I have a 7 month old that has been breastfed. My supply is starting to dwindle to I have been pumping extra on the weekend to keep up with her needs while I am at work. I have also started to give her 3 "small meals" this past month some cereal mixed with formula or some fruit. She only weighs about 15 pounds and is in the 5th percentile but if she gets anything more than a 4 ounce bottle or I try to feed her more frequently, she ends up spitting up a ton. I know this may sound silly but am I producing "skim milk"? Any tips on fattening her up a little. If not for the pediatricians comments and looking at other kids her age I wouldn't think there was anything wrong. She is always happy, enjoys eating, has been sitting well for a while, rolls all over the place, and will be crawling any minute.
Any advise would be appreciated.
Don't try to stuff her. It sounds like she is having enough food (happy, enjoys eating, etc) It is more important that she be healthy.
There is NOT anything wrong with her! I have small children as well; they vary on their percentile scores over time but being between the 4th-10th percentiles is normal for them. My pediatrician says that they have NO medical issues and small size is normal for them. It is interesting to note that those infant growth charts were invented by canned milk companies (before "formula" really existed companies like Borden sold sweetened condensed milk and later evaporated milk as infant food, gross huh?) as a way to sell more product. The salesmen figured out that they could convince breastfeeding mothers that their babies were underweight and that breastmilk was just not good enough so the mothers OF COURSE should buy their canned milk to feed the babies! Infant growth charts were given to doctors for free by the industry, later the "infant formula" industry as a marketing ploy. Even today, the weights of the "average" baby are based on formula fed babies, who tend to be heavier (as a population, I know that there are also thin formula fed babies and chunky breastfed babies, but look at the overall populations). There is a misconception that having a baby who is in the 100th percentile means that s/he is 100% the correct weight, that is just no true, all it means is that that baby is on the large side. It is true that babies can get too thin or too heavy and that can lead to health problems, but doctors tend to look at the child's weight in the context of growth over time, so if a baby that has always been around the 50th percentile (or the 5th for that matter) suddenly loses weight and drops several percentage points, there MAY be an underlying illness that is causing it. My advice is to trust your breastmilk, it is exactly the right composition for your baby, it is custom made for her! Nurse her when she is hungry and not according to an arbitrary feeding schedule, some days she will be hungrier than others due to growth spurts. Feed her some solids, but don’t try to force too much on her, she is still learning how to eat and digest solid foods. You can try feeding her nutrient dense solid foods such as bananas, avocados, pureed meats (I just “flaked” tiny bits off of chicken or fish for my little ones, I don’t like the way that the jarred meats look or smell, they’re like cat food!) And don’t worry so much! My daughter who was always a petite, skinny baby and toddler is now 9 and is a perfectly healthy weight, not thin or fat, strong and sturdy! That is the goal, right?
My 19 month old daughter only weighs 18lbs! So yours is ahead of the game. Unless your ped is worried, I wouldnt be. Good luck!
Remember that cereal and baby food actually have fewer calories than breast milk. So always breastfeed first, before offering a meal, to get the most calories into your baby.
I've been told anecdotally that you can increase the healthy fats by eating healthy fats yourself - olive oil, avocado, etc.
Another resource is here, kellymom.com, my favorite resource for nursing: http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/weight-gain_i...
All that said, it sounds to me like your baby is probably fine. Both my boys were born big (9 and 8 lbs at birth), dropped to single digits in weight percentile around the 9 month mark (around 5th percentile in weight, 20th percentile in height), and then started catching back up. That was just their growth pattern - totally healthy and normal for them. My pediatrician was never a bit concerned - he said that their growth curves looked good - they gained weight steadily at each appointment, just at a slower rate than some other kids do (ie, if you plot the points on the graph and connect with a line, it made a smooth arc, no jumps or sudden drops down at any particular point in time).
Both of my girls were small as babies, the second was not 15 pounds until 9 months, so don't worry about the weight alone. It sounds like she is healthy and happy and developmentally ahead, so don't worry.
Keep giving her breastmilk, that is the best food in the world. (and no, your milk is not skim, it is exactly what a baby needs)
The first thing to do is look at HER-- and you say she's happy, healthy, etc...
The second thing to do is to look around your family and her father's family. If you see tons of short, skinny people or tons of long and lean people you can't really expect her to be plump. OTOH, if everyone is tall and heavy it's time to dig a little deeper...(not only into what's going on with her, but with family growth patterns-- it could be all those big bruisers were petite children who had HUGE growth spurts in adolescents. Otherwise nurse, nurse and nurse some more.
Fenugreek and lactation cookies can help with supply http://www.food.com/recipe/peanut-butter-lactation-cookie... plus adding more pumping sessions, especially nap time on your days off and last thing at night/first thing in the AM (You won't get anything with the late night pumping session but it "puts in the order" for morning!!!!)
She may be within normal weight brackets for HER. My daughter didn't reach 20lbs until almost 18 months, but her height, activity, skin condition, and health overall was spectacular. My daughter, now 6 y/o, is still below average in weight - but she is very proportionate, athletic and healthy. Not all child are or should be fat!! This is a major issue with our society... I'd go to a more breastfeeding and educated Pediatrician. I had to fight her Dr's about supplementing, etc - - around 2 y/o is when they finally said I was right, that IS just what is normal for her.
From your post, she sounds: healthy, active, age appropriate milestones reached and has a healthy appetite. Go to another Dr!!
She could just have a high metabolism so she burns the calories quickly
that she takes in.
If her ped isn't concerned then most likely, you probably shouldn't be either.
If you give her more & she spits it up, maybe feed her more frequently not more in amount.
Offer her the cereal mixed w/formula.
Offer her the Gerber Baby food in fruit. (Btw, they say to offer one new food item at a time to make sure she's not allergic to one. Then after about 3 days of that food, offer a new one.)
I'm pretty sure your breast milk hasn't changed but confirm w/ped.
Tell him/her your concerns about your milk supply dwindling. Ped will tell you when & how to supplement your breast milk.
My youngest daughter has just reached 20lbs...soaking wet...and holding her lovey...she is 21 months old. She too could only tolerate 4 ounces at a time with both breast milk and formula. In fact our doctor recommended keeping her on formula so she is now on toddler formula and still only takes 4 ounces at a time. She is a tiny little peanut but perfectly normal in every way including her weight. What I mean by that is, her weight is normal for her. Believe me when I tell you this child eats like a horse. A typical breakfast for her is oatmeal and a fruit serving. Lunch may be cubed chicken breast, veggies and fruits. She eats anything and everything that we eat for dinner. And she also snacks 2 -3 times a day on fruits and veggies and the occasional crackers or pretzels. We do not give her juice at all as we avoid sugary drinks so she drinks water all day and still takes anywhere from 5-8 bottles of formula in a 24 hour period. And still she is just a tiny little peanut :) Her height and head growth are within range, she's just a skinny girl. Your child's weight may not be the norm but it is normal for her.
Peace and Blessings,
T. B.
What counts here is what percentile is she in for height. It's the combination and the numbers over time that tells you if she needs to gain weight. Often they will shoot up during a growth spurt and the two numbers will be far apart but then they catch up to the height weight wise. It sounds like she's doing just fine.
Is the pediatrician concerned? If so, what does (s)he suggest? If the pediatrician didn't tell you to fatten her up, I'd relax knowing she's just fine. Remember some babies/people are smaller than others. There is no such ideal size.
