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Original poster

Five month old not gaining weight

17 replies

boatrace30 · 10/11/2015 23:31

My baby is just over five months old (23 weeks). I got her weighed today and she has only gained 2oz in the last month. She is now 25th centile after starting above 50th. She is exclusively breastfed. HV wasn't concerned and just said start baby rice. I was planning to wean at 24 weeks anyway but would rather do veg than rice. I can only imagine that weaning will slow her weight gain??

We weighed her at home ten days ago and estimated her to be 8oz heavier than she is so my worry is she has lost weight. Going to go to doctors tomorrow as I'm starting to worry about lactose intolerance. She is very gassy (for last couple of months) and poo sometime mucousy. I wasn't too worried before but now combined with the lack of weight gain I am.

Aside from that she has wet and dirty nappies and is VERY active and very happy. Feeding in day is hard work as she gets distracted and she has recently dropped a night feed so that could be a factor too.

Any advice appreciated.

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SarahDuckandMummy · 10/11/2015 23:40

My DS is the same age and is exactly the same as your DD. I have started giving him bits of fruit and veg rather than baby rice, and although he is still having a lot of milk his weight gain as really tailed off. I saw the Doctor last week and he said he seems to be a happy and healthy baby and isn't concerned at this point.

FattyNinjaOwl · 10/11/2015 23:47

My DD started on the 50th centile and dropped to between the 9th and 25th. She was absolutely fine. She's just little. Even now at 23 months she's little but eats loads! I wish I was like her. If there's no other concerns then weight loss isntba major issue. Baby is happy and healthy so no problem.

Rockchick1984 · 11/11/2015 00:06

Weight gain isn't linear - she could be gearing up for a growth spurt. If you hadn't weighed her, would you have any concerns? If not then don't stress about it, just get her weighed again in another month or so if you feel the need.

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Original poster

boatrace30 · 11/11/2015 17:08

Doctor suspects lactose intolerance so I'm going dairy free for two weeks to see what happens... Not sure how I'm going to cope without biscuits and cake! The doctor wants me to get her weighed again next week and if no improvement in two weeks we will get a paediatric referral.
Thanks for your help.

OP posts:

tiktok · 11/11/2015 17:37

Sorry to read this.

If you go dairy free you will make not one jot of difference to the lactose in your milk - lets hope the doc did not suggest this! Lactose is in all milks - all of them. It's the milk sugar that is there whatever your diet and whatever your species - cow, cat, dog, donkey, human :) :) And it's not made from lactose :)

Your baby's weight is well within normal - a drop of up to two centile spaces is within normal and needs no investigation (50th to 25th is one centile space).

If your baby is well and developing normally, then it doesnt sound as if there is anything wrong, but if you think she needs more to eat, then you can offer more breastfeeding....either extra sides or extra feeds.

But it's a waste of time giving up biscuits and cake :)

Original poster

boatrace30 · 12/11/2015 03:13

Tiktok - actually that's my mistake with language. It's cow's milk protein that might be the issue... Reading online I think the two are often (wrongly) used interchangeably

OP posts:

icklekid · 12/11/2015 03:42

We started weaning at the same time for the same reason -he refused formula feeds and weight dropped. We did both fruit /veg and baby rice. He was also sitting well and showing signs of being 'ready ' according to nhs so that helped...

justonesherryformedicinalpurpo · 12/11/2015 10:12

I wouldn't worry too much about the weight gain. Lots of ebf babies tend to start putting on less weight after about 3 months. How long has it been since she dropped a feed because that could be a phase, such as teething causing loss of appetite and even though she's feeding at night that could be more comfort. They tend to have a growth spurt around 6m so she might surprise you. I started weaning with rice and banana (she didn't like plain milky rice). She is now almost 10m and has a great appetite for food and she is still petite - I always get comments!

But she's healthy and happy, like your LO.

see what the doc says re poo and lactose but other than that do not stress yourself. Weaning is meant to be enjoyable. Not a method to make them put on weight.

Sounds like your LO is doing great.

tiktok · 12/11/2015 10:59

Thanks, boatrace - there are no indications of cows milk protein allergy/intolerance in your post, though. All babies get gassy at times, and all babies sometimes have a bit of mucus in the poo....all babies get distracted when they feed from time to time, especially at that age, too...and the weight is normal, really it is :)

Speaking bluntly, it would be a huge inconvenient worthless hassle to make major dietary changes on that basis!

tiktok · 12/11/2015 11:01

To clarify - major dietary changes for you. I don't think solids at this age is that big a deal, and they won't harm your baby, but there's no sign he actually needs them/would benefit from them, so you might want to stick to plan A of waiting to six months.

Dixiechick17 · 12/11/2015 11:06

Have you got another clinic you can go to to get him weighed? My friend had a panic when her DD had only put on 1oz in the earlier stages. She booked in with her own health visitor as she was worried and it turned out that she had actually put on 6oz and the other HV's scales possibly needed to be recalleborated.

dannydyerismydad · 12/11/2015 11:30

Did you go to the same weighing clinic each time? DS is older now, so rarely gets weighed, but the scales at our children's centre always had him tracking 25th and A&E the 91st - massive difference!

If the scales didn't exist, how would you feel? Does he appear healthy and thriving? I've never met a baby who adhered constantly to the same centile line, so if everything else is good then your baby is just finding their natural size and shape.

Laquila · 12/11/2015 11:37

Dannydyer - that's crazy!! It wouldn't occur to me that there'd be that much difference - people must really panic when they get the readings!

My first thought on reading your post, OP, is that if you're worried about your baby not getting enough calories then don't start weaning - offer more breastmilk! Having said that, I'd probably have been a bit worried at that stage about dropping from 50th to 25tj, not two years down the line and having seen a hell of a lot more babies do all kinds of things weight-wise in the intervening time, I hownatly don't think you need to worry - there's no reason at all for a baby's weight to stick to one centile line and these things can turn around very quickly.

BarbarianMum · 12/11/2015 11:55

Ds1 fell very gently from the 70th percentile to the 9th over his first year and has been their ever since. He did have a cmp allergy but dealing with that didn't make a jot of difference to his weight - neither did outgrowing the allergy 2 years later. Nature intended him to be small and skinny.

Is your dd happy, lively and well?

Kent1982 · 12/11/2015 22:43

Hi around 4to 5 month stage my boy dropped from 50 to 9 th centile I was so upset, they sent me to the doctor. I was literally force breast feeding him (sort of ) anyway you get the picture. He is very much a live wire, always determined to be on the move. Obviously I was really really worried about him.

Anyway the dr referred me to the hospital because he was gaining weight so slowly the specialist ran tests and everything has come back ok. He has to go back in 3 month but the letter actually says that they expect to discharge him then. We started weaning at 6 months and the weight gain seems pretty steady now thank goodness. I'm tempted to say my boy is supposed to be slim, and is very active so maybe your little one is the same. Also the scales are often not accurate, my hv admitted that since having scales rebalanced lots of the babies weighed that week look to have lost weight. If she hadn't told me that I would have been distraught.

I'm sure baby is great, I will say though when dr said I had to go to hospital I was in a right state. I have since found out its policy. And he had to do it regardless of if he thought my boy was ok or not so don't let it upset you too much

Original poster

boatrace30 · 13/11/2015 15:26

I went back to HV today and asked for DD to be weighed again. She had put on 1oz since Tuesday but I guess that can all be down to when she fed, pooed etc. Anyway I was a bit reassured as the HV was really good and convinced nothing was wrong. I'll stick with the no dairy experiment and see if it makes any difference but I am very doubtful (as was the HV).

OP posts:

tiktok · 13/11/2015 19:22

boatrace, great the HV - another one - is not concerned.

There is no need for you to be worried....why are you worried? Seriously....there is nothing wrong with your baby's weight. It is normal to go from 50th to 25th. Being windy with occasional mucusy poo is normal.

Why put yourself through the hassle of a dairy-free diet? How would that impact on her weight?

Unless there is something you have not included here, then there appears to be nothing wrong with your healthy, active, appropriately-gaining little dd :(

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