7 Month Old and Only 12.1 Lbs. Won't Take Bottle. Help!

Trust the doctor. My daughter did the same thing-didn't gain weight. Between her second and third month visits she actually gained weight. My doctor recommended formula (soy because she suspected a dairy allergy) and she gained a pound in a weekend. We then did allergy tests and discovered she does have a milk allergy. We fed her only soy formula from that point forward and she's never had a weight problem again.

It's cruel-but when he gets hungry if the only option he has is a bottle, he'll take it. When he realizes it doesn't make him sick, he'll love it.

Hi There G..
I just read your post and i must say or rather ask . Do you have any one in your family or hubby's family that are small in nature or petite in nature. If you do, then son has gone on that side of the family. Let me tell you about my kids. I have 2 girls and both were premature. 1 was born like a soda can and the other was a little bit bigger. The 1 that was like a soda can was so small that i though she was going to be like Thumbalina. But now that she is 11 yrs old she has taken up on my hubbys side of the family , because they are all very petite in nature. When she was growing the joke around the family was that she will get out of the car seat and straight away go to the drivers seat at the age of 16. So if he is not growing like the doc wants , dont be alarmed. As long as he is healthy and doing fine in life and The MOST IMPORTANT THING HE IS STILL ON BREAST MILK , that should be doing him well. I also home school my kids , so just enjoy the gift of being a mom. I breast fed my girls right till they were both alomst 2 yrs of age . and they r one of the healthiest people i know. Not seen a doc for the past 4 yrs now. That shoud say it all.
L.

You don't mention how many ounces your son consumes every 4 hours. You also don't mention whether he takes cereal or any baby food.

If your son is only getting breast milk at this time, is there a specific reason? I waited until my daughter was six months old and her digestive system was more mature before I fed her solid food.

Do you have good quality milk? Maybe your initial milk is thin, and your son is getting the thin milk rather than the 'hind' (thicker more nutritive milk that follows).

If you have concerns about commercial baby food, you could try boiling or steaming vegetables and then pureeing them in the blender.

Congratulations on nursing your baby!

I've been giving this advice a lot lately, but I'll do it again! I highly recommend the volunteer moms at La Leche League, the nonprofit organization of nursing moms. They are wonderful, highly trained and so helpful. Look them up on the net and get a phone number of your local area leader. You can literally call them 24/7. I've called late at night with breastfeeding problems and they've been lifesavers.

It could be something else (other than dairy or soy) that baby is allergic to, but they will be able to help you determine what to do. They're SO supportive.

Good luck!

try giving him some food, a little mashed potato or some baby cereal or something. Trust me, my son is 6'5" :)

Hi G.,

My son just turned 7 months old. His last doctor visit was at 6 months and he weighed almost 17lbs. What I do with him is, I feed him oatmeal made by Nestle called Sirilac. It is very tasty, on the sweeter side. He eats 1 bowl two times a day. He loves it because it is so tasty. In the mean time, he eats his baby foods. .

I can only find Sirilac from international food markets. I don't know where you live but you might want to see if any international food market carries’s it. Sirilac cannot be found at you local supermarkets. Hope this helps!

OMG your in the same situation as I was a few years ago. I have a 3 3/4 y/o boy who was almost labeled FTT ( failue to thrive ) who would not take a bottle and was exclusively breast fed b/c he did not like food, he finally ate at age 1. He fell off the chart and has never returned. My advise is look at the baby not the scale or charts. Is he healthy, active, does his hair and nails grow? Next, look at your size and the size of the father. If you are short and small so will your child be. My boy is still small, but so am I and so is his dad. Remember, he is still gaining. FYI if he breaks out from dairy and soy he should not have formula, as formula contains these things. You could try a sippy cup with almond or rice milk if your really worried. Try not to let the doctors scare you, your breast milk is divine food that is absolutely perfect for your baby in all ways. Good luck...

I understand your baby's slow weight gain, but is he healthy and happy or is there something actually wrong with the low weight? Some babies are just littler, you know? And, most of the time, breast milk has more fat content than formula, so I don't know why your pediatrician would recommend supplementing with formula (aside from the fact that they are inundated with free samples from formula reps, but that's another post all together!). If you nurse more often, your milk supply will grow and hopefully help your baby gain weight. Have you gotten any help from The Pump Station (there's one on Wilshire in Santa Monica and one in Hollywood)? They are so helpful with everything related to breast feeding. And, you can even have them check the fat content of your breast milk to make sure it's higher than formula. Also, for the eczema, breast milk is WAY better than formula, so I would do everything you can to protect your milk and nursing. And really, if your baby won't take anything from a bottle, it seems like you have no choice but to continue with nursing. What about solids? Hang in there - get support (The Pump Station rocks!) and good luck!

I know it is scary to have a symptom that could mean a number of things including nothing. But I know that you are not alone. I have met many others who have faced the same thing each with a different outcome. Hopefully someone else on this list has personal experience with it. The only advice I have is to talk about your fears and concerns with your family and friends, even if they don't say the right thing they usually mean well.

I don't think I can help. I just wanted to tell you a little of my story. I have two who didn't "gain weight properly." (I did not go through this with my middle child) I wasn't too worried about it, they were happy, healthy and developmentally right on target. It was awful with my second one, though, my pediatrician had me try to supplement with formula, then told me to wean her at 4 months - when she still didn't gain like they wanted, she was put on pediasure - which was HORRIBLE! Her appetite decreased, she hated the pediasure (I think it was too rich for her), feeding time was all about force-feeding, and she lost weight! The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with her and told me that if my baby didn't start gaining weight I would be crucified (her word!) I was told she had to drink 24 oz/day. I started counting at 8 am and woke her up after bedtime to feed her a few more ounces, until she got that 24 down. I'm sorry! I hate to be a downer. I just wanted to say, for all that, as difficult as it all was - she will be 15 on Monday - and she is fine. By the age of two (at which time I took advantage of an insurance change to change pediatricians) she was following the growth curve and has since. Pretty much the same happened with my son. He is short, but some people are . . . He will be 19 soon and is a college freshman. They are G.A.T.E identified, honors students. Unfortunately, doctors want to find the problem and fix it - I'm not convinced there is necessarily a problem - not all kids fit into the norm.

About the not taking a bottle issue, when I was told to wean my daughter, she suddenly wouldn't take a bottle anymore, even breast milk (tho she had been taking at least one a week up until then). My mom took her for a weekend and figured out if she let her suck her fingers and slid the nipple in next to them, my daughter would eventually take her fingers out of her mouth and keep sucking on the nipple. You can also start offering a cup. My mother-in-law swore by weaning to a cup . . . I never did, but it's something else to think about . . .

Good luck!
This too shall pass . . .

I would give la leche league a call before going with the formula route....they may have some good advice for how to help with the weight gain. The leader's name is Sarah and she is very calming and helpful. here is the link to the website: http://www.lllusa.org/web/LAWestsideCA.html

And also the Pump Station on Wilshire Blvd.,which I'm sure you know about. although I breastfed my first child for 18 months, I went to see Corky when I had trouble nursing with my second baby, and I was surprised at how much help it was...who knew you could learn so much!
Good luck!

My suggestion to you is that you visit NAET.com, order and read the book "Say Good-Bye to Children's Allergies" and make an appointment to consult with an NAET certified doctor. I go to Dr. David Karaba in Fullerton and absolutely love him. His phone number is ###-###-####. One of the wonderful things about NAET is that for children or the infirm, they can be treated through a surrogate, i.e., you. Here is the description paragraph from the book information.

"Say Good-bye to Children’s Allergies
By - Devi S. Nambudripad, D.C., L.Ac., R.N., Ph.D.
Paperback-1st Edition 2000
350 pages, 8.5’ X 5.5’ X .75’
ISBN: ISBN: 0-###-###-####-8-4
In Say Good-bye to Children’s Allergies, Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad, the developer of NAET®, will help you understand your child’s illness and will assist you in finding the right help to achieve better health for your child. This book will show you how certain commonly used products in your foods and environment can cause health problems in your child; how you can test your child in your privacy of your own home using the Nambudripad’s Testing Techniques described in the book. This book will educate you how your child’s health problems can relate to allergy, a traditionally under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed condition; and, how allergies can manifest into myriad symptoms that might seem unrelated. The author also provides remedies for mild conditions of common childhood ailments arising from allergies and how to find help in assisting your child find the right help for serious problems such as, asthma, hay-fever, common colds, sinus problems, milk allergy, peanut allergy, sugar allergy, hives, gastritis, vomiting, colic for newborns, ear infections, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, bronchitis, drug reactions, and many other conditions. Dr. Nambudripad explains how allergies are often the underlying causes to pediatric problems and how NAET® testing procedures and NAET® treatments can offer relief from these allergies. The book is supported by NAET® practitioners’ testimonials and patients’ success stories."

How tall is he? My youngest is a slow weight gainer. She is only 20lbs at 19 months but she eats like a race horse. Her height and head is normal so they are not worried anymore. Me and my husband are very thin so we are bound to have thin kids (I'm 5'6 and weigh 108).

Good Luck!
D.