please, does anyone have ideas???!!
So, basically DS lost weight this month (about 6 oz), but he was sick twice and got his first 2 teeth. He is now only in the 5th percentile for weight and height. This has been a gradual decrease ever since he was about 2 or 3 months old. He was born in the 50th percentile and starting at around 3 months old he gradually dropped percentiles (this is according to the WHO breastfed babies chart).
Well, the doctor finally took notice of this and gave us a referral to the pediatrician (you have to have a referral in Australia), but the appointment is not for TWO months! Does anyone have any ideas of why this is happening and what I should do? He is EBF, with a very little bit of solids (he eats a little, but not much).
More info: My husband has celiac disease (allergic to gluten), we are both tall and thin people, and developmentally, DS is right on track.
Do you think gluten could be passing through my breastmilk and causing him to have low weight gain? He doesn't have any other symptoms though. Does anyone have any insight? SOrry this was so long!! Thanks for any insight or advice!
Re: please, does anyone have ideas???!!
I just looked this up on Celiac.Com and their response is a big fat NO. https://www.celiac.com/articles/297/1/Breast-Feeding-and-Celiac-Disease/Page1.html
My suggestion would be to contact a pediatrician (though why he has to see a regular doctor BEFORE seeing a pediatrician since he is a child is scary to me, and pay out of pocket.
And until then, can you start supplementing soy formula along with your BM?
Thanks for the link. Yeah, Australia is weird with the whole referral to a specialist thing. The regular doctor is free, but the pediatrician is out of pocket and will be $240! I'm wondering what people who can't afford it do?
I really don't want to supplement with formula, given that he has never had a bottle in his life, is already 10 months old, and doesn't seem to have any problems with BFing at all (has enough wet and dirty diapers, not fussy at the breast, BF on demand, etc).
I'm not sure I'd worry too much if he's hitting milestones and seems happy - being sick could explain the weight loss. As for dropping percentiles - kiddo was 75th at birth but down to 35th by 9 months. He was mobile early and the pedi pointed out that genetics kicks in after 6 months - I too was big at birth but was a tiny toddler (although I'm tall now). Certainly no harm in seeing the doc, but I wouldn't worry too much until then unless he seems to start to lose more weight or otherwise seems unwell.
You could always try getting him to nurse a bit extra (longer on one side for the hindmilk) and offer high fat solids like avocado. Since he's getting close to one, I don't think it's too much to have solids available to him all day - let him graze if he doesn't eat much at one "meal."
I wouldn't do the formula - breastmilk has more fat and calories per ounce.
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Me too. Cheese and yogurt were (and still are) big favorites of DS so try the full fat version of both. Avocado is another good idea. I think wholesomebabyfood.com has some good information on the nutrients in different foods so that might be a good place to do research.
That, exactly. No reason to give formula.
Another thing to try as far as solids: DD's always been a peanut, and when she's sick, it's really hard to keep her weight up. Every day we give her full-fat Greek yogurt (no sugar added) and the I mix in unsweetened ground coconut because it's also extra high in fat. She gets to eat lots of peanut butter (again, unsweetened--we're really picky about that) and I mix olive oil in with her dinner foods quite often.
But yeah, when they get mobile, it's really common for them to drop pounds. As a point of reference, I have a friend whose baby not only hasn't gained weight in 6+ months, but has LOST two pounds. Sounds problematic? She was 30lbs at 10 months, and has since grown in height but slimmed down because she's so active. She's just following her own curve.
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30 lbs at 10 months?!?! My 4 year old nephew is only 35 lbs or so! He's tall, but a string bean. Like pps said, if there aren't any other signs of allergies or sickness, I'd say just do what you're doing. GL getting in to the pedi, that's craziness!