Ok, so DS has always been a bit of a titch - 7lb when born and on 9th percentile. He's never really had a massive appetite and I struggled to get bf going so I always used to be worried that he hadn't put weight on but every time I took him to be weighed he was tracking his percentile (literally the very top curve of his percentile - he followed it perfectly, very occasionally even tipping into the 25th percentile). Then we flew to NZ at 9 months (he is a half Kiwi) and we had a bit of a tricky time for a bit with jet lag and he went off his food a bit. I made a real effort to try and 'fatten him up' and for a while he did - for him- get a bit plump. Then he learnt how to crawl... He obviously got a bit leaner then but still tracked his percentile (according to our attempts at self-weighing at home, so obviously not perfect but still got a rough idea I think.)
Then we came back to the UK at 11 months. Since then he has a) struggled to get over jet lag. This was baaaaaaad!
B) had to start 'settling in' to nursery, followed by me going back to work part time and him having one day with his grandparents (who I am staying with) and 2 days at nursery.
C) catching a virus that gave him diarrhoea, ear ache, sore throat and general cold symptoms - runny nose and gummy eyes.
The virus has really knocked his appetite for six and we are really struggling to get him to eat and the whole situation is MISERABLE. I am practically crying after each meal as he bats most of it to the floor instantly. Sometimes we are lucky and after much entertaining/ cajoling we can get something down him. But he has lost weight (we know as he has been to the Drs and been weighed) and I have noticed that he is still in his 6-9 month trousers (some 9-12 month ones but they're no shorter on him than when he first started wearing them around 9 months.) So I am beginning to get really hysterical stressed that there is something very wrong with him. He is basically living on breastmilk (not ideal obviously as I am away from him when working) with the occasional half meal (porridge/ banana/ fish fingers/ yoghurt/ plain cooked salmon - things of this ilk. In fact that's basically it. And chocolate buttons.) Gone are the days when i'd easily get a bowl of porridge plus some toast plus fruit followed by an Ok lunch and supper (both consisting of main course and as pudding) down him. He doesn't snack and doesn't have much other fluids so he isn't filling up on juice or anything in between. This is a whole other story and we have tried a variety of bottles/ cups. He does like tea from a grown up mug but that's not much use obviously.
He has had this virus for over 2 weeks and was given antibiotics on Friday afternoon. Since then there has been a slight improvement but not much.
I will be asking for a referral to a paediatrician because I am concerned about his weight loss and lack of growth. But I just wanted to ask if anyone else had been in the same boat? It's distressing me and i'd appreciate any reassurance/advice if there is any.
I know my post is a bit rambling, sorry. Obviously the lack of growth is from 9 months so that is not such a recent thing. But this combined with a complete loss of appetite, which isn't really improving even after on antibiotics, and weight loss is my cause for concern.