9 months old baby needs to gain extra weight | ExpatWoman.com
 

9 months old baby needs to gain extra weight

101
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 February 2012 - 00:19

Hello Ladies,

We brought DD to her pedia today to find out her weight, height and head measurement. She is not under weight but she is light. DD just turned 9 months and her weight is only 7.4 kgs and height is 69 cm. She has baby cereals for breakfast, pureed fruits (papaya, plums, peaches & avocado) for lunch and pureed meat (roast chicken/beef/lamb) and steamed veggies (cauli, sweet potatoes & broccoli) for dinner (4pm) but she’s a small eater. I still breastfeed her (3 x day and 2 x night) but she never latches for more than 5 minutes since she was born. It is not easy to BF her during the day as she easily gets distracted (even I BF her in the bedroom) and very active.

We started giving her baby cereals and very ripe banana when she turned 6 months old. She was 6 months and 3 weeks old when we started giving her pureed veggies for lunch but she had bad constipation. I remember we had to rush her to the hospital on Dec 24, 2011 as she was really miserable, red and in pain when straining. The pedia-on-duty of the hospital prescribed gel for DD’s sore a n u s and told us to avoid carrots, banana, broccoli and BF her more. I think DD was constipated for almost 6 weeks that’s why we introduced solid food slowly. She was 7 ½ months when I started giving her meat.

Her pedia said we have to give her formula and to my shock the pedia said I may have to stop breastfeeding to encourage DD to take formula.

I even asked today my husband to check the WHO Child Growth Standard to monitor DD’s progress.

This afternoon we tried giving her formula (SMA) but DD drank 20ml only.

What can you suggest ladies so DD gain extra weight? Shall I give her formula (and what brand of formula?) during the day and breastmilk at night? What can I add to her solid food?

Just for your info: DH is European and I am Asian (small and petite). My mother told me I was also a small eater and picky when I was young; that she and my Auntie almost tried giving me all the vitamins/supplements available to increase my appetite but didn’t work.

TIA

101
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 February 2012 - 20:09
I already chucked out the formula and continue breastfeeding DD. Thank you very much for the help and support.
671
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 February 2012 - 10:37
What kiwispiers said. Have a look at http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/weight-gain-metric.html to put your mind at rest. That weight gain is not only within the realms of normal, it is (if my maths is correct) pretty much bang-slap-in-the-middle average. I wonder where your doctor is getting his or her information from (both about the weight gain and also the bizarre suggestion that formula is more calorific/nutritious than breastmilk). I'm sorry you've been made to worry about this :(. If you are happy with your doctor in all other respects, as kiwispiers says, then just do your own thing feeding-wise and practise some responses for your doctor if you need to discuss growth patterns in the future. Or if you'd like another opinion, I'm sure someone here can recommend a nutrition-savvy pediatrician in your city. <em>edited by BFC on 27/02/2012</em>
2782
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 27 February 2012 - 09:35
Kie if she was 6.5kg at 6 months and 7.4 now then for the last 3 months she has actually followed her curve EXACTLY as she should have (i.e she has showed a completely "normal" , not remotely concerning pattern of weight gain, not dropping at all.) They don't increase at the same rate as they did in the first 6 months (if they did they would end up the size of whales ;) ) I suspect your Ped is using the old CDC charts which are now regarded as showing an "abnormal" rate, in NZ (and I assume many other countries) the WHO charts are used for all babies (BF and FF) as they are regarded as a "normal" pattern, IMHO your DR is simply being lazy if not using them in this instance, causing you unnecessary stress and casting unfounded doubt on what is obviously an ample milk supply. Your DD has dropped slightly on length but less than one centile so again thats is within normal and I always have my doubts about how accurately they measure length, it seems a little imprecise with room for error. If you thing the ped is good in regards to any illness etc then just ignore them on the weight thing and stick with them in general, but frankly the attitude to breastfeeding would bug me enough to consider changing, purely out of principle, or at least ask for a justification of the reasoning.
101
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 February 2012 - 01:12
Hi, I wouldn't worry. DH and i are both Asians and both my little ones are below the who charts but they eat nutritious food very well, snack on fruits and nuts. They are very active and healthy and to me that is a better indication that they are growing well than using any charts as guidelines. I was a horrible eater when I was a kid and the smallest in my class growing up. But I did grow up to 5'8 and turned out to be a national athlete so don't worry too much. You seem like you're doing a great job. Carry on bf if you want and give your little one smaller nutritious meals or snacks throughout the day. Thanks Moiee. I really feel better now.
101
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 February 2012 - 01:07
Kiwi, I think the doctor is not just happy about DD’s growth from 6 months to 9 months. When DD was 6 months old her weight was 6.5 kgs and height was 65 cms and now that she is 9 months her weight is only 7.4 kgs and height is 69 cms. This doctor is DD’s third pedia. Her first pedia left UAE when DD was one month old. I didn’t like the second pedia because she was the one who told me to use CIO method when DD was 2 months old and I couldn’t understand her much because of strong Arabic accent. We like the fourth pedia where we brought DD last December because of bad constipation but it is so hard to get an appointment with him. We only brought DD to the third pedia because we thought she was due for vaccines. I didn’t expect that we’d be told to give her formula. DD has no problem now with constipation. I give DD 3-4 pureed fruits like papaya, avocado, plums, peaches, nectarines and figs (now that they are available) everyday. Thank you for suggesting soaking, boiling and pureeing organic dried fruits. Another new tips from you Kiwi. :) Will try 6 small meals a day. Thank you. <em>edited by Kie on 27/02/2012</em>
101
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 February 2012 - 00:55
Just let her be :-) It sounds like you're doing a great job. If I were you I'd ignore the Doctors advice, bin the formula & carry on breast feeding. Maybe she'd like some finger foods though - buttered toast, rice crackers, big chunks of soft fruit & steamed veg etc. edited by BrownEyedGirl on 26/02/2012 Thank you BrownEyedGirl. She only has one tooth right now but I’l try if she can gum steamed veggies. I don’t want to give her bread yet because of salt.
22
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 February 2012 - 14:27
Hi, I wouldn't worry. DH and i are both Asians and both my little ones are below the who charts but they eat nutritious food very well, snack on fruits and nuts. They are very active and healthy and to me that is a better indication that they are growing well than using any charts as guidelines. I was a horrible eater when I was a kid and the smallest in my class growing up. But I did grow up to 5'8 and turned out to be a national athlete so don't worry too much. You seem like you're doing a great job. Carry on bf if you want and give your little one smaller nutritious meals or snacks throughout the day.
2782
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 26 February 2012 - 14:14
I just checked on the WHO charts, she falls almost on the the 25th centile (so 25% of babies weigh less than her at the same age) and her height is slightly above the 25th. Its perfectly normal to be on the 25th percentile and be quite healthy so unless she has suddenly dropped from the 75th or above I don't think there is any need for worry. Still fuming on your behalf that your ped suggested formula instead of more breastmilk, truly.... no ....logic! (but sadly not surprising) :(
2782
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 26 February 2012 - 10:00
Kie did your Dr give you any justification for WHY you would give formula instead of breastmilk? Given that formula is designed to have EXACTLY the same calories as breastmilk, ounce for ounce, and sorry for my bluntness, but its just appallingly stupid advice and I'm frustrated that you paid money for it. Before you worry about her weight, do make sure she is being charted on the WHO chart, also ask for her weight measurements since birth and plot them on this chart, if she has more or less stayed on the same curve (plus or minus a percentile) then her weight isn't a problem and she is simply petite like you. If after doing that you are still worried about her weight then yes, try and get an extra breastfeed or 2 in during the day. I had exactly the same issue with daytime distraction and very quick feeds so I fed before AND after each of his naps (so more like 6 times a day). To avoid the constipation give foods like peach, plum, pear, apricot every day (try buying the organic dried versions and soaking in water overnight then boiling up, pureeing and serving for breakfast. Since she is a small eater, the key to her eating more will be 6 small meals of solids a day too, if she is ok with dairy products then giving things like yoghurt and cheese will add some more fat to her diet. (but watch for constipation with the dairy). Don't force her to eat against her will, but try and tempt her with a range of textures and tastes and give her the foods she likes best.
426
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 26 February 2012 - 01:02
Just let her be :-) It sounds like you're doing a great job. If I were you I'd ignore the Doctors advice, bin the formula & carry on breast feeding. Maybe she'd like some finger foods though - buttered toast, rice crackers, big chunks of soft fruit & steamed veg etc. <em>edited by BrownEyedGirl on 26/02/2012</em>
 
 

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