No weight gain in 9 weeks - what should I do?

[ninjinglebells]

My 8 month dd hasn't put on any weight in the last 2 months - This does coiincide with the time that I went back to work and she went to nursery, plus starting to wean her. She's not really that interested in solids from me (although she eats them at nursery but there she hardly takes any milk - EBM - 2oz yesterday!) She has no pattern to her feeding but does still feed about 3 times in the night

She has also had a couple of coughs and we've had ongoing thrush in this time but I'm really worried.

When I had her weighed today and she had lost weight since before christmas I just burst into tears, I feel like I must be doing it all wrong.

Any advice?

(p.s. sorry I haven't changed my christmas name yet)

It is not uncommon for baby's weight to plateau at this age or even drop. Was she weighted with clothes on? Were they the exact same clothes? I know at my clinic babies are still weighed clothed and that can make such a difference. Apart from the colds and thrush is she otherwise well? Is she having problems feeding due to thrush? Were you concerned before you had her weighed or is it seeing the numbers on the scales that have got you worried? All these questions - sorry. I just think that the weighing of babies causes a lot of heartache to mums and at 8 months your dd does not need to be regularly weighed. Once she gets her act together retarding solids etc the picture will improve. She will be getting plenty of milk if she is feeding 3 times a night. It will sort itself out Ninja - try not to worry.

At 8 months my dd had only been getting solids for a couple of months and definitely wasn't in the swing of eating regular portions. Sometimes she was interested, sometimes she'd go for a week or more barely wanting anything at all. In particular when she had a cold, which was most of the time in winter, she wouldn't want any food at all.

She was also breastfed and got EBM at nursery. Sometimes she took the bottle at nursery, sometimes she didn't. So sometimes she would go a whole day on 2-3oz, other times she would guzzle 10oz.

I'm not exactly sure about her weight gain, but it definitely levelled off at this stage. I know that's not the same as a drop, but unless your dd appears unwell, or unhappy or is not developing in some way I really wouldn't worry.

FWIW my dd is now 17 months and generally a very hearty eater, but I haven't had her weighed since 8 months, so who knows what the charts would have to say. She seems to me to be above average height so looks on the skinny side. Her granny is always harping on about how delicate she is compared to her cousin who is 6 months younger. But she's healthy, happy and utterly charming and that's all I care about!

my dd is 21 months now and for the last 6 months hasn't hardly gained any wegiht -

she does eat well and they have come to the conslusion that she has a fast matabalism

Thanks everyone - I guess I'm just overly worried and stressed since I've gone back to work. I don't think dd seems as happy (althouhg dp doesn't agree) - she certainly doesn't seem as smiley with me as with others.

I feel like I must be doing a bad job with her sleeping but I don't want to not feed her as she obviously can't be getting enough during the day. She's had a cough now for nearly 4 w3eeks so I guess that doesn't help.

I'm run down, tired (she took to screaming for several hours in the night over new year) and have had thrush on and off for the last 6 weeks. She doesn't seem to be affected any more but I'm all cracked and sore and feeding certainly isn't a joy so I worry that she'll pick up on this.

I gues looking at this maybe it's more my anxieties.

Thanks Pidge - it's good to know that someone else's dd just wasn't that interested in food. The health visitos say I've got to get more solids down her (maybe by reducing the milk) but feeding her les milk just doesn't seem to make any sense.

Sorry I seem to be rambling on. Time seems to move so fast that it's difficult to keep up with doing everything right

Hi, I had a similar thing with my daughter (20mths now). She was a really erratic eater, and even though she wasn't at nusery or daycare, she would still refuse to breastfeed at times. (The worst was when she didn't feed for 14 hours one day!) She never actually lost weight, but she did plateau from the 25th (her original) centile, down to under the 0.4th centile. I asked for us to be reffered to a dietitian, and we saw a paediatritian at the same time. Neither of them were worried, though she had 3 monthly appointments (weight checks) for a while. But, now they've discharged her completely, and say she's highly intelligent, and has better things to do than sit and eat! (Obviously atempting to placate my concerns !)It was a really difficult time, and really made me question myself about my abilities in caring for her . It was hard when she was younger, very hard. But, as she grows up, I've realised that she'll damn well eat if and when she wants to, and there's not a whole lot I can do about it! (She really went off any form of milk, but when she was old enough, I'd present it to her as a cup of tea, 'like mummys', and she really likes being all grown up ).

Ninja - you did get treatment for your nipples as well for the thrush didn't you? Hope they get better soon. Sounds as though you are also suffering from returning to work. Life will get easier honestly.