Failure to thrive (or whatever its called now), some help please

[poorbuthappy]

I am slightly worried, and know that the lovely ladies here will be able to help...

the twins have always been small, born below 0.4th centile, have once made it passed 2nd, and are now hovering and looking like they are going to fall off the 0.4th again.

So, is failure to thrive only applied to children who were born further up the chart and then drop off, or would it also apply to the situation above?

[mrsruffallo]

I have a feeling that the failure to thrive label is applied if they fall two centiles below that which they were born on.
Talk to your HV though, they are the ones to ask.
Are the twins feeding well, alert and happy, weeing and pooing etc
If so, they are probably fine-do try to stop worrying (I know it's easier said than done)

[BuffyTheFluffySlayer]

IIRC, it's a term given to babies and children who drop a certain percentage below their birth weight/normal weight for a certain period of time. It's normally consistent so they rarely move off the centile line so rarely put on weight.

If your babies were small to begin with then this could be just normal for them. The centile charts just track the progress for an 'average' baby, there will always be some little ones out of this scale on either side.

[Caz10]

As far as I can remember FTT is often used wrongly, and the criteria is actually much more serious than what the HVs bandy about. My dd was very similar and we ended up seeing a private paed who really reassured us, but tbh I was so stressed etc at the time my memories are hazy.
I'd post this on breast and bottle feeding lots of very knowledgeable people there, also search there for a thread about small acorns and mighty oaks, lots of slow weight gain stories etc.

From a basis of no knowledge whatsoever i would imagine that twins are generally smaller anyway? Are you breastfeeding? A good BF counsellor would be able to talk you through things to check for, eg are they pooing/weeing regularly etc.

[Caz10]

Sorry to contradict mrsruffallo but unless you have a good'un I'd say your HV was NOT the person to ask - can you see a paed or lactation consultant if BF?

[mrsruffallo]

It's a horrible term to band about though isn't it?
It has been used in cases I know of where babies are just on the small side, otherwise perfectly healthy and it just sounds awful

[Caz10]

I think that is why I am super sensitive mrsr, wasn't meaning to say you were wrong iyswim!!

My HV was a twat and told me DD was FTT when she lost a couple of ounces, threw me into a total panic....took months for me to realise she'd been fine all along. Paed sent them a nasty letter

[BuffyTheFluffySlayer]

Goodness, over a few ounces!!

I've seen babies loose alot more then a few ounces. It's normal for weight to fluctuate, it shouldn't drop below their birthweight by a huge amount for any legnth of time though.

[poorbuthappy]

In all fairness the only person who is throwing this phrase round is me!
My HV is fantastic (I know I'm lucky) and has not mentioned FTT. It was the paed consultant and dietian who we saw last month who sort of put the idea in my head without actually saying it (damn the internet ).

The girls are fine, a little behind but we put this down to being 6 weeks prem.
I think what threw me was the HV being sure the paed con would sign them off last month and she didn't. She explained that they were concerned how their weight may affect their development over the next 6 months and how we have to get as many calories into them as possible. Now we are trying 3 meals a day and still having 5/6 bottles a day (only little bottles mind, never got above 5oz for some reason), they are 9 months on the 2nd sept and weigh 13 lbs. Is this really little in the grand scheme of things?
I'm looking for ancedotal stories to make me feel better please -

[stonethecrows]

Poorbuthappy

I also have dinky twins, one in particular was way below 0.4th centile when bored. i've just looked in my red book to try and remember her growth patterns during year, and at 9 mths she was approx 14lbs, so not too much bigger than yours! Mine also went thorough a stage of putting on no weight at all for several weeks. We went through the whole rigmarole of feeding them full fat everything - I remember it always being a particular problem getting milk down this twin - so used butter and cheese in virtually all meals. And the result - very skinny but very healthy 5 year olds.

Good luck with everything, I know how worrying they can be when they start of very little!!

[stonethecrows]

When born not when bored!!!

[letsblowthistacostand]

Hi poorbuthappy my full-term 8lbs at birth baby only weighs 18lbs now at 13months (5th centile). Some babies are just slow gainers. She is happy and healthy, eats and sleeps well--she will probably just always be small. We see a pediatrician as we are in the US who hasn't been worried about her growth.

My first DD was a super-fast gainer, doubled her birthweight in 7 weeks, looked like a beach ball at 3 months so it's been a bit shocking to have such a shrimp this time around! Try not to stress about it, it sounds like you are getting good advice from your HCPs and they would definitely let you know if there was anything to worry about!

[Egg]

Hello I have a weeny twin too. Not sure what she weighed at 9 months but at 22 weeks she was 11lbs and now at 19 months she is 19lbs. She just gains veeerry slowly. Her twin brother is now 28lbs. As far as I know DD is fit and healthy (she was later to walk than DS2, but can now run faster than him despite the size difference).

She saw the paed once at 22 weeks to check she was growing ok and he deemed her just "naturally petite" (I am not v big, but was average size as a baby and am prob only just below average size now at 5ft 3ish).

She is I think now between 0.4th and 2nd centile. DS2 (twin bro) is on 75th centile. They were born at 37 weeks and were only half a lb different at birth.

[poorbuthappy]

Cheers ladies...appreciate the input...