told bm not nutritious enough, need fatty food ideas

[Runningmommy]

My ds3 had his 15 month check up today. he has always been little, but went down in his growth curve. He breastfeeds through the night several times and through out the day differetnt amounts depending on what the day holds for us. He eats a lot of table foods. He has exzema so I am trying to also read up on that. So the pediatrician told me that my breast milk is not nutritious enough for him anymore and I need to give him whole milk or soy milk. made me feel like I should stop nursing him (which I won't).

Can you help me with fatty foods for him to eat? I heard omega 3 fats are good for the brain development and have good amount of fat (hence fat inthe name ) can be found in flax seed oil (where to find that?) and capsules and fish of some sort? Any info on this any anything else you can tell me to get my man the healthy fats he needs to grow. thanks a bunch!

Oh, forgot to say that he is meeting all the developmental milestones for his age.

Lisa

[alegna]

Dump that ped. He doesn't know WHAT he's talking about. Your milk is perfect for your child. I would NOT give him other milks. Any other milk you give him will basically be that much of your milk he's not getting.

Good fats-
nut butters (I'm still holding off on peanuts, but give my dd almond and cashew butter)
cheese
avacado

-Angela

[sapphire_chan]

Is he also down on the charts on Kellymom.com? Is he more active?

It's quite possible that your ped's office doesn't have the right charts for a baby that's bfing past a year and it's also possible that your ds is just getting thinner as a result of exercise.

Oh, and checking the charts at Kellymom, for example a bfed baby who has been around 50% on the charts for ffed babies will end up around the 25% at 12 months. While remaining at 50% for bfed babies the entire time.

[merrick]

I got this exact same spiel from my son's ped. Soon to be ex ped, that is. Basically, they are igorant about breastmilk and extended bfing. If you are worried about his weight, there's nothing wrong with adding in some extra fatty foods though. Flax oil is a good idea, nut butters (watch out though if you suspect allergies), avocadoes, things like that. But really, you probably don't have anything to worry about. My ds has always been thin and the doctors always give me heck about it. But it is genetic. HIs father is tall and thin and always has been.

[Siana]

Borage seed oil, Flax seed oil and Evening primrose oil are popular sources of omega-3 fatty acids (listed in incresing price order). I've always purchased mine from health food stores in bottles because it was far cheaper than the capsules (I'm not sure how to give a capsule to a child anyway!).

As for his eczema, if you suspect it is food related, you might want to log the food he eats and his eczema. My DS had eczema months ago (from 3-8months) and I was able to identify all the obvious allergens easily (of course he was exclusively BF during that entire duration so it was easy). There are many potential environmental allergens. The investigative game can be a struggle at time, but all the effort is well worth it once you figure out what the triggers are.

If your DSs allergies/sensitivities are food related I suggest giving him some probiotics. Again you can find this in a health food store. It will help heal his gut and reduce further agraivation should he be exposed to a food allergen.

Please post on the Allergies forum because most of the people there are dealing with these issues with their DC everyday (thankfully we've almost won the battle).

Good luck and please try to provide your Dr. with some reliable information before you leave him

[bamamom]

I got the same spill from our ped lately...ds dropped on the growth chart, but is too young for solids. He wanted me to start feeding him, etc.

I just keep on nursing, and charted him on kellymom.. He was completely under the growth chart on regular charts, but he scored about 9% on kellymom for weight

[mhsa2mom]

I've also been a little concerned about my ds's weight gain (he was 10 lb 9 oz at birth but is only about 23 lbs at 17 months), but he is active, healthy, and happy, and that seems to be what matters most. Since your son is meeting his developmental milestones, that's a great sign. Checking out the condition of his hair, skin, lips, gums, nails, etc. will give you a good indicator of his health and if those look great, he's probably growing at the rate that is perfect for him.

One easy trick to sneak in more protein and fat is to mix some tahini in whole milk yogurt (mix it up so there aren't any big clumps of tahini).

[jeanine123]

Actually the fat content in breasmilk increases as baby gets older. And it certainly has more than cow or soy milk does. HEre's a link for more info on that as well as the various fat/calorie content in different foods. Also, here's the link to the breastfed babies growth chart. Besides, why would milk from a different specie suddenly be better for a child? I don't know of any other animal that weans to another animal's milk when their baby hits the magical year.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mi...kcalories.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns...wthcharts.html

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/so...ler-foods.html

[Runningmommy]

Originally Posted by jeanine123

Actually the fat content in breasmilk increases as baby gets older. And it certainly has more than cow or soy milk does. HEre's a link for more info on that as well as the various fat/calorie content in different foods. Also, here's the link to the breastfed babies growth chart. Besides, why would milk from a different specie suddenly be better for a child? I don't know of any other animal that weans to another animal's milk when their baby hits the magical year.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mi...kcalories.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns...wthcharts.html

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/so...ler-foods.html

So funny that you said that about weaning to another species milk doesn't make sense because that's exactly what I was thinking! It just sounds ridiculous!!

Thank you to ALL who responded, it is so great to get the support I need here. I was really worried and feelign very anxious. Now I have support, peace of mind, and information to go on. Going to look at the links and the foods suggested. Also posting on allergies forum today.

Thank you for both my son and I!
Lisa

[LeosMama]

Oh Goodness!!! Look at the baby not the scale. Didn't that ped ever hear that? Some babies are small. Toddlers are supposed to lean out. That's what happens when they're on BM rather than a substitute.
My son started getting a little bit of formula at 11 months. I hated this, but couldn't pump more. At 16 months, he got not more BM. I really hate this. And now he's at 90th for weight and 50th for height on the ff charts. This really concerns me b/c I'm small, my family is small, and my ds isn't very big either. I think the ff is too fatty and rich for him. We also give him extra stuff in his milk (yogurt and formula in whole milk) and we really need to thin it out. Maybe just give water and yogurt.

So there, I'm doing what the doc suggests and I'm concerned my boy is gaining too much weight.

[Ravin]

My ped gave the same spiel. It is true that in the second year breastmilk ALONE isn't enough for healthy growth. But some kids are also just small.

We put goat's milk on DD's cereal. It's higher in fat than cow's and not as allergenic. Soy milk is pretty low fat.

Also, free range eggs have pretty high omega-3's. It's amazing the nutritional difference in the eggs when you let the chickens eat bugs.

I second the nut butters, avocado, etc. that others suggested.

It sounds like your ped, like mine, is more concerned about your son's growth along his own curve than comparing him to percentiles in the charts. Do, however, check and see what charts he's using. The curve is different for bf kids, it's quite common for them to not put on much weight in the second year. As long as he's not losing weight, and his head circ and height are progressing satisfactorily, it's really not much to worry about, imo.

[Leetah987]

My son dropped off the charts entirely between 8 months and over a year old. The Ped refered me to the feeding clinic, siting failure to thrive. The "experts" at the feeding clinic, including the lactation consultant, told me that Ds was getting too much BM, so he wasn't hungry for "real" food. I needed to stop nursing him so he would be hungry enough for solids.... So, I needed to starve him to make him eat food that was calorically less dense. WHAT!?!?

I did feed him cream cheese, I filled all his cheerios with cream cheese, till he figured out that he could eat half the cheerio, scoop the cream cheese out, then eat the other half. Butter on everything. Whole milk yogurt, Yo-baby and La'Creme are good. Hopefully you aren't non-dairy..... Mayonaise. Eggs.

I would avoid the fish because of possible mercury content.

But really, unless there is something wrong with the child, such as reflux or a metabolic disorder, kids will eat when they are hungry. As long as they are offered healthy food, at frequent snack times, they can self regulate to meet their hunger needs. Ds is a grazer, he snacks often, but very small portions. He also has Eczema, but we seem to have a handle on that right now. He's still on the low end of the weight chart, 33lb at 3.5 years, but he's healthy and active. But at this rate he's going to be using a booster seat because of his weight well into his teens! Oh and he still nurses frequently. (although I'd like that to end...soon....sigh....)

Oh, I once read that sudden weight drops can be a reaction to vaccinations, and that would coincide with Ds's weight drop.

[bamamom]

We have severe dairy issues...I know i could fatten dd up(2 yrs) if I could pump her full of organic dairy. No such luck

[Firemom]

I love my doctor. He had no problem with my dd gaining at her own pace.

He said, "There is nothing wrong with a thin toddler".

[proud mama of 2]

My DD's pedi told me the same thing about my BM having fat content. I'm still looking for a new one.

[Leilalu]

That's just plum ridiculous. Breastmilk is the highest in fat and sugar content of any mammal.What a silly doctor.

[MaryJaneLouise]

To begin with your ped could read his own primary journal, Pediatrics:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...689&query_hl=1

Pediatrics. 2005 Sep;116(3):e432-5.

Fat and energy contents of expressed human breast milk in prolonged lactation.

Mandel D, Lubetzky R, Dollberg S, Barak S, Mimouni FB.

Department of Neonatology, Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical
Center, Tel Aviv, 64239, Israel. [e-mail]

OBJECTIVE: To estimate fat and energy contents of human milk during prolonged lactation. METHODS: Thirty-four mothers, of term, healthy, growing children, who had been lactating for >1 year (12-39 months) were recruited. Control subjects were 27 mothers, of term infants, who had been lactating for 2 to 6 months. Fat contents of the milk samples were estimated as creamatocrit (CMT) levels. Energy contents of the milk were measured with a bomb calorimeter. RESULTS: The groups did not differ in terms of maternal height and diet, infant birth weight, gestational age, or breastfeeding frequency. They differed significantly in terms of maternal age, maternal weight, and BMI. The mean CMT levels were 7.36 +/- 2.65% in the short-duration group and 10.65 +/- 5.07% in the long-lactation group. The mean energy contents were 3103.7 +/- 863.2 kJ/L in the short-duration group and 3683.2 +/- 1032.2 kJ/L in the long-duration group. The mean CMT levels and mean energy contents were correlated significantly with the duration of lactation (R2 = 0.22 and R2 = 0.23, respectively). In multivariate regression analysis, CMT levels (or energy contents) were not influenced by maternal age, diet, BMI, or number of daily feedings but remained significantly influenced by the duration of lactation. CONCLUSIONS: Human milk expressed by mothers who have been lactating for >1 year has significantly increased fat and energy contents, compared with milk expressed by women who have been lactating for shorter periods. During prolonged lactation, the fat energy contribution of breast milk to the infant diet might be significant.

PMID: 16140689 [PubMed - in process]

[Plummeting]

It's normal for them to "go down in their growth curve", as your ped put it. Breastfed babies tend to weight slightly *more* than formula fed babies at 3 and 6 months, but slightly *less* at 12 and 15 months. In order to go from weighing more to weighing less they would need to have a pretty significant drop in their "growth curve". Duh! Can you imagine if your toddler continued to gain weight at the same rate he did as a 6-month-old?

We didn't take DD at 15 months, but we just took her for her 18 month WBV. At 12 months, she weighed 25 lbs 3 oz. At 18 months, she weighs 25 lbs 7.5 oz. She only gained 4.5 oz in 6 months! I imagine your ped would freak out! However, our ped just said, "It's normal for them to start gaining weight at a slower pace by this age." She had grown 1.5" and she's ahead on the milestones - those are the things that matter!

[Meiri]

"There is nothing wrong with a thin toddler".

Amen!!!

With all the attention being paid to obesity in children, I'm amazed that any peds would be pushing for a very young child to be fattened up. At some point they get more active and start to lose the baby fat. Happens at different ages, but it does happen and is supposed to happen.

[ChattyCat]

Ok, seriously I am so sick of pediatricians telling us our kids need to be bigger to be healthy. Are they meeting the developmental milestones? Yes. Do they look like they're starving? No, look at my son's chubby cheeks. AUGH!!!

Yes, ff will probably make a child gain more weight, but that's not necessarily a good thing. Cow milk is designed for calves to put on weight. Human milk is designed for human babies to grow brain cells!

As far as yummy and nutritious foods, I recommend avocados, nuts (if you don't have a history of family allergies), wild caught fish (again only if there isn't a history of allergies), egg yolks, cheeses (there are some great cheddar style goat cheeses, if your child has a problem with cow products).

There really is nothing wrong with a slim child. Considering the rates of childhood obesity these days, I don't think I want my child to be near the top of the weight charts.