I call him my teeny guy because he is just that: teeny. And that's the problem. I had him at the dr. today and he weighed 10 lbs 9 oz. He was 8 5 at birth. He's 2 1/2 months old. So he went from the 75% at birth to the 5% today. Not good. She said he should be close to doubling his birth weight at this point. So she's ordering a bazillion test, starting with a bunch of bloodwork next week. And he has to weigh in every two weeks until he gets back to where he should be. *ug* He's getting taller at a 'normal' rate, just not gaining to go with it. And he nurses CONSTANTLY, so she thinks he's getting plenty to eat. Of course, she also freaked out that he only poops about once a week. Meanwhile everyone else I talk to (even other medical professionals) says that's perfectly normal for exclusively BF'd babies.
I am praying. Ems was 8lb 3oz at birth. Her growth drastically slowed down and she lost weight. The pediatrician ran a bunch of tests as well because she thought something was wrong with her. Well, she was fine. She was tall and very skinny for many years. It wasn't until she was 9 that she finally started to gain weight. Now her pediatrician, different doctor, thinks that Ems is big for her age. LOL
If the baby seems normal otherwise I wouldn't worry about it. As long as he doesn't have a problem with diarrhea, mucus in his stool, LOSING weight, gas and bloating, ect he is most likely fine. Just little. If something serious is wrong, there are usually other symptoms going along with it. My son had serious trouble with not gaining weight. But he had other problems -obviously. The tests wouldn't hurt most likely. I never breast fed really, so I couldn't advise on the poopie thing...
Praying. My children who were exclusively breastfed had similar patterns for their bowel movements. One son was born under 6 lbs full term and he was very slow to gain weight. He was under the 5th percentile for so long. He grew slowly until about age 2. At that point he caught up and was around the 50th percentile. One thing they did when he was little is weigh him before and after a feeding to get a better idea of how much he was eating. Does he have a good number of wet diapers too?
oh Amie, I hope that teeny little guy is ok. Hang in there. Like someone else said if there are no other signs he should be ok. Might be just your small man, he is so darn cute too.
I hope you don't mind a man answering too. Having had six children, my wife gets asked questions of this type all the time by young mothers in our church, so I thought I'd ask her. Here's the essence of what she told me. The first thing is to determine how much the baby is putting out. You should expect 6-8 wet diapers a day. If it's less than this, there's a problem with feeding, despite the amount of time spent nursing. Quite often, this is a matter of tongue position, and you can do things to help with this. (A lady on our street is a speech therapist and, apparently, because she understands how the mouth works, she's asked to help with this issue with newborns all the time.) If the little guy is putting out enough fluid, then it could be an internal issue and any of a wide range of things - including being allergic to something you're eating. This is where the battery of tests being performed will help. Or, as others have pointed out, it could just be the way he is. Hope this helps!
Definately praying for you here! I know how scary that all is. Not with the growth (my teeny guy...well...not so teeny...is off the charts for height and weight), but definately the pooping. My 18 month old had such a hard time with that. He didn't poop for 2 weeks at a stretch and it was bloody and very hard for him to go. They said he could have Hirschprung's disorder. Turns out he didn't, thank god, but it was very scary none the less. I thought I heard that breastfed babies went more than formula babies b/c formula fed babies got way more iron that could be constipating. Hm. I hope this all going well for you!!!!! *Praying hard*
Oh, he pees all the time. He usually has 10+ wet diapers a day. It's easier to tell how often he goes since we cloth diaper. Oh, and he hates being wet, so he lets us know right away. lol.
make sure they check his d level- they've changed the new recommendations because the old 400 IU isn't enough. Harbor's a slow grower due to his medical issues, and one thing we learned by accident is that babies who are slow to put on weight are often low on d. I didn't believe it would make such a huge difference, but as soon as he started taking it, on went the pounds and he suddenly started being able to pull up, etc despite his muscle weakness. Breastfed babies are especially low on d because mama is no longer outside in the sun beating laundry 1/4 of her time, and when she is out, she has sunscreen on. other side effects of not enough d are things like getting sick easily, more difficulty breathing, oxygen levels not as good,etc. I'm glad they're testing so you can figure out what to do next.
Dd was slow gaining weight for awhile too. The blood test showed a dairy/wheat allergy, and after they were out of my diet she started gaining fine. Most of the time it turns out to be either nothing or a simple fix. Will be praying.
I knew a few babies that had trouble gaining weight. One is HUGE now...I pray that is the case with you..just a little phase that has no long term effects or underlying causes. Have you considered getting a second opinion?
If she suggests any sort of treatment plan, I will likely get a second opinion. I am going to get the bloodwork done because there are no long-term effects from that (just a fussy baby for a short time). But I won't make any changes to our diets unless I get another opinion. I take that back, I'll try what my midwife suggested: zinc suppliments for me. There's also no harm in that.
well just for the record, I used formula for my little man, and he had serious issues, until he was 3 and 1/2 and ran tests and found out he was allergic to casein (milk protein) and gluten. He is also autistic.
While I'm not a fan of overreacting doctors, I'm thankful that his doctor is jumping on this before it becomes a serious problem. I mean, right now he's just small, but if it continues and there IS a problem, then his development could suffer. If it's not a problem (read: if he's just small, but healhty), then at least we'll know.
Well, let's just pray he is small and healthy! I have known a few babies in a similar situation...from what it sounds like...and they are perfectly healthy now. And oddly, not small at all! lol.
