Also agreeing with what Pat just recently wrote.  Why is this toddler 
considered 'failure to thrive'?  Only because of his weight on a scale?  
What about the child's other milestones, such as walking, talking and 
developing in a similar fashion to his peers?  Weight is only one 
measurement when evaluating the overall health of this child.  So, he is 
1.5 years and weighs 18lbs?  That sounds small, but not terribly small.  
And it sounds like the poor guy and his mother have been run through a 
gauntlet of tests and everything was normal.  It sounds like he's just a 
small guy...maybe he'll grow up to be a horse jockey or something like 
that.  :-)

Michelle Swanson, LLLL
Wyoming, USA
~The mother of a 5 year old who weighs 28lbs and a 2.5 year old who 
weighs 22lbs.  Both girls are very healthy, very smart and have met all 
*other* milestones ahead of schedule.

Rachel Myr wrote:
> Need input on a case for which I have permission to post, please reply to
> the list.
> The child is just over a year and a half, weight 8150 g, length 75 cm (just
> below 18 lb, and 30 inches).  Exclusively BF for first six months by his
> mother, who has long and good experience breastfeeding her other children,
> singly and tandem.  She went on dairy-free diet from seven weeks because of
> bloody stools in baby, which resolved and never returned.  Weight gain at
> low end of normal until six months, thereafter about sixty grams/month
> (about two ounces).  Rest of family (both parents and all siblings) are
> above average in size.  
>
> He currently breastfeeds twelve to fourteen times a day.
>
> Specialists have checked for every possible condition that could be
> associated with failure to thrive (including lymphoma, leukemia, cystic
> fibrosis, metabolic disorders, endocrine disorders, anemia, celiac disease,
> all major organ functions, gut fat absorption), and there were no abnormal
> findings.  Other food allergies were discovered so now mother and child are
> not eating dairy, egg, corn, wheat, soy, peanuts or anything containing
> gluten.  Mother well informed about diet, prepares own food and child has
> good appetite.  He is developmentally entirely normal, if not precocious,
> for example he is out of diapers.  Has never had a GI illness since the
> bloody stools in the first few weeks of life, and has always breastfed
> without difficulty, no choking, gagging, spitting up, ever.
>
> During two periods, one year apart, since he began weaning foods, he
> reverted to exclusive or near-exclusive BF for some weeks.  Both times, he
> gained more weight than he normally does on a diet including solids, and
> grew in length. 
>
> His slow growth is the focus of concern from parents and his doctor.  Since
> no pathology has been found in the child, and despite the fact that his
> growth has been noticeably more rapid during the two periods when he was
> getting more breastmilk than usual, the composition of her milk has come
> under suspicion, and the pediatrician is interested in measuring the fat
> content, if a place can be found to carry out such an analysis.  
>
> I am not familiar with the procedure.  How should the milk sample be
> collected?  Should she collect one sample from each breast, or should they
> be pooled?  Is there a time of day that is preferable, or should she perhaps
> collect several, at different times?  And, does anyone know where one would
> have milk analyzed for carbohydrate and protein content, should this come
> up?  Once the result is back, what are the reference values and limits of
> normal?
>
> And, if anyone has anything to add, some stone that has been left unturned,
> please post about that too.  I am open to the possibility that we are
> dealing with a person whose growth rate is not mainly nutritionally
> determined, and I would hate to see a good diet be sacrificed in the name of
> boosting his weight for the sake of weight alone.  
>
> Rachel Myr
> Kristiansand, Norway
>
>              ***********************************************
>
> Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
> To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
> Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
> COMMANDS:
> 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
> 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
> 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
> 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome
>   

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome