4mo old weight

[BenNJerry]

Had HV round today and she's made me doubt myself a bit... when DS was born he was above the 75th centile for height, weight etc. I breastfed him until he reached 12 weeks, but unfortunately had to start him on formula as I had anaemia - meant I had problems with supply and DS was dropping centiles.

Anyway, he is now 4mo old, and at the 25th centile for weight (14lb 9oz). He has not gained any weight at all in the past 2 weeks. He is still on first milk and has 7oz every 3 hours, plus 4-5oz in the night. HV came round this morning and measured him, he is in the top 10% for height so he is very tall but fairly low in weight. She seemed quite concerned about this. Should I be? I admit I am a little worried that he hasn't put on any weight the past couple of weeks, but DH is tall (6'4) and a little bit skinny for his height so I'm just presuming DS might take after him?

DS is very active, he can roll over already, and is happy in general. He has had a bit of a cold this past week, could this be why he hasn't put on weight? (Not had a fever and been eating fine). HV said to switch to hungry baby milk and if there's no improvement after 2 weeks I should think about early weaning. Does this sound right? I wasn't too concerned until she said all this. Does anybody else have a tall baby who is on the slimmer side?

The fact that she has suggested you move over to hungry baby milk would make me doubt her advice straightaway. Hungry baby milk doesn't contain anymore calories than first stage formula, in fact it just takes longer to digest so your Lo will feel fuller for longer and could well takes fewer calories in a day, not more. First stage is also the only milk recommended by the NHS until 12 months if you're not bfing.

Was DS measured on the same scales, by the same person? Could it have just been am error? Has his height increased since she last measured and weighed him?

Are you feeding him on demand still?

I would talk to her again and ask her to explain more fully why she is concerned and why she thinks hungry baby milk would be good for your Lo.

I'd also ask for this to be moved to the breast and bottle section

How's your anaemia now?

Thank you, I'll ask to have it moved. She told me it was "more calorific"!

No, he was weighed at the clinic the last time and it was a different HV. She's coming back in a fortnight with the same scales so we'll see.

I feel like I've received so much conflicting advice! I was feeding him on demand but he was taking 7oz every 2 hours which equalled nearly 50oz in a day, then I got advised that that could cause him to become overweight. He's happy enough when the feed finishes - he doesn't indicate that he wants more, but I feel like he would just keep going if I let him.

He's my first baby, so I'm just not sure what to do for the best. I don't feel he is ready for solids yet, but obviously I want him to be healthy and gaining weight!

My anaemia has gone, I'm not taking medication for it now, but I think my milk supply has pretty much gone. I don't know if it would help to try and start breastfeeding again?

It's so hard at this stage cos you get so much conflicting advice. I was in bits at the same stage so I know how you feel. As a first time mum it's so hard to trust your instincts, but now as a mum with a 2 year old I wish I had done.

If I were you I'd stick to ff and stick to first milk. Relactating can be done, youd need to get good support from La Leche League or somewhere, but I think you've enough to be worried about and having sorted your anaemia I think it's fair to give yourself a break. (However I'm saying this as someone who struggled to bf for 12 weeks due to being a bit ill after the birth). How long was he taking 50oz for? Could it have been a growth spurt? I pretty much ff on demand but he slipped into 8oz/4 hrs, apart from when the nights started to draw in & he upped it to 2-3hrs, obviously wanting to get it all in before bedtime!

Early weaning IMHO needs careful consideration & the advice of someone more qualified than a HV. As weaning progresses you see from the output (ewwww!) that they absorb more as time goes on, so I doubt it's an efficient way of them getting extra calories at such a young age. Plus when we did weaning at 6 months he got so full up by having to digest food he didn't want any milk.

My son was overcooked by 2 weeks & born just under the 75th for weight & height. At 4 months he'd dropped to the 50th for weight. At 12 months and by 2 he was about the 30th. He's hovered between the 98th and 50th for height with no logic! I think what I'm trying to say is that they try & get our babies to fit the curve, but they just don't. There's a great book called "my child won't eat" that goes into the data the tables are based on & it's based on formula fed kids from the 1960's I think.

Go with your instincts & keep asking advice from everyone not just HV's. If he's a happy & healthy boy to you, you know best.
X x x

Hi everyone, just to let you know we'll be moving this thread to the Breast and bottle feeding section shortly.

I'd talk to a Bfing Helpline, the numbers are here.

A BFC will know about the different types of formula. She will also be able to talk to you about your concerns over your baby's height and weight and you feelings about stopping bfing and the possibility of relactation

Thank you for all the advice. I just want to do what's best for DS

Jaffakake he was taking 50oz for three days, before I stopped giving him so much, but I think it may have been a growth spurt as he wasn't sleeping well at that point either. I worry because he's a tall baby that might be why he is not putting the weight on... anyway, I'll keep plodding along and see how he is getting on when HV comes back in a couple of weeks.

Ben you don't have to get him weighed if you don't want to. If the HV was concerned she should have referred you.

Did you manage to call the helpline? Knowing about the different types of formula might help you when you next talk to your HV