Weight gain issues...?

Question

My daughter is six and a half months old and has never been great with her weight gain but she has managed to JUST keep our health nurse happy. She is very long for her age (70cms) and eats a truck load.

We went to our health nurse yesterday and she had only put on 15gms on 3 weeks so we have to go back next week to have her weighed again.

Has anyone else had this problem and did it end up being caused by something?

We aren't hugely concerned as she is otherwise happy and seems healthy. She is certainly growing in length just not putitng the weight on.

Answer 1

My daughter is 21 months old and doctor's always scratch their heads when they see her weight on the scales.

I just want to reassure you that as long as she is actually gaining there should be no cause for concern.

My daughter has always been smaller managing to barely squeak by into the 3% category.  The doctors would shake their head and say, well, she's just following her own growth chart, there at least was an upward curve.

Then for some reason between the age of 6-9 months, she didn't put on any weight at all.  She had all sorts of tests done for turner's syndrome, thyroid checks etc...  and we were even refered to a genetics counsellor, a dietician and a hormone specialist.

Everything's turned up normal and she's gaining a bit of weight again.  They really don't understand what's going on with her and it is frustrating not having any answers, but we've at least ruled out anything serious.

There's nothing you can really do but wait and see.

good luck!

Answer 2

Weight gain should not be an issue as long as the child is active.

My son ,always is thin but active,he is going to be three.

But make sure,she is not under weight.

Regarding the length,it varies.My friend's son is taller to my son whereas he is half  year younger to my son.It is genetic and nothing to worry.

Some child stuck to constant weight while they grow and retain it after few years,generally small children.

Remember not all rolly-polly child are healthy.

Child must be active not lethargic,irrespective of his weight otherwise you need to see a doctor.

Activeness of child matters the most at this stage.

Answer 3

I haven't personally had this problem.  My son gained more than the expected amount of weight until 8 months -and then didn't gain another lbs until after he was two.  But because he was more than the expected weight to start with it wasn't a huge concern.

Firstly you need to be sure that your baby is being charted on a breastfed baby chart.  http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards... a few weeks of low gain are less concerning if she's stayed more or less on the same "line"

I have helped a number of women with the same problem.  They all gave up nursing between 3-6 months; none of their babies weight gains improved after they went on formula.  One woman pumped and supplemented at the breast for awhile and was supplementing MORE than the baby should have consumed and that wasn't enough to prove to her or the ped that the problem wasn't what was being consumed (if there was a problem at all).

I certainly am not opposed to a small baby being referred to some help such as a lactation consultant.  That's reasonable.  Its also reasonable to check for some of the obvious metabolic problems (I can't think what the usual list is cystic fibrosis, growth hormones, iron, zinc, b12, b6)  and UTIs etc which can cause slow growth.

But overall a baby that is meeting other milestones and looks healthy (good skin colour and tone, good hair, bright eyes, etc) is more than likely just fine.

How might I increase baby's weight gain?

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gro...

Answer 4

She's probably just a little thing. My daughter is super tiny for her age.....22 lbs 14 oz at almost 21 months. Also, she weighed 22 even at 15 months, 22 lbs 8 oz at 19 months.....so we can't seem to get to 23 pounds! The doctor said she wasn't to worried about since she was growing in height (3 inches in 3 months) and said that she is probably just going to be skinny.

Also, my child is a bird eater. I think she lives on carrot juice and green beans some days...LOL.

Answer 5

Hi, I had kinda the opposite in the beginning and then the same as you when my son was close to a year old. At first he was in the 95th percentile when he was a month old up until 10 months or so in age...which means he was bigger than 95 percent of babies his age! lol, I just knew the doctor must think that I feed him a ton but in reality he was drinking exactly what he should be at his age and sometimes less. Then when he turned a year he started losing weight and by a year and a half he was only in the 15th percentile which meant that he was very small for his age...I couldnt figure out what the heck was going on but the doctor said as long as he was healthy and eating well and happy that everything was okay...He is now 5 yrs old and he is exactly in the 50th percentile, lol..I hate those charts! Every kid is different so if she is healthy then I would say she is just fine!

Answer 6

Hi, I have had the same problem with my baby...he is really long but has never really gained weight like they wanted him to.  He is now 1 year old 29 1/2 inches long and weighs 21 lbs, and it was all I could do to get him there.  I have tried everything to get him to gain weight.  In the beginning he had trouble gaining weight because he had GERD and everything he ate came back up...in fact until he was diagnosed at about 8 days old he had managed to lose almost a half a pound from the time he was born.  Although he started gaining weight again he gained it very slowly and we had to go in a couple of times so that they could re weigh him...turns out that some babies especially long babies just gain weight slower than normal.  My baby gains about 2 pounds every 4 to 6 months...and he eats like a cow...I honestly don't think you have anything to be worried about...but if it becomes a problem there are special formulas that are designed for babies that don't gain enough weight...they may also put her on vitamins or something like pediasure when she gets to the appropriate age.  Since my little one has turned one I have had him on pediasure and whole milk...he has defiantly lost some of the thinness that he had before but he is still so long that he is still skinny as a rail.  Little monkey is only in a 6-9 month pants, problem with that is they are to short..go figure...anyway, like I said I really don't think you have anything to be worried about.