I was called to see a 6 m.o. boy yesterday because of zero weight gain in
the past 2 mos. Mom is BFing and plans to continue. No formula use here.
This was my first and only visit with mom & baby. The birth was at another
hospital.
Birth weight 7lb ~6oz. Weight at 4 mos: 14lb 13oz. Weight at 6 mos: same.
Baby did grow 1/2" since 4 mo checkup. Docs not happy with the growth
either. Mom said head circumference is increasing. Skin color good / pink.
Eyes big & bright. Sociable. Responsive. Smiling. Meeting other
developmental milestones. Fat padded marshmallow (texture, not color) skin
all over. No bones visible at joints. He is into pitstop nursings. He has 6
teeth & I believe he is working on the next pair. He can hold himself
upright on his feet while holding onto mom's fingers with very little hip
wobble.
Mom says in the last month he has been nursing "all the time". He used to
sleep thru the night (8-10 hrs) but now wakes up about 2x night to nurse or
eat. She has fed him rice cereal per doctor's suggestion, plus jarred baby
fruits & veggies, baby biscotti & some plain Cheerios. She has offered
about 1/2 oz water a day to wash down the Cheerios. He stools 2+ a day &
it's firmer now due to solids. Granddad offered him mashed potatoes but mom
says that made baby constipated. He pees regularly. Mom says it's very lt.
yellow, not strong. All that & no signs of illness & no weight gain. Mom's
milk supply is slowing down & she's not happy with that.
I'd guess mom is about 5'9" & still carries some maternity padding, but
looks solid. She says her family are all solid & tall. She herself was
12lbs at birth. Father and family are tall & willowy body types.
We discussed offering nutrient dense, colorful & higher calorie table foods
including byt not limited to: very ripe banana, avocado, sweet potato,
cooked carrots, very ripe meaty fruits w/o skins. I also suggested that she
have him stay on one breast for several "pit stop" feeds in a row, perhaps
for 3-4 hours on the clock before switching to the other breast, in hopes
of upping the cream / calorie intake. I also suggested mom try to find old
baby books or ask the family moms & grammas for baby growth info to learn
what their family gene pool indicates.
Docs have run several tests to search for medical problems & they have a
weight check appt set for mext Thursday. I know this is missing some
details you (and I) need. I will gather more from the system next week &
will ask to see the mom & baby when they come back to the clinic. I have
suggested to mom to be sure baby is weighed on the same scale each time.
Absent any infection, illness, metabolic disorders, I'd think it's a watch
& wait thing, along with "feed the baby" & keep the diapers coming.
Thoughts anyone?
Thanks.
Phyllis
--- Phyllis Adamson, IBCLC, RLC
--- Glendale, AZ, USA
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