baby not putting on much weight

[KELLYTOYS]

hi

been to see hv today to have baby weighted.  She is only 13.01 and is 5.1/2 months.  She has dropped from the 75 % line to the 9 % line. She has only put on 5 ozs in the lst 5 weeks.

she is breast feeding at 7, 11, 2.30, 5 , 7, 11 and at 3am.  she is also on 3 meals a day. 

should I be worried.   I dont want baby to go onto formula milk because there is a strong chance of milk intollarance and she already has ezmena.

what do you think

deb

[mysterymia]

Hi, not sure if this will help but my little one is almost 6 months and not on solids but only puts on little bits of weight. She will be 6 months in a week and weighed about 11.6 pounds (5.3kgs) at 5 month visit. She dropped to the 3rd percentile about two months ago.

We have had to go down the dairy intolerance track also. I have had to give up dairy, wheat and heaps of other things. My dr has found a formula which is non dairy, soy and goat. She seems to tolerate it for when she needs a top up.

Is your HV worried?

[KELLYTOYS]

HI

thank you for your reply.  I had the same problem with by 2 girl she is milk intollerant and is still on (now 3 ) special milk nutramigen.  But I hoped this time things would be better because I am bf and not giving any milk products.  My hv send last week to give more food 3 meals a day but I think this as slowed the weight gain up.  does any body have any views on this??
deb

[* Paula *]

Deb,

When my DS lost weight at one point our HV said that they do not worry until they start dropping below the main line. 

Personally I think that if your lo is not loosing weight then things should be ok.  At 5 months, they are doing a little more than just lying around and are getting more active with kicking, rolling etc, so this could also be the reason why.

I am not sure about solids slowing the weight gain up - may be worth posting on the solids boards to see what their views are on this.

[Samuel's mum]

You are right to be careful with your family history.
If you are talking about HV are you in the UK?
I think it would be really valuable for you to talk to a helpline or a qualified breastfeeding counsellor or lactation consultant. Dropping % is not a concern as the charts are often designed for formula-fed babies but you might want to try and aim for more weight gain.
However putting on some weight is obviously better than none and increasing solids and reducing milk intake could have negatively affected weight gain as most solids contains less calories/fat/ absorbable nutrients.

HVs will often talk about formula but there are lots of things to do first including supplementing with your own pumped milk and reviewing your breastfeeding practice. I'd have a chat to someone so you can be armed if an HV pushes formula more in the future.
There are UK helpline numbers here:
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=63627.0

[fifibobandmore]

This is very worrying but my daughter was born at 6lb 12oz and at 5 1/2 months which is about 22-24 weeks she weighed 15lb 8ox but on her first birthday she weighed 18lb 3 1/2oz. She started on 25th went up to the 50th and then went back down to the 9th. She did continue dropping and went down to the 2nd at 16 months. All I have been told to do is put 1oz of butter into her family dinner every day for the extra calories and now she eats loads of food in the day in will eat anything you offer her. It could be the same as my daughter and she has a high metabolism and is not getting enough calories for the speed of her metabolism. Also they keep a close eye on my daughters iron level as this can also affect their weight gain so I would also advvice you to get her iron level checked. All they do is prick the finger tip and take a few drops of blood on to a stick and put it in a machine. And with in minutes you will have the iron level and if it is that then they will give you a prescription for an iron supplement that is suitable for your baby.

Keep us posted on LO's weight gain and what they find and if you do ave the iron level check if it is the iron level that could be the problem for the low weight gain.

[riuliani]

I know what you are going through.  Between 2 and 4 months my LO only gained 5 ounces.  He is now a few days shy of 6 months and has just hit the 14 pound mark.  We didn't have any intolerance issues but he is a very active baby.  I believe he is more active than most.  Even in his sleep he can't seem to stay to one end of the crib.  I desperately wanted to exclusively breastfeed but in the end I had to realize my child's health was more important than my emotional needs.  I went to several doctor's, nurses, a breastfeeding clinic etc.  I went on Motillium to increase my supply.  I now know my supply is very poor.  For the first two months I had an extreme oversupply.  My body overcompensated and now I have very little even with the Motillium.  I have been told this is common with mothers who start with too much milk.  Try to see if a doctor could help you determine if you are having supply problems.  Unfortunately, in the end you may have to supplement with formula.  If you do I will be thinking of you because it is emotionally tough to go that route when breastfeeding is so important to you.