Concerns - Kennewick,WA

How active is he?

My daughter was born 10 lbs but at 6 months was only 13 months and at 1 year only 18 lbs. And she ate everything I put in front of her. In fact she ate as much as and adult when she was 1. But she was teeny tiny and never stopped, ever. Even when eating. As and adult she is still the same, strong, athletic, outdoors' woman, kayaker, beautiful, and vegan, eating everything in site.

Point is if he is moving he is probably okay. Is he is moving all the time and eating like a "horse" everything is going to movement rather than weight. He is okay.

J. - I would say be sure your baby's doc keeps a close eye on him, but I'll tell you about my sister. She's had three kids, all on time and great birth weight, but around 3 months they just stopped getting bigger "on schedule". They barely clung to the growth chart - all three of them! - for their first two years. Now they are 2, 5, and 7 and are still all very small compared to their peers, but are around the 25th percentile for their ages. But if there weren't any little kids, there wouldn't be a range, would there?!? They are perfectly healthy and happy kids, just very small.

Keep a focus on nutrition - "real" foods rather than packaged and processed, and keep your doctor involved. Then relax and don't worry about your peanut!

Have them check for B-6 levels too (my first had like ZERO in her bloodwork when she had stopped growing, one injection of B-6 and off she went again). Haven't had the problem since.

Sometimes when they are busy growing their brains I've noticed they slow down on the size-growth (using all the calories for processing!), but not probably for *that* long. I am generally not a big fan of doctors and shots, but in this case I'd say, bloodtests are the fastest way to eliminate the scariest (permanent damage) nutritional lacks ...

Hi J.. I understand your frustrations & concerns with trying to get your preemie "caught up" to standard milestones. My son was also born 8 weeks early (31-4/7 wks to be exact). It's definitely been an uphill battle for him to gain weight too. They didn't get the last two months inside us to pack on any layers of baby fat so it's WAY harder to get any fat built up now. My son has always been in the 5th percentile (or lower!) for weight, but he continuously gained so the Dr. was never concerned because his growth curve was even. (You probably know this already, but to really see how your little one measures up on the standard growth chart, you can adjust his age to his due date until 24 mos, but by 24 mos most preemies are caught up) And don't get too hung up on the growth charts & percentiles, each child grows differently. A good growth curve is more important & more specific to your child's development.

If you breast feed, have you considered talking with your Pediatrician about supplementing any of his milk? I breast fed & also fed my son expressed milk supplemented with Enfamil's EnfaCare formula during the day until he was 1 yr old. It's just a small amount of this formula added to breastmilk so one can lasts a long time. If your son is already on formula, EnfaCare is a special formula for preemies & low birth weight babies that gives them extra vitamins, minerals, & calories so I would talk to the Dr. about that. (Our Dr. office gave us a free 8 oz can to try before we bought) It's usually only used until 9 mos, but since your son is still on the petite side, it might be something to consider. My son is now on whole milk, but I still also supplement his evening milk with a scoop of Enfamil's Next Step formula in 7-8oz milk. His 18 mos check up was yesterday and he is now 22 lbs and finally in the 10th percentile! (yippee!)

You got some good advice in other emails too. I would definitely have his iron levels checked. (ours was an easy toe prick test) If your Dr. isn't concerned about the lack of weight gain over the last 3 months, it's probably nothing to worry about. However, if you're uneasy about it, follow your intuition.

Did your Dr. ask you to come back in for a weight check in a few weeks? It usually doesn't cost anything (no co-pay, no charge for office visit) & you don't usually have to set an appointment either since you're just popping in real quick for a nurse to weigh him.

One other thing I wanted to ask was has your little one started on solids yet, besides cereal? We started solids around 9 mos and my son really loved finger foods, so that's when I noticed his weight really start to increase.

Best,
R.

My children stopped growing between 8 and 9 months old and did not grow again until 18 months. I was super freaked out about this with my first, but apparently, it is totally normal. Your baby is getting a lot more movement now and is burning as fast as he is eating. As long as the doctor didn't say anything, then I think he is perfectly fine!

Did the doc express any concern about the lack of weight gain? The exact same weight for 3 months at this age probably isn't good (though doesn't necessarily mean you should panic, either). I can confirm that it is VERY common for babies at this age to become anemic and is worth checking out. The postings about the increased movement and calorie burning are also correct. I would like to add that he might be allergic or intolerant of one or more foods you may be giving him. For example, I weighted 13 lbs at my 1 yr dr appt (born 7lbs oz 3 weeks early). I was labeled "failure to thrive" and put on a "weight gain" diet till I was 6 or 7. As an adult I have learned that I am significantly lactose intolerant. While researching the intolerance I saw some journal articles that said babies who are lactose intolerant can fail to gain weight and be labeled FTT as I was. I don't know how common this is, but it's a thought. In my research I have also learned that babies with gluten allergies have similar problems. Both conditions prevent the baby from absorbing enough nutrients from food. Definitely, ask your doc about this. If he/she doesn't take you seriously find a new doc. If he/she does take you seriously, investigates things and determines everything is fine, he is just small, then you really shouldn't worry. Good luck!

S.

IF there was a gluten allergy/sensitivity you would see other symptoms like extreme diarrhea, crying and lethargy. If those aren't happening then don't worry. Weight gain tends to slow down significantly as baby nears his first birthday and becomes more active, you should still be seeing some growth in terms of length though. As long as your baby is eating well and happy then he should be fine.

your child is starting to get more active so he wont gain as much as he was before. If you are concerned I would talk to your doctor They are their to help you don't be afraid to ask. Some children around that age tent to lose a couple of pound because start to crawl and explore and play with toys. Enjoy your special little gift hugs for you and your wonderful family

I would be concerned and just bring it up to the doctor. Although he is probably on the premie chart and not the regualar chart for his height and weight. what precentile is he in? If they are equal say 25% for both he is probably fine.

sometimes premies need time to catch up and sometimes they need a higher calorie formula.

My son was born 5.5 weeks early. Around 9 months, we decided to check his iron levels. He showed no signs of being anemic, ate well, nursed well, had high energy and his iron ended up being low. He was put on a high dose of iron supplement and actually became more energetic-which I didn't think was possible. Your son may be fine, but it is common for babies around 9 months to have low iron, especially if born early. It might be worth talking to your doctor about this.