Sarah Barnett wrote:

> I had a call yesterday from a mother of a 16 month old.  The baby did
> not
> gain any weight or grow from 12 - 15 months.  Aside from some anemia
> there hasn't been any medical problem identified.

> 4- What else should we be suspicious of about the cause of
> this problem, since we know that breastmilk and breastfeeding are not
> the
> problem?

In response to #4, if this baby truely is not growing, it may be
possible that in rare cases
the breastmilk (or more precisely, the lack of sufficient quantities of
some nutrients)
might be the problem.  Breastmilk evolved as the perfect food for
infants, but toddlers
might develop deficiencies.  I have heard of a few cases where low zinc
levels reduced
appetite for other foods, or made them taste bad to the toddler.  With
zinc supplimentation,
toddlers began eating and growing.  Other concerns are iron,  protein,
and calcium levels
in some cases.

Judy Hulse, RN, IBCLC  Lynnwood, WA