weight loss in teething 6 month old?

[elevena true]

to be brief, i will say i have definitely had supply issues and am not a big producer. i have igt, and am on domperidone, which i find to really help my supply. i do still have to supplement my 6.5 month old, i never got a full supply in, even with the dom.

ds has been cutting two teeth, and so, has been very hard to settle at times on the breast, even when i am feeling full. he also has been suffering through a gnarly chest cold, and has been feeling pretty miserable. i went to get a weight check for him today, and in the last 2 weeks he's lost 2 oz. ??? i am pretty concerned. how normal is it for him to lose weight while teething? is that normal at all? he's already on a pretty slow curve (he hasn't even doubled his birth weight), so the 2 oz seems like a really big deal.

my plan of action is to go back to my pump a few times a day, up his supplement a bit, and throw in some avocado/other foods here and there, not to replace any nursings but in addition, when he wouldn't be convinced to nurse anyway (such a busy guy right now! who can stop to eat?). would love some feedback on how normal losing weight while sick and teething is.......anyone btdt?

[TiredX2]

When you're talking about such a very small amount, I would even question if you *can* be that accurate.  I assume he was naked for weigh in?  Having peed or pooed right before the second weigh in and not the first could explain 2 ounces lost.  The same with any number of things (having eaten right before the first, different time of day, etc...).

I would watch him, but assume that he is leveling out.  Do you have any concerns, generally, other than his weight (I would be much more concerned if he was not growing in head circumfrence or meeting developmental milestones).  Illness can take a lot out of a little kid, especially, though, so I'd try not to worry and just let him recover.

[elevena true]

thank you for *ahem* weighing in. i am really sensitive about my boy and his growth...

he was 10 lbs at birth, went down to 8 15, and has slowly gained since then. even 16 lbs feels like such a battle for what is a super slow growth, and the 2 oz loss put me back to those early days. i know he has been pretty miserable these last couple of weeks, and you are right about it being a different scale and the time of day/time since last feed were both off too. he is definitely getting taller and his head is getting bigger too, as evidenced not only from measurements, but from every single hat he had becoming outdated. i think entering in a few solids and his perked up energy level will do the trick to get him where he needs to be, i guess i was just wondering if anyone else had experienced such a stagnant growth period?

i think it's really hard for me to step outside of my supply issues and consider other reasons why he might not be gaining, i am so used to the milk battle. this time, though, i really feel he has just not been feeling up to eating, a snotty nose and aching gums will do that. his weight gain tapering off right about now makes sense, he is at that busy, busy age where he is becoming so entranced with all around him and beginning true mobility. how much should i expect a baby his age to be gaining on a weekly or monthly basis?

[TiredX2]

Not the same time period, but DD actually *lost* an ounch from 10 months to 15 months.  During that time she started walking (then running) gained a couple inches in height and, of course, had other development explosions as well.  It *was* very stressful for me as a first time mother, but I was reassured to find out that weight is actually a later indicator of issues (with height, head circumfrence & developmental milestones all being better indictors of good nutrition/health/development).

Since you're not a first time mom, you can also compare his growth to his siblings (and your family experience).  From what I understand, you should expect genetics to start taking over by around 6 months.  So, even if you have a very large newborn, if siblings and parents are all smaller people you would expect baby to start being a smaller person.  Same the other way---- you can have a very small newborn who grows rapidly to "catch up" to their genetics.  My niece had her twins 5 weeks early and they were both under 5 pounds.  By a year, though, they outweighed my full term 8lb babies---- her and her DP are just much larger people than me & my DP, their kids are probably just going to be bigger, too.