Dd age 9, 48 inches heigh not grown in over two years

[IncessantNameChanger]

My dd is tiny she is out of cohort so should be in year 5, but she is in year 4. She by far the shortest in her year. She has been the same height for just over two years as we draw on the wall with a date. She is in 7-8 clothes easily for height. In fact she is still top end of age 6-7 clothes. She can fit comfortably into age 4 skirts.

I told this to the gp in August and they said she is right by the 1% centile, but it's not a worry until she drops centres. She is slim but I think she is gaining weight. Shoe size again she has been in the same shoes since year 2. In fact I have only bought her three pairs of school since she started reception. They break before she grows out of them.

Even should go back to the gp? I was thinking after a year. But it's been 6 months again of zero growth

Saw the gp today ( dh took her) gp said she she is on the 9th centile for height and 25th for weight. She should be 5,1" as an adult and to only worry if her growth pauses? 🙄🤨

So looking at the nhs graph she isn't on the 9th centile. She hasn't get any taller in two years.

So what now? Wait to see if she hasn't grown in six months?

Are you able to change GP practice? Even if your dd's fine - and I hope she is! - I'd have no faith in the current GP. They really should be investigating after 2 years without growth.

I would most def speak to GP though it does sound like she is very healthy and just a very petit child. At least you can put your mind to rest. I had the opposite with one of my DS. He started school at just 4 and was towering above everyone. He was in a size 13 shoes. By year two he was taller than one of his elder DB and taller than his two elder sisters. I kept mentioning it to the GP but nothing was done. By year three all the boys in his class shot up and by year five he was probably the middle in height. So try not to worry but do get it checked.

Why didn't your dh say 'no she isn't' then?

We are having the same issue at the moment.

DD is 9. She's 119 cm. 46lbs and a size 11 shoe. She hasn't changed shoe size in over 2 years.

She is already under a paediatrician, I spoke with him today. He said he isn't over concerned as she's active, eats a very good amount and isn't sickly.

He is going to run a full blood test on her just to check that there isn't anything else.

So did your DH say she hasn’t grown in 2 years?

So she was first centile in August and 9th now? That sounds like she's growing.

I would try not to worry too much. Her height and weight and on record. Keep an eye on her and take her back in 6 months if you are still worried.

Has she been checked for Coeliac Disease? Faltering growth is one of the symptoms. It’s a whole body autoimmune disease so you don’t necessarily get bowel symptoms. The only symptoms my daughter had was joint pains and iron deficiency.

No, she is exactly the same height as she was in October. She hasn't grown even .5cm.

Gp said in October at this height she is 2nd centile. So same height, but older so going down centiles surely?

You don't need your red book. Just Google growth charts for girls. I'd offer to do it for you but I only have boys. Basically plot every single measurement you have on there inc today.
What height did GP say she was today? What height was she two years ago before her growth seemingly ceased?

I would monitor weight more closely - this is what the paediatricians were more concerned about with my (underweight and under height) child.
But the only way we got traction to see a specialist was when he started to have stomach issues and have problems eating, unless your child is not eating or is presenting with lethargy etc I think GPs are pretty hands-off.

DD1 didn't grow for two years at that age, but she had really bad pneumonia when she was nearly 9yo, when she lost so much weight she was lighter than the previous weighing, aged 5yo. She also stopped eating much and never really started eating as she used to.
She did start growing again when she was 11yo, but she went from being one of the tall ones in her class to one of the smaller ones. Her feet didn't grow in that time either.

But the doctors were concerned enough that they were regularly checking her, every month for a while, and it was only after she'd put a bit of weight back on they went to every 3 months.

I think though it was a mixture of timing of growing (she was still taller than I had been at 11yo, and she finished growing at about my height) so she'd grown early, and also the pneumonia made it very obvious because of the weight loss. Once she started growing, although it was very little at first, they stopped worrying.

My son is young but stopped growing and is putting on weight extremely slowly and the GP was awful. Measured him wrong, added extra cm as ‘hard to measure’, plotted him incorrectly in the graph. Had a few goes. Gave up and took him to a private endocrinologist- so we now know he is anaemic and may have a growth hormone problem. Pain as I have to take him to London and it is expensive but it can’t be left. Endocrinologist was horrified with my GP as he should be average height and is off the bottom line.

my dd is nearly 5 and has stopped growing and is also putting on weight v slowly. GP much better with her and had an immediate NHS referral for bloods with a planned follow up for paeds. She had tummy pain though so helped she could advocate a bit for herself.

It’s a nightmare but I would suggest you go privately, the NHS is not always good for this stuff.

So according to the gp measurements today she is on the ninth centile from the NHS chart I just off Google

Ours say they’ll get to back to us within two working days when we do econsult. I’d give them 48 hours, then I’d be calling and asking to speak to the practice manager, or emailing (if your practice has an email address, check their website) asking to make a complaint to the practice manager. If that doesn’t get a response, I’d go into the reception and refuse to move until I’d spoken to someone.

Ah sorry, I see you have had her seen now, but without a satisfactory response. I’d try again and this time make it clear that she hasn’t grown in two years and you don’t want to wait another 6 months for an answer because you first raised this 6 months ago and she hasn’t grown since then. You’re going to have to be more forceful - go to practice manager if you can’t get another GP appointment easily.

She is good eater and active little thing. Does a fair bit of sport too. Dh said they was using the who chart?

If she’s where that black dot is, she’s on the 0.9th percentile. Not the 9th percentile. She’d have to be around 127-128 cm to be on the 9th percentile.

Either the GP or your husband has got confused and this is really important, @IncessantNameChanger ! If she was on the 1st percentile and now they think she’s on the 9th, they’re going to say she’s growing. But she isn’t.

OP you need a referral through the GP to a paediatric endocrinologist, not a general paediatrician. If you’re concerned that she hasn’t grown in 2 years it matters less that she’s on the 9th centile. Has she put on weight and that’s why she’s moved up from 2nd centile in October?

My DS didn’t grow for several years - we thought he was a late developer and had my short gene - but when he was found to be almost off the chart for his age the endocrinology investigations showed a significant issue with his pituitary gland. Luckily we caught it just in time for growth hormone to be a possibility. Please get your dd checked by a specialist so you can all be reassured.

According to those charts she was on the 9th centile two years ago and is now just under the 2nd yes? More importantly if those black dots track her height then she HAS grown in the last two years. She has now dropped just over a centile.

If that is true then I think your GP is right to see her again in six months. If she doesn't grow, then that would put her on the 0.4th centile - a 2 centile drop over two years, which should reach the criteria for referral.

But she is growing. Which isn't what you said originally.

Apologies I’ve not read the full thread. You need a referral to a paediatric endocrinologist, by pass straight paeds and go paed endo.

few questions (sorry if you’ve answered) what is your mid parental height (how tall are you and her dad) she should fall within 2 standard deviations of that (up or down) and if she doesn’t this is the referral criteria for faltering growth

what was her birth height and weight- she might meet hgh based on being sga

print out the nice guidelines and ask for a referral to a paediatric endocrinologist. they will potentially refer to genetics too. But first step is likely a bone X-ray. They can test for turners and shox too.

in the interim get a fbc including coeliacs and igf1

do not wait around the potential for catch up wanes as growth plates start to close around puberty to you need to move quickly.

if you have the fund I’d recommend trying to go private to quicken it up a bit

lastly join the Fb group child growth foundation- lots of helpful people who’ve been through the same and met blockers from GP and paeds refusing to do referrals. They can help

That image OP, the dot is just under the 2nd centile, so the first. Meaning her growth velocity has Slowed down

She has grown since she was 7, I didn't think she had grown in the last two years but she has grown a bit.

The mid point between dh and me is around the 20th centile. Ds16 is 5,8 but dh is short 5,6 in 5,4.

She was 5lbs something at birth, they didn't measure lenght but I'm going to try again to find her red book.

It's the falling centiles I'm worried about. Thanks for all of the advice, lots to look into

Ask for gp referral to endocrinology
Have they tested for coeliac?

Your DH is short, it's entirely possible DD takes after him and is going to be short.

It's a concern that she has grown very little in 2 years I agree.