Milk is for babies!

[Julie C]

Our 9 month old started solids at around 5.5 months. She immediately loved it and proved to be a fantastic eater... but she also immediately started to not want to bf as often.

Then we got her onto a bottle, but only small amounts at a time (around 4 oz every 4 hours). She got sick with RSV a few weeks ago and was hospitalized for dehydration.... and then began refusing any liquid even after her recovery. Even her solid intake was pretty limited for a while ... she only wanted to eat crunchy things.

Over the past week (I've been posting like mad trying to fix things -- thank you to all of you who have helped!), we finally got her drinking a little more... but it seems to have maxed out ... back to the 4 oz every 4 hours. Not enough for a 9 month old!

I've tried decreasing her solids (to almost none one day), but it didn't change anything. She doesn't eat during the night, either -- so it has nothing to do with distraction.

The paediatrician (who is not exactly someone I have much faith in -- he didn't even have a stethescope at our last appt!) prescribed Zantac, but it didn't make a difference. He told me not to worry about it at our follow up appt, and suggested Colace for the constipation.


What do you guys think?

[Mimi 2]

Is she getting any other form of liquids?  Is she constipated?  Hard small pellets?  I'm have no personal experience with Colace but if her bm are not hard small pellets, I'm inclined to think that she doesn't need it, kwim? 

As for the milk intake, 4 oz every 4 hrs and not taking any night feeds means she's totally about 12 oz?  This is low but it is not too bad.  Can you add some formula to her solids?  Offer more solids that are high in nutrients?  One other thing to consider is to offer smoothies.  Los seems to like smoothies, maybe because it's a novelty and it's nice and cool.   You can use formula or even ebm to make the smoothies (yes, I have heard some moms do this). 

[deb]

You can also offer liquids in a syringe, like medicine, to get the odd extra ounce or three into her here and there.

Never heard of giving a baby that young Colace. Not prune juice? (Which could also be administered in a syringe)

Along the lines of a smoothie, I had a friend whose DD learned to drink things other than milk by mixing some veggie juice (I think they started with carrot b/c it's a bit on the sweet side) with the milk. Oooh, prune juice and milk/formula together! Also, by 9 months some babies are taking yogurt, which might also make a nice smoothie. (The culturing of the yogurt partially digests the milk sugar and protein so it's easier for most people to digest than milk or cheese - you'd just add plain unsweetened yogurt to some milk and shake it up to combine!)

You could also try mixing formula or milk with solids - oh, just saw Mimi beat me to that one! Both mine had EBM and formula mixed with cereal from time to time, but you could just as easily add it to applesauce (or prunes LOL)

How is her weight gain? How are her diapers? Is she having enough - or ANY - wet diapers during the day?

[Julie C]

Brilliant ideas! Thank you thank you thank you!

Here are some answers to some of the questions you asked...

Her bms are hard LARGE pellets. She screams and cries when it's time. Pure constipation.

She DOES have about 2 wet diapers a day.

She lost about 1.2 pounds when she was sick, but she seems to feel heavier now. I haven't had her weighed...(and the doc didn't want to undress her because he was in a rush at our last follow up)

Today (of course, because I posted last night) we have had a bit more luck. She took a 4 oz bottle AFTER her morning bf (strange, I know... I just had a feeling she wanted more). She ate lots of fruit with breakfast, and had about 5 oz before lunch. That's almost pretty normal!

I'm going to make a smoothie for supper/dessert, though... just because it sounds so yummy!


Thanks again!

[Mom to M&M]

I don't know, that little formula seems really low for her age. Is she still BFing much in addition? If so that's good but otherwise I might be concerned... How did the smoothie go?

[Julie C]

We did the smoothie for dessert and she loved it.

She woke up this morning, drank 4oz and took a normal poop. Then she had some cereal and some kiwi, and then guzzled another 4 oz. She bfed before her morning nap and had another 8 oz when she woke. She had a home made mini hidden veggie muffin, cucumber and a mum mum. She drank 4oz at 3pm, had chicken and veg and apple banana for supper, and then downed 5 oz before bed.

That makes 25 oz plus a bf.

It's like the smoothie cured her!

[Mom to M&M]

Yahoo! So happy to hear it! Maybe her throat is finally feeling better?

BTW - just remembered tonight that my niece (who's now 5) had bad thrush AND coxsackie at the same time when she was 9 months. She didn't want to suck on anything and got terribly dehydrated. Even after she recovered, she refused the bottle and pacifier from then on and went straight to sippy cups and straw cups!

[Mimi 2]

Yay! 

Another point for smoothies!

[ajjanzen]

Just jumping in here....
When my DD was about 9 months she really preferred to eat solids over BFing.  And when she was 10 months refused to BF altogether.  Never took a bottle and would only drink water from a sippy cup.   I ended up putting her on regular cow's milk but would use the smoothies to hide things like yogurt and formula to up her milk intake for the day.  Smoothies are the best...even a good treat from Mom too!