please help!?

Question

my 7 months old baby is just not gaining weight, for the past 3 months her weight has been the same 8.3kgs, doctors say she is normal and fine, maybe jus does not respond to food. but i have my doubts.... the girl just does not want to eat, she has even stopped breast feeding. should i try multi-vitamins? which ones? what other foods can i try? maybe baby cereals are not the thing for her...i think this is also affecting her physical development.... please Help!!!!!!

Answer 1

By 7 mths she is ok to start on solids. If she isn't taking to breastfeeding anymore then you can try pumping it and using a bottle, or there's always formula (but I'd stick to breast milk as much as possible). If she still isn't that into it you can start introducing cereals - there are Rice, Oatmeal, and Barley ones. And of course you can start her on stage one baby foods. Doc's suggest trying veggies first so they don't refuse them later because they like the taste of fruits better. If you're that worried though then try the fruits first. Does this help?

Age: 6 to 8 months
Signs of readiness for solid food
• Same as 4 to 6 months
What to feed
• Breast milk or formula, PLUS
• Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, oats)
• Pureed or strained fruits (banana, pears, applesauce, peaches)
• Pureed or strained vegetables (avocado, well-cooked carrots, squash, and sweet potato) How much per day
• 3 to 9 tablespoons cereal, in 2 to 3 feedings
• 1 teaspoon fruit, gradually increased to ¼ to ½ cup in 2 to 3 feedings
• 1 teaspoon vegetables, gradually increased to ¼ to ½ cup in 2 to 3 feedings
Feeding tips
• Introduce new foods one at a time, with at least three days in between to make sure your baby's not allergic.
• Get more detailed tips on how to introduce solids.


My guess would be that if the doc is saying she's good then she probably is. I'm not sure how many pounds 8.3 kgs are so I can't really help you as to if it sounds like a good weight of not. However I do know the most babes are around 20-25 lbs at 1 year so around 7 months I would say about 16 lbs is average. My 3 mths old is 13 lbs right now if that helps. . .

As far as her physical development, what things can she do? Can she control her head? Does she look toward sounds? Here is a good website that gives a fairly decent list of monthly milestones. It should be able to help you decide if you should be concerned and if you need to talk to the doc.

http://www.babycenter.com/general/baby/babydevelopment/6476.html

HTH

Answer 2

My daughter wasn't getting enough breastmilk and even after putting her on formula she was spitting up so much that she was not gaining weight. We changed formulas several times. She had reflux. It's true babies will go through a phase where they take a break from breast feeding . She may not be responding to food yet because she is still young. Have you noticed whether she is having normal stool movements? my daughter would get constipated and because of the discomfort would have trouble eating. If she is wetting her diaper frequently and having normal movements then don't worry. Try giving her some baby juice (you can water it down just a bit so that she won't keep wanting only sweet things) but it will give a little more taste and interest for her. If you see no results or she seems ill then please get a second opinion from another Dr. Not all Dr's are perfect in diagnosing children. After all a mother knows her baby best and when something is wrong.

Answer 3

Her weight for a 7 mth old seems very healthy, it's just the fact that she hasnt gained weight for 3 mths that is worrisome. I think my girl was 8 mths at that weight. When you say she hasnt gained weight, do you mean AT ALL, or just not much? Because that is completely normal for weight gain to decrease sign. after you introduce solids because they are drinking less milk which is where all the calories are located. You say she's even stopped nursing, so here I would say that she might be sick or else is having severe teething pains. The Dr says she is healthy, so perhaps teething? My little girl went through about 2 mths where nursing was really bothering her and it wasnt until her first teeth finally broke through that she went back to nursing properly.
The best way for a baby to gain weight is to eat milk products. If she wont nurse, wont take a bottle, try feeding her yogurt. You can find baby yogurt that is plain or with fruits (at least where I live you can), and my girl ADORES this. When she was sick last week that is the only thing she would eat, even when she wouldnt nurse. When you offer veg purées, try different textures and different veggies to make it more appealing to her (but have potatoes in it or else there wont be enough calories if you are trying to get her to gain weight).
Why do you think this is affecting her physical devel? If Drs say she is fine, please dont worry too much. If she is acting happy and healthy, then she very likely is even if the scale doesnt show her as gaining very much.

Answer 4

She is a good size (18 pounds) for her age. It is really common for babies to level off after the first few months, especially after a 3 or 6 month growth spurt. I agree that baby cereal is probably not the best thing. Many experts are now recommending fruits and veggies as first foods. Cereal has to be fortified to be very nutritious and may be hard for some babies with grain sensitivities to digest. Ounce for ounce, cereal is lower in calories then breast milk or formula too. It is unusual that she weaned herself at this age, but not unheard of (I am a lactation specialist). It is possible that when you started solids and substituted cereal for some feeds that your milk supply lessened and your daughter felt like she was working too hard for a meal when nursing, and decided to give up.
My sons gained a pound a week their first few months, and then only 2 or 3 pounds between 6 months and a year.
Remember that babies reach milestones at different rates (skinny babies can crawl/walk earlier or later then fat babies with pretty equal variation). If your gut instinct as a mom, is that something is wrong, say malabsorbtion, see this website: http://www.healthcentral.com/ency/408/000299.html (something that is sometimes only obvious after a baby stops eating easily digestable breastmilk), it is uncommon though not something you want to dismiss if she seems like she's not her old self, is cranky, listless, has dry skin, weird BMs etc.. . It is more likely that she is having a natural leveling off in her growth, but she should be gaining at least a couple of ounces soon. If she is seeing a family doc, please take her to a pediatrician, who would have more experience with this.

Answer 5

I breast fed all three of my children, but my youngest did not like it at ALL!!! I had to put her on formula at three weeks old and then she was fine. She started gaining weight and improved. Try formula, or maybe your daughter is ready for soft food (all my kids were eating soft finger food/spooned food by 7 months...baby jars of food, bread, grated cheese, cut up banana, mac and cheese, baked beans, cut up green beans, corn, shredded carrots, basically anything small and soft that wouldn't choke them). Breast feeding was a "snack" at that point. I breast fed my two oldest until they were 8months and a year old, but they were def eating food in between. I don't think it is normal to just feed a 7 month old milk and cereal....maybe you should think about seeing a new doctor? My kids are 14, 9 and 5 and they have always been eating regular food (cut up small) by the time they were 7 months?? Good Luck! : )

Answer 6

try baby cereal with a smashed up banana in it or even a fruit yogurt mixed into the cereal. A little sweet, or something to spark the taste buds will help...other than that, as long as she doesn't lose the weight, don't worry so much. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

If your baby won't eat or even nurse, something is wrong!
I can't believe doctors are saying that is normal. A baby who doesn't eat is usually sick. Vitamins do not encourage appetite, but she should be getting those anyway. Is she running any fevers? Any unexplained crying or does she appear to be in any distress?
Babies can be finicky, but do not usually refuse even breastmilk for no reason. Take your daughter to another doctor, preferably a pediatrician.

Answer 8

babies dont eat what they dont like. my son hated store bought food. this is what i gave him. i used to smash potatoes and give some salt in it. eggs with a little bit of salt. taste the food before you give him. if you like it the baby will too. i used to give my baby also hoch poch. 1/2 cup of rice,1/2 cup of pulse, a chicked breast (diced), half cup of potatoes, 1 teaspoon of oil and salt. mix them together and cook with water. when boiled , bled it with the water and feed this to the baby. this is very nutrisious. feed it 3 daily. dont give vitamins before the baby is i year old.dont give junk food or cola.take care.

Answer 9

SHE MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU ARE FEEDING HER. HAVE YOU INTRODUCED HER TO TABLE FOODS? TRY SOME MASHED POTATOES OR SOMETHING. GIVE HER A SCRAMBLED EGG. MASH UP SOME MACARONI AND CHEESE. EVEN TRY HER ON SOME VEGETABLES. SOME BABIES STOPS THAT BABY CEREAL EARLY. THE VITAMINS THAT YOU CAN GIVE HER IS TRI-VI-FLOR.

Answer 10

Some babies go through a phase. If it is concerning you that much, check with another doctor. That is what I would do. Good luck.