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Babies: 6 - 9 Months
PandasMama0626
member
Baby won't eat enough to gain weight
PandasMama0626
member
Hello mamas! My son is 8 months old tomorrow and we are going through some serious weight issues. He was born at 7 lbs 2 oz and gained great at first. but around 2 months we started seeing his growth slow and he has been up and down in percentiles since then...from 10th, to the 1st, back to the 3rd, then 7th, and now back to the 3rd again. He is 15 lbs 4 oz at 8 months old and only takes about 16-19 oz of formula fortified to 24 calories per oz a day, plus 2 jars of baby food mixed with 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil in each. We just started on puffs and a little water in between this week. He sees a nutrionist and feeding therapist each week, and we are getting ready to head to U.C. Davis Children's Hospital to see a pediatric G.I. Dr. next.
He is CRAZY active and is constantly on the go...almost walking already! He just doesn't eat enough to gain weight. A baby his age should be getting close to 700 or more cals a day to grow and he barely gets over 600. We are not to the point of needing a feeding tube *yet* but we have come close. He was breastfed until these last few weeks when we started to wean onto all formula since I was EPing and trying to do that, feed him, take care of our 3 year old daughter, work 2 part time jobs from home, and maintain a house was just too much for me.
The issue is he just refusing to eat more than 3.5 - 4 oz of formula in a feeding. He is fed every 3 hours on the nose and just won't eat any more than that. He really doesn't care for purees, but its the only way to get coconut oil in him. He likes to feed himself, but he hates butter and fatty stuff aside from avocado (which he gets bored with after a day or two.) I'm seriously at a loss because he just won't eat enough to gain weight...
Has any other moms gone through this? When did it get better? What did you do? He has been checked for reflux, heart problems, and allergies and is as healthy as a horse...he just doesn't have much of an interest in eating. I feel so lost all the time and just don't know how else to get him to eat or drink more. I cant really feed him another meal because then he would get hardly any fluid...as it is he is constantly on the verge of constipation due to the fortified formula and lack of fluids. Any advise, help, or support is greatly appreciated.
He is CRAZY active and is constantly on the go...almost walking already! He just doesn't eat enough to gain weight. A baby his age should be getting close to 700 or more cals a day to grow and he barely gets over 600. We are not to the point of needing a feeding tube *yet* but we have come close. He was breastfed until these last few weeks when we started to wean onto all formula since I was EPing and trying to do that, feed him, take care of our 3 year old daughter, work 2 part time jobs from home, and maintain a house was just too much for me.
The issue is he just refusing to eat more than 3.5 - 4 oz of formula in a feeding. He is fed every 3 hours on the nose and just won't eat any more than that. He really doesn't care for purees, but its the only way to get coconut oil in him. He likes to feed himself, but he hates butter and fatty stuff aside from avocado (which he gets bored with after a day or two.) I'm seriously at a loss because he just won't eat enough to gain weight...
Has any other moms gone through this? When did it get better? What did you do? He has been checked for reflux, heart problems, and allergies and is as healthy as a horse...he just doesn't have much of an interest in eating. I feel so lost all the time and just don't know how else to get him to eat or drink more. I cant really feed him another meal because then he would get hardly any fluid...as it is he is constantly on the verge of constipation due to the fortified formula and lack of fluids. Any advise, help, or support is greatly appreciated.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Baby won't eat enough to gain weight
Ours is a little different- our LO had breast milk until she was 6 months and I also EP. Then we started supplementing with formula. Day 10 into formula and we have full body hives. Pediatricians didn't think it was related to formula. By day 3 it couldn't even touch her skin, she had hives from contact. So after trying different formulas she finally was on Nutramigen.
She has gone to allergist and is allergic to milk and soy. We noticed she had lost some weight. She was born at 5lbs 15oz. She was always small but consistently grew and in 5% so ewe just a small baby.
At 6 months (aug 30) she was 12lbs 9oz. Sept 10 was 12lbs 7oz. On the 19th back up to 12lvs 8oz. So we figured it was changing all the formulas that sorta messed her up. Well she went in on Oct 8 for something else and was 12lbs 6oz so we are basically not on the chart .2%?
She is now failure to thrive. She eats 23oz a day and only drinks 3.5-4 at a time also. They said for her age that's small but for her size it's fine. She eats about 10-13oz of solids a day. They upped we calories to 24 calories an oz. but she is gettin 650-750 calories a day. So for her size that is quite a bit they said.
She was referred to our birth-3 program and they are going to monitor her development which is fine as of now. Are you doing that?
She also is being weighed weekly by public health. She was 12lbs 7oz last week. So after increasing her calories gained 1oz in 9 days. We go to the pediatrician on Friday. If she has not gained much by then we are going to the GI.
So we are sort of in the same boat. But my LO is eating a ton and they don't think she is absorbing it. They tested her for celiac which was negative.
Sorry it was long!
I EBF and started solids a month ago (she's 7 months) and I SWEAR she nurses for like 30 secs after the milk starts to flow and decides she's done. And won't nurse for 2-3 more hours. I've increased my supply to pump and feed her my cup and bottle. No interest. I doubt she even gets 10oz a day.
She has stayed on her curve between 5-10% but in the last three weeks I am certain we've had no weight gain. She is now 13.5lbs btw.
Dr isn't concerned yet only because my sister and I were the same as babies (same dr!) and we just have itty bitty appetites. Doesn't keep me from worrying though!
I actually have a dr apt this afternoon to be reassured. She went 5 hrs yesterday without eating a thing and didn't have a really good feed after bedtime until 1030am.
DD #1: March 20, 2013
DD # 2: May 2, 2015
EDD #3: March 4, 2018