Anyone seen a dietician for baby

[Grommit]

My 7mo is not gaining weight as he should - see previous post. I don't understand why as he eats well - 3 meals and 3 bottles per day with snacks. Seeing a dietician on Saturday to review his diet - feeling like an inadequate mum!

Grommit dont feel inadequate. My daughter had terrible weight gain for the first 2 1/2 years of her life although she fed okay really. She had a bout of pneomonia around her 2 nd birthday and was the average weight of a 10 month old we were reffered to a dietician (although in hindsight I wish we had been reffered earlier) and she was put on a high calorie diet and suppliment drinks. The supplement drinks were called Fortini although i think thay use a different on e on children under 1 yr old. It worked she put on weight and was eventually not having the high calorie/supplement drinks.

Please dont worry about it and dont feel you are a failure, you are not. Some children are just like this. I know they tested my daughter for food allergies aswell and for coeliac just to rule it out, so dont worry if they do that too.

Thanks Fio - I am just getting fed up with my baby's progress being plotted on a chart! As I said in my other thread I am still worried about CF - I seem to remember your sister suffered from this.

Yes my sister did have CF. Actually my daughter was tested for CF aswell at this stage because that can sometimes be another factor with weight, although it was impossible with my daughter as I am not a carrier(!!) Slow weight gain on its own is not a pointer for CF though. If you are worried about CF, just mention it. The sweat test is painless and very straighforward. I would think Cf would be unlikely though just for slow weight gain

You are a very good mum. And your ds is gorgeous.
There is nothing you have done/not done to cause this. The dietician will able to help you. Accept gracefully !

Thanks kayleigh
Fio - he also has a cough but not the other symptoms (loose foulsmelling stools, salty skin) -may ask for the test just to know for sure

Grommit IME children CF dont develop a cough until they have been receiving treatment since the diagnosis of CF because the treatment lossens the sputum. The usual signs are repeated chest infections and what you have mentioned. Just mention it, if anything it will put your mind at rest

don't worry Grommit. We too saw a dietician for dd due to food allergies/intolerances. They asked us to fill in food diaries for 2 weeks so they could see how many calories/vitamins etc. she was getting and then they could decide if she needed any supplements etc. They were completely non-judgmental and very helpful. They gave me some great lists of which foods were good for what (e.g. I still have the list of high-calcium non dairy foods) and high calorie but still good for you foods (e.g. avocado). They were really good and in retrospect, the dietician was one of the most helpful people we saw with dd when she was little.

Same here GRommit, my dd turned out to have aheart murmur and a mild version of a genetic syndrome which affected her weight gain, fortunately her development has not suffered too much as a result, they work with you, they do not criticise you, they will likely advise adding olive oil or butter to every meal and bottle, a supplement called uocal or maxijoule (fats and sugars.
they also use a different cahrt called a thrive chart which varies massively from teh red book, so if your ds is diagnosed a fail to thrive on centile alone, you may find like us, they are actually ok.
If everything else seems ok with your ds then you have little worry about

grommit my appt was also quite a positive experience, wasn't judged at all, and it was at least a relief to have any concerns/worries addressed. hope you will find yours helpful.

Ds2 has bad weight gain. He has been under a dietician since abou the same age as yours Grommit, originally for allergies, but now for lack of weight gain. They are very helpful, don't make you feel bad at all. They are there to gove advice and guidance, not to leave you feeling inadequate. I hope it goes well.

forgot to say, you have to put butter and cream in EVERYTHING!!!

My dd was under a dietician for 3 years.....after her surgery at 4 months she weighed less than her birth weight . I always found them really helpful. We used maxijul and calogen in her formula (ends up like custard!) and butter/cream/oil in everything too.

Don't feel inadequate Grommit you're doing nothing wrong - hopefully they'll sort it out. Have they done any tests on your ds?

Thanks everyone! Ds has had a chest xray because of the cough - I think it is probably asthmatic. Otherwise he seems so happy and active that I am hoping there is nothing seriously wrong! I thought I would worry less with child 2 but I am just as bad!

The dietician thinks ds might have 'hidden' reflux. The coughing and rasping after a bottle - this really seems to make sense. She has prescribed a high calorie formula and a milk thickener to keep the milk down. Finger crossed...

Hope it works grommit.

Thanks Lou33 - I hope so too - this is very stressful - the one thing we all want to do is nourish our babies and it is not easy when they are considered as 'not thriving'

I know. Let me know how it goes.

Grommit I hope they are onto something here and the new milk helps. I know there is something about them not growing well that does really get to you as a mother, but you are doing all you can to care for him. Let us know how it goes.

Sorry only just found this.