advice for friend. 9 month old lost some weight, not interested ineating.

[Mary Ann Tuli]

Hello,
My friend has a nearly 9 month old girl. She was exclusively BF for
nearly 6 months and since then has been introduced to solids.
She has always been on quite a low percentile, but in the last month has
lost some weight and has also been less interested in eating. She's only
lost a few ounces, which has coincided with her learning to crawl and
also having a cold.

She nurses alot and has not shown an decrease in interest in nursing so
no problems there, but my friend is getting a bit anxious about her
daughter being so little AND then losing some weight aswell.

I have reassured her that not being interested in solids at this age is
fine, and to just allow her DD to eat when she likes. I have told her to
keep up the nursing, but am wondering 1) whether she is right to be
concerned and 2) what could she do to get her DD to put on some weight.

Any advice.

Thanks

Mary Ann

[Clare L]

Well a few ounces isn't much but I can understand her worry.

Personally having seen what colds can do for appetites - my two year old
hasn't eaten properly for a week - I would say that one month is just a
blip. If she is nursing loads then that is all she needs. Babies are quite
smart about what they need - they have to be as they can't read the books or
the charts. Exploring and learning to crawl are much more fun than eating.
If she was hungry, she'd eat (this is what I told myself when DD ate one bit
of pasta last night)

The only other thing that springs to mind is a UTI which can cause loss of
appetite and weight loss. But if she seems well, then see how things are in
a month.

love
Clare



--
Clare L


"Mary Ann Tuli" > wrote in message
...
> Hello,
> My friend has a nearly 9 month old girl. She was exclusively BF for
> nearly 6 months and since then has been introduced to solids.
> She has always been on quite a low percentile, but in the last month has
> lost some weight and has also been less interested in eating. She's only
> lost a few ounces, which has coincided with her learning to crawl and
> also having a cold.
>
> She nurses alot and has not shown an decrease in interest in nursing so
> no problems there, but my friend is getting a bit anxious about her
> daughter being so little AND then losing some weight aswell.
>
> I have reassured her that not being interested in solids at this age is
> fine, and to just allow her DD to eat when she likes. I have told her to
> keep up the nursing, but am wondering 1) whether she is right to be
> concerned and 2) what could she do to get her DD to put on some weight.
>
> Any advice.
>
> Thanks
>
> Mary Ann
>

[Lucy]

"Mary Ann Tuli" > wrote in message
...
> My friend has a nearly 9 month old girl. She was exclusively BF for
> nearly 6 months and since then has been introduced to solids.
> She has always been on quite a low percentile, but in the last month has
> lost some weight and has also been less interested in eating. She's only
> lost a few ounces, which has coincided with her learning to crawl and
> also having a cold.
>
> She nurses alot and has not shown an decrease in interest in nursing so
> no problems there, but my friend is getting a bit anxious about her
> daughter being so little AND then losing some weight aswell.
>
> I have reassured her that not being interested in solids at this age is
> fine, and to just allow her DD to eat when she likes. I have told her to
> keep up the nursing, but am wondering 1) whether she is right to be
> concerned and 2) what could she do to get her DD to put on some weight.

Personally, I'd be a little worried. My DD was also never very interested in
solids (actually, she's over a year now and still doesn't eat a whole lot).
However, she always gained weight and seemed completely healthy.

So, I'd agree that not being interested in solids can be fine, but if the
baby is losing weight, despite nursing a lot, maybe there's another problem.

I'm sure others here have a lot more experience in this.

Lucy

[Beth Kevles]

Hi -

If your friend is truly concerned, a discussion with her ped. is in
order. BUT ...

First, she should look at family history. If the family is genetically
inclined to small babies, or skinny babies, then she shouldn't worry too
much about her own baby's size and weight. If, on the other hand, the
family is prone to the chubby sort, then she might want to investigate
further.

Second, she should look at the family history in terms of infant and
childhood allergies. If she, or a close relative on either side of the
family, wasn't able to drink cow's milk (for example) as an infant, then
it's possible that there's a genetic predisposition to childhood food
allergy/intolerance. If that's the case, then her baby's lack of
interest in solids may, in fact, be very healthy, a survival trait!
Many babies with food allergies are reluctant to eat solids. (Of
course, many babies with no food problems whatsoever are also reluctant
eaters, and some babies WITH food allergies will grab the food off your
plate ...)

Third, you mentioned a cold and crawling. Colds will often make babies
less hungry. (It often makes children and adults less hungry, too.) As
long as she's nursing plenty, making those wet diapers, then a couple of
weeks of MILD weight loss shouldn't be cause for concern. You said it
was "a few ounces". When the cold went away did she start to eat a lot
more? That's when she's likely to make up for lost time. But if the
weight loss is a LOT -- and "a lot" will depend upon her starting
weight -- or if she's not making enough wet diapers, then a call to the
ped. is in order.

Crawling (and walking even more so) causes babies to expend a lot more
calories than they're used to. (Imagine yourself suddenly taking up a
rigorous exercise program.) The baby's intake will adjust (increase)
over time, but may not be able to increase fast enough to keep up with
the new calorie outlay. Give it a few weeks for her consumption to
catch up with her new activity level.

The final thing, of course, is to pay close attention to OTHER factors
than weight. Is the baby alert? Seems healthy? Developing
appropriately? If so, the weight is much less of an issue than if other
indicators are also suggesting a problem.

Some babies are skinny, some small, and some chubby little buddhas. The
scale is only ONE indicator of healthy development, and doesn't mean a
thing on its own.

Just my two cents,
--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

[Dawn Lawson]

Mary Ann Tuli wrote:

> Hello,
> My friend has a nearly 9 month old girl. She was exclusively BF for
> nearly 6 months and since then has been introduced to solids.
> She has always been on quite a low percentile, but in the last month has
> lost some weight and has also been less interested in eating. She's only
> lost a few ounces, which has coincided with her learning to crawl and
> also having a cold.
>
> She nurses alot and has not shown an decrease in interest in nursing so
> no problems there, but my friend is getting a bit anxious about her
> daughter being so little AND then losing some weight aswell.
>
Being on a low centile line isn't in itself a reason to worry, as long
as that's been her "normal" There HAVE to be small kids and monster
kids for the charts to MEAN anything anyhow....The world is obsessed
with "bigger is better" and somehow that's made "smaller" mean "sickly"
or "unhealthy" instead of "smaller"

I second the idea of checking for a UTI.

My DS gained NO weight from about 7mo to about 8.5 mo iirc, and checked
out clear of a UTI....just breast fed baby plateau, and normal.

He's now following a lower centile line.

Dawn