk, per lc.  However, they said it might just not have enough calories, so to offer a couple ounces of formula afterwards.  We've been doing some supplementing anyway because I can't seem to pump more than a couple ounces at a go and have no stash for work.  Her height and headsize are still on track at 5th percentile and 3rd.

I can understand why you'd be concerned - the typical BF baby of her age is gaining 5 to 7 ounces a week and doubles birthweight between three and four months. From what I've read, babes don't gain adequately because they're not getting enough milk, not because the milk is somehow too low in calories. Did your LC do 24 hours of test feeds to determine she's getting enough milk or just judge from one feed?
If you're interested in increasing your milk supply, I took domperidone with both my kids (I'm still on it and nursing my 10-month-old) and it might do the trick to help you eliminate the formula. There's a FAQ about it in breastfeeding challenges. You could also try offering the breast more when you're together, co-sleeping if you're not already and using breast compressions and switch nursing to get more letdowns. How often are you pumping at work? Are you using a good double-electric? Have you tried active pumping ie breast massage and compressions?
If you're interested, there's an awesome book - The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk - that has some great strategies.
Hang in there, mama. I know how tough it is to be forced to supplement when all you want to do is EBF your babe.

[livacreature]

They didn't do a 24 hour, I am going to see about having that just to make sure.  Right now, we're doing a 45 minute nurse, a bottle of formula, back on to nurse for 30 minutes.  Feeding her takes forever!  When I am at home, she is pretty much on me eating.  I'm going to try getting up at night to pump, though the straight sleep is so very nice.  She is seeming a little sturdier already though, her spine is less obvious when we are holding her.  I'm taking fenugreek now, and also doing a lactation tea.  I am able to pump about once every 3 hours at work, I have a medela double electric.  I'm usually the only one in the office, so I have to work with client's needs.  More often isn't really possible due to the nature of my job.  I do compressions/massage when pumping and feeding.  I'm trying not to stress out too much.  Her pediatrician says she is looking great otherwise, her mobility is good, she is very expressive and interactive.  We go in Monday for a weight check, so hopefully this is helping and we can eventually phase out the formula supplement. 

[Megan73]

Originally Posted by livacreature 

They didn't do a 24 hour, I am going to see about having that just to make sure.  Right now, we're doing a 45 minute nurse, a bottle of formula, back on to nurse for 30 minutes.  Feeding her takes forever!  When I am at home, she is pretty much on me eating.  I'm going to try getting up at night to pump, though the straight sleep is so very nice.  She is seeming a little sturdier already though, her spine is less obvious when we are holding her.  I'm taking fenugreek now, and also doing a lactation tea.  I am able to pump about once every 3 hours at work, I have a medela double electric.  I'm usually the only one in the office, so I have to work with client's needs.  More often isn't really possible due to the nature of my job.  I do compressions/massage when pumping and feeding.  I'm trying not to stress out too much.  Her pediatrician says she is looking great otherwise, her mobility is good, she is very expressive and interactive.  We go in Monday for a weight check, so hopefully this is helping and we can eventually phase out the formula supplement. 

Hmm. That's a lot of time to spend at the breast. Is she actively drinking the whole time? The research shows that the babes who transfer the most milk are the ones who nurse most vigorously at the beginning of the feed - not the ones who spend the longest time nursing. Has she been checked for a tongue tie? That could explain the low weight gain and long nursing sessions although obviously you shouldn't limit time at the breast.
Fingers crossed for you on Monday!

[livacreature]

Yeah, she doesn't have a tongue tie, they checked twice.  She is really vigorous at first, then will slow down for 10 minutes or so, then will start up again.  It goes like that a few times until she drops off.  I'm going to talk to the LC about supplemental nursing systems, see if that might be worth it for us.  Thank you for your words and thoughts!

[HeatherB]

Has she been seen by anyone who's familiar with posterior tongue ties? They can cause dramatic problems with weight gain, long feeds, painful breastfeeding, etc., yet are very rarely recognized because they are A) harder to see and B) not covered in the literature as much. These are some links that may help you identify if it may be an issue for her. If it is, you may need to find someone else to help (or educate those you're already working with, at least).

Catherine Watson-Genna's quick help for identifying tongue tie: http://www.cwgenna.com/quickhelp.html
The Murphy Maneuver - a quick way to check for it: http://bfmed.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/clinical-pearl-the-murphy-maneuver-for-diagnosing-tongue-tie/
Dr. Kotlow (who treats them in NY) shows how you can evaluate for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5opSbXvL7yQ&feature=share
Catherine Watson-Genna on posterior tongue ties (pg 228): http://books.google.com/books?id=Z9Xw3-pkz1YC&pg=PA227&lpg=PA227&dq=posterior+tongue-tie&source=bl&ots=YU4topKN7p&sig=rsocOeVv91a0afImqCrOQHnNywM&hl=en&ei=QHbGSpihL42usgPYidihBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10%23v=onepage&q=posterior%20tongue-tie&f=false#v=snippet&q=posterior%20tongue-tie&f=false
Low Milk Supply.org's info, including links to doctors who do frenotomies: http://www.lowmilksupply.org/tonguetie.shtml


Well, that should give you a good idea of whether or not it's really a problem. I hope you can get her issues solved soon!

[Phycologia]

I have a tiny baby, but I'm 4"10 and his dad is 5'7", so its expected. But he was born at 5 lbs 7 oz and at his 4 week checkup he was 8 lbs 7 oz. That doctor said his weight gain was "outrageous" and that I was "overfeeding" him and to nurse less often . Needless to say I switched peds pretty quickly.

His weight gain was awesome all the way up until his 4 month checkup and he really leveled off. He was 14 lbs 2 oz at his 6 month checkup, only gained a pound and 8 oz . The doc is happy and said it was perfectly normal, but I was really expecting a chunky baby with his initial weight gain. The dropoff in weight gain and drop in percentile was very disappointing to me and I felt that maybe my milk wasn't enough. But since the doctor said it was fine I didn't supplement.

He eats tons of solids now so hopefully he'll grow well. Some babies are just lean, I'm learning to accept it. He does move around all over the place, so maybe he just burns off a lot of energy!

[Megan73]

Originally Posted by livacreature 

Yeah, she doesn't have a tongue tie, they checked twice.  She is really vigorous at first, then will slow down for 10 minutes or so, then will start up again.  It goes like that a few times until she drops off.  I'm going to talk to the LC about supplemental nursing systems, see if that might be worth it for us.  Thank you for your words and thoughts!

Do look into the SNS. I like the Lact-Aid MUCH better than the Medela SNS. Here's a link: http://www.lact-aid.com/

Originally Posted by Phycologia 

I have a tiny baby, but I'm 4"10 and his dad is 5'7", so its expected. But he was born at 5 lbs 7 oz and at his 4 week checkup he was 8 lbs 7 oz. That doctor said his weight gain was "outrageous" and that I was "overfeeding" him and to nurse less often  . Needless to say I switched peds pretty quickly.

His weight gain was awesome all the way up until his 4 month checkup and he really leveled off. He was 14 lbs 2 oz at his 6 month checkup, only gained a pound and 8 oz . The doc is happy and said it was perfectly normal, but I was really expecting a chunky baby with his initial weight gain. The dropoff in weight gain and drop in percentile was very disappointing to me and I felt that maybe my milk wasn't enough. But since the doctor said it was fine I didn't supplement.

He eats tons of solids now so hopefully he'll grow well. Some babies are just lean, I'm learning to accept it. He does move around all over the place, so maybe he just burns off a lot of energy!

Your doc may not see too many BF babies. The typical breastfed babe doubles birthweight by three to four months then levels off - appearing to drop percentiles on standard charts - while FF babes grow more steadily, typically doubling at six months. So I think your LO is pretty normal! Kellymom.com has great resources on normal growth and links to the WHO charts designed using breastfed babies.

[livacreature]

Her latch is really comfortable, I haven't had any soreness, blisters, cracks, etc since week one, but I will have them look closer for this.  I do think that she might have gained a little this week, her little spine isn't as noticable.  I don't expect that she will ever be a chunky baby, but I really want her to get more on track. 

What were the differences in your experience with the medela vs lact-aid? 

I will say it is amazing how there is only a pound and some change difference in her size, but she looks so different!  Her awareness and alertness amaze me.  I can see her taking everything in, it is awesome to compare pictures.  I think she is going to be too tall for some of her newborn stuff soon and she is finally offically outgrown her preemie sleepers (how they say they are for "up to five pounds" astounds me!  A four or five pounder would be swimming in them!)  :)

[Megan73]

Originally Posted by livacreature 

Her latch is really comfortable, I haven't had any soreness, blisters, cracks, etc since week one, but I will have them look closer for this.  I do think that she might have gained a little this week, her little spine isn't as noticable.  I don't expect that she will ever be a chunky baby, but I really want her to get more on track. 

What were the differences in your experience with the medela vs lact-aid? 

I will say it is amazing how there is only a pound and some change difference in her size, but she looks so different!  Her awareness and alertness amaze me.  I can see her taking everything in, it is awesome to compare pictures.  I think she is going to be too tall for some of her newborn stuff soon and she is finally offically outgrown her preemie sleepers (how they say they are for "up to five pounds" astounds me!  A four or five pounder would be swimming in them!) 

It is truly amazing how fast they change! I'm so glad things are going better.
The Medela is a hard plastic bottle that is impossible to hide under your clothes, feels uncomfortable and requires superhuman strength to clean. It's also gravity fed so getting the right flow rate requires getting the bottle at exactly the right height. The Lact-Aid is a soft bag that's easy to NIP with discreetly, each unit is cheaper (although still $$$ and the bags are disposable although many moms reuse them) so you can more easily buy a bunch and clean and fill once a day (great job for DH!) plus it's suction fed.
I always had to supplement DS1 with about eight ounces of formula a day to get him gaining well - although he was always (and still is at age 3) long and lean. I started using bottles but he got flow preference and starting refusing the breast at about 8 weeks. Luckily I discovered the LA.
I can't recommend them highly enough. I had them ready to go and did need to briefly supplement DS2 but luckily I was able to transition to EBF.
Good luck!

[Adaline'sMama]

Hi, I just wanted to check in and say that DD has finally hit 20 lbs again! She was about 22 lbs, but my ped thinks that was a bad weigh (the nurse weighed her, and she was moving a lot). I think she lost some weight in November because she was sick for a week and she has started climbing all over everything! She is still off the charts in the weight department, but she is at the 20th percentile for height. She is starting to look like a skinny baby, not just normal but way younger than she is. She is wearing 12-28 month clothes now, at 22 months, but I think she really needs 18 month pants and 12 month shirts. Anyway, she is healthy and happy, so Im not concerned, but Im wondering how big the one that's about to come out will be.