[kerpav]

ds is 5 1/2 months old and weighs 13.5 pounds. (He was born 8 lbs.) We went to the ped yesterday and he had only gained 1 lb. since the 4 mo. appt, and had not grown lengthwise at all.

On the charts he went from weight in the 25th % to weight in the 5th %, and from height in the 50th % to nearly so low it is off the charts.

She said she wouldn't be concerned if he consistently was in the low range but this appears to be quite a drop.

I am ebf and about a week ago he stopped waking at night for feeds. I feed him every 2-3 hrs during the day and since the appt. have stepped that up to every 1-2 hours.

My ped wants me to start solids. I tried some mashed avocado this morning and he grimaced and didn't seem to want to continue after trying it.

Not sure what to do now. Maybe try bananas? I was planning on waiting until at least 6 months for solids (esp. as food allergies run in the family) but she says "he definitely needs more calories". Is this FTT or a developmental warning sign? Should I be concerned with my supply? He doesn't act extremely hungry or distressed, in general he is pretty mellow and seems to be hitting the other milestones (rolling over, smiling at recognized faces, babbling a bit..)

Thanks for any help!

 

[bdoody11]

Not much advice, but

s. My DD and i are going through something similar. She only gained 2 oz in the past two weeks and has fallen from the 45% to 20% at 4 months since her 2 month appt. My Ped suggested doing some rice cereal. We are, but mostly at daycare where DD would not eat ANYTHING due to bottle rejection. Now she's at least taking some BM and a little cereal by spoon.

Like your DS my DD is bright, happy and meeting all developmental milestones. I wish I had more answers, I'll be watching this thread for advice from experienced Mamas.

Here is a link to a thread I started about this topic in LWAB:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=692119

 

[quirkylayne]

There is no way that any solid food you give your child could have as many calories or as much fat as breast milk. I would suggest nursing more, every 2 hours during the day and 4 at night. You can also do block nursing, using the same breast for 2 or more sessions, to increase your DC's hindmilk intake. Doesn't sound like he is ready for solids yet. Are you or your DP or others in your family on the smaller side?

 

[kerpav]

Okay, thanks bdoody11 and quirkylane. Yes, bdoody, our situations are very similar!

I decided to start with avocado because it is high in calories compared to other options for first foods--but unfortunately ds would have none of it!

My breasts always feel empty and, ...um... "soft". I've read that it's quite normal after several months for you not to feel fullness, but can anybody reassure me? Today he did have one episode of screaming bloody murder at the breast and basically refusing it--could have been tiredness--but I am still not convinced my supply is not sufficient.

 

[PlayaMama]

this happened with us. my ds started off very pretty chubby and was right in the middle of the charts and then he just dropped off of them. i have heard that there is a breastfeeding versus formula chart since the bf babies are supposed to be a bit smaller.

i was all freaked out and tried to start him on cereal with breastmilk and he didn't want anything to do with it. then in about a month (at 6-1/2 months) he was all over that solid food! little pieces of everything. we never did get into the cereal though. if i could do it over i would not have tried to do the solids so fast, mine totally let me know when he was ready.

if you want to increase your supply there are teas you can try (nursing tea by yogi teas comes to mind) and i've heard fenugreek is supposed to be really good. i would also make sure he nurses at night, that's a really long time for him to go without eating.

try not to get obsessive about it. i know it's hard not too but i did and it didn't do me or ds any good.

i am a little concerned about him crying at the booby, was it possible he wanted something else? have you eaten anything strong flavoured?

i'm sure you'll get more good advice.

 

[quirkylayne]

I haven't had a true let down since DS was about 6 weeks, my breasts are always soft. He weighed 17 lbs at 3 months and is now a happy 25 lb, 30 inch, 1 year old. I think that is around the 75th %.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/breast-fullness.html

Make sure you are eating enough, resting, not anemic in addition to what PP said.

 

[luminesce]

My son is in a similar situation. He fell from the 46% at birth down to 5% by 10 weeks, even though he gained almost an ounce a day since birth for about 9 weeks and was back up to his birth weight in the two week time frame. I found out that I have insufficient glandular tissue though and wasn't producing quite enough milk for his needs which only started to become really obvious when he got older and his needs increased. I'm supplementing just a little with some donor milk now but after doing test weighs for a week and going over the numbers with my LC today - it seems my supply seems to be catching up! And he is starting to gain better.

Could you have a supply issue? I'd recommend seeing a lactation consultant if you really think the baby isn't ready to start solids - a good LC will probably be able to help where the ped falls short.

 

[courtenay_e]

Yup, I'd start with some galactagogues (oatmeal a min. of three times a week, blessed thistle, fenugreek, and perhaps even domperidone). I'd get your latch evaluated to make sure that the baby is getting enough milk from your breast...he may be sucking but if the latch is off, he may not be getting enough milk, which means that your supply will be compromised. Upping your supply and getting a proper latch will help him gain if this is the issue.

I'd take a look at the curve. If the baby is consistently falling lower on the curve, it's different than if it's simply establishing a new curve. You COULD look into supplementing with donor milk...probably I'd do it with an SNS to make sure that your supply is still being stimulated while baby is getting a little more.

LLL suggests solids be started "somewhere around the middle of the first year" so dont get stuck on the six month thing if the baby DOES need extra calories. But also remember that those calories from food are still rather minimal...the breastmilk should still make up 100% of baby's nutrition for the entire first year. The food is really only for social interaction, and practice with textures and fine motor skills until the first birthday, and then only 25% of nutrition for the next four months or so...

I'd wear baby skin to skin constantly or as much as physically possible. I'd co-sleep at night and take naps, too, and encourage him to nurse during those times (b/c your prolactin levels are highest at those times, and if you stimulate your prolactin when it's at it's highest levels, you'll make even more milk). Wear him. The more he's on you and smells you, the more he'll ask to nurse. Offer every 45 mins to an hour. The more you stimulate the milk supply, the more you'll make. Take a nursing weekend. Go to bed with him, shirtless, and stay there for the weekend. then continue the milk making techniques I suggested above when you get out of bed at weekend's end.

Good luck.

 

[kerpav]

Thanks everyone! I am feeding him as often as possible now, he now wakes up for feeds again 1-2x at night, he is eating a little mashed banana every day (& likes it!). I started a regimen of fenugreek & blessed thistle (3 caps/3x a day) yesterday but haven't noticed a difference yet. He does seem to sometimes (not always) get frustrated at the breast, like he's just not getting enough to meet his needs. That happened this afternoon (in spite of feeding him every hour or so--and then he voraciously ate the banana I offered him like it was liquid gold

So a few more q's for you all:

Should I rent a medela (or other) baby scale to monitor him on my own?
Should I just bite the bullet and order some domperidone?
Should I mix his mashed solids with formula to add some calories/fat?

Thanks!

 

[Tofu the Geek]

How much water are you drinking? The body needs water to produce breastmilk. It's best if it's purified water (distilled or RO). Here's a nifty water calculator I found http://www.muscletech.com/CALCULATOR...lculator.shtml

 

[kerpav]

Hmmm, I think I am drinking quite a bit but will certainly up that too, thanks.

Anyone else?

:
I haven't broken down and bought formula yet but keep going back and forth. Don't want to give him too many solids and not enough fat & protein.

For those of you on fenugreek how long until you've seen an improvement?