Diane Perrone writes:

--"FTT seems to have become a catch-all
for professionals who don't know what they are talking about, don't
respect or value breastfeeding and don't know a perfectly healthy baby
when they see one.  Thanks for letting me vent."

I have to say that in 20 years of working in pediatric nutrition I
have -never- seen so much (in my opinion) bogus diagnosises of failure
to thrive.

One day I had a little guy, a two year old,  come in with that
diagnosis from the Ped with his parents.  He had been breastfeed, but
I can't recall how long.

He was just a shade under the 5%tile for hgt for age, and between the
75-90% hgt for age. His growth had maintained that same curve since
birth.  He was chubby even...His ped wanted WIC to provide Pediasure,
a high calorie nutritional supplement for this "failure to thrive"

He came in with his parents, both Guatameleans.

Mom was 4'7"  Dad was about 5 feet even..

Failure to thrive indeed.  If this kid ends up on the same place on
the curve, he is *still* going to be taller then Dad.  He's just going
to be short and really fat from being stuffed with high calorie
supplements.

I've also seen the label applied to many other kids.  Kids who are
tall, yet about 10% Hgt/Wgt....with skinny parents. "sigh". I can't
tell you how many short kids at normal (or even overwgt!) wgts in my
city have that diagnosis.  Don't their MD's remember that 5% of
"normal" kids are at or below the 5%ile  Hgt for age?

Doesn't anyone look at kids anymore? Doesn't anyone look at the
parents anymore?  Doesn't anyone review the child's general health,
development and behavior while assessing them?  Doesn't anyone look at
the growth pattern anymore?  I was always taught that kids who are
maintaining their curve are doing fine, even if they are always tiny,
that its drop offs in growth that are more alarming. (Yes I know my
use of the term anyone is a generalization)

Someone else (I'm sorry, I don't know who it was), mentioned that
growth patterns run in families. I couldn't agree more.  I often ask
families about sibling growth, or if they now what they were like when
they were small.

June Eastman, BS, M.Ed, IBCLC
Lawrence Massachusetts WIC Program

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