Anyone else's baby not on the charts for weight?

[beckington]

DS2 is 7.5 months old and 11lb 10 ounces. He's not on the WHO charts or the WHO charts adjusted for Canada - or the formula charts either! Way below. He's happy, strong, doing what he should be doing developmentally, etc. He's still growing head and length which are on the charts. And he's gaining weight, just slowly. We've had various tests done and are waiting for an appointment with a pediatric GI. My doc has warned us that the GI may want a feeding tube or for me to wean him and put him on a high calorie/fat formula, neither of which I'm planning on doing yet, but I can't decide if I'm being reckless and damaging him long-term by not doing those things. I want to find out WHY he's not gaining (there is evidence he is lactose intolerant, but why, how do we fix it, etc are my questions for the GI) and fix it, not just throw formula at him. I understand about brain development, catch-up growth etc, but I feel like because he is gaining somewhat that we have TIME to figure this out! This is not a medical emergency! But am I endangering my son??

I guess I'm hoping to hear from other mamas who are or have been in a similar situation. I wouldn't worry if he was just a *little* skinny. DS1 was about 3rd percentile at this point and we weren't worried - and I would LOVE 3rd percentile now!

Thanks for listening! :)

[Amanda_Reyasmom]

A 7mo under 12lbs would concern me.  Do you have an infant scale? Have you weighed him before and after feedings? What kind of milestones is he reaching? Sitting? Crawling? I tend to be fairly hands off, but that is a *tiny* baby! 

[RStelle]

Not with my dd, but I was off the charts for weight until I was 13. My mom always tells me about a Dr that thought I was being abused or neglected or something cuz i was so small...but I was fine, I was just skinny! Although now I'm a bit worried b/c my dd is at 90% for length, 24% for weight...and 3% for head size. She was at 10th% last visit. Her Dr says she's fine, though. I guess worrying is just part of being a mama!

[southernmommie]

My son isn't on any of the charts either. However, he wasn't gaining at all. In fact, he lost. He weighed the same as your baby did at that age. Our GI doctor recommended us taking certain foods out of his diet, including mine since I am breastfeeding. Come to find out, he has food intolerances. There aren't any tests for those other than to take food out of the diet and see if that helped. He gained almost a pound in 4 weeks!! 

Good luck to you and your GI doctor won't do anything that invasive on the first appointment. Your baby is at least gaining albeit slowly.

[RStelle]

 I forgot to say...if ds1 was in the 3rd percentile, it sounds like this is genetic. Were you or dad very small as well? I'm not saying it's definitely fine, of course there could be something wrong, I'm just saying it could be fine. I was around 12lbs at 7 months, and I was healthy.

[beckington]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amanda_Reyasmom 

A 7mo under 12lbs would concern me.  Do you have an infant scale? Have you weighed him before and after feedings? What kind of milestones is he reaching? Sitting? Crawling? I tend to be fairly hands off, but that is a *tiny* baby! 

He is tiny, yes. He started sitting on his own about a month ago. He's doing everything he should be doing, really. Not crawling yet but definitely working on it! I'm looking for an infant scale to rent or borrow to do the test weights. I'd like to rule out breastfeeding or a milk supply issue (I've done heaps to increase my supply) once and for all before the appointment.

Originally Posted by southernmommie 

My son isn't on any of the charts either. However, he wasn't gaining at all. In fact, he lost. He weighed the same as your baby did at that age. Our GI doctor recommended us taking certain foods out of his diet, including mine since I am breastfeeding. Come to find out, he has food intolerances. There aren't any tests for those other than to take food out of the diet and see if that helped. He gained almost a pound in 4 weeks!! 

Good luck to you and your GI doctor won't do anything that invasive on the first appointment. Your baby is at least gaining albeit slowly.

Thanks for the reassurance! I am worried about the appointment, but trying not to panic. I am hoping the doctor is reasonable. It's interesting you mention food intolerances - he seems to be lactose intolerant but we don't know what's causing it. I read somewhere that dairy or soy allergies can irritate the gut causing other intolerances, and since I already don't eat dairy, decided to take soy out of my diet to see if that helps. It's just been a few days though. You must have been THRILLED when your son gained a pound in a month - wow!!!

Originally Posted by RStelle 

 I forgot to say...if ds1 was in the 3rd percentile, it sounds like this is genetic. Were you or dad very small as well? I'm not saying it's definitely fine, of course there could be something wrong, I'm just saying it could be fine. I was around 12lbs at 7 months, and I was healthy.

I don't think either of us were small as babies, no. And ds1 followed a very different curve to ds2. Since about 5 weeks ds2 has been gaining slowly, off the charts. Ds1 was about the 10th percentile (if I remember correctly) until he hit about 6 months, then he started slowing down his weight gain and dropping percentiles, which I've read is reasonably normal for breastfed babies that age, especially since they get more active, less interested in feeding, etc. But it's great to hear from an all-grown-up-and-healthy past small baby!! :)

[BabySmurf]

i would definitely be on the look out for food intolerances, particularly gluten/celiac, as that can cause slow weight gain.  these things can be fixed by adjusting your diet, so you don't have to worry about throwing a special formula at him - better to fix the source if you can find it :)

that being said, my little brother was in the 50th% for height, and didn't make the charts for weight....i was off the charts in the other direction, hitting 95th% and above.  so it could be a small baby independent of how your other DS grew.  if he is hitting his milestones and not complaining/hungry, i wouldn't be worried about your supply.  i would, however, consider testing for celiac disease, since that can prevent proper absorption of nutrients.  good luck!

[beckington]

Originally Posted by BabySmurf 

i would definitely be on the look out for food intolerances, particularly gluten/celiac, as that can cause slow weight gain.  these things can be fixed by adjusting your diet, so you don't have to worry about throwing a special formula at him - better to fix the source if you can find it :)

that being said, my little brother was in the 50th% for height, and didn't make the charts for weight....i was off the charts in the other direction, hitting 95th% and above.  so it could be a small baby independent of how your other DS grew.  if he is hitting his milestones and not complaining/hungry, i wouldn't be worried about your supply.  i would, however, consider testing for celiac disease, since that can prevent proper absorption of nutrients.  good luck!

I actually have celiac, so no gluten in my diet now. I was only diagnosed a few months ago though, so it's possible my milk is suffering because celiacs don't absorb vitamins and nutrients very well when they are eating gluten or when they are still healing, which I am. I'm not terribly low on anything, but a bit low on iron and vitamin D. Maybe this is the problem, but it's an unknown. It's not like I've had every vitamin and mineral tested for, so I could be deficient in other things that I'm not aware of. Ds2 doesn't seem to react to gluten himself - we've given him wheat a few times because there is evidence suggesting that you lower the risk of celiac for babies at risk of celiac (like those with a celiac parent) by introducing gluten between 4-7 months. But it's possible the way gluten was affecting my body has messed some things up for him. It's hard to know though. And I hate the unknown!! :(

[Adaline'sMama]

I think 11 months is pretty small, and I have a really small baby (16 months and not yet 20 lbs). I wanted to post this for you to let you know its here if you have questions now or in the future.
http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1289635/skinny-babies-tribe

[BabySmurf]

Originally Posted by beckington 

I actually have celiac, so no gluten in my diet now. I was only diagnosed a few months ago though, so it's possible my milk is suffering because celiacs don't absorb vitamins and nutrients very well when they are eating gluten or when they are still healing, which I am. I'm not terribly low on anything, but a bit low on iron and vitamin D. Maybe this is the problem, but it's an unknown. It's not like I've had every vitamin and mineral tested for, so I could be deficient in other things that I'm not aware of. Ds2 doesn't seem to react to gluten himself - we've given him wheat a few times because there is evidence suggesting that you lower the risk of celiac for babies at risk of celiac (like those with a celiac parent) by introducing gluten between 4-7 months. But it's possible the way gluten was affecting my body has messed some things up for him. It's hard to know though. And I hate the unknown!! :(

hmmm, i really don't know much about it, other than a friend of mind's toddler just being diagnosed after not growing much at all for a while.  i'm not sure about the mechanisms of how nutrients are passed into BM, but it would be interesting if things improved as your body healed.  i would listen to your gut - if you think your DS is fine, he probably is. good luck!

[beckington]

Originally Posted by Adaline'sMama 

I think 11 months is pretty small, and I have a really small baby (16 months and not yet 20 lbs). I wanted to post this for you to let you know its here if you have questions now or in the future.
http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1289635/skinny-babies-tribe

Awesome, thanks - will definitely check that thread out!
 

Originally Posted by BabySmurf 
hmmm, i really don't know much about it, other than a friend of mind's toddler just being diagnosed after not growing much at all for a while.  i'm not sure about the mechanisms of how nutrients are passed into BM, but it would be interesting if things improved as your body healed.  i would listen to your gut - if you think your DS is fine, he probably is. good luck!
 

Ah, that's the problem - even my gut is confused, LOL! I have no doubt that he is absolutely fine right now - he's tiny, but otherwise perfect, heh. :) That doesn't mean I don't think it's possible there's something digestive going wrong with him, but if there is, it's not a big medical emergency, not causing him distress, etc. The long-term stuff scares me - there's just no way of knowing if this will hurt him in the long-term, and my gut is giving me no hints!!
 

[Megan73]

Eleven pounds at six months is really small - I see why you're concerned. I absolutely don't think you're being reckless by refusing to wean him but given that he's otherwise thriving, I'd be more likely to suspect a supply or transfer problem (which it sounds like you've done EVERYTHING in your power to correct) and not a GI or metabolic disorder.
Have you had a chance to do 24 hours of test feeds yet? One study I've seen found that average intake at seven months is about 30 ounces a day.
Unless intake is clearly adequate and further tests are warranted, I would supplement with donor milk or formula. If he's eating solids, you could also try high-calorie foods - meat (which LLL recommends as a first food), egg yolk, avocado etc.
Edited by Megan73 - 8/8/11 at 8:06am

[beckington]

Originally Posted by Megan73 

Eleven pounds at six months is really small - I see why you're concerned. I absolutely don't think you're being reckless by refusing to wean him but given that he's otherwise thriving, I'd be more likely to suspect a supply or transfer problem (which it sounds like you've done EVERYTHING in your power to correct) and not a GI or metabolic disorder.
Have you had a chance to do 24 hours of test feeds yet? One study I've seen found that average intake at seven months is about 30 ounces a day.
Unless intake is clearly adequate and further tests are warranted, I would supplement with donor milk or formula. If he's eating solids, you could also try high-calorie foods - meat (which LLL recommends as a first food), egg yolk, avocado etc.

I just ordered a scale online because I couldn't find one locally. So frustrating! I'm anxious to do the test weights. I'm anxious to DO SOMETHING. I think I'm going insane from all of this.

We are giving him solids but he hasn't been that interested until last week - I wouldn't say he's wildly interested in solids now, but it's a step in the right direction! I've been giving him high fat and calorie foods. We've also been practicing with the sippy cup trying to get him used to it in case we start to supplement - the bottle didn't work before when I tried to give him pumped milk. He's not an easy baby to feed!

[beckington]

Originally Posted by Megan73 

<snip> I'd be more likely to suspect a supply or transfer problem (which it sounds like you've done EVERYTHING in your power to correct) and not a GI or metabolic disorder.

I go back and forth on if I think it's a medical issue or a breastfeeding issue. He does have some signs of a GI problem, including a stool test that shows he's not absorbing lactose well. But he's never been a great nurser and his wet diaper output as always been on the low side. I have had his latch looked at though and was told it was fine. *Sigh*

[Megan73]

Originally Posted by beckington 

I just ordered a scale online because I couldn't find one locally. So frustrating! I'm anxious to do the test weights. I'm anxious to DO SOMETHING. I think I'm going insane from all of this.

We are giving him solids but he hasn't been that interested until last week - I wouldn't say he's wildly interested in solids now, but it's a step in the right direction! I've been giving him high fat and calorie foods. We've also been practicing with the sippy cup trying to get him used to it in case we start to supplement - the bottle didn't work before when I tried to give him pumped milk. He's not an easy baby to feed!

I hear you on the "hard to feed" - my first son wouldn't take a bottle and wasn't interested in solids until he could feed himself. You could try holding an open cup for him, a straw cup if the sippy won't work or an SNS (I used a Lact-Aid) although I'm not sure an older baby would accept a tube in his mouth.
How frustrating that you can't get a scale locally! The usual method to gauge intake is to weigh before and after every feed for a full 24 hours which is a PIA but better than the "snapshot" of a single feed.
Hang in there, mama!

[beckington]

Originally Posted by Megan73 

I hear you on the "hard to feed" - my first son wouldn't take a bottle and wasn't interested in solids until he could feed himself. You could try holding an open cup for him, a straw cup if the sippy won't work or an SNS (I used a Lact-Aid) although I'm not sure an older baby would accept a tube in his mouth.
How frustrating that you can't get a scale locally! The usual method to gauge intake is to weigh before and after every feed for a full 24 hours which is a PIA but better than the "snapshot" of a single feed.
Hang in there, mama!

Haven't tried a straw cup yet, but will do. Tried an SNS before with pumped milk, no luck.

I've posted over in Breastfeeding Challenges about the weighing before/after feeds - do I really just weigh/feed/weigh? It seems so simple!! :)

Thanks for your support - I really appreciate it!