Dear Dr. MIra and all,
    I had a "problem" with my 3rd baby staying on a weight plateau at
about 4-5 months, and the ped. MD gave me a hard time about it.  A friend
who had been active in LLL recommended adding butter to her cereal once
or twice a day.  I did it, and she gained at a more satisfactory rate for
the Dr. by the next  month's check up.  Then I thought, enough of this,
wondered if I should really be boosting her weight that way, and stopped
the added butter.  At the 6 month check up, she had gained only a few
ounces over a month, and the Dr. carefully wrote down everything I fed
her, which was mainly breast milk, some cereal with applesauce or squash,
some crackers, and expressed milk or one bottle of formula while I was at
work one evening a week or once in two weeks.  The Dr. gave me "the eye"
while I was telling her how little formula I used.  The Dr. made an appt.
with a dietician that afternoon, so I scrambled for a sitter and drove to
a downtown hospital for the appt.  Blood and urine tests were done.  When
the dietician wrote down the average day's food intake she surprisingly
said, "This sounds like enough calories" and reviewed what I should be
feeding her.  The blood/urine tests were negative, and I guess they
decided I was not an abusive or neglectful mother.  I changed clinics and
Drs, and the next one was the mother of 3 boys and one of her sons had
been "tiny" like my daughter.  Whew! She understood.  I was feeding this
baby very similar to my older two, so was only somewhat intimidated and
doubtful about my mothering skills and judgment.  It's really different
and a place of weakness when you are the patient.  I started adding
peanut butter or cream cheese on grahm crackers for her snacks, and that
probably helped her gain.  Today she is 61/2, 40 lbs, still a little
skinny thing, very picky eater.  My 9 yo daughter is so different! 120
lbs.  and just chunky (like my husband's side of the family), she is very
active, loves to play football at recess with the boys....just try to
knock HER over.
     So MIra,  maybe your friend can try adding butter and other fats to
the baby's snacks,  or maybe she is just fine for her.  But I don't see a
reason to stop breastfeeding on this altar of ignorance.
   BTW, I breastfed daughter #1 for 2 full years, and daughter #2 for
about 21 months, until she decided she was done.
     Susan Potts  rn ibclc  Minnesota
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