Todays doctor visit

[xkoliex]

So apparently Tori only gained an ounce since the last time we saw the doctor... a little over a month ago. She's 5 months now and weighs 13lbs 1oz. Now they want her to go in for weekly weight checks and to really start on solids. I just don't think that she will gain that much weight from the solids. She is supposed to gain most of her weight from the breastmilk, correct? And solids are supposed to be a supplement right? How is that supposed to work?

AND if she doesn't gain weight from the solids she wants me to supplement with formula. The kid will not take a bottle for anything! It is not going to work. Plus, its not like she's starving, if I try and feed her more than every two hours she doesn't eat... She just plays...

What do I do?

[DesireeH]

nak

personally, i'd ignore the doc. LOL if she pooping/wetting plenty of dipes, and gaining at all (some gain slower than others) and she's not acting hungry, I'd go with your gut. How are some veggies and fruits (fat free low cal stuff) gonna make her gain over breastmilk which is designed with right amount of fat and nutrients?

And what's formula gonna do except hinder your supply? Doctors really irritate me. LOL Daphne's never even seen a doc but I wonder if they'd tell me she needs to supplement....probably, they did with Jevin....and I have beastly huge children. LOL They tried to say that bigger kids need "more"....yeah whatever, I didnt listen and he's 3.5 and perfectly healthy.

http://www.kellymom.com has some good info.

[KC in KS]

First step is to check the new WHO growth charts. They're developed using exclusively-breastfed as the standard.
http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/en/

Looks to me like she's somewhere around the 10th percentile weight-for-age (charts are in kilogram, not pounds, so you have to convert).

I'd chart out her percentiles for each weight you have on record. If she's staying pretty constant, that's generally acceptable as a sign she's just small, not a growth problem.

I'd also check the length-for-age and weight-for-length charts. Maybe she's tall and skinny, or something.

Compare all this info to the charts the doctor's been using. Whether or not Tori shows with better results or not, you'll at least both be working with more appropriate standards for an exclusively-breastfed baby.

HTH
KC

[darkpear]

She's mobile, right? I saw you post on another thread that she's rolling and scooting. All of that burns calories.

I'm with Desiree - if she's wetting and pooping and seems healthy, I wouldn't worry. Starting on early solids and/or formula won't do her gut any favors.

[persephone3]

just adding my two cents - i agree with desiree and darkpear. i would not supplement or start solids until you think tori is ready. if she hadn't gained ANY weight, or had lost some, then you might have cause for worry. but even then, if she acts fine and seems happy, then where's the problem?

my baby is 12 lbs. 5 oz. at 5 months, btw.

[Panthira]

My little guy is in the 10th percentile too, and no way would I supplement him. My now 14 yr old DD was even tinier (is that a word?), off the charts tiny, but her ped never suggested supplementing. She's now 5'3" tall and 130lbs! Healthy as can be.

ETA: My DD wants you to know she is 5'4" tall now. OMY what a big deal! hehe.

[aisraeltax]

i wouldnt supplement.
oh, and just curious..they want you to come in for weekly weight checks? i dont konw about you, but my copay is $20! no way am i going to pay $20 a week for them to check Es weight. no, its not about the $$$...but it just seems ridiculous to do that. buy a postal scale for $15 off ebay and check weight weekly if you need to. but i wouldnt spend the time/energy/gas to go to the dr. once a week.
i dont know about the veggies/fruit. it certainly wont put any weight on her, but i bet they want you to give her cereal. and from what i understand, that is gross! (disclosure, they convinced me to do that with ds1 but i was young and stupid and did what doc's wanted me to do then - no saying you are like that, but i was then).
maybe your babe is just small... how much did she weigh when born?
E is 16 lbs. at 4 months but he was 8.4 at birth.
good luck!
rach

[atozmama]

How is her head circumfrence growth and length growth going? Any hint of dehydration (a good wet mouth)? Is she meeting her other milestones? Sam dropped from the 75% to the 50% from 2 to 4 months and our dr took a wait and see attitude because all the questions I asked were positive. I am going to take him in for a weight check in a couplle of weeks and see what he is doing.

I agree with the others that supplementing will only take the place of the superior source of nutrition for her first year of life.

[kofduke]

If you are concerned, are there ant independent Ibclc's in your area you could see?

[amygoforth]

What's your mama intuition telling you? Do you think she seems healthy and happy? Do a little research, then go with your gut. Kellymom has some really good info. Here's an interesing nugget from Kellymom that is OPPOSITE of what your doc told you:

Stop or decrease solid foods, particularly if baby is younger than 6 months. Most solids foods have fewer calories and nutrients than breastmilk, plus they tend to replace (rather than add to) the higher-calorie, more nutritious breastmilk.

More good stuff:

increasing weight gain
infant growth calculator

[hottmama]

My oldest was TINY. Below the charts from 4-12 mos., although he was 8.3 at birth. "They" convinced me to start solids at 5 mos. and he didn't gain anything, even though he nursed 20 times a day and ate solids like there was no tomorrow (he ate a whole banana at his first solids feeding!) A bit after a year, he had a huge growth spurt and has been in the 95th percentile ever since, although his eating habits have been roughly the same as they were at 5 mos.- actually, I think he eats fewer solids now.

If I could go back, I would have waited until at least 6 mos. to start solids. My son developed allergies to tomatoes, dairy, and cinnamon (he's outgrown them all now, except he's still a little sensitive to dairy).

Luka eats the same breastmilk and weighs 18 lbs. at 4 mos. I know that my milk was more than adequate for Julian and I feel silly for doubting myself. As long as your baby has enough wet dipes (4+/day) and isn't losing weight, don't stress out about it. Some babies just don't grow very fast at this age.

[IncaMama]

pft screw that!!! you just keeping feeding your little lady mama's milk. i'm sure she's fine!!! trust your mama instinct. :

[xkoliex]

I talked to my mom about it and she reminded me that my youngest sister is 3 years old and only weighs 22 pounds on a good day. Plus Tori's father's side of the family is REALLY tall. I have my moments that I freak out and that was one of them.

Another thing I didn't think about is that she grew almost 2 inches this past month. She grew upward not outward!! Tori is now 24.5 inches long. I have a feeling that by the time she is done growing, she'll be taller than her momma!! (I'm only 5'3")

[lizajane30]

If they want weekly weight checks, make sure they use the same scale every time for true accuracy. Different scales can mean as much as a few ounces discrepancy! My ped says what's most important is that babies follow their own curve, which is sort of what a PP said (i.e. not dropping from 90th %ile to 45th).

[spiralmg]

i am skeptical skeptical skeptical of your dr's advice.

what good will a weight check at the dr. office do except line his/her pocket? if your baby seems ill, then you might have a problem, otherwise :

[mamanurse]

Your dd sounds very active and healthy. I'm not saying that you need to do this, but if you could do weekly weight checks on your own using a rented scale and then make a dr's apt. if Tori loses weight. We rented a scale from the lactation dept. at the local hospital for $25 a month. It also might be possible that you wouldn't have to pay your copay because the apt. might be considered a follow-up. We don't ever have to pay our co-pays when I go in for follow-up apts.

[coloradoalice]

Just dropping in to say that the most liberating thing I have done recently was to stop going to well-baby visits. I swear they are designed to just scare parents and line the doctors pockets!!! My dd was diagnosed FTT because of slow weight gain, and there was absolutly nothing wrong with her, she was, and still is just small!! You know if she is growing, not just physically but mentally. If you think things are fine just don't go!! Doctors are for the sick, not the healthy!

[kir]

love this thread
agree with all the pp's about trusting what's going on.
I found a new doctor when this one I thought i liked was telling me to start to wean at 3.5 months. New one is across town and a pain to get to, but i look forward to seeing her.

Doctors should be for well-babies, too, but we should not feel scared or ashamed of our babies' progress when we take a well baby in! They should be our partner or medical consultant.

Kiran

[spiralmg]

Ironically, all of this talk is making me wonder if I SHOULD be taking my DD in for perhaps a 6 mo check? We have not been to the Dr. at all (he came to see her at birth, that was it) and she is perfectly healthy, and I know my Dr. does support no-vax and breastfeeding etc and won't give me much if any bad advice. But are there reasons I should be taking her in, like some odd undiagnosed condition that wouldn't be apparent to me? Or just letting him get to know her? Am I missing out on something?

[lizajane30]

I'd say it might be a good idea for your baby to get to know the doctor (and vice-versa, to some extent) so s/he isn't a totally scary stranger when or if you do have to take your baby in. I also think that yes, if you have a doc you like/trust, it's worth it to go in case there's something you might miss. As his mama I know if my baby isn't feeling well, but I don't have the kind of training that would clue me into something bigger, say a missed or late developmental milestone that could be an indicator of something more serious.

I think generally, as mothers we know our babies better than anyone else. My DS' ped thinks he's not teething and tells me I should be "sleep training" at this point, because he doesn't need to eat all night; I know that he is uncomfortable at night--for whatever reason!--and if the one thing that will make him feel better is mama's milk then I'm not going to deny him. Yes, it's hard being woken up by the little squirmy body next to me every hour or less...it's a lot like not getting any sleep at all...but parenting is hard. Why make it harder by being woken up, then listening to my baby cry in anguish?

I'm actually considering finding a new ped, precisely because our current doc doesn't encourage me to trust that mama's instinct. Every time we have an appointment I come away less confident that I have any clue what's going on with my boy.