Secondary Failure to Thrive

mumistheword

I feel like my heart is sitting in the pit of my stomach. I know that I've been feeding regularly, the baby has been pooping and peeing but I have had a gut feeling that something has been bugging my LO. I just came back from his 2 month checkup and he's only gained 2 ounces over the past month. They are insisting that I don't need to introduce formula and they want to check for a UTI. He's also got swelling in his kidney's so we'll be going to the children's hospital Wed. for a test to make sure he doesn't have a blockage. He was born with a skin tag by his left ear, so we were aware since his birth that he had a higher risk of a defect in the kidney. I feel terrible knowing that his weight hasn't gained. He's grown 2 inches and his head is on track...they just need to find the cause as to why he's turning from my littler chunker to a string bean. Anyone else going through anything similar? I'm kind of a wreck, trying not to be but finding it hard to concentrate on anything else at the moment.

redselig

I was just talking to a friend who's going through the exact same thing. No advice only hugs.

Ready4theParty

No advice and I know easier said than done but if the Drs aren't super worried just yet I wouldn't worry too bad.  Dd1 has always been small for her age.  At 3 yo she weighs 27 lbs (8 percentile for her age).  We've struggled for the last three years to put any kind of weight on her.  After being told we should put her on formula, or that we should be giving her weight gaining supplements (both of which we declined for various reasons), the Drs finally think she's just going to be naturally thin and petite.  Trust your gut momma, but don't let the Drs freak you out too bad.

runningwild

I don't have any advice either. But I agree with everything @Ready4theParty said. My DD1 was/is the same way. She's always been very thin. She was labeled as failure to thrive at around 3-4 months old. She just didn't gain weight quickly. She's 7 now and still very thin. It's just the way she's built. And she's a healthy kid. 

Missingchampagne

Keep us posted. There's nothing wrong with formula + breast feeding. Plenty of babies do amazingly with a "best of both worlds" approach.

wmam35

I know the doctor said that you didn't need to introduce formula, but would it make you feel better if you did?  Maybe just one bottle each day?  I don't have any advice but I hope things get better.  My babies are small too (3rd percentile for weight) so I can at least understand the feeling of wondering if they're too small.  Good luck

K&Elizabeth

I have a teeny toddler too. My 3 year old has been in the 5tg percentile for weight her entire life. She will be 4 in October and only weighs 29 lbs. she eats like a horse, but stays light.  I switched her to formula when she was 3 months old because I was nervous that my breast milk wasn't enough. And guess what, she stayed small and still is. Giving her formula gave me great peace of mind. My daughter hit every milestone and is one smart cookie. I'm sorry you're going through this- it is so stressful for a new mom. Do whatever feels right to you. Trust your instincts and know that a small baby can be just as healthy and thrive like any other kiddo. 

mumistheword

Thank you for the hugs, and support everyone! I'm hoping that things start to even out soon. I've been trying to increase my pumping and feed more often to see if that helps. I just ordered freemies and a car adapter to see if I can work in additional pumping while I'm running errands and hopefully it allows me to pump in my office.

The kidney swelling is due to reflux, so we are going to be keeping him on an antibiotic until he grows out of it. It's definitely not exactly what I was hoping to hear, but is a relief to know it isn't severe enough for them to consider surgery at this point. They were able to get a urine sample too, so I'm waiting to hear back for the results. I did end up supplementing with formula just to make sure that he's getting enough until the pumping gear comes in and I can get a back up supply for him.

I should mention that when he was born he was 9lb 12oz a week early, so he isn't necessarily a small baby. He was born 24" long, so he's really tall maybe he'll just grow to be lanky. It was just a little shocking to hear that he got to 11lbs and then stopped...

I'll keep everyone posted with how his weight starts to move, hopefully it's just a UTI that will be able to be treated.

MamaRoni

One of my twins was deemed failure to thrive and I was nursing them exclusively. I ended up continuing to nurse and supplementing between feeds with fortified breast milk. It was a chore but only took 4 weeks to catch him up. At almost 8 years old he's my thickest, strongest kid and weighs 70 pounds!

mumistheword

So we went for our weight check, and he is now considered primary failure to thrive. They've introduced nutrimagen into his diet, and I'm still nursing since they think maybe he has an allergy to the regular infamil. They are also testing him for chrohn's and other metabolic disorders to rule everything out. We went for blood work Friday, and it was just awful they tried 3 different spots on his arms/hands and weren't able to get anything. When they finally were able to tap into a vein they said that he was too dehydrated and the blood just wasn't pumping enough to get the blood into the vial. I go back Tuesday to try again, but will be making sure we amp up the formula right before we go in. I'm also going to insist that I latch him this time, to help sooth and distract. They were worried that he'd bite down on me, but I don't care if it hurts me if it helps him get through it.

Missingchampagne

I'm so sorry to hear this. I think you're doing the right thing introducing formula, so many women get caught up in the idea of EBF and don't think about the bigger picture of what signals baby is sending.

mumistheword

@Missingchampagne Honestly, even just being on the formula for 2 days he's already a different baby. I felt bad about not being able to breastfeed exclusively but now wish I had started sooner. Going from a baby that only slept 10 hours total throughout the day and screaming the rest of the time to smiling and giggling and a 6 hour nap. I feel relieved that he's not in pain anymore. They still want to do the blood work, but I have a hunch it was just an allergy.

Missingchampagne

Hey @mumistheword... How is he doing?

mumistheword

@Missingchampagne It had to be an allergy to the formula that we were supplementing with that was the issue, I'm honestly kicking myself that I didn't realize it sooner. As of yesterday, he's a little over 15lbs now and is really starting to chunk up! I'm still trying to nurse in between, and there are sometimes when he just won't take the bottle and only wants me (I'm definitely not complaining). I wish that the formula were a little less expensive, but it's well worth it now that he's really starting to put on the weight and grow like a crazy man! Thank you for asking! :-)