EBF 6-month losing weight

[StephanieFoster]

Yesterday at my daughter's six-month checkup it was discovered that she had lost 6 ounces since her five-month checkup. She went from 14 pounds 8 ounces to 14 pounds 2 ounces.

However, she has grown half an inch in that time (26 inches to 26.5 inches) and she recently started crawling. She is also sleeping through the night (8pm-5am) so she is obviously getting enough being exclusively breastfed. The doctor did say the weight loss could be attributed to her being very active all of a sudden, but otherwise suggested we started her on solids. I don't want to until it seems like she isn't getting enough, and she is obviously growing if she is getting taller.

My husband, however wants me to start solids. She has a seven-month checkup in a few weeks so I want to keep her EBF and wait and see if she is still "failing to thrive". Am I crazy like my husband says I am? She's a happy, healthy baby. She's a string bean but she has plenty of rolls on her bod.

[PatioGardener]

Was she measured on the same scale? Whenever anyone says their baby lost weight that's my first suspicion - different scales can be off by almost a pound!

If baby really did lose weight then I'd ask if she was sick lately - that can affect weight gain. Otherwise babies don't typically lose weight. They can stop gaining, but when they lose you have to wonder why.

Have you changed anything with your diet lately or taken a new medication (for colds or sinus, or birth control)? That can impact milk supply sometimes. Also sometimes as baby gets older we need to remind them to nurse more often.

Most solids are fewer calories than breastmilk, so when I started solids I was sure to nurse first and then give high calorie high nutrition solids (like avocado and sweet potato). We waited until DS had the readiness signs, which was about 7 months.

If baby is loosing weight, solids may give a few more calories, but I would focus on getting more Mama milk into her.

Good luck! (sorry this is scattered)

[StephanieFoster]

Thank you for your response!

As far as I know her weight was taken on the same scale at her doctor's office. I doubt they bought a new one within the last month, but it is not out of the realm of possibility. My daughter has not been sick and as for me, I am on my third month of birth control. That is a good point, one that I will definitely ask the pediatrician about.

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by StephanieFoster 
 I am on my third month of birth control.

What birth control are you taking, Mama? Here in Canada there is a warning on the mini pill that it can cause some moms to lose their milk supply.
 

Here's some good info about hormonal birth control and breastfeeding.

Me, I'd immediately stop any hormonal birth control if my baby was losing weight (and I knew it was true weight loss) just because of the known risks.

[sosurreal09]

My DD lost weight when she became mobile. The reality is NO solid food will be as calorie dense as BM so I don't see starting solids as helping the matter. My DD is a string bean too she's 22lbs at 19 m/o but she is also tall 34inches. She is happy and healthy and nurses 7+ x a day and eats a ton of food! We started solids at 10 m/o BLW. She isn't much for meat but she eats a lot of fruits and veggies and I add healthy fats to her veggies (olive oil) and do not sacrifice healthy foods just to put weight on her. Luckily I have a good pedi who doesn't push those things. When DD started walking she didn't gain weight for nearly 3 months b/c she was running around so much. I added grass-fed butter to some of her foods but it didn't do much. Some kids are naturally lean but it is discerning when they actually drop in weight. Just feed on demand and try to be confident in that. Good luck!

[crunchy_mommy]

If it were me, I'd hold off on solids until her weight picked back up... reason being, breastmilk has more concentrated calories than solid food, so she's be more likely to regain the weight quickly if she's filling up on calorie-dense breastmilk. I would be concerned about actual weight LOSS though (vs. just a plateau in weight gain) and monitor her weight closely -- weekly, perhaps -- to make sure she doesn't continue to lose... 6 ounces could be variability with the scale calibration or whether she'd just eaten, was wearing a wet diaper, etc. but I'd want to keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn't drop further...

So yeah, I'd keep nursing, offer more often, maybe once or twice during the night as well...

At least around here, babies don't typically have monthly checkups like that -- does she have some other medical issues that require the more frequent appointments? I only ask because that might affect our responses... not trying to pry!!