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Post by iheartbroccoli on Feb 12, 2018 14:55:20 GMT -6
Hey everyone!
I know I haven’t been around much lately, but I’ve been lurking and thinking of all of you!
I have a question for you. DS2 is 9 months old (how is that possible??) and we just had his check up. He is very small and always has been, but has recently fallen off the growth charts for height and weight. At 4 months he was in he 40th percentile for h/w and at 6 he was in the 10th. And now he’s off the charts for both. Our pediatrician wants us to come back next month to check his growth.
I nurse him about 4 times a day (breakfast, lunch, and two “snacks”) and he gets a bottle of formula with dinner. He eats solids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner but only after I nurse or give him the formula. He eats pretty much anything, and he’s been showing a big interested in solids lately. I can no longer eat around him when he’s not eating because he’ll get very angry if I don’t feed him. Lol.
I’m not too worried honestly, both my husband and I are on the small side as are most of our families. But I want to be prepared for his next appointment. Is there anything I should specifically ask about? Or do in the meantime? Our pediatrician didn’t see anything wrong with our current feeding schedule and didn’t say I should supplement with more formula, but I’m willing to give him more formula if needed.
Thank you! ❤️
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hawkward
Global Moderator
Loss, Infertility
Posts: 19,638 Likes: 123,092
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Post by hawkward on Feb 12, 2018 18:11:39 GMT -6
I’m mobile right now and I hate typing on my phone, so I’m leaving a quick post for myself here to remember to come back later!
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hawkward
Global Moderator
Loss, Infertility
Posts: 19,638 Likes: 123,092
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Post by hawkward on Feb 13, 2018 7:06:25 GMT -6
DS1 fell off the growth charts just before he was 6 months old. He went from being a solid and consistent 50th %tile to <10th.
We ended up with the conclusion that it was just a combination of who he is and burning up calories from being chronically ill. He's almost 7 now, and he's still small for his age, but (as his kindergarten teacher said) no longer small small. He's always been a pretty good eater, so we were just careful to get him consistent nutrition. We did some bloodwork to make sure he didn't have any nutritional deficiencies or common disorders that cause reduced growth.
In the professionals we talked to, we found two schools of thought- the first was to add extra fats and calories wherever possible- butter on his vegetables, smoothies with coconut oil added, etc. The second was to just make sure he got a good variety of a lot of food and follow his lead because purposeful addition of too much fat decreases appetite so the baby needs less food to actually feel full (and then gets used to a smaller volume). Making sure he had a good variety of a lot of food ended up being best for DS1 because we never had a problem getting him to eat.
If I had to do it all over again, I would have chosen the "chill out and let him be" route immediately because for a brief time we made food A THING and it was stressful, and DS1 picked up on that.
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Post by oldbaylover1024 on Feb 13, 2018 8:06:46 GMT -6
I don't have any advice. I would probably keep doing what you're doing and see what his growth is like next visit. I would worry about putting too much stress on food and adding anxiety to the situation, basically what hawkward said in her last paragraph. I'm sorry you guys are dealing with this. I know kids flip-flop on the growth charts sometimes - both of mine have. I'm glad your pedi is keeping an eye on it though. Keep us posted on the appointment next month. {{hugs}}
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Post by iheartbroccoli on Feb 13, 2018 20:41:38 GMT -6
hawkward Thank you! That was so helpful, and I’m sorry you went through that stress with your DS. After the appointment, I had wondered if I should give him extra fats so I’m glad you brought that up. I think I like the other view for now. He’s pretty good with eating most foods and I don’t wasn’t to add stress to him right now if it’s not necessary. oldbaylover1024 Thank you. 🙂 It’s good to know other kids have gone up and down on the growth charts.
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