Feeling disheartened

[Sterla]

I've been doing BLS with DS since he was 7 months. He's okay with his food - pretty good at getting things into his mouth (though whether he'll keep it in is another thing ). I love the independence and confidence DS has gained from doing BLS.

However, today I had MCHN appointment. DS had gained a grand total of 4 grams (no, I'm not leaving off any 0s). He'd grown 1cm as well which is great - but he's basically gained no weight.

He still has heaps and heaps of breastfeeds (up to 8 in a 24 hour period), and I honestly couldn't feed him any more - he pushes me away and just wants to go and play.

I generally spoon-feed him breakfast, cause it's usually yogurt or something else he can't really feed himself properly, but other than that he feeds himself everything else. Our lunches are a bit hit and miss (as he tends to sleep right on that time of day), which I'm aiming to improve on... but other than that I can't do much more.

I guess I'm just feeling really disheartened. I'm happy to let DS go at his own pace with food, but I guess now I'm worried he's really not getting enough at all .

[Olive]

hun its completely normal for bubs weight to plateau at this age! please dont feel disheartened. remember 'food is fun til their one' hes having heaps of BF which is what hes ment to be doing!, your both doing a great job!!

[Sterla]

Thanks Olive . It's so hard when I have the MCHN telling me things like "Needs to be having 3 main meals a day and snacks" and "Needs to be having solids before breastfeeds"... especially when DS isn't putting on the weight to make me feel like it's okay anyway .

[Beautitude]

Its tough isn't it. DS is putting on hardly any weight at the moment too. As you know ds has decided that he wants to do bls also and will not eat anything off a spoon and what he gets into his mouth is pretty minimal. I think in the last couple months he has put on as much weight as he would have in a week when he was younger (he always gained weight really quickly in the early days) so it has bothered me a bit.

Now that he is 1 im a bit worried about where to from here. While we were away last week he basically went two days on two solids meals. Flat out refused anything else. Your not alone and from what i can tell its pretty normal.

A girl in my mg is having a few weight issues and the main advice was to add high calorie things to food. e.g cheese with all meals, yogurt with fruit, cream etc.

[Trillian]

I'm sure that what he is getting in bf's more than makes up for what he isn't eating. Typically first foods, even when doing BLS isn't going to add huge calories to their diet so that you would see a large weight gain. I wouldn't worry about it too much, but you could try giving him buttered bread, full cream yoghurt and cheese etc and see if that makes a difference. at this age too they tend to drop off with the weight gains too as they are on the go now and burning it all up.

[Sterla]

at this age too they tend to drop off with the weight gains too as they are on the go now and burning it all up.

Yeah, this is exactly the case with my DS - he's on the go all the time - crawling, pulling himself up, walking around furniture, etc. Plus, because he's doing all this, eating (and even b/f sometimes) are too boring for him I think - he just wants to get down and keep exploring, lol.

He does have a fair bit of yogurt and cheese... I don't know. It's so hard .

[fourthontheway]

My advice is to not worry about what the scales say, worry about what the baby says. Is the baby happy and healthy? That's what tells you how they're growing, not a set of scales. Good on you for going with BLW! Keep doing what you're doing.

[Arimeh]

I've already told you what I think - don't worry - he is the happiest, healthiest looking baby I have ever seen

[Jennifer13]

hun, don't let her destroy your confidence. It sounds like you and your DS were perfectly fine until you stepped into her office!

With that much activity, he's unlikely to be gaining much weight. But is that really the only measure of how he's doing? You've listed yourself all of the most important things to be aware of and they're all fine. How do you think mothers went when they didn't take their babies to be weighed every month? Somehow the human race managed to survive!

Keep up with what you're doing and let advice that doesn't sound 'right' to you go in one ear and out the other. Bf before solids is still fine at his age!

[Sterla]

Thanks for your replies - they really made a difference.

You put it so well Jennifer13 - I know DS is healthy, I only have to look at him to know that. Thank you.

I'm going to be stricter with making sure he gets lunch, but other than that I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

[MummyTummy]

I saw your thread Sterla and wanted to come and give you a big hug

MCHN really do batter our confidence don't they? I had the opposite issue where DS wouldn't put on weight until he started solids! So I know how the low gains feel.... but you do have to remember that they really really slow down their weight gains as soon as they start getting mobile. They are busy little things - and yep they have better things to do then eat!! But they won't starve themselves - their survival instinct is way too strong. If it was more about him unable to control getting the food to his mouth he would be letting you know with his frustration (in whatever form that takes).

The others have made good suggestions like adding extra dairy like butter on bread, cheese and yoghurt. If you are feeding mainly fruit and vegies then that could explain the low gains - this is food we eat when we are on a diet. There is nothing wrong with it, but babies super fast metabolism will burn up the energy they gain from it. More carbs may helpful too - potato, rice, pasta and bread.

You are doing a fantastic job, and you know your DS best - you know whether he needs more or less of something, not the MCHN. Don't let her get you down, and please don't beat yourself up over the weight gain! Remember it was still a gain! And with a very active little boy that is an achievement - he would have lost weight if he wasn't getting enough.